Renae Chesnut, dean of Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, was the recipient of two prestigious awards at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s (AACP) annual meeting July 21—25 in Boston.

Chesnut received the James Robertson, Jr. Leadership Excellence in Student Services Award, and the inaugural Sustained Contribution to Administrative Practice in Pharmacy Education Award.

Both awards recognize Chesnut’s outstanding commitment to pharmacy education. The James Robertson, Jr. Award recognizes an outstanding individual who has demonstrated leadership excellence in student services throughout his or her career. The award honors Chesnut’s commitment and leadership to the development of student services and programming at Drake as well as nationally through efforts that enhances students’ success, professional development, and increases diversity and interest in the pharmacy profession.

The award for sustained contribution to administrative practice in pharmacy education recognizes Chesnut’s work over the past several years in the creation of the Association’s Administrative Services Section, an interdisciplinary forum for pharmacy education faculty and staff in administrative positions.

In a supporting nomination letter, Drake University Provost Sue Mattison praised Chesnut noting that she is “an extraordinary leader of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Dr. Chesnut’s long and dedicated service to students in the College is testament of her commitment to facilitating students’ achievement, and is key to the outstanding success and reputation of the program. She is most worthy of these award recognitions.”

“I am humbled to have received these awards,” shared Chesnut. “I had the opportunity to know and work with James Robertson, Jr., which makes it a great honor to have received the award that continues his legacy of championing student success.”

Chesnut began her academic career at Drake 25 years ago, serving as director of student services, assistant dean, associate dean, and now dean of CPHS. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of several initiatives that have enhanced the College’s reputation. These initiatives include implementing the Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) and Master’s in Athletic Training (AT) programs, as well as the pre-professional OTD and AT programs; supporting the creation of joint degree programs, including the PharmD/MPA, PharmD/MBA, and PharmD/JD; and facilitating the work of the DELTA Rx Institute, which promotes entrepreneurial leadership in pharmacy. Chesnut’s service to AACP has included chairing the AACP Student Services Special Interest Group, and the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) Advisory Council.  She has also served as the inaugural chair of both the Association’s Student Affairs Committee, and the Administrative Services Section.

Building on her scholarship on artwork about the American Civil War, Maura Lyons, professor of art and design at Drake, is spending her summer at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) at Newfields, researching a painting in the collection called Our Flag. Her plan is to combine an art historical analysis of the painting with a scientific analysis to be conducted by the conservation lab at the IMA.

Lyons is at the museum—along with her husband, Windsor Professor of Chemistry Mark Vitha, who is working in the conservation lab on a number of projects—at the invitation of Greg Smith, the senior conservation scientist at the IMA.

“When the opportunity arose to conduct research this summer connected to the collections of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, I took a look at their holdings online,” Lyons said. “I noticed that they owned a painting by Frederic Church that I was not aware of.”

According to the IMA, Our Flag is a symbolic image of America during the Civil War. It was completed in 1864 and, according to Lyons’ research, is not based on a single landscape. Rather, it seems to be a combination of features of several different landscapes, including the rocky coast of Maine and tropical landscapes in South America.

Lyons has published several articles about the role of landscape symbolism in artworks from the Civil War era, which have appeared in American Art, a journal of the Smithsonian Institution; Public Art Dialogue; Panorama: Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art; and most recently, Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide.

“An analysis of Our Flag seemed a way to extend that research,” she said. “I am intrigued by the way that this painting is one of the few explicit statements that Church made about the war in his art, and he did so by placing a flag flying from a flagpole at the top of a mountain.”

Lyons said working with Smith will provide an opportunity to learn about the technical aspects of the painting, such as specific pigments used by the artist, changes in the paint layer, and detecting any underdrawings by the artist. Equally as important, it has allowed her to understand more about the actual painting materials through the in-house scientific lab.

The conservation lab at the IMA has allowed Lyons to interact with conservators and conservation scientists. She said these professionals have spent their careers dedicated to visual art, although they come from a different perspective compared to hers as an art historian.

“I find it exciting to be challenged to consider artworks in new ways,” she said.

Lyons shared that one of the most interesting experiences so far this summer has been a discussion she had with Our Flag’s conservator, David Miller, who restored the painting in the early 1990s. Their discussion included how the painting had a lot of damage, as well as some clumsy past restorations and she lauded how he helped return it to its former glory.

“I loved the chance to hear what that process was like, and what he saw in the painting. This has been a good reminder to me not to forget that artworks are material objects, composed of specific materials, with their own physical history,” said Lyons. “It’s always rewarding to see works of art in person rather than in reproduction.”

Lyons also shared that working as a research scholar this summer has already provided many learning opportunities.

“We talk at Drake about fostering life-long learning, and I have seen the benefits this summer of stepping out of my comfort zone and learning from others’ expertise,” said Lyons.

Drake SJMC is currently hosting almost 80 high school students and their advisers from around the country for Media Now Drake, a three-day intensive journalism boot camp July 8-11. Students choose from tracks focused on design, yearbook, writing, video, web, sports reporting, photography, and editorial leadership, taught by professionals and the nation’s best high school teachers. Their advisers network and receive teaching advice. Participants receive the full Drake student experience: staying in Jewett Residence Hall, eating in Hubbell Dining Hall, and taking field trips around the Des Moines metro area. This is the third year of Media Now Drake, and many of the campers eventually join us as SJMC first-years.

— Kathleen Richardson, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

The Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication will host a tour on Thursday, July 19, in conjunction with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions forum in Des Moines. Conference attendees will tour Meredith Hall, which opened in 1965 and was designed by famed architect Mies van der Rohe. The tour will include a discussion of the building’s history and a presentation by architects who are working on plans to update the building. The group will then tour the Scott Chapel at Medbury Hall, which was designed in 1955 by Eero Saarinen.

— Kathleen Richardson, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Work produced by the Drake SJMC public relations seniors in spring 2017 recently won a 2018 Clarion Award in the advertising or public relations campaign category of the national Association for Women in Communications contest.

According to the AWC website, “The Clarions—named for the medieval trumpet known for its clarity—symbolize excellence in clear, concise communications. Clarion recipients represent media companies large and small, leading corporations, small businesses, and nonprofit associations and institutions.”

The 2017 PR senior capstone client was Des Moines’ Young Women’s Resource Center. The Vector Strategies team included 2017 SJMC graduates Ashley Hawkins, Sarah Mattes, Reed Fischer, Nick Frandsen, Megan Johns and Kristen Carver.

Looking to enhance its relationship with the Des Moines community, Drake University is pleased to welcome Ryan Arnold to the position of neighborhood and community engagement manager.

In his new role, Ryan will establish partnerships between the University and the city, serve as the primary contact for residents and business owners in the Drake Neighborhood, and strive to strengthen the overall economic development and vitality of the area.

Ryan, who previously served as the senior minister at First Christian Church and lives in the Drake Neighborhood, has a deep understanding of the community.

“My family and I have called the Drake Neighborhood home for the last four years,” said Ryan. “I’m looking forward to combining my love for this community with my passion for Drake and continuing to move toward a more equitable, neighborly future.”

Ryan’s position will play an instrumental role in the University’s recent development projects, like the construction of a hotel, apartments, urban-style row houses, and retail space along University Avenue and the Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Boys and Girls Club on the southwest corner of 25th Street and Forest Avenue.

Ryan’s office is located in the Alumni House. He can be reached at ryan.arnold@drake.edu. Please welcome Ryan, his wife Kristyn, and their two children, Jack and Ellie, to the Bulldog family.

The Iowa Board of Medicine recognized Dr. Allen Zagoren, associate professor of practice in public administration, for his distinguished service to the Board during the organization’s annual meeting on June 8. Dr. Zagoren has served on the Board for nearly 15 years.

— Dianna Gray, College of Business & Public Administration