Gideon Kidd, a 9-year-old boy from Cedar Falls, is quickly gaining popularity through his Twitter account @IvePetThatDog, which has grown to over 91,000 followers in the last two years. The account features daily pictures and short narratives of the nearly 400 dogs he’s met. On June 15, Gideon was able to meet and pet Griff at Cole Hall.
In his tweet, Gideon posted a picture with Griff and said, “I pet @DrakeUGriff. He is a 6-year-old champion bulldog who is now the mascot for @DrakeUniversity. He is stubborn and likes attention. He has his own bed in the Admissions building. Griff’s favorite thing is food. He was once caught on top of the buffet table at a public event.”
Media outlets across the state covered the event, including WHO-TV, ABC-5, KCCI-8, KCRG-9, and the Des Moines Register. View the Des Moines Register’s story and a gallery of photos.
Inbal Mazar, assistant professor of Spanish, was selected as a 
Leveraging longstanding University ties with U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad, Drake’s award-winning Jazz Ensemble One performed at the ambassador’s private residence. In addition, the ensemble performed at three universities in China, allowing students to interact and build relationships with local Chinese students. At the Contemporary Music Academy, Jazz One played a joint concert of Count Basie’s Flight of the Foo Birds with eager Chinese jazz students. Jazz One also performed at Nankai University in Tianjin and the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, where they listened to a Chinese string ensemble and choir. During the trip, the ensemble was able to meet Jin Yulong, a trumpet student at Minzu University, who will be an exchange student at Drake next year. Jin spent one whole day with the band and got to know many of the students he will be studying with next year. The trip was the sixth international trip for Jazz Ensemble One. The group has also performed throughout Europe, including invited performances at the Montreux Switzerland Jazz Festival and Holland’s North Sea Jazz Festival.
