The 2017 edition of the Drake University Social Science Journal is now available online at www.drake.edu/dussj/currentedition/.

The Journal has been published annually since 1999 (with exception of 2016), and features some of the best undergraduate social science research at Drake. Published articles are chosen through a highly selective process conducted by an editorial board consisting of students nominated by faculty in the fields of economics, history, international relations, political science, and anthropology. The five research articles featured in this year’s Journal deal with topics including immigration, human development, Catholic labor politics, legal politics in Sudan, and the atomic bomb in U.S. Cold War strategy. Past issues of the Journal are also available. Please read this year’s edition of the Journal and offer congratulations to the authors and editorial board members.
 
—David Skidmore, Professor of Political Science, DUSSJ Faculty Advisor

Two Drake students presented papers during the undergraduate poster session of the annual conference of the Midwest Political Science Association. Kate Kemper and Darby Matt presented at the conference held April 6-9 in Chicago. Read more in the Drake Newsroom.

Drake’s chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha, a global honor society for public affairs and administration, inducted 25 new members and recognized a few students with special honors during an awards ceremony last month. Read more in the Drake Newsroom.

APPA, the association dedicated to leadership in educational facilities, is proud to announce that Manny Toribio at Drake has received the Educational Facilities Professional (EFP) credential. The EFP is a way to validate the unique knowledge and competency required of an accomplished professional in the educational facilities field.

“The APPA EFP designation is a knowledge-based credential for educational facilities professionals and industry suppliers looking to validate their depth-of-knowledge in the core educational facilities management topics deemed critical by employers,” said John Morris, chair of APPA’s Board for Educational Facilities Professionals Certification. “Aspiring educational facility professionals who obtain the must-have EFP credential demonstrate their understanding of the core knowledge and skills, enhance their career opportunities, and gain immediate credibility with employers, clients, and peers.”

“The EFP credential is an exciting standard for educational stewardship. It represents core knowledge, talent, and skill, underscoring accountability and commitment to growth and mastery,” said Lander Medlin, APPA executive vice president.
 
– Kevin Moran, Executive Director Facilities Planning and Management

Top officials from Drake and the Republic of Kosovo held a signing ceremony on April 5 to formalize a new partnership. The renewable, five-year partnership outlines a number of specific programs and initiatives that Drake and Kosovo could embark upon together, including faculty, staff, and student exchanges, research collaboration, and training and professional development activities. Learn more in the Drake Newsroom.

Anna Steenson, a sophomore digital media production major, won two first-place Emmys in this spring’s Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Upper Midwest Region contest. Steenson won awards in the public affairs/community service and editing categories.

Senior public relations major Kelly Leatherman has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar. Leatherman will be traveling to Malaysia for her scholarship.

Teams of senior PR students recently presented campaigns to their capstone client, Young Women’s Resource Center. The advertising seniors will present their campaigns for the National Pork Board later this month. The pork industry group is also flying a team of students to Arizona to present their plans to the organization’s national board.

—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, SJMC

Michael Haedicke, associate professor of sociology, has received an honorable mention in the Midwest Sociological Society Distinguished Book Award competition for his 2016 book Organizing Organic: Conflict and Compromise in an Emerging Market. The Distinguished Book Award recognizes new works of scholarship that make exemplary, original, and substantive contributions to sociological understanding.

Organizing Organic traces the history of different visions of sustainable agriculture within the U.S. organic farming sector and investigates how members of the organic industry navigate these cultural understandings in everyday life.

Alexander Maciejewski’s (PharmD candidate 2020) wrote about his service-learning experience in Anisa Fornoff’s FYS: Exploring the Portrayal of Mental Illness and Intellectual Disabilities in the Media. His article, “Leadership Development through Service-Learning: My Drake Experience” was accepted and is the first Drake student manuscript to published in the International Undergraduate Journal for Service-Learning, Leadership, and Social Change. Read Alex’s article at: http://opus.govst.edu/iujsl/vol6/iss2/6/

—Renee Sedlacek, Office of Community Engaged Learning & Service

Debra Bishop, associate professor of practice in management and international business, received was named Sigma Phi Epsilon’s University Partner of the Year for her work as faculty adviser to Drake’s Iowa Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Read more in the Drake Newsroom.