Category Archives: News & Achievements Archive

Faculty Accomplishments: Jan. 9

David Skidmore, professor of political science, is co-author of a new textbook, International Political Economy: The Struggle for Power and Wealth in a Globalizing World. The 522-page work, published by Routledge, was co-written by Thomas D. Lairson, visiting professor of political science at Jindal Global University and emeritus professor of political science at Rollins College. Read more about David in the Drake Newsroom.

Kieran Williams, visiting professor in the Department of Political Science, recently spoke at two events in the Czech Republic in connection with the publication of his biography of the Czech writer and statesman, Václav Havel (1936-2011). On Dec. 16, Williams and Professor David Danaher (University of Wisconsin-Madison) were interviewed at the Václav Havel Library in Prague by the Library’s director, Michael Žantovský, who previously served as Havel’s press secretary and later ambassador to the United States, Israel and United Kingdom. The discussion, conducted entirely in Czech, touched on the ways in which Havel’s life and work can be framed and presented, especially for non-Czech readers. The event was livestreamed on Czech Television’s website.

While in Prague, Williams also delivered a paper in Czech to a conference held at the Czech Academy of Sciences to mark the fifth anniversary of Havel’s death. He spoke on the influence of psychologist Erich Fromm and philosopher Josef Šafařík on Havel in the 1970s, when Havel was writing some of his most famous dissident essays, such as “The Power of the Powerless”. Williams’s biography of Havel was published in London by Reaktion Books and is distributed in the United States by the University of Chicago Press.

Ray Center Packs the Knapp

Nearly 3,000 elementary and middle school students attended the Drake women’s basketball game on Dec. 8 to Pack the Knapp for CHARACTER COUNTS! Griff made a special appearance and debuted a new video showing how he demonstrates the Six Pillars of Character. The Ray Center provided every student with an activity booklet for the game plus educational materials so that teachers could continue lessons on sportsmanship and character back at school.

—Amy Smit, Robert D. and Billie Ray Center

SJMC partners with global Google News Lab

Google has announced an initiative that partners the tech giant with journalism programs around the world, and Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) is part of the initial cohort of 48 institutions. The Google News Lab University network aims to “provide journalism educators with the same level of training and support that we’ve provided to journalists in newsrooms for years.” The partnership will provide SJMC students and faculty with on-campus and online training “on topics ranging from Google tool fundamentals, trust and verification, immersive storytelling, data journalism, advanced search and Google Trends, data visualization, mapping, and more,” according to the news release. The first on-campus training session is scheduled for early February.

—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, SJMC

Tell Des Moines your thoughts on public transit

Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) recently released the DART Forward 2035 draft plan after receiving considerable public input. Drake employees and students are encouraged to visit dsm2.dartforward2035.com to complete DART’s online survey and weigh in on what you would like to see Des Moines’ public transportation system look like. Your feedback is critical to helping shape the future of public transportation offerings in the region. Feedback is due by Dec. 20.

Get in the holiday spirit

The Drake Alumni House was part of the Salisbury House Foundation’s Holly & Ivy Holiday Home Tour Dec. 2–4, and the decorations are still up!

University Advancement welcomes faculty, staff, and students to stop by the Alumni House to see the holiday décor anytime during normal business hours (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) leading up to winter break.

—Erica Hartschen, University Advancement

Ashton Kutcher to receive award from Ray Center

The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center has named Iowa native Ashton Kutcher as the 2017 Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award recipient.

Kutcher will accept the award on April 8, 2017, at The Ray Center’s All-Star Evening in West Des Moines. An All-Star Evening is presented by Hy-Vee and benefits The Ray Center’s programs, including CHARACTER COUNTS!

This award is The Ray Center’s highest honor and is presented each spring to an individual who demonstrates good character as a role model and reflects former Gov. Robert D. Ray’s lifelong commitment to civility and character development. Past recipients include Norman Borlaug, Hayden Fry, Dan Gable, Fred Hoiberg, and Shawn Johnson. Read more about Kutcher and the Center in the Drake Newsroom.

Faculty accomplishments: Week of Dec. 5

Teresa Koch, professor of librarianship and collection development coordinator, and Andrew Welch, associate professor of librarianship and librarian for discovery services and technology, recently published “Monograph Validation Strategies in Shared Print Programs: Variations and Value,” in Collaborative Librarianship.

Natalie Adkins, associate professor of marketing, was also recently published. She co-authored “The Stigma Turbine: A Theoretical Framework for Conceptualizing and Contextualizing Marketplace Stigma,” which appeared in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.