The Drake Neighborhood Association has brought back the Drake Farmers Market. The market is now a nonprofit corporation organized for the purpose of promotion and development of urban gardening, food and food preparation education, and the health benefits of consuming fresh fruits and vegetables. The Farmers Market is located on 26th Street south of University Avenue (across from Old Main).

Questions or concerns, contact Nick Valdez, neighborhood & community relations manager for Drake University, 515-271-2394, nick.valdez@drake.edu.

Drake students had another strong showing in this summer’s Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication magazine contest. Drake Magazine, edited by senior Melissa Studach, won first place for general excellence, as well as first place in design under art director Susanna Hayward, JO’16. Judge Scott Burton, executive editor of ESPN the Magazine, commented, “I’m gobsmacked by how great this entry is — every bit the equal of many professional city magazines … I mean seriously: Wow. Are you sure you all aren’t professionals?”

The Annual, with editor-in-chief Emily Gregor, JO’16, won first place for editorial and Drake Magazine won second place. The senior capstone website, Urban Plains, won honorable mention for online magazine. In addition, Colton Warren, JO’16, and Cole Norum, JO’16, won writing awards, and junior Katie Bandurski won an award for her magazine prototype.

—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, SJMC

Erik Maki named 2016 Health-System Pharmacist of the Year
The Iowa Pharmacy Association recently honored Drake University Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Erik Maki with the association’s 2016 Health-System Pharmacist of the Year Award.

Maki specializes in the area of internal medicine as an associate professor in Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He is a clinical specialist at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, where he is a consultant for the hospitalist program and rounds with the internal medicine teaching team. He also precepts pharmacy students and Mercy’s pharmacy residents. Read more about Erik in the Drake Newsroom.

Shontavia Johnson receives Inspriring Women in STEM Award
Shontavia Johnson, professor of law at Drake Law School, has been selected as a recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity’s 2016 Inspiring Women in STEM Award.

INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity magazine and website in higher education, aims to spark meaningful conversations about the critical role of diversity in higher education.

The publication’s annual Inspiring Women in STEM Award honors women across the country who work to make a difference in the fields of STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, programs, and initiatives.

Johnson, who took over as director of the Intellectual Property Law Center and Kern Family Chair in Intellectual Property Law at Drake Law School on July 1, engages young people in STEM fields in both her professional work and the community.

In her intellectual property law courses, Johnson teaches law students how to help scientists and inventors patent their ideas. She has coordinated events featuring STEM components for middle and high school students and volunteers for community groups with STEM-related initiatives.

In addition, Johnson is the founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing students from underrepresented groups to various career options, including those in STEM fields. She serves as a faculty adviser to the Student Intellectual Property Law Organization and recently sat on the board of directors of both the Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association and the Science Center of Iowa.

Johnson also engages with students through the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) and spoke about intellectual property careers as a panelist on the JRF Law School and Legal Careers Panel. JRF recently selected her as a recipient of the organization’s 42 Alumni Under 40 Award.

“Shontavia has mentored and inspired many women and underrepresented groups in the intellectual property field,” wrote her nominator. “She mentors students on Drake University’s campus frequently, both at the Law School and undergraduate levels. She also serves as a mentor to young people who connect with her through various platforms.”

Among her many accolades, Johnson has received the Ladas Memorial Award from the International Trademark Association, the Gertrude Rush Award from the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys, and the Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40 Award from the National Bar Association and IMPACT. She is also a member of the National Black Lawyers-Top 100 professional honorary organization.

Most recently, Johnson was named a Fulbright Specialist Roster Candidate. The Fulbright program awards grants to U.S. faculty and professionals on the roster to engage in collaborative projects at institutions all over the world.

Before joining Drake Law School in 2010, Johnson worked as an intellectual property attorney at the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, LLP, in Greenville, S.C., and was a Westerfield Fellow at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Johnson received her B.S. in biosystems engineering from Clemson University and her J.D. from the University of Arkansas.

For more information about Johnson, see her Drake Law School faculty profile.

Johnson will be recognized along with the other honorees in the September STEM issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity.

Welcome the following new faculty and staff to Drake:

Dana Walton, Residence Life
Betsy Collins, Residence Life
Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning & Management
Patrick Tomka, Athletics
Molly Wuebker, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Jonathan Walker, Information Technology Services
Brian Lucas, Athletics
Erin Austin, The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement

There’s still time to participate in reading the third book of the University Book Club! We are reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown this summer—a New York Times bestseller sure to put you in the mood for the Summer Olympics.

Cowles Library has nine copies (hint: ask for the book on reserve at the circulation desk). The book is also available in audio format from Audible.com, at various Des Moines-area public libraries, and Amazon. You can find more information on the University Book Club here: The Boys in the Boat Book Discussion

Contact Sara Heijerman if you have any questions or interest in discussing; the group discussion will be July 21 at 4:45 p.m. at Louie’s Wine Dive, 4040 University Ave. Happy reading!

—Sara Heijerman, Manager, Campus Card Office

A new book by Drake Associate Professor of Sociology Michael Haedicke explores how farmers, small business owners, regulators, and other stakeholders navigate conflict in the organic food industry.

Organizing Organic: Conflict and Compromise in an Emerging Market (Stanford University Press, 2016) leverages 10 years of research to explain how key players balance competing narratives within the industry: one that positions organic farming as a social and political movement poised to shake up big, traditional agricultural institutions; and another that emphasizes organic food’s potential for market growth and profit. Read more in the Drake Newsroom.

Jeffrey is joining the Office of Community Engaged Learning as an AmeriCorps VISTA; he will collaborate with other Drake departments to develop a campus tour program for area youth from the University’s community partners. He will also help develop tools and processes to track community-engaged learning at Drake and work on other projects to support the mission of the office and University.

Jeffrey is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in political science and a minor in theatre arts. In 2014 he participated in the Great March for Climate Action, an eight-month cross-country march from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. Jeffrey began his yearlong term of service on June 27 and his office is in Old Main 319—please feel free to stop by and say hello!

—Renee Sedlacek, Director of Community Engaged Learning

Girls outperform boys in digital literacy skills
Lindsay Woodward is the co-author of a Reading Research Quarterly article that has been gaining national attention in a couple different forums. Her co-author summarized their findings for Education Week and School Library Journal websites.

Student honored
Drake doctoral student Kim Wayne was selected to represent Iowa at the #NationofMaking event at the White House.

Professor quoted 
Todd Hodgkinson was interviewed and quoted by the Desert News in an article on summer learning.

Visitors from Venezuela 
On Thursday, June 30, the SOE hosted seven English teachers from Venezula and their hosts from the U.S. State Department and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. SOE graduate Ana Cara Van Dyck and students Kelli Carter and Kate Brightwell joined Associate Professor Shelley Fairbairn in presenting to and talking with the teachers about how we prepare ESL at Drake, with Assistant Dean Catherine Gillespie as host. The teachers asked many questions about teacher training, supervision, and evaluation and learned a great deal from their brief visit.

Student Research Assistants
Madeleine Emrich and Sydney Staudt have been selected to assist Sally Beisser, recipient of the Ronald Troyer Research Endowment Fellowship for 2016–2017, to write a book on early childhood giftedness. Their efforts include writing and editing chapters on myths of the gifted learner, recognizing gifted behaviors in preschool and primary classrooms, and effective curriculum design for high-ability children. Research funds will support their attendance at the Iowa Talented and Gifted (ITAG) conference and travel to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) in Orlando, to be a part of an accepted research presentation at this conference. Both Maddie and Sydney are completing the TAG endorsement at Drake and will graduate Spring 2017. Professor Beisser directs the online TAG endorsement program available for undergraduate and graduate students. Students in this program represent 27 states and 8 countries since 2007, when the endorsement was first offered.

—Catherine Gillespie, Associate Dean, Mary Collier Baker Endowed Professor

Central Iowa is embarking on its next five-year strategic plan, Capital Crossroads 2.0. A survey has been developed to gather public input to help identify key opportunities and challenges for our region. As Drake plays a crucial role in the community, your voice is important—click here to take the Capital Crossroads 2.0 survey.

Drake welcomes Mandela Fellows
Last weekend, Drake welcomed 25 young African professionals who will spend the next five weeks in Des Moines through a program called the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. The fellows, all of whom are between the ages of 25 and 35, will immerse themselves in business and entrepreneurship topics through a combination of academic study, cultural activities, professional networking opportunities, and visits to local corporate and community partners during their stay in Des Moines, June 17 to July 31.

“These are truly exceptional individuals—future African heads of state,” said Annique Kiel, interim executive director of global engagement and international programs at Drake University. “We look forward to facilitating valuable personal and professional connections that will strengthen internationalization efforts at Drake and in central Iowa.”

To learn more about the program and the fellows, visit www.drake.edu/yali or the Drake Newsroom. You can also follow their journey on social media with the hashtag #YALIatDrake

Executive director for The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement named
President Martin announced last week that Joseph Jones, a Drake alumnus and former legislative assistant to retired U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, has been hired as executive director of The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement.

Jones will serve as the Institute’s first full-time executive director beginning Aug. 1. He worked as legislative assistant for Harkin’s office in Washington, D.C., from 2010 to 2013, and currently serves as senior vice president for government relations and public policy at the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

To learn more about Joseph, visit the Drake Newsroom.