Please join us at Cowles Library on Jan. 29, 1:30–2:30 p.m. in the Reading Room as we celebrate the dedicated 45-plus year career of Liga Lacis, associate professor of librarianship, as she retires from Drake.
—Jordan Flynn, Office Manager
Category Archives: News & Achievements Archive
J-Term happenings
Contemporary Urban Mexico
The messages we hear about Mexico do not capture the rich complexity of this nation. Drake students from across campus drew this conclusion after completing the interdisciplinary immersion course, Contemporary Urban Mexico, in Guadalajara during the 2016 J-Term.
This was a hands-on course. We learned about the city through visiting a dozen field experiences, using the five senses and writing journals about each. Additionally, Mexicans from all walks of life shared their perspectives and expertise. After cheering on Lucha Libre wrestling “good guys,” observing interactions in public markets, learning about history through artwork, and touring a community garden, students completed research projects on a topic of their choice, ranging from documentary film to gender in religion.
Urban spaces create possibilities and limits that we explored through field site visits, writing, socializing, reflection, and lectures. The course is already being planned for 2017 through a joint collaboration between the Spanish and Sociology programs and the campus of Monterrey Tec, Guadalajara.
—Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department Chair
Families, Lifestyles, and Annuity Tables: Why Corporations are Interested in Chile
During their time in Chile, students visited and toured a new soccer stadium, Estadio Sausalito, in Vina del Mar. The city is very proud of their 21,000-seat stadium, reopened after completing major renovations last year following a devastating earthquake in 2010. The stadium hosted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in October and November. The class’ visit was highlighted on the city’s website.
—Dorothy Pisarski, Associate Professor of Journalism
2016 Bulldog Bus Trip—women’s basketball
Staff, faculty, and students are invited to join us on a bus trip to Cedar Falls to cheer on the Bulldogs as they face off against in-state rival Northern Iowa! Each package includes transportation and a ticket to the game. Seats will be located in the section behind the Drake bench and allocated based on Drake Athletics Priority Points (DAPPS) ranking. The bus will depart from The Knapp Center at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, and return to Des Moines immediately following the game. A full itinerary will be provided two weeks in advance of the trip.
Reserve your spot by calling Tom Florian at 515-271-4949. There are 30 spots available, and a waiting list will be created if there is the potential to fill a second bus. You can also visit the Drake Athletics Ticket Office. Deadline has been extended to Feb. 5.
Questions? Please contact Tom Florian, assistant director of ticket sales, at 515-271-4949 or thomas.florian@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Tom Florian
Bulldogs of DU: Carla Herling
Carla Herling, Drake Technology Services
What do you do?
“I am the web communications and training specialist, so I do training for faculty and staff in the web CMS—that is the Drake website— and help with communications for DTS.”
What do you like about your job?
“One of the nice things at a university is that they value people with a variety of backgrounds and skills. I’m doing back-end coding, working on content, and helping people understand design elements. I like helping people and seeing that light bulb moment when they say ‘This looks better’ or ‘I get it now.'”
You have your master’s in art history and love museums—do you have a favorite?
“It’s too hard to pick one! I went to the Getty in Los Angeles, but that‘s more for the building and space. I love the Des Moines Art Center and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where I grew up going. I’ve been to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem a number of times [she lived in Israel for a year] and it’s one of my absolute favorites. Their collection spans all of civilization.”
Let’s talk about all the different jobs you’ve had.
“I’ve been an academic adviser, I’ve worked at museums and in the graphic design department of an insurance company, I was an assistant registrar, I’ve done temp jobs. Probably one of my favorites was tour and volunteer coordinator at Terrace Hill during the Vilsack administration and part of the Culver administration. I just like to try new things on a regular basis and have never been a person with a set plan. I’m good at adapting.”
Nelson Institute Global Pressing Issues Grants awarded
The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Drake announces its financial support for two interdisciplinary faculty-student research projects to enhance Drake’s involvement in addressing pressing global issues.
- “Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda,” seeks to address water quality, as well as education and behavior impacting water quality.
- “Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth,” seeks to better understand the transnational immigrant and refugee experience in Des Moines. Both projects will be funded over a two-year period (2016–2018).
Assessing, Collaborating, and Empowering to Improve Water Quality in Rural Uganda
Water quality is a pressing global issue that affects many aspects of daily life including health, education, and finances. The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs assessment and implement appropriate interventions to improve the utilization of clean water in rural Uganda. The project focuses on Kikandwa, a rural community of approximately 100,000 people located in central Uganda. Its primary water source is a borehole, with local springs and catchment tanks to collect rainwater as secondary sources. The project also will educate and engage the Drake community in addressing water quality issues and will serve as a template for research projects outside of Uganda.
The interdisciplinary research team is comprised of the following faculty and students in Health Sciences, Environmental Science, Finance, and History:
- Cassity Gutierrez, Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Director of Pre-Professional Programs
- Jimmy Senteza, Associate Professor of Finance and Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance
- David Courard-Hauri, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) and Chair of ENSP
- Amahia Mallea, environmental historian and Associate Professor of History
- Peter Levi, fresh water ecologist and Assistant Professor in Environmental Science and Policy
- Karli Kisch, Psychology major and Biology minor with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health
- Hayley LeBlanc, Neuroscience and Psychology double major
- Megan Lindmark, Environmental Science major with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health
- Augusta Weide, International Business and Finance joint major with a concentration in Management.
Transnational Des Moines: Reframing Des Moines Immigrant and Refugee Narratives through Collaborative Research with Youth
This qualitative research project will offer knowledge-production, collaboration, and change pertaining to the transnational immigrant and refugee experience in Des Moines. This project will seek to document and theorize knowledge from the perspective of immigrant and refugee actors themselves. It will use an asset-based community development approach that recognizes the capacity of transnational peoples and their associations to contribute to the city’s wellbeing. It will assert a new discourse that creates alternatives to age-hierarchical ways of understanding migrant and refugee communities (and indeed, most collectives) through centering youth and elders as key stakeholders, knowledge holders, and social change agents in building the future of Des Moines.
In addition to students who will be invited to join the project, the interdisciplinary research team includes the following professors:
- Lourdes Guitérrez Nájera, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
- Kevin Lam, Assistant Professor of Urban and Diversity Education
- Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair in the Department for the Study of Culture and Society
The Rolland and Mary Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Drake provides in-depth international knowledge and experiences for select students who wish to pursue careers in international public affairs. The Nelson Institute was established in 2012 with a gift from Rolland and Mary Nelson, founders of Kemin Industries.
—Submitted by Denise Ganpat, Administrative Assistant 2
Drake Faculty/Staff Days
All Drake faculty and staff are eligible to receive up to four complimentary tickets to the events listed below. Tickets may be picked up at the Drake Athletics Ticket Office Monday–Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the ticket window on game day. Must show a Drake Card (ID) at time of pick up.
Men’s Basketball
Drake vs. Bradley
Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.
Knapp Center
Women’s Basketball
Drake vs. Wichita State
Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
Knapp Center
More information is available at www.DrakeTix.com/promotions
Questions? Call 515-271-3647 or email tickets@drake.edu.
Drake news: Week of Jan. 19
Pharmacy student joins Tour for Diversity in Medicine
Andrea Prince-Gomez, a third-year Drake pharmacy student from Ferguson, Mo., has been accepted to the Tour for Diversity in Medicine, a program that advocates for students from underrepresented populations to join health care fields. She will travel the country with other members of the organization beginning in February as its first representative for the field of pharmacy. Learn more in the Drake Newsroom.
Rachel Paine Caufield publishes new book
A new book by Drake Associate Professor of Political Science Rachel Paine Caufield provides a pictorial history of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.
The Iowa Caucus (Arcadia Publishing, 2016) colorfully illustrates with more than 200 photos the vibrant political culture that has emerged as a result of the state’s unique role in presidential politicking. Learn more about Rachel’s book here.
Farewell open house for Jen Hogan
Please put Jen Hogan’s Farewell Open House on your calendar for Jan. 29, 3–4:30 p.m., in the Medbury Honors Lounge. Join Drake International to thank Jen for her 10 years of service at Drake assisting students to study abroad!
—Denise Ganpat, Administrative Assistant 2
Retirement reception for Carla McCrea
Join the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in wishing Dean’s Assistant Carla McCrea a happy retirement after 28 years at Drake! A reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 5, 3–4:30 p.m., in the north lobby of Meredith Hall.
—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, SJMC
STEM Festival exhibitors needed
We need exhibitors to host activity-based booths at the Drake STEM Festival on April 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. in The Knapp Center, with set-up beginning at 5 p.m. While the target audience is PreK-8 students and their families, the event draws participants of all ages, making this a fun and educational metro-area event.
It’s a great time for instructors to engage students or entire classes in hands-on, STEM-related exhibits. The South Central STEM Hub can help with booth ideas and can fund many of the materials used during the evening. We’d love to fill The Knapp Center with Drake faculty and students!
Here are a few ideas for incorporating the festival into what you already do:
- Build it into a lesson-planning curriculum for the entire class.
- Move class time and meeting to the festival.
- Incorporate your academic research/special interest into an activity or display.
- Fulfill service-learning requirements.
- Have a student group you work with present.
- Turn your favorite lesson into a display or activity that piques interest in learning more.
Click here to register for exhibit space. Please contact Sarah Derry at sarah.derry@drake.edu for more information.
—Submitted by Sarah Derry, STEM Regional Advocate