New faculty members joined the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on July 1. They are preparing for the program’s inaugural class in May 2016. Read more about Ann Burkhardt, Cassity Gutierrez, Beth Diehl, Lynn Kassel, and Nihal Mulla.
Category Archives: News & Achievements Archive
Drake recognized for outstanding fundraising efforts
The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) presented Drake University and the Office of Alumni and Development with a 2015 Educational Fundraising Award for overall performance. The award honors exemplary fundraising programs and activities at CASE member institutions across the country. CASE recognized Drake for demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism and best practice in fundraising efforts as well as performance over the last three years.
—Submitted by Elizabeth Kozor, Senior Foundation Relations Coordinator
Assistant Professor Kevin Lam publishes book
Kevin Lam, assistant professor of urban and diversity education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, published Youth Gangs, Racism, and Schooling: Vietnamese American Youth in a Postcolonial Context (Palgrave Macmillan). The book examines Vietnamese American youth gang formation in Southern California, with an emphasis on the experiences of those heavily involved in the 1990s. Lam traces the genealogy of the Vietnamese American youth gang phenomenon as part of the conflict in Southeast Asia. He describes the consequences of war and migration for youth as well as their racialization as “Asian American” subjects.
Grounded in the critical narratives of three gang members, Lam addresses themes of racism, violence, class struggle, style, and schooling in an era of anti-youth legislation in the state and nationally. In this dehumanizing context, Lam frames Vietnamese and Southeast Asian American gang members as post-colonial subjects, offering an alternative analysis toward humanization and decolonization.
Lam received his B.A. in Sociology and specialization in Asian American Studies from UCLA, M.A. in Social Foundations of Education from CSU-Los Angeles, and Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies (Social and Cultural Studies) from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the director of the Social Justice in Urban Education program in the School of Education.
More information on the book can be found here.
—Submitted by Kevin Lam
Seeking volunteers for Sussman Leadership Conference
The annual Richard & Lila Sussman Fall Leadership Conference will take place Sunday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 6 p.m. in the Olmsted Center. The Sussman Fall Leadership Conference is designed for students who are interested in or are currently involved with leadership on campus.
The conference theme this semester is “Do Less, Achieve More” and the keynote speaker, James Robilotta, will speak on “More Action, Less Title: Empowering Student Leaders To Do More”.
I am looking for students, faculty, and staff to facilitate breakout sessions on a range of topics that will encourage attendees to be intentional with their involvement on campus and to explore leadership in the following areas:
- Personal/Professional Development: Sessions will inform students’ understanding of their leadership identity as it relates to their activities on campus and beyond. Potential topics: time management, effective communication, avoiding burnout
- Strategic and Organizational Leadership: Workshops will provide effective tips and training that student leaders can use in their organizations and on campus. Potential topics: event planning, navigating Drake policies, motivating members
- Community Building: Workshops will build students’ understanding of effective community partnerships at Drake and in the Des Moines area. Potential topics: creating Des Moines partnerships, intentional philanthropy, collaborating with other organizations
Each session will reach 20–30 students and should last up to 50 minutes.
If you are interested in presenting at the conference, please complete this form by Monday, Sept. 28. Selected presenters will be notified by Friday, Oct. 2.
Questions? Contact Meghan Blancas, director for student leadership programs, at meghan.blancas@drake.edu
—Submitted by Meghan Blancas
Drake news: Week of Sept. 14
Last week in the news …. For the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Drake University third for overall quality among Midwest master’s institutions. Two of Drake’s professional pharmacy fraternity chapters have been named among the best in the nation by their national organizations. Drake’s Phi Delta Chi and Kappa Psi chapters both earned third-place chapter awards—a reflection of members’ commitment to service, philanthropy and scholarship. Also of note, Drake was named among the top 50 colleges in the nation for Greek Life.
Suicide Prevention Week at Drake
Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 14–18, and the Counseling Center has planned a variety of activities to promote suicide prevention:
Wall of Remembrance—Post a photo or other tribute to your loved one lost to suicide. The wall will be up Monday through Friday in the walkway of Olmsted.
Chalking—Use sidewalk chalk to write messages of hope and encouragement to your classmates on Friday, 10 a.m.–noon.
“Help a Friend, Save a Life ”—View The Truth About Suicide Video, learn to recognize the warning signs of depression, and how you can help a friend, family member, or even a stranger when they are in need—Friday, 10 a.m.–noon., Olmsted Center
Out of the Darkness Walk—Sept. 20, DMACC Ankeny Campus
—Submitted by Diane Eischeid, Therapist, Drake University Counseling Center
Volleyball season tickets—just $30!
The Bulldogs continue their home season on Friday, Oct. 9 against Missouri State. With 7 home matches remaining, you can take advantage of discounted pricing this season for just $30 per person. All seating is general admission. To purchase your season tickets, click here or contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or by emailing tickets@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Tom Florian, Assistant Director, Ticket Operations and Donor Management
Get your caucus fix
A new website provides comprehensive information and analysis of presidential campaigns in Iowa leading into the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. The Iowa Caucus Project, www.iowacaucusproject.org, is one of the most comprehensive interactive resources ever created for caucus and campaign information, including event listings, candidate bios, voter demographics, original campaign analysis, and multimedia.
Drake University’s Iowa Caucus Project and The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement created the website, which is updated daily by a team of faculty members and students and will continue to expand in the coming months.
—Submitted by Rachel Paine Caufield, Associate Professor of Politics
School of Journalism & Mass Communication news: Week of Sept. 14
- Students in advertising professor Dorothy Pisarski’s Concepts in Consumer Awareness class met with Oakridge Neighborhood Chief Executive Officer Teree Caldwell-Johnson during a visit to the Oakridge Neighborhood on Sept. 8. Students will be crafting a strategy and executing tactics for supporting fundraising initiatives for preschool and afterschool programs at Oakridge. The Oakridge Neighborhood is celebrating its 45th year in Des Moines, providing affordable housing to the most vulnerable populations.
- SJMC faculty counted 21 Drake alumni among the nominees in the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ 2015 Midwest Regional Emmy Awards. Winners will be announced at a gala in Minneapolis in October.
- Drake SJMC students and recent graduates are finalists in two major national contests that honor the best of collegiate journalism. The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and College Media Association (CMA) contests recognize reporting and writing, multimedia, design, photography, and video. Winners of both contests will be announced at the joint ACP/CMA student media convention in Austin, Texas, in late October. For more information, see the SJMC website.
—Submitted by Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
College of Arts & Sciences news: Week of Sept. 14
Maria Bohorquez, chair and professor of chemistry, started her two-year term as president of the Iowa Network for Women in Higher Education.
Mahmoud Hamad, associate professor of political science, had a truly international summer. During May 17-21, Mahmoud traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to work on organizing the fourth annual conference of the Arab Constitutional Law Association—he chairs its scientific committee. Mahmoud also attended the Brandeis University’s Summer Institute of Israel Studies with a select group of U.S. and foreign faculty. Mahmoud was then invited to attend the 2015 Central European University’s Summer University program on Constitution-building in Africa in Budapest, Hungary. Finally, Mahmoud traveled to Tunisia to work with the Libyan Constitutional Drafting Assembly (CDA) in finalizing the first democratic constitution for Libya. The CDA is expected to approve the final draft of the constitution in late October, before being put to a referendum later in 2015.
Debra DeLaet, professor of politics and international relations and department chair, is presenting a paper at a conference on Transnational and Transborder Familial and Gender Relations: Comparing the Influence of Blurred and Brittle Borders at the University of Oxford. Her paper is titled, “Female Genital Cutting and the Family as a Site of Cultural Contestation and Change in Transnational Migration Contexts.”