Drake Women’s Basketball takes on Iowa State University on Sunday, Nov. 12. This is also Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day for Drake Women’s Basketball. Drake Faculty and Staff can receive up to two complimentary general admission tickets to the game on Nov. 12. You can also purchase additional general admission tickets at our group rate of $7 per ticket. Reserve your tickets.
— Ryan Severson, Athletics
A reminder to those teaching J-Term and Spring 2024 courses to indicate your textbook and course material adoptions in the FAST adoption tool by November 7, 2023. If you will not require students to purchase a textbook for a course, mark those courses as “No Text Required” in FAST so students don’t see a “To Be Determined” message when they purchase course materials.
If you have questions about course material adoptions, contact the Drake University Bookstore Team at drake@ecampus.com.
— Andrew Welch, Cowles Library
Drake University Law School has been named a Best Value Law School by preLaw Magazine for the 2023–2024 academic year.
The Best Value rankings spotlight law schools whose graduates excel on the bar exam and secure employment in the legal field without substantial financial burden. preLaw Magazine assessed all 197 ABA-accredited law schools in the country based on cost and graduate outcomes. This year, Drake Law School is positioned as the 9th Best Value private law school in the nation.
The Best Value rankings heavily weigh two critical indicators of academic achievement and professional preparedness — bar passage rate and graduate employment rate — as well as overall cost. The employment rate for the Drake Law Class of 2022 in JD or JD-preferred positions was 92%. In addition, an impressive 95% of Drake graduates passed the July 2023 Iowa bar exam on their first attempt, a testament to Drake’s dedication to equipping its students for immediate practice readiness upon graduation.
Support in the form of scholarships plays a big role in helping students manage expenses. In recent years, Drake Law School has prioritized efforts to help reduce student debt. This year, 85% of all students receive support ranging from partial to full tuition scholarships.
“Strong alumni support and careful stewardship of resources have allowed us to offer very high-quality legal education at a reasonable cost,” said Dean Jerry Anderson. “We believe that this top-10 ranking accurately reflects the powerful lifetime earnings benefit of a Drake Law degree.”
Read the complete list of Best Value law schools.
— Taylor Johnson, Law School
Nov. 8 is National First Generation Student Day. Drake defines a first-generation student is a college student whose parents/legal guardians have not received a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university. At Drake, about 20% of our incoming students are first generation students. The Office of New Student and Family Programs and Drake First Gen Student Organization are partnering to celebrate Drake first generation students, staff, and faculty.
Here are some ways you can get involved in the celebration:
Fill out a first-gen questionnaire by Nov. 3
We are looking for first-generation students, staff, and faculty to fill out a short questionnaire to capture your experiences as a first gen student. The survey results will be used to generate profiles to showcase the first-generation college experience on social media leading up to Nov. 8. Submissions are due Nov. 3.
Wednesday, Nov. 8:
We will be tabling on Helmick Commons or Olmsted Breezeway (depending on weather) from 1–4 p.m. passing out snacks and First Gen Bulldog stickers. We hope you can stop by for a sticker and some snacks!
Zimpleman College of Business Students: Join us in the Aliber 1st floor lobby to celebrate National First-Generation Day! If you are a first-generation student, we encourage you to stop by for your “I am FIRST” button and a treat. If you are faculty or staff and a first-generation student, please come get a button to show your first-gen pride. Everyone is invited to grab a donut to help us celebrate this special day.
Thursday, Nov. 9:
We will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with other first gen faculty, staff, and students during a social hour from 5-6pm in Olmsted Center Conference Rooms 312-313. Snacks will be provided!
Friday, Nov. 10:
Drake First Gen Bulldogs student organization will be hosting a panel from 5-6pm. This will be an opportunity to hear from first gen faculty and staff about their experiences. The panel will be live streamed from the Drake Broadcasting System youtube channel and available to watch afterwards. There is limited seating at the panel, email Erica Sawyer (erica.sawyer@drake.edu), if you are interested in seeing the panel in person.
We encourage First Generation students, staff and faculty to join our Facebook group and follow on Instagram.
We look forward to seeing you at some of the First-Generation Student Day events!
— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success
Welcome back to the Student Success spotlight, an opportunity to recognize the people and resources that make a difference in Drake students’ lives. Each week, we’ll shine a light on the outstanding individuals and initiatives that contribute to the success and growth of our community.
This week features Dr. Natalie Adkins, Associate Professor of Marketing, and “Coffee Talks with Dr. A.”
A New Spin on Office Hours
Over the summer I read many articles about faculty development and one article contained a little nugget of inspiration. The author wrote that if a faculty member wants to increase the number of students stopping by during office hours, then they shouldn’t call them “office hours” and they shouldn’t be held in the faculty member’s office. So, I created “Coffee Talks with Dr. A” on Wednesday mornings in the Starbucks’ area of Olmsted. I made a sign inviting students to come over and chat. Anyone can pull up a chair to chat—current, former, and potential students, a colleague from across campus, or anyone who wants to talk with me.
I still do reserve time in my actual office for anyone who needs to speak with me in confidence, prefers to come in either before or after class or is interested in seeing the various “marketing” related items on my shelves.
Differences in Students’ Levels of Participation and Engagement
So far, students’ reactions to the “Coffee Talks” have been positive. Several students drop by to say, “Hi,” update me on things going on in their lives, ask me questions about material covered in class, seek advice on course registrations or share news on career opportunities. Once, a First-Gen student, who I will most likely never have in class, asked if he could come talk with me. Absolutely! We talked about networking, our own definitions of success, things we both overcame to get here, and what motivates him to pursue excellence at Drake.
In the Marketing Principles classes I teach in the Zimpleman College of Business, I explain to students the “product” needs to be available where it is wanted or needed. When I hold “Coffee Talks with Dr. A” in Olmsted, my hope is students will see me as approachable, relatable, and offering something of value.
My Favorite Thing about Drake Students
Seeing the proverbial “light bulb” go off in students’ eyes brings me joy. I am passionate about learning; I want students to be passionate about learning, too (admittedly some are not there yet). My favorite thing about Drake students is they aspire to do well AND to do good in the world. This semester a former student spoke in one of my classes. He quoted the American rapper Tupac Shakur who is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. Tupac said,
I’m not saying I’m gonna’ rule the world or I’m gonna’ change the world, but I guarantee you that I will spark the brain that will change the world.
I’m not a rapper but, I’m confident Drake graduates will change the world…part of my job is to help them get there.
Thank you, Natalie for your creativity! Let’s celebrate all the ways our community supports student succcess. Please share your student success spotlight ideas! Email Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Student Success.
— Melissa Sturm-Smith, Academic Excellence and Student Success
Today is the last day to complete this year’s Survey of Administrative Services. It is completely anonymous and often takes less than five minutes to complete. You will only be asked to provide feedback on the areas you work with regularly. We need some more responses to match last years total, so please take the time today to provide input. If you have already, thank you!
— Nate Reagen, Office of the President
If you own a car–put this on your calendar. Human Resources has added the class Auto Basics 101: How to Winterize Your Car and Change a Tire to the Fall BUILD schedule.
Iowa winters can be especially hard on your automobile. One of your best defenses is to make sure your car is winterized for the season. Attend this session to learn what you need to know to make sure your car is ready for winter AND what to do if you get a flat tire.
Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to noon in the garage behind Facilities, Planning, and Management. Terry Janssen, FPM mechanic, and Jessica Lang, director enrollment services, will be your guide.
Use the BUILD online registration form to sign up for this, and any other remaining Fall 2023 BUILD sessions.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources
The Dean of Students office in partnership with New Student Programs will be conducting a Commuter Student Focus Group on Nov. 3 from 12 – 1 p.m., and we are looking for volunteers to participate. Below are examples of topics we will cover during the focus group.
Food will be provided. Please email marina.verlengia@drak.edu if you are interested in participating.
— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success
Join the Dean of Students, Hannah Clayborne, for a chance to have dinner and catch up on things that are happening at Drake University this semester. This is a great opportunity to make connections with fellow students along with the Dean of Students. Dinner will be provided for students who sign up in advance, but space is limited to 10 students. This dinner is for commuter students only. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!
Questions about this event, please contact Gina Ryan at gina.ryan@drake.edu with questions.
— Gina Ryan, Dean of Students Office
Are you looking for more mental health resources? Would you like to find ways to eat healthier and be more active, get your blood pressure checked, and hang out with Griff II?
This is all included in the “wellness” portion of this Friday’s Benefits & Wellness Fair.
Griff II will make an early appearance so don’t be late. The annual Benefits & Wellness Fair will be held this Friday, Nov. 3, from 9–11:30 a.m. in Levitt Hall, in Old Main.
— Linda Feiden, Human Resources