The Slay Fund makes grants to projects in four broad categories: student research and internships, pedagogy for social justice, campus-wide events and speakers, and long-term programs with community partners. These funding categories coincide with the three strategic priorities of the Slay Fund, which will even more explicitly guide funding decision-making, moving forward. The strategic priorities allocate funding for: speakers and events related to social justice; capacity-building and institutional support programming; student-proposed and student-focused initiatives.

Please submit your grant proposal (and any questions relating to the proposal) to melissa.sturm-smith@drake.edu, who will be managing funding requests on an interim basis.

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

The parking portal for the 2023–2024 academic year is now open. Feel free to register for your parking pass in the myDrake portal for the upcoming year, and the Student Services office will email you when your pass is ready to pick up.

Please make sure that you receive a confirmation email after you register—you should get an automated email from studentservices@drake.edu thanking you for your purchase.  If you did not receive an email, please check your junk mail, or contact studentservices@drake.edu so we can ensure that your registration went through.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

Prepare for the fall semester (or print for your event or program anytime this year) by submitting print jobs through Drake Printing Services.  Located in Olmsted as a function of the Student Services Center, our goal is to provide affordable, convenient printing services to campus groups.

Common projects our office can handle are 11×17 posters, flyers, folded programs/booklets, programs sheets, certificates, or any other bulk copies/scans/handouts.

Submit your job in a ticket online (link below) if you’re ready to print!  You can also feel free to email sara.heijerman@drake.edu to get a quote for your project or inquire about if our office can handle a specific project.

https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51390

We strive to be budget friendly – we charge the lowest rate we can, and we can accept payment via debit/credit card or FOAPAL charge.

Feel free to contact Sara Heijerman with questions, and we look forward to printing for you this summer/fall.

— Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

We are excited to announce that the new myDrake website will go live on July 28, 2023. MyDrake provides a launchpad for faculty, staff, and students to access their applications and important information in one secure location. The site has been updated on a new platform to ensure the security of Drake information for years to come, along with a new look and feel to simplify and enhance your user experience. The new myDrake includes features such as a streamlined navigation bar, new drop-down menu, and global navigation options.

Internal Sites and Human Resources 
The myDrake update includes a direct integration and redesign with the Internal Sites for easier navigation to essential information and resources. These department sites can be accessed through the Internal Sites home page or a new expandable high-level menu (Employee or Student Links) that have been added to allow direct navigation through the combined myDrake and Internal Sites environment. 

In conjunction with the updated myDrake, the Human Resources internal site will launch on July 28. This site will be the new home for employee information, forms, and documentation, and we encourage the campus to utilize these resources.

Preparing for Launch 
Campus systems and your Drake information, including your email, Blackboard, timesheets, and Self Service, will be easily accessible in the “My Resources” section of myDrake. Click “Student Home” or “Employee Home” to access your student or employee links, applications, and information. After the launch, you may need to update bookmarks or saved links you use. The URL my.drake.edu will not change. 

Please keep an eye out for upcoming announcements over the next few weeks that will include more details and further instructions. For news, updates, and more information about the myDrake site and other campus systems, visit drake.edu/its.

— Kelsey Faybik, University Communications and Marketing

As a reminder, Carpenter Ave. west of 25th Street will be closed beginning Aug. 1 for the Performing Arts Hall roof replacement project. This closure will extend until Aug. 15. If you normally park on Carpenter Ave. west of 25th Street, please find alternate parking between Aug. 1–15.

— Colin Atkinson, Facilities Planning and Management

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of three former professors who held long and distinguished careers at Drake.

Phyllis Kingsbury, associate professor emeritus of biology, passed away May 12. She was a cornerstone of the original environmental track in the biology department and taught at Drake until her retirement in 1996. See Professor Kingsbury’s obituary. 

Robert (Bob) Kodama, professor emeritus of biology, passed away May 30. For more than 30 years, Professor Kodama served on the Drake faculty. He was known fondly as “Dr. K” by his students. His legacy will live on in the many students he taught who went on to lead rewarding careers in medicine. See Professor Kodama’s obituary. 

Robert (Bob) Lutz, associate professor emeritus of physics, passed away June 12. Professor Lutz was not only a revered educator during his time at Drake, but he also served as Director of Computing and Telecommunications in the 80s and led Drake’s early adoption of technology solutions, including the University’s membership in the Apple Consortium, which made computers more accessible to faculty, staff, and students. See Professor Lutz’s obituary.

Professors Kingsbury, Kodama, and Lutz will be missed dearly. They had a profound impact on our University and on the lives of their students and colleagues.

As a reminder, you may ride the DART bus for free by showing the driver your Drake ID.  DART bus service is offering special transit options for upcoming events in Des Moines this summer.

• The DART’s D-Line will be extended to provide late-night transportation services to and from the 80/35 Music Festival on July 7–8. The D-Line is also extending its service on Saturdays through October for the Downtown Farmer’s Market, beginning at 8 a.m.
• RAGBRAI will be stopping in Des Moines on Wednesday, July 26 in Water Works Park. If you would like to join the festivities, DART is offering a park & ride service from the 4^th and Grand parking garage (parking fees do apply) to Water Works Park from 4 p.m. until after the free concert, which includes headliner Lynyrd Skynrd.
• Fair goers can park their cars and ride DART to the Iowa State Fair August 10–20. Park & Ride locations include Center Street Parking Garage (830 6^th), Iowa State Capitol east entrance near the Lucas Building, and Southeast Polk High School. Please note that unlimited access benefits (free rides with your Drake ID) are not valid for the Iowa State Fair shuttle, but the cost is minimal.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Our beloved live mascot, Griff II, is celebrating his fifth birthday with a party on Saturday, July 15, from 1–3 p.m. at Black Cat Ice Cream. The address is 2511 Cottage Grove Avenue, Des Moines. Join your Dog for some blue birthday cake ice cream and photos. Instead of birthday gifts, Griff II asks you to consider bringing non-perishable food and/or hygiene products to help him restock the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood. Griff II can’t wait to see you!

—Erin Bell, University Communications and Marketing