Drake University is in search of a new leader for Drake Online. The position has been refashioned as an Associate Provost over Online Programming. We hope the title update will both attract curious and talented candidates while also better describing the academic and institutional significance of this critical role.

The search committee chairs are Jenny Jones, director, Graduate Programs in the Zimpleman College of Business, and Chris Snider, associate professor of in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. They will support the full committee, which also includes:

• Maggie Fiala, who will wear two hats on the committee—both employee, as the director of Experiential External Affairs, and student—as a current online graduate student.
• Keren Fiorenza, chief information & technology officer
• Jenny Trans-Johnson, registrar
• Ryan Wise, dean, School of Education
• Ryan Zantingh, director of Student Financial Aid

The search committee is excited to get the search underway. Earlier this week, the search chairs met with the deans to hear their ideas and thoughts on qualities to seek out during the search.

“One of the phrases that stuck with me in listening to the deans,” shared Chris Snider, “was that the new hire will be in the position to create a vision to move Drake University to the next phase in online learning. This will be a great way to frame the role as we talk to candidates.”

In reflecting upon Drake Online’s journey, the Provost shared, “five years ago, bringing fully online program pedagogy to Drake was a huge turning point in Drake’s history. Christina Trombley led us through that change, put a strong and stable organizational foundation in place, supported program growth and financial stewardship, and achieved enrollment goals. We are taking the opportunity now to consider what the next five years of online programming look like. I expect the next leader to bring expertise to facilitate having that discussion and building consensus around a vision.”

The posting is now live on Drake’s job board, Jobs@Drake, and the search chairs are working with Drake Human Resources to get the job posted on external sites to assure it gets appropriate visibility to attract a large, diverse, and exciting pool of applicants. University Marketing & Communications is getting in on the collaborative spirit as well and will help finalize a detailed position profile, similar to what we used in the recent Dean of Admission search.

— Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

Facilities Planning and Management will begin transitioning campus buildings from heating to cooling mode the week of April 10. Due to above average temperatures, the switch to cooling is happening a week earlier than last year.

Turning on the air is much more complicated than simply flipping a switch. The University’s heating and cooling system consists of miles of underground pipes which are filled with steam to heat and chilled water to cool, but not both at the same time. For this reason, the process to change buildings from heating to cooling, is a manual and labor-intensive process due to the need to drain and refill the pipes.

The process will take HVAC staff several days to complete with priority given to residence halls.

Thanks for your patience during this transition. If a room is not comfortable, please let Facilities Planning and Management know so our staff can see if adjustments can be made.

— Kevin Moran, Facility Planning and Management

If you have ever wanted to be involved with sustainability initiatives at Drake, April is the month to do it! Drake is going all out for Earth Week, working with DEAL, DOLC, the Student Alumni Association, and the Office of Sustainability. Take a minute to see what is going on.

April 14, 1–3 p.m.: Come help prepare the Sprout Garden and Food Forest for the season.  Planting and other preparation work will take place to ensure a bountiful harvest. The compost pile DEAL sifted last weekend is also ready to be used.

April 21, 11–1 p.m.: Celebrate Arbor Day a bit early and join DEAL and Facilities Planning & Management to plant trees around Drake’s campus. Meet at the Southeast GK courtyard to help retain our Tree Campus Higher Education recognition for the 12 year.

April 22, 10–12 p.m.:  Meet at the Harkin Institute parking lot for Paul Morrison Spruce Up Day! Spend part of Earth Day honoring the legacy of Paul Morrison through sprucing up the Drake Neighborhood. After the clean-up, participants are invited to join a tabling event and tour the Harkin Institute over doughnuts and coffee.

April 17–21: DEAL presents 2023 Earth Week.  An entire week dedicated to celebrating the Earth, concluding with live music, the Veggie Thumper food truck, and prizes on April 21 at the Olmsted Pit from 5–9 p.m.

April 27–29:  Join the Sustainability Coordinator to collect recycling during relays. Sign up here, for an hour time slot.

For questions, contact hannah.remke@drake.edu.

— Hannah Remke, Facilities Planning & Management

When: May 3 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Medbury Hall, Room 116

Ambassador Branstad hosts a book club during the academic year to engage the Drake community on topics related to U.S.-China relations. This semester’s book is Getting China Wrong by Aaron L. Friedberg and a limited number of copies are available for students. Drake students, staff, and faculty are welcome to sign up by emailing ambassador@drake.edu stating your intent to read the book and attend the event as well as your request for a copy of the book.

— Luke Clausen, JO, AS ’23

Drake University has selected a new partner for textbooks, course materials, and Drake branded merchandise. eCampus.com will supply course materials and operate the Bulldog Shop, our on-campus retail store, beginning with the Summer 2023 term. This new partnership will focus on increased affordability and convenience through a simplified ordering experience for students and a customer-centric campus retail operation, tailored to the needs of Drake students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans, parents, and community members.

eCampus.com was selected after a comprehensive and competitive review. Survey data from faculty and students helped shape the vendor evaluation criteria. A faculty survey from last fall showed a need to improve the adoption process and overall customer service, while student surveys revealed a shift to online purchases and increasing preference for digital content. Affordability was also identified as a priority. Vendors were asked to highlight their capabilities in each of these areas.

A faculty bookstore advisory group was instrumental in evaluating potential vendors, providing input on the adoption tools from each vendor, course material selection support and other vendor offerings.  A special thanks to the following members of the Bookstore Advisory Group:

• Natalie Adkins, Associate Professor of Marketing
• Vira Babenko, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
• Gillian Gremmels, Dean, Cowles Library
• Carrie Dunham, Associate Professor Cowles Library
• Erik Maki, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
• David Senchina, Professor Kinesiology and Immunology, Biology
• Keith Summerville, Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability

 Improving the Student Experience
Another key focus of the selection process was the student experience. The eCampus.com online storefront will give students the opportunity to purchase or rent new and used textbooks online, as well as access to digital content. Students will be provided time and money-saving options, such as price comparison information from other vendors like Amazon or Chegg, free shipping to the campus store, and a price match guarantee program. eCampus.com’s custom-branded online storefront and dedicated customer service will be available to students 24/7.

Improving the Faculty Experience  
The move to eCampus.com also allows Drake to structure support for faculty in a more purposeful way. Cowles Library will now be a key resource for faculty throughout the adoption process. Librarians are well positioned to assist in identifying course material resources, including making recommendations to faculty who are interested in using Open Educational Resources (OER) or selecting from the thousands of eBooks in the library’s online collections. 

“Drake librarians are eager to bring our expertise to course materials, and eCampus.com has welcomed our involvement, which we appreciate,” said Jill Gremmels, dean of Cowles Library.  “We take seriously our goal of being the information provider to the University, but for too long, course materials have been outside that scope. We already own and license over 900,000 ebooks, and we can help professors find both OER and library-provided resources that are available at no cost to students.”

Bulldog Shop Operations
eCampus.com will also assume operation of the Bulldog Shop in the Olmsted Center. The store will continue to offer Drake branded merchandise and support graduation. eCampus.com brings a customer-centric focus to the retail operation and is committed to engaging with the campus community. eCampus.com has also committed to employing students, offering opportunities for retail and marketing positions for student employees. The Bulldog Shop will also accept  Bulldog Bucks in the store, allowing greater flexibility for students.  

Transition Information
Faculty will submit summer and fall adoptions using eCampus.com’s intuitive online adoption platform called FAST. The last information session about how to adopt using FAST is set for Wednesday, April 5, at 2 p.m.

To join the zoom training session click the link below and “Join Demo” button and it will take you to the training presentation.

https://ecampus.zoom.us/j/8653458271?pwd=OHZUa3ZUWVkzYzU3elNGZFduZEVHQT09#success

The Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA) requires higher education institutions to provide the complete list of required and recommended textbooks (including ISBN and pricing information) to the bookstore in a timely fashion. Thus, prioritizing the transition to the FAST adoption platform is an important first step in this process.  

To allow for inventory and preparations for a reopened store, the Bulldog Shop in Olmsted Center will be closed May 22–29 and re-open on Tuesday, May 30.  A special grand opening event will take place at the beginning of the fall semester.

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer