Category Archives: Archive

Campus Announcements Archive

General Counsel of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to speak at Drake

Drake University Law School is pleased to announce that they will be hosting alumnus David Berdan, LW’95, General Counsel at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Berdan will present “Key Initiatives and What Else is New in Patents and Trademarks at USPTO” on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. at Drake University Law School. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. This event is open and free to the public.

David Berdan was appointed General Counsel for the USPTO in 2020. The USPTO is the federal agency responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks.  In addition, the agency advises the President and other agencies on policy related to intellectual property protection and promotion domestically and internationally.  As General Counsel, Berdan serves as the principal legal advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. Berdan also supervises the Office of General Counsel and its three component offices: the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrollment and Discipline.

Berdan graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm and is the recipient of numerous military awards, including a Bronze Star. He worked for two years as an engineer and then chose to attend law school at Drake University. Since then, he has held a variety of notable legal positions, including Patent Counsel at Corning, Inc., Vice President and Intellectual Property Counsel at The Coleman Company, Chief Counsel Intellectual Property at INVISTA, Vice President Legal and Deputy General Counsel at International Game Technology, and, most recently, as General Counsel and Compliance Officer of Gaming Arts. He also worked in private law practice for seven years.

While at Drake Law, Berdan was an exceptional student with a passion for Intellectual Property Law. He was a founding member and president of the Drake Intellectual Property Law Society.  Professor Edmund J. Sease, LA’64, LW’67, an intellectual property law expert and one of Berdan’s former law professors, said, “Berdan was a driven and disciplined student in my classes during his time at Drake Law School. These traits followed him in his successes as a remarkable professional in Intellectual Property Law. I am proud to count him among our distinguished graduates.”

To learn more about Intellectual Property Law and Berdan’s impressive professional experience, register for free here. CLE credit for this event has been applied for and is pending approval.

About Drake IP Certificate Program

Drake University Law School offers a certificate in Intellectual Property and has the advantage of many prominent adjunct professors to help enrich the curriculum. Drake Law School recently announced a new distinguished professor position in Intellectual Property Law called the Edmund J. Sease Faculty Research Scholar. This position honors Sease’s service as an adjunct professor at Drake Law School for the past 44 years. This distinguished faculty position contributes to the recruitment of new faculty and helping to hire some of the best candidates to teach students. Learn more about the Intellectual Property Law Certificate at Drake Law School.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Campus Announcements Archive

Governor Robert D. Ray Day: Ice cream, tour, premiere

Governor Robert D. Ray, the 11th President of Drake University and 38th Governor of Iowa, left a legacy that positively impacts people around the world. Best known for his humanitarian efforts and transformation of state government, Governor Ray’s commitment to character development, civility, and ethical leadership lives on through the work of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.

Monday, Sept. 26, is Governor Robert D. Ray Day in Iowa. Here are a few ways you can celebrate Governor Ray Day on Sept. 26:

  • Stop by the Ray Promenade (east of Collier-Scripps Hall) between 2:30–4 p.m. to pick up some ice cream.
  • Join the 20-minute storytelling tour on the commissioned art and historical political comics displayed at The Ray Center. The tour will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the lower level of Collier-Scripps Hall.
  • Attend the Iowa PBS premiere of Governors of Iowa: Robert D. Ray at 7 p.m. at Sheslow Auditorium. RSVP.

Learn more about Governor Robert D. Ray’s life and legacy.

— Megan Wesselink, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center

Campus Announcements Archive

Today is National Voter Registration Day

Tuesday, Sept. 20, is National Voter Registration Day. Stop by the Olmsted Breezeway or Helmick Commons between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to fill out a registration form and get all your voter registration questions answered. All passersby will receive a sweet treat to celebrate civic engagement.

According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as one in four eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. National Voter Registration Day wants to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote.

Can’t make it? Contact Stephanie Kiel at stephanie.kiel@drake.edu with any voter registration questions. For more election information and resources, click here.

— Stephanie Kiel, AS’23

Campus Announcements Archive

Suicide awareness month

September is Suicide Awareness Month. The Counseling Center has been tabling the past few weeks and is excited to share events taking place throughout the rest of the month.

Make and Take Shirts
Wednesday, Sept. 21, Biig Pluto will be in Olmsted from 10–2 p.m. sharing their mental health designs for you to Make and Take a Shirt. Bring your own or get one at the event.

Suicide Awareness Walk and Resource Fair
Friday, Sept. 23, meet outside Olmsted at 2 p.m. for the Suicide Awareness Walk. Together we will walk the Bulldog Mile. Local mental health resources will be tabling in Helmick Commons at this time as well.

Speaker
Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. Josh Rivedal will share his experience with loss due to suicide and how to be mentally healthy. Josh will share hope and resources throughout the conversation.

QPR Training
Friday, Sept. 31, at 11 a.m. in Olin Hall, Room 206, will be a campus wide QPR training. Learn what questions to ask, how to persuade and where to refer someone you might feel is thinking about suicide. Register at drake.edu/counselingcenter.

Thank you to the individuals, student groups, and departments involved in planning and implementing a series of impactful campus events.

— Lynne Cornelius, Violence Prevention & Programming

HR Information Archive

OSHA offers suicide prevention awareness resources

When most people think about the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), they think about workplace safety—having the right equipment to safely do the job (ear plugs, knee pads, safety goggles), putting signs up when the floor is wet, and the like. However, OSHA also works to improve mental health of employees in the workplace.

Through a two-year agreement, OSHA is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), to promoting workplace mental health and suicide prevention awareness. September is also National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and you are encouraged to  take some time to review the OSHA/AFSP resources.

Suicide Prevention: 5 Things You Should Know Poster

One of the AFSP resources linked here shared information about  Risk Factors and Warning Signs.

Warning signs

Something to look out for when concerned that a person may be suicidal is a change in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. This is of sharpest concern if the new or changed behavior is related to a painful event, loss, or change. Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do.

Talk: If a person talks about:

  • Killing themselves
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Having no reason to live
  • Being a burden to others
  • Feeling trapped
  • Unbearable pain

Behavior: Behaviors that may signal risk, especially if related to a painful event, loss or change:

  • Increased use of alcohol or drugs
  • Looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods
  • Withdrawing from activities
  • Isolating from family and friends
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Visiting or calling people to say goodbye
  • Giving away prized possessions
  • Aggression
  • Fatigue

 Mood: People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Loss of interest
  • Irritability
  • Humiliation/Shame
  • Agitation/Anger
  • Relief/Sudden Improvement

We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to watch a video, review a poster, or read an article shared on this site. As with planning for any kind of crisis (tornados, fires, etc.), we hope we never need to deploy the resources, but it is always helpful to know where to go to learn more when you really need the help.

Reminder: New 3 Digit Number Available to Get help now.

— Maureen De Armond, HR; Chris Nickell, Environmental Health & Safety

Campus Announcements Archive

Self Service registration changes coming Sept. 27

Drake is continuing to roll out updates to our Self Service system. The next update will be to the registration-related pages, including the schedule of classes, student registration screens, and the course catalog.

On Sept. 27, you will access registration tools, schedule of classes, and course catalog via a new Registration and Schedule link on the Registration card in Self Service or via the Student Profile left navigation menu. We have created numerous registration-related Knowledge Base articles to help you navigate this change, you can access them here.  Students will still be able to access the current Registration pages by clicking the Registration and Schedules (Legacy) link on the Registration card.  This link will be available through February 17, 2023.

Faculty and staff will also be redirected to the new Registration landing page to access the schedule of classes and course catalog. If you do not currently see the Registration card in your Self Service screen, click the blue Discover More button. To add the card to your homepage, click the bookmark icon in the upper right corner of the card. Providing registration overrides and viewing your advisees’ schedules will remain available in the current Self Service pages.  For more information, view the Self Service Knowledge Base articles here.

— Jenny Tran-Johnson, Registrar

Strategic Updates Archive

U.S.-China Symposium to feature author and journalist John Pomfret

The U.S.-China Symposium at Drake University will take place Nov. 17 in Olmsted.

John Pomfret is an award-winning journalist and author of The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present. He will deliver a lecture on U.S.-China relations at the symposium. This event is free and open to the public. Register at drake.edu/branstad. 

The symposium will be hosted by Ambassador-in-Residence Terry Branstad, former U.S. Ambassador to China and Governor of Iowa. This annual event will convene experienced professionals, academics, and other experts to speak on various topics related to China and U.S.-China relations.

“I am extremely pleased to welcome John Pomfret to Drake for the inaugural U.S.-China Symposium,” said Ambassador Branstad. “John brings extensive experience and knowledge of the relationship between the United States and China, and his book The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom provides the most complete overview of the history between our nations and was considered required reading for all of the diplomats stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. I look forward to his engagement with the Drake community this fall.”

In addition to speaking at the symposium, Pomfret will join the Ambassador Branstad’s Fall 2022 book club discussion on Nov. 17 at 11:30 am. Participants will read The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom. All Drake students, faculty, staff, and alumni are welcome to participate. Books will be provided at no cost to the first ten students to register.

To register for the book club, please email ambassador@drake.edu.

About John Pomfret

Raised in New York City and educated at Stanford and Nanjing Universities, John Pomfret is an award-winning journalist who worked with The Washington Post for decades.

Pomfret was a foreign correspondent for twenty years, including seven years covering China – in the late 1980s during the Tiananmen Square protests, then from 1997 until the end of 2003 as the bureau chief for The Washington Post in Beijing.

Pomfret is the author of the best-selling Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China (1996). His book, The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present (2016) was awarded the 2017 Arthur Ross Award by the Council on Foreign Relations.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement

Campus Announcements Archive

Law School to host blood drive Oct. 21

The Drake Law Delts are sponsoring a LifeServe Blood Drive on Friday, Oct. 21, from 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. in Cartwright Hall, Kern Commons (2nd floor.) All members of the Drake community are welcome to participate. Your donation might help save your neighbor, friend, family member, or a stranger in our community!

The Blood Drive is held as part of the Law School’s celebration of Cady Day of Public Service. The annual Cady Day of Public Service honors and celebrates the life and legacy of late Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady and his commitment to public service, access to justice, and civil rights.

Appointments are necessary. Click here to schedule your appointment.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

Campus Announcements Archive

Free financial and medical powers of attorney and living will clinic

Drake Law School is offering a free community clinic to help individuals prepare powers of attorney and/or living will documents as part of Cady Day of Public Service, Friday, Oct. 21. Participants may choose from three convenient sessions: 9–10:30 a.m., 12–1:30 p.m., or 4–5:30 p.m.

Each session will consist of a 30-minute overview about powers of attorney and living wills followed by a one-on-one appointment with a licensed attorney and/or Drake Law student to complete the required documents. Attorneys will be available to answer additional questions. Participants will have the opportunity to obtain signed and notarized documents for their files.

The clinic will be held at the Law School, Cartwright Hall, Room 201.

No one is too young or too old to have these documents. Living wills and powers of attorney provide important guidelines and information for the people you love and care about—just in case the worst happens. Click here to register.

— Theresa Howard, Law School

For Students Archive

J-Term 2023 travel seminar deadline extended

Don’t have plans for J-Term yet? Looking to get out of Des Moines and see the world? Earn three AOI credits? Gain a new perspective? The following travel seminars are accepting applications until Oct. 1, 2022.

Bahamas: Leadership at Sea (Global and Cultural Understanding AOI)

Indonesia: Urban Development and Conservation

South Africa: Religions of South Africa (Global and Cultural Understanding AOI)

Thailand: Research, Exploration, and Reflection (Information Literacy AOI)

Washington DC: Inside Washington: Exploring Bipartisan Solutions (Engaged Citizen AOI)

To apply and learn more about these offerings you can click on the program title, and it will take you to Terra Dotta, our application management system.  Use your Drake ID and password to login.  First-year students are not eligible to apply.

For questions about a specific travel seminar, contact the course instructor. For general study abroad or application questions, contact studyabroad@drake.edu.

— Maria Rohach, Global Engagement