Three winners received prizes at the Provost’s Drake Social on Tuesday, March 10. Their names were drawn at random from among those who were recognized by colleagues for their Commitment to Mission. Winners are:
— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost
The Office of Admission is now accepting applications for student ambassadors.
It is the job of a student ambassador to accurately and positively portray life at Drake through their interactions with prospective students. Student ambassadors provide campus tours during individual visit days and group visit programs, in addition to helping facilitate campus visit programs in a variety of capacities. Student ambassadors are required to work 4–8 hours per week during the academic year and are paid hourly.
Applications are due April 1. To access more information and the application materials, visit https://tinyurl.com/rve8akg.
Questions? email admissioncoleition@drake.edu.
— Lauren Kennon, AS’20
Drake’s All Staff Council Recognition Committee recognized staff at the Harkin Institute with a Bulldog Applause. Read the Q&A below to learn more about the Harkin Institute.
How many staff members are in the department?
Seven full-time staff, 15 student employees, plus our honorary Harkinistas, political papers archivist Hope Bibens and senior advancement officer Stephanie Sinovic.
What is the primary function of the team? Do you have a mission/vision/motto?
At The Harkin Institute, our mission is to inform citizens, inspire creative cooperation, and catalyze change on issues of social justice, fairness, and opportunity. We conduct research and analysis in four policy areas that Senator Harkin (retired) focused on during his 40 years in Congress: labor and employment, people with disabilities, retirement security, and wellness and nutrition. We also host events to engage the Drake community, Iowans, Americans and individuals around the world with important policy issues and timely topics.
Who has been with the team the longest, and what is their job title and length of employment?
The Harkin Institute is young—we were established at Drake in 2013. Executive Director Joseph Jones has been with the Institute since August 2016.
Who is the newest team member, and what is their job title and month/year of start?
Our newest team member is Meg Johnson, our administrative assistant. She joined us in April 2019.
What campus buildings do your team members “live” in?
We currently live in the strip mall along University Avenue, next to Great Clips and across the street from Jimmy Johns, but we have a new home under construction at the corner of University Avenue and 28th Street. It will be a state-of-the-art accessible space that we can’t wait to share with the Drake community.
What are some recent challenges and accomplishments of note that others in the University might not know about?
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, monumental civil rights legislation. Senator Harkin was the principal author of the ADA and we have a whole host of events and activities planned to celebrate this important anniversary – on campus, online, and across the U.S.
Anything else noteworthy/interesting/special about your department that bears mentioning?
The Harkin Institute works closely with the Drake Archives and Special Collections, which is home to the papers of Senator Harkin and Ruth Harkin. Senator Harkin’s papers arrived at Drake in 2015 and include more than 800 boxes and 2.5 terabytes of legislative and campaign materials, photos, and memorabilia.
— Amelia Klatt, On behalf of All Staff Council
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, University leaders are working diligently to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our entire campus community. For the latest updates, please visit drake.edu/coronavirus. The website serves as a repository of information, including:
In addition, stay connected through Drake’s social media accounts. To promote a sense of community, faculty, staff, and students are invited to engage with one another through Drake’s social content using the hashtag #DrakeTogether.
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Don Moon, 88, former associate professor emeritus of education. Don passed away March 9 at Deerfield Retirement Community. A visitation service will be held from 6–8 p.m., Friday, March 13, at Iles Westover Chapel. Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 14, at Grace Lutheran Church, 5201 Urbandale Avenue, Des Moines.
Don, a member of the Drake faculty for 35 years, also served as director of educational media and television services from 1964 to 1996. He spearheaded many advancements in television services, including the first TV coverage of the Drake Relays produced by students. Following his retirement in 1998, he was the University’s interim director of distance learning for two years.
In addition, Don was a founding member of the Billie and Robert D. Ray Lifelong Learning Society, where he developed several courses. Don was a tireless supporter of Drake Athletics. He was a 50-year Drake basketball season ticket holder. He will be deeply missed by many. Read Don’s full obituary.
The OnCampus newsletter will not be distributed next week due to spring break. The newsletter will resume Tuesday, March 24.
— Ashton Hockman, University Communications & Marketing
Emergencies happen, and it’s best to plan ahead in case you might need to teach remotely, whether due to severe weather, an outbreak, or a personal situation.
When teaching at a distance, you will have the best experience if you use technology and processes that are Drake-licensed and ITS-supported. ITS provides resources to help faculty provide synchronous and/or asynchronous distance learning activities, and offers assistance in using them.
We have created an introductory video covering best practices for distance learning to walk you through some of the available tools.
Additionally, self-paced resources can be found in our ITS knowledge base at Preparing Your Class for the Unexpected and/or Emergencies (Best Practices).
We will be scheduling additional virtual sessions in the coming weeks. Information will be posted on the Drake calendar and in the Blackboard Tips and Tricks section on the Blackboard homepage.
— Karly Good, ITS
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to welcome Bill Adamowski, executive director of entrepreneurship, innovation, and human centered design, to the Drake family on March 24 from 3–4 p.m. at Pomerantz Stage. Coffee and desserts will be served.
Bill, a graduate of Syracuse University, brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial, corporate, and higher education experience to this new role. Prior to coming to Drake, he served as president of Iowa State University’s Startup Factory, where he led the implementation of the center from the ground up to being one of the top entrepreneurial centers in the country. Read the full news release.
— Stephanie Cardwell, Buchanan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Drake University continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 outbreak with careful attention to the impact it could have on campus. There are no suspected cases yet within the Des Moines metropolitan area, and Drake remains open and operational at this time. University leaders are planning for several possible contingency scenarios and will take appropriate action to ensure the health and safety of our campus community. Timely updates will be shared, when appropriate and if circumstances on campus or around the city change. In the meantime, please visit and bookmark the University’s web page devoted to COVID-19 information and resources: drake.edu/coronavirus/.
With the arrival of spring and warmer temperatures, you may begin to wonder when the air will kick on in your building. Or, why you can’t have both heat and air as options at the same time. Drake has a two-pipe heating and cooling system. In basic terms, this means the system can be in either heating mode or cooling mode, but not both at the same time.
The changeover from heating to cooling or vice versa is made manually, and takes about a week to implement. The planned date to switch campus buildings from heating to cooling mode is April 15.
With that said, there is always the possibility that unusual weather patterns might cause some discomfort. Facilities Planning and Management monitors the weather forecast closely and adjusts switch over dates according to forecasted temperatures, but due to our fluctuating Iowa weather, it is often a guessing game.
Facilities Planning and Management switches the residence halls from heating to cooling first since they are occupied 24/7. It is also important to note that once the system has been switched over, there is no changing it back due to the manual process required to make the change.
Every building is a little different, too, so if anyone has any specific questions with their particular building or space, please contact Brett Lovelady, Drake HVAC manager, at 515–271–4728 or brett.lovelady@drake.edu.
— Brett Lovelady, Heating and Cooling, Facilities Planning and Management
