Due to water damage from the storms on June 30, the ITS Support Center in Carnegie Hall is closed for walk-in support. Access to Carnegie Hall will continue to be unavailable for several weeks to allow for repairs. ITS staff are being relocated to the second floor of Collier-Scripps, and walk-in support should be open by the end of the week. More information to come.
Phone support is available by calling 515-271-3001 or you can use the IT Service Portal at service.drake.edu/its to report any issues you may be having.
We apologize for any inconvenience and will update you when the Support Center reopens in its temporary location.
The Office of Student Financial Planning is hosting a retirement open house for Susan Ladd, director of financial aid, tomorrow, July 11, from 2–4 p.m. in the Carnegie Hall lobby. Susan is retiring after 26 years of serving students, families, faculty, and staff at Drake University. She has held many roles over the years, including graduate assistant, assistant director, associate director, and university project manager for the Drake ERP (Banner) implementation. Additionally, she has served on numerous committees. Her official last day of employment was July 2. Please join us to celebrate her service and wish her well.
The Des Moines metro was hit with catastrophic flash flooding on Saturday, June 30. Drake’s campus was one of the many locations affected. The lower levels of more than 30 buildings on campus were impacted as the rapid rainfall led to power outages and overflowing storm sewers.
Facilities, Planning, and Management (FPM) has been working with the University’s insurance agent and cleanup and repair teams to assess the damage. Faculty and staff whose workspaces were affected, and will need to be temporarily relocated, were already notified by FPM. Faculty and staff who have questions, can contact Kelly Foster at kelly.foster@drake.edu.
Remediation companies SRP Environmental and Service Master are on campus and will be working until the affected buildings are cleaned and restored. Please note, SRP Environmental and Service Master are operating out of G-K lots 21 and 34.
Following the cleanup process, drywall, flooring, and other building materials, including furniture, will be replaced and restored. If you have personal belongings or specific business equipment that received water damage, please have your building contact send information/inventory to Donna Blunck at donna.blunck@drake.edu.
FPM does not expect the storm to disrupt the many construction and facilities projects underway across campus. The department is working hard to address the water damage—and confident in the progress being made—all while keeping previously scheduled projects moving forward.
We look forward to welcoming faculty and students to campus next month for the start of fall semester.
— Kevin Moran, Facilities, Planning, and Management
Enjoy coffee, baked goods, produce, and more at the Drake Neighborhood Farmers Market every Wednesday from 4:30–7:30 p.m. The market is located at 24th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, next to the Drake Park. Mark your calendars!
— Jarad Bernstein, University Communications & Marketing
Join dietitian Anne Cundiff and chef Stacey Wertzberger on Thursday, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Hy-Vee’s Club Room at 4605 Fleur Drive to make some healthy recipes.
During this entertaining hands-on class, you will be the cook, making three lunch and snack recipes. You will learn new cooking tips and how to reinvent standard recipes. When you are done, you can sample your work and enjoy.
Deadline to register is July 11 at 12 p.m. Cost is $20 per person. A minimum of 20 participants is required.
The following message was sent to campus by President Martin on July 8:
“With a heavy heart, I am writing to share that our cherished friend, distinguished alumnus, and former colleague, Robert D. Ray, died this morning. Governor Ray proudly served as Iowa’s 38th governor and, later in his career, as the 11th president of Drake University, from April 1998 to May 1999. He received his B.A. in business from Drake in 1952, and his juris doctorate from Drake Law School in 1954.
Governor Ray is survived by his beloved wife, Billie, three daughters, and eight grandchildren. Plans for celebrating his life are pending, and will be announced at a later time.
Governor Ray had a tremendous impact on Iowa, the United States, and the world. In similar fashion, he served his beloved alma mater exceptionally well. His legacy will live on, of course, through the great work of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center; the Robert D. Ray Collection of political and personal papers and memorabilia from Governor and Mrs. Ray, archived at Cowles Library; the RaySociety, Drake University’s lifelong learning organization; and the Ray Promenade, a beautiful plaza to be dedicated on campus this fall.
Please join me in remembering Governor Ray, and in supporting his family at this difficult time.” — Marty Martin, President
Details of funeral, observances
Governor Ray will lay in state at the Iowa Capitol building Thursday, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Iowa Air and Army Guard troops, Iowa State Troopers, and the Des Moines Police will lead a procession of vehicles along University Avenue from west to east at approximately 4 p.m. as they travel toward the Capitol. Faculty and staff are welcome to show their support for Governor Ray and his family by standing along University Avenue as the procession passes by.
The motorcade will bring the governor into the first floor Rotunda where a brief ceremony will occur at 5 p.m. Those wishing to pay their respects at the Capitol should arrive early, as security checkpoints will be utilized.
The funeral for Governor Ray will be held Friday at the First Christian Church at 25th and University Avenue in Des Moines. The service will begin at 1 p.m. There will be limited seating. However, those wishing to observe and celebrate the life of Governor Ray can view a live stream of the service. Details of the live stream will be made public soon.
For the third consecutive year, Drake is proud to host 25 Mandela Washington Fellows for six weeks of Drake University and metro-community engagement. The fellows arrived June 20 and will return to their home nations in sub-Saharan Africa in early August. An official reception to welcome the fellows will take place today, June 26, from 4 to 5:15 p.m. in Levitt Hall. The reception is hosted by Provost Sue Mattison. Faculty, staff, and the greater Drake community are invited to attend—all are welcome. Please come and meet these incredible young leaders who have traveled to Des Moines to engage with our community.
Kyle Ulveling (left), chair of the Board, and Mark Bowden (right), executive director of the Board, present Dr. Allen Zagoren with an award for his long-standing service as a Board member.
The Iowa Board of Medicine recognized Dr. Allen Zagoren, associate professor of practice in public administration, for his distinguished service to the Board during the organization’s annual meeting on June 8. Dr. Zagoren has served on the Board for nearly 15 years.
— Dianna Gray, College of Business & Public Administration
Gideon Kidd, a 9-year-old boy from Cedar Falls, is quickly gaining popularity through his Twitter account @IvePetThatDog, which has grown to over 91,000 followers in the last two years. The account features daily pictures and short narratives of the nearly 400 dogs he’s met. On June 15, Gideon was able to meet and pet Griff at Cole Hall.
In his tweet, Gideon posted a picture with Griff and said, “I pet @DrakeUGriff. He is a 6-year-old champion bulldog who is now the mascot for @DrakeUniversity. He is stubborn and likes attention. He has his own bed in the Admissions building. Griff’s favorite thing is food. He was once caught on top of the buffet table at a public event.”
Media outlets across the state covered the event, including WHO-TV, ABC-5, KCCI-8, KCRG-9, and the Des Moines Register. View the Des Moines Register’s story and a gallery of photos.
Professor of Political Science Mary McCarthy at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in South Korea.
On June 12, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for what was considered a historic summit meeting. Five days later, Professor of Political Science Mary McCarthy traveled to South Korea as an invited participant in the Bridging the Divide program of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and the Korea Foundation. The nine program attendees met with Korean policymakers, politicians, academics, and journalists to discuss denuclearization, reunification, East Asian security, and other issues. The meetings will help to enrich Professor McCarthy’s fall course, China and the World, as well as her proposed new spring 2019 course, North Korea and the World. McCarthy is an expert on Japanese foreign policy and is currently conducting research on the legacy of WWII for Japan’s foreign relations. Her most recent publication is the Routledge Handbook of Japanese Foreign Policy (2018).
