Category Archives: Archive

HR Information Archive

Who will inherit your savings?

Naming your beneficiary, and keeping the information current, puts you in control of what happens to your retirement account, if something happens to you.

Updating your beneficiary information is quick and easy to do online:

  • Go to TIAA.org and log into your account.
  • Under the My Account tab, select Profile and choose Add/edit beneficiaries.
  • Designate beneficiaries and select how much each should receive.

You may also update your beneficiary information by submitting a completed TIAA Beneficiary Form to the following address:

TIAA

PO Box 1268

Charlotte, NC 28201-1268

Missing or outdated beneficiary information can create significant delays and costs for those your leave behind. If have questions or need assistance, contact TIAA at 800-842-2252.

— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources

HR Information Archive

Community service and employee excellence nominations being accepted

Nominations are now being accepted for the Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award and the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award. Nominations are due to Human Resources by Friday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m. Late nominations will not be accepted.

Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award

Madelyn M. Levitt established the Distinguished Community Service Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff to the Drake community. Recipients are chosen on the following criteria:

  • A demonstrated personal commitment to volunteerism and community service
  • An outstanding record of leadership or substantial involvement in community projects, services, and activities contributing to the quality of life in our region, state, and/or the nation
  • Professional and personal values and behavior that typify the ideals of “giving back to others” and “making a difference in the lives of others”
  • The nominee must be a current faculty or staff member with at least five years of service at Drake.

Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award

The Employee Excellence Award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates exceptional commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties. Criteria for the award include:

  • Exceptional performance as an employee of Drake University
  • Outstanding dedication to providing courteous, prompt, and quality service
  • Demonstrated commitment to University programs, initiatives, and services
  • Professional values and behavior that demonstrate exceptional service to others and a commitment to Drake University
  • The nominee must be a current staff member with at least one year of service at Drake.

To nominate a colleague, submit a letter of nomination to the Levitt Award Committee, care of (c/o) Human Resources. Nomination letters may be sent through campus mail or electronically to drakehr@drake.edu.

A nomination letter detailing specific examples of how the nominee exemplifies each of the applicable criteria is desirable. Additional letters of support are not necessary. A review committee will make award recommendations to the President’s Council.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

March Digital Faculty Member of the Month

Each month, a faculty member, nominated by their dean, is recognized for their efforts to integrate innovative technology into the classroom. March’s digital faculty member of the month is Michael Q. Rieck, associate professor of computer science. Read an interview between ITS and Mark.

What type of technology do you use?

VirtualBox with Ubuntu and Minix virtual disks

In what context do you use this technology?

Lab work, during regular class sessions

In what course do you use this technology?

CS 160: Operating Systems

How does this type of technology align with your teaching pedagogy?

It gives students an opportunity to do some Linux systems programming, and to rewrite source code for Minix and explore the effects.

Where did you get the inspiration to make a change?

It started more than a decade ago. Minix goes along with a textbook by Tanenbaum, and I wanted students to wrestle with OS source code, and Minix seemed easier than Linux.

How long did it take for you to implement this technology?

Including labs that I developed, it took about half a year to get it all set up.

Did ITS assist you in implementing this technology?

Yes, particularly with the installation of VirtualBox in FAC 335, which is a room I depended upon for Ubuntu and Minix labs, until recently.

Are you interested in trying out new technology in your classroom? Want help from ITS staff? Schedule a technology adoption consultation.   

—Erin Ulrich, CPHS, and Carla Herling, ITS 

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

First generation student ice cream social

In support of Drake’s increased programming for first generation students, Provost Mattison is hosting an ice cream social on Wednesday, April 4, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Shivers Hospitality Suite. This is an opportunity to celebrate Drake’s first generation students, staff, and faculty and to continue building relationships and support within the community.

If you are able to attend, please RSVP by Friday, March 30.

If you have any questions, contact lauren.locante@drake.edu or orientation@drake.edu.

— Marina Verlengia, Academic Excellence and Student Success

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Reminder: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning lunch Friday

Reminder: The next Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) lunch is Friday, March 30, at 12 p.m. in Medbury Hall, Room 201. The lunch discussion is an opportunity for those engaged in SoTL projects at any level—from just thinking about starting one, to almost complete, or those simply curious about SoTL—to share ideas, seek advice, or ask questions of colleagues engaged in the process. While it is too late to sign up for a lunch, you are welcome to attend and bring your own lunch.

— Art Sanders, Associate Provost

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

All Staff/Facilities meeting with President Martin

President Martin will meet with facilities and staff this Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the Olmsted Center, Pomerantz Stage, to discuss the University’s draft of core values. This casual gathering will include a chance to provide feedback and ask questions about the core values. The meeting is presented by All Staff Council.

— Nancy Geiger, Office of the Registrar/All Staff Council

Campus Announcements Archive

Opt in to receive ITS outage notifications via text

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to opt in to a new text message service to receive alerts regarding unexpected technology outages. Opt in by texting DrakeITS2018 to phone number 226787. Text messages will only be sent between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. This new notification system is in addition to ITS’ regular communication channels (ITS website, blueView login screen, IT Service Portal, and ITS Twitter account).

If you run into issues signing up for the service, first try responding HELP to any error message you might receive. Sometimes the service isn’t configured correctly for your carrier. If that doesn’t work, contact your cell phone provider to make sure they have enabled short code texting.

If you have any questions regarding this new service, call 271-2356 or email carla.herling@drake.edu.

This is the second text alert system rolled out to campus this year. In January, Facilities Planning and Management introduced a text notification system that provides alerts on snow removal work, water main breaks, custodial projects, and other facility-related incidents. Campus members can participate by texting Facilities Notification 2018 to 67283.

— Carla Herling, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Campus Lynda.com subscription update

For over eight years, Drake ITS has paid for a campus subscription to Lynda.com to provide campus access to online self-paced training for software programs like Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite.

Our most recent three-year contract with Lynda.com is expiring at the end of this fiscal year on June 30. We began negotiations for a new contract in mid-January and despite our best efforts, we were unable to successfully negotiate a long-term agreement that meets our budgetary needs. Lynda.com continued to quote an annual fee that was substantially more money each year than our current fees, and more than our budget can absorb.

As a result, ITS signed a one-year extension of our current subscription. After June 30, 2019, we will be dropping our campus subscription to Lynda.com.

Over the next year, we will be investigating other options. We hope to have a new online training program in place on July 1, 2019. We will be requesting feedback from faculty, staff and students as we choose a replacement for Lynda.com.

If you have questions regarding this decision or are interested in volunteering to review other options, please email me at carla.herling@drake.edu.

—Carla Herling, ITS