Professors and staff were recognized for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and service on and off campus.

At Commencement on May 15, the Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor and Teacher of the Year award were announced:

• Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor of the Year: Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology
• Madelyn M. Levitt Teacher of the Year: Sally Beisser, Professor of Education

In addition, the Levitt Distinguished Community Service and Employee Excellence award were given out at the 2016 Faculty and Staff Recognition event earlier this month:

• Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award: Sara Heijerman, Manager, Campus Card Office; & Sharyn O’Connor-Beener, Administrative Assistant 1, College of Arts and Sciences
• Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award: Matthew Dore, the Richard M. and Anita Calkins Distinguished Professor of Law

Two Drake University students have been offered Fulbright Scholarships for 2016-2017. Seniors Emily Enquist and Taylor Donaldson will join a long list of Drake graduates who have received Fulbright Scholarships in recent years. Enquist will teach English in Bulgaria and Donaldson will teach English in Morocco. You can learn more about these remarkable seniors in the Drake Newsroom.

In addition, Elizabeth Robertson, associate professor of English at Drake University, was selected as the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant. She will be teaching in Burkina Faso at the Universite de Ouagadougou in the capital city of Ouagadougou during the 2016–2017 academic year.

Robertson will teach a range of courses in Anglophone literature, including 19th-20th century British literature, American literature from the origin to the 19th century, great figures in American literature, and literary theory and criticism. She also plans to work with graduate students on their master’s degree theses at the university. Read more in the Drake Newsroom.

You are invited to nominate students for the Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences D-PREP program!

D-PREP is a program that introduces students to careers in the health care professions by educating them about opportunities in health sciences and inspiring them to explore different pathways. Students participate in hands-on laboratory experiences, educational sessions, and interactive discussions with students and faculty in the CPHS to understand how to best prepare for a career in health care. Special emphasis is placed on promoting cultural competence and diversity in health care and among health professionals. The overarching goal of this program is to expose students to a wide variety of opportunities within health care and educate them about how they can best prepare for a career in the health professions.

Program Goals:

• Students will learn about careers in the health care professions.
• Students will learn about promoting cultural competence and diversity in health care and among health professionals.
• Students will learn about the importance of practical lab experiences and begin to develop laboratory skills.
• Students will investigate the role of health care professionals to gain a better understanding of patient-provider relationships through skill-building exercises.
• Students will be able to plan their remaining high school curriculum and extracurricular activities to prepare for a career in health care.

This summer we will host an overnight event for students who are interested in learning more about careers in health care and what they can do with a degree in the sciences. This event will take place on Thursday, July 14–Friday, July 15 on campus and will include a number of activities that will help students learn about preparing for a career in the health professions. Our sessions will include:

• Career options in health care
• Promoting cultural competence and diversity in health care
• Lab activities in pharmacy and health sciences
• Interaction with current pharmacy and health sciences students and faculty
• College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences programs at Drake
• Preparing for college admission
• Staying overnight in an on-campus residence hall
• Meals on campus

Students must meet the following requirements in order to participate:

• Must be enrolled as a 10th, 11th, or 12th grader during the 2016–2017 academic year
• Have an interest in careers in health care, math, and/or science fields

Due to the costs involved in providing an overnight experience on campus, there is an $80 fee for participating in the D-PREP program. All students that meet the eligibility criteria above are welcome to apply. Scholarships may be available to students from traditionally underrepresented groups within the health care professions.

If you know any high school students who are interested in a career in the health professions, please nominate them using the our nomination form. Students will be notified of your nomination via email, at which time we will send them a link to complete our online application. Student applications are due by Wednesday, June 1. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the program via email by Wednesday, June 15.

If you have questions about D-PREP or our College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences programs, please contact

Jessica Lang
Admissions Liaison, CPHS
515-271-3018
jessica.lang@drake.edu

We appreciate your help in supporting and preparing the next generation of health professionals!

—Jessica Lang

40 students inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha
Drake University’s chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha, a global honor society for Public Affairs and Administration, inducted 40 new members and recognized a few students with special honors during an awards ceremony last month.

Each of the chapter’s new inductees demonstrated exceptional academic performance during their Master of Public Administration studies at Drake University. The chapter also named its new president and honored the recipients of the C. Kenneth Meyer Rising Star Award and Garry L. Frank Legacy Award during this year’s awards ceremony. To learn more, visit the Drake Newsroom.

Drake alumna receives honor at the John Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition
Drake alumna Kelsi Ziemann was recently honored as one of the state’s top young entrepreneurs during the John Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition.

Kelsi Ziemann Artistry was one of three student ventures selected to receive a $5,000 prize. Philanthropist John Pappajohn and Equity Dynamics, Inc., announced the winners during the annual competition’s awards ceremony on April 22. To learn more about Kelsi and the competition, visit the Drake Newsroom.

3D program graduates its first two students
3D, a teacher education collaboration between Des Moines Area Community College, Drake, and Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) to support greater numbers of teachers of color in Des Moines, celebrated Drake graduates Larry Moore and Alexis Noring on Tuesday, May 10. Larry and Alexis are the first two 3D graduates. They will be ready to take their places as high school English teachers when school starts in the fall. Thanks to Jennifer Chung for her steady work for 3D and for all the Drake, DMACC, and DMPS partners who are contributing to the success of this program.

Todd Hodgkinson named to the Executive Council of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum
The Executive Council of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum (AATC) recently announced the appointment of Todd Hodgkinson, assistant professor of secondary education, as the new executive secretary. Todd’s appointment was made following a call for nominations, a review of all relevant documents, and a period of conversation and reflection on the part of the Executive Council.

Todd has been a long-term member of and contributor to AATC and counts among this national presentations and peer-reviewed articles, several from the annual conference and the Journal of Curriculum and Teaching and Dialogue.

He will assume his new responsibilities following the AATC’s mid-year Executive Council meeting.

—Catherine Gillespie, Associate Dean, Professor of Educaiton