Category Archives: Archive

Keeping Drake’s information secure: PCI compliance

Throughout the summer, I’ve been providing details about our new Information Security initiatives. These initiatives are designed to improve the security of our confidential information and keep us in compliance with an ever-growing list of legislation and industry regulations. This week I’m discussing Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance.

The PCI Security Standards Council maintains and periodically updates requirements that businesses like Drake must adhere to when processing credit or debit cards as payment. The main requirement is compliance with the Data Security Standard (DSS). This document contains approximately 250 unique requirements for processing payment cards—everything from the way the technology environment is built to how each card is scanned or typed. These requirements are designed to protect consumers from identity theft and financial fraud.

Drake must submit an Attestation of Compliance (AoC) at regular intervals to prove that we are following DSS. The major payment card companies and banks regularly review these AoCs to ensure every organization is compliant. In a process similar to academic accreditation, organizations that are not fully compliant can be sanctioned or have card processing privileges revoked.

The responsibility of PCI compliance is on all of us. Whenever we interact with financial or payment information, we influence that information’s security. Processing payment cards is, and will continue to be, a crucial service we provide to our community, students, alumni, and their families.

Have any questions or thoughts about PCI compliance? Feel free to contact me at informationsecurity@drake.edu.

—Submitted by Peter Lundstedt, Information Security Manager

Olmsted Center undergoing changes

We are pleased to announce some exciting changes and initiatives taking place at Olmsted Center.

First, the University Book Store will move operations to Olmsted Center over the summer. The bookstore will be located on the western end of the first floor (west of the Pomerantz stage area). This move presents a great opportunity to bring Drake-branded items, as well as textbooks, closer to students, faculty, and staff.

We are also undertaking a focused effort to enhance student study and gathering spaces. Student feedback will be used to reconfigure various furniture settings within Olmsted Center. The emphasis will be on creating spaces consistent with student needs and preferences. Because the book store move to Olmsted required the space formerly occupied by the D- Lounge and a portion of the Bulldog Lounge to be repurposed, the focus on creating alternative spaces for students throughout Olmsted Center is especially important. Some of the ways we plan to enhance study and gathering spaces include:

  • New seating options—Students will be asked to give input into seating options and configurations. You can start today: Please complete this special survey designed for this purpose. Additional opportunities to provide feedback will be available as students return in August.
  • TMR room availability for studying—The lower level TMR rooms will remain open during designated times when they are not in use. This will allow students to utilize these rooms for collaborative or private study spaces.
  • Pomerantz Stage Area—The Pomerantz Stage Area, when not in use for an event, will be set up for student use. The type of furniture—soft seating or tables—will be assessed based on student feedback.

A frequently asked questions document provides more information on the reasons behind the bookstore move and steps taken thus far to plan for future changes.

We hope you are having a wonderful summer and are excited to unveil and undertake these improvements once you return to campus.

—Sentwali Bakari, Dean of Students

From the Provost

New Director of Sponsored Programs
I want to extend a warm welcome to Mary Pat Wohlford, who joined Drake on July 1 as our new director of sponsored programs. She comes to Drake from The Registry, the nation’s premier interim higher education executive search firm. Her most recent assignment for them was as associate vice provost at Suffolk University. She has extensive experience in grants management and sponsored programs in a variety of universities, including Suffolk, Albany State University, Kansas City University, and Des Moines University. She has a B.S. degree in health information management from Stephens College, an M.S. in health care administration from Des Moines University, an M.A. in industrial design and technology from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from Iowa State University. I am certain she will bring valuable leadership and direction to Sponsored Programs.

Learning Symposium
Here is one last reminder to register for the 2016 Learning Symposium, Inclusive Excellence. In addition to an exciting array of sessions, this year’s Symposium features two new additions. First, as previously announced, our guest presenter for the afternoon session will be Jennifer Godinez, AS’97, associate director of Minnesota Education Equity Partnership. Second, over the lunch hour we will be announcing the 2016 recipient of the Principal Financial Group Global Citizenship Award. The 2015 recipient, announced at last fall’s Convocation, was Professor Ellen Yee.

2016 Learning Symposium: “Inclusive Excellence ”
Aug. 19, 7:45 a.m.–1:40 p.m.
Sheraton West Des Moines
1800 50th Street, West Des Moines

Register and select the sessions you would like to attend here—space is limited by the size of the rooms.

Last Hurrah
This is my final contribution to OnCampus as interim provost. (That sudden breeze you just felt was a collective sigh of relief from campus.) I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support and encouragement you have extended to me during the past 15 months. Over the past few weeks, people have been asking me if I am looking forward to the end of my term, which may be their way of hinting that they are looking forward to that end. The truth is that serving as your provost has been a privilege and a pleasure (for me at least), and a role I never imagined myself filling when I came to Drake 34 years ago. I am deeply grateful to President Martin for his trust in asking me to serve as your provost, and it has been an exhilarating experience to have had the opportunity to work with him during his inaugural year. I also want to thank Keith Summerville, who has done an extraordinary job as interim dean of Arts & Sciences, leaving the college in better shape for me than I left it for him. Finally, I know that you will extend the same generosity of spirit to Sue Mattison, as she becomes provost on July 18, that you gave to me. Thank you.

—Joe Lenz, Interim Provost

Welcome new Bulldogs

Welcome the following new faculty and staff to Drake:

Dana Walton, Residence Life
Betsy Collins, Residence Life
Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning & Management
Patrick Tomka, Athletics
Molly Wuebker, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Jonathan Walker, Information Technology Services
Brian Lucas, Athletics
Erin Austin, The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement

University Book Club

There’s still time to participate in reading the third book of the University Book Club! We are reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown this summer—a New York Times bestseller sure to put you in the mood for the Summer Olympics.

Cowles Library has nine copies (hint: ask for the book on reserve at the circulation desk). The book is also available in audio format from Audible.com, at various Des Moines-area public libraries, and Amazon. You can find more information on the University Book Club here: The Boys in the Boat Book Discussion

Contact Sara Heijerman if you have any questions or interest in discussing; the group discussion will be July 21 at 4:45 p.m. at Louie’s Wine Dive, 4040 University Ave. Happy reading!

—Sara Heijerman, Manager, Campus Card Office

Faculty Accomplishment

A new book by Drake Associate Professor of Sociology Michael Haedicke explores how farmers, small business owners, regulators, and other stakeholders navigate conflict in the organic food industry.

Organizing Organic: Conflict and Compromise in an Emerging Market (Stanford University Press, 2016) leverages 10 years of research to explain how key players balance competing narratives within the industry: one that positions organic farming as a social and political movement poised to shake up big, traditional agricultural institutions; and another that emphasizes organic food’s potential for market growth and profit. Read more in the Drake Newsroom.

Office of Community Engaged Learning welcomes Jeffrey Czerwiec

Jeffrey is joining the Office of Community Engaged Learning as an AmeriCorps VISTA; he will collaborate with other Drake departments to develop a campus tour program for area youth from the University’s community partners. He will also help develop tools and processes to track community-engaged learning at Drake and work on other projects to support the mission of the office and University.

Jeffrey is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in political science and a minor in theatre arts. In 2014 he participated in the Great March for Climate Action, an eight-month cross-country march from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. Jeffrey began his yearlong term of service on June 27 and his office is in Old Main 319—please feel free to stop by and say hello!

—Renee Sedlacek, Director of Community Engaged Learning

School of Education news: Week of July 11

Girls outperform boys in digital literacy skills
Lindsay Woodward is the co-author of a Reading Research Quarterly article that has been gaining national attention in a couple different forums. Her co-author summarized their findings for Education Week and School Library Journal websites.

Student honored
Drake doctoral student Kim Wayne was selected to represent Iowa at the #NationofMaking event at the White House.

Professor quoted 
Todd Hodgkinson was interviewed and quoted by the Desert News in an article on summer learning.

Visitors from Venezuela 
On Thursday, June 30, the SOE hosted seven English teachers from Venezula and their hosts from the U.S. State Department and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. SOE graduate Ana Cara Van Dyck and students Kelli Carter and Kate Brightwell joined Associate Professor Shelley Fairbairn in presenting to and talking with the teachers about how we prepare ESL at Drake, with Assistant Dean Catherine Gillespie as host. The teachers asked many questions about teacher training, supervision, and evaluation and learned a great deal from their brief visit.

Student Research Assistants
Madeleine Emrich and Sydney Staudt have been selected to assist Sally Beisser, recipient of the Ronald Troyer Research Endowment Fellowship for 2016–2017, to write a book on early childhood giftedness. Their efforts include writing and editing chapters on myths of the gifted learner, recognizing gifted behaviors in preschool and primary classrooms, and effective curriculum design for high-ability children. Research funds will support their attendance at the Iowa Talented and Gifted (ITAG) conference and travel to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) in Orlando, to be a part of an accepted research presentation at this conference. Both Maddie and Sydney are completing the TAG endorsement at Drake and will graduate Spring 2017. Professor Beisser directs the online TAG endorsement program available for undergraduate and graduate students. Students in this program represent 27 states and 8 countries since 2007, when the endorsement was first offered.

—Catherine Gillespie, Associate Dean, Mary Collier Baker Endowed Professor

Save $300 on your Drake health insurance

This is a reminder that those on Drake’s health plan can save $300 in 2017 by simply completing a biometrics screening and online wellness assessment.

There are three options for completing your biometric screening:

  1. Complete a screening with your physician
  2. Complete your screening at a participating Hy-Vee location
  3. Complete your screening on campus through UnityPoint Health

Option 1—Available through Aug. 31
Complete a physical/screening (with bloodwork) with your physician by Aug. 31. Your physician’s office must complete, sign, and submit the Health Care Provider Biometric Screening Form by Sept. 30.

Option 2—Available NOW
Complete your screening at a participating Hy-Vee location July 1 through Sept. 15. View instructions and a list of participating Hy-Vee stores.

Option 3—Schedule your appointment online starting Sept. 2
Complete your screening on campus at the Olmsted Center through UnityPoint health between 6:30 and 10:45 a.m. on one of the following dates: Oct. 6–7, 12–14, or 18–20. You can schedule your appointment online starting Sept. 2. Sign in with username: DRAKE and password: SCREEN. Find additional information in the On-campus Health Screening Scheduling Guide.

Once your screening results are uploaded, you will also need to complete the online wellness assessment on wellmark.com by Nov. 15.

Questions may be directed to Linda Feiden, assistant director, wellness & engagement, at linda.feiden@drake.edu or 271-1880.

—Linda Feiden