The most recent issue of eBlue included a profile on Denise Hill, GR’95, LW’96, who will head Drake Law’s new Health Law program. And Catherine M. Staub will join Drake as the Peggy Fisher and Larry Stelter Chair of Magazine Journalism, leading the Magazine Media program and overseeing the E.T. Meredith Center for Magazine Studies.
Category Archives: Archive
In memoriam
Retired Drake public relations professor Ronda Menke Haas died on Tuesday, Aug. 4, after a sudden and brief illness. She was 64 years old.
Ronda retired in 2013 after teaching in the Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication for 23 years. She was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration for generations of public relations students and for her fellow SJMC faculty members. Ronda had the warmest heart and the highest standards. Her focus on ethics especially has had a profound impact on her students and on the public relations community nationwide. Ronda led a full, interesting life.
We offer our sympathies to Ronda’s husband, Marty Haas; her son, Jason Menke; daughter-in-law Tamara; and grandchildren Andrew, Kennedy, and Carter.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in West Des Moines, with a reception to follow.
Donations in her memory can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund or to the Drake PR Professional Preparation Fund in honor of Ronda Menke Haas. The fund was set up to help pay for public relations graduates’ PR certification exam.
—Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Christa Olson named to community board
Christa Olson, vice provost for international programs, recently accepted a seat on the Board of Directors of the Iowa International Center (IIC).
“I am delighted to serve on the board of the IIC and to explore how the IIC and Drake University can deepen their collaboration and together foster more global and intercultural connectivity in the Greater Des Moines community.”
Together with the Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Des Moines Public Library, Drake University partners with the Iowa International Center to present the Iowa International Center Dialogue Series. The series offers the public free monthly forums led by experts on relevant international issues.
The mission of the IIC is to build cultural respect at home and around the world, one person at a time. For more than 75 years, the IIC has afforded international resources to Iowans, new Iowans, and international visitors to Iowa. The IIC works with the U.S. Department of State to facilitate visits from leaders of emerging nations through the Sehgal Foundation International Visitors Center and is creating new educational opportunities via the Ray Resource Initiative, thanks to the support of former Iowa Governor and Mrs. Robert Ray.
Submitted by Drake International
School of Journalism and Mass Communication news
Associate Professor of Journalism and Associate Dean David Wright, a former professional sports videographer, was featured in a Des Moines Register article about the wonderful hands-on opportunities for students created by Drake’s expanded relationship with ESPN.
Four SJMC alums—Rachel Vogel Quinn, JO’10; Jess Hoffert, JO’11; Mario Rossi, JO’15; and Annelise Tarnowski, JO’15—launched an Iowa-focused storytelling podcast, Middle of Somewhere. The inaugural podcast is now posted.
Add “hot music scene” to Des Moines’ list of attractions for both college students and young professionals. Tobi Parks, a musician and copyright expert with Sony Music in New York, is moving to Des Moines this fall to partner with The Des Moines Social Club and Drake University to create Station 1 Records, a nonprofit label to promote local bands. Several Drake students are already interning with Station 1, and Parks is working with journalism, music, and business faculty on a J-Term 2016 class that will take students behind the scenes of the music industry.
Submitted by Kathleen Richardson, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake welcomes 14 new employees
The following employees joined the Bulldog family in July:
Earl “Marty” Martin, President
Jacqueline Kalin, Drake Athletics
Rachael Pruett, Drake Athletics
Kathleen Griner, CPHS
Lynn Kassel, CPHS
Nihal Mulla, CPHS
Cassity Gutierrez, CPHS
Jayna Fischbach, CPHS
Ann Burkhardt, CPHS
Michelle Rogers, Institutional Research
Natalie Larson, Office of Admission
Shonna Floyd, Office of Admission
Areli Estrada-Godinez, Facility Services
Lanny Carlson, Head Start
Submitted by Human Resources
Drake Day at the Fair is Aug. 13
Drake Day at the Iowa State Fair, long associated with its signature blue-and-white tent along Rock Island Ave., has been revamped in 2015 with a new date, location, and format. Drake Day at the Fair will be held on the opening day of the fair—Thursday, Aug. 13—with “Discover Drake” events held throughout the day at our tent along Grand Avenue. This new, high-traffic space will be Drake’s home base for organizations and events including:
- Meet-and-greet with President Earl F. “Marty” Martin, 11 a.m. to noon
- Student-athletes
- The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, which conducts research, provides programming and training, and publishes scholarly works focusing on leadership, ethics, and civility
- The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement, which will hold a free drawing for an Apple TV
- The RaySociety, Drake’s lifelong learning organization open to all individuals across Central Iowa
Drake will also have a booth in the Varied Industries Building every day of the fair. Volunteers are still needed to the VI Building (includes air-conditioning and complimentary food and drink)—sign up today!
Call for nominations for Nelson Institute Advisory Group
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Vice Provost for International Programs are accepting self-nominations or expressions of interest from full-time, tenured faculty interested in serving a three-year term on the Rolland and Mary Nelson Institute on Diplomacy and International Affairs Advisory Group.
The mission of the Nelson Institute is to provide in-depth international knowledge and experiences for students who wish to pursue careers in international affairs. The four-member advisory group establishes and maintains policies and procedures for promoting the Undergraduate Conference on Global Affairs, awards Global Affairs Scholarship to students for internships and simulations, and initiates additional activities consistent with the mission of the institute. Additionally, the advisory group works with the director of the institute and University administration to advance the institute’s mission.
Please forward a letter of interest and C.V. highlighting your expertise in international affairs to Denise Ganpat (denise.ganpat@drake.edu) by Aug. 24.
Submitted by Drake International
Information for faculty regarding 2015 Fall Convocation
The 2015 Fall Convocation will be held on Friday, Aug. 28, at 1:30 p.m. in The Knapp Center. Faculty—please inform your Dean’s office if you plan to attend by Monday, Aug. 17. The Knapp Center North Lower Level Lobby will be utilized as a staging/dressing area for faculty beginning at 1 p.m. with lineup at 1:25 p.m. You may enter via the Bell Center. The attire for all faculty is academic regalia.
All staff and faculty are encouraged to attend this important event welcoming new first-year and transfer students to Drake. Hear students speak and witness the awarding of the inaugural Principal Financial Group Global Citizen Award.
Message from President Martin
I hope this message finds everyone enjoying the summer and looking forward to the start of the fall semester in a few short weeks. I have completed my first month as your president, and I want to share some changes I have made regarding how the university’s senior administration operates.
The President’s Cabinet has been renamed the President’s Council. The purpose of this name change is twofold. First, the new title is meant to reflect a different approach to decision-making and resource allocation. The core functions of the President’s Council will be to:
- Share information with the Council and across the institution
- Coordinate actions, tasks, and projects that cross divisions to improve institutional performance
- Facilitate consultation within and outside the President’s Council, enhancing the transparency of our decision-making processes and improving the quality of our decisions
The President’s Council will not make collective institutional decisions. There will be robust communication, coordination, and consultation within the Council, but the group will not be asked to vote on institutional matters for the purpose of defining a course of action. Instead, the authority and responsibility for making decisions will lie with the relevant division, following appropriate engagement with the Council and the president. For example, matters regarding an academic program will be fully within the purview of the president’s and provost’s offices working with deans and others in the academic division. The provost will brief the President’s Council on matters that require coordination and that would benefit from consultation, but those issues will not be presented to the Council for the purpose of reaching a decision. That authority will stay within the academic division’s hierarchy.
Second, I have expanded the membership of this group to include my direct operational reports so as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of my office. This means that Shannon Cofield, Senior Advisor for External Affairs; Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer; Teresa Krejci, Chief Financial Officer; and Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer, will attend President’s Council meetings along with those who were already serving on the President’s Cabinet (see the full membership at the end of this message). These positions are not new to the institution; rather, they are existing positions that either already reported to the president or are new direct reports.
To further enhance engagement between the President’s Council and the community, we will regularly hold our meetings at various locations across campus. This will, in some small way, make our work more visible, and it will create opportunities for informal interactions with colleagues as we travel to our meetings. Additionally, the Council will invite others to present on topics instead of Council members always doing so, and Council members will regularly brief their divisions on the Council’s agendas and activities. Finally, the President’s Council will meet every other week instead of every week.
These changes should bring greater transparency to the work of the President’s Council, strengthen campus communications, and improve institutional performance. I will be testing these presumptions as we move forward and welcome any feedback that will help us improve the operations of my office and the President’s Council.
Best regards,
Marty
President’s Council Membership
Sandy Hatfield-Clubb, Director of Athletics
Shannon Cofield, Senior Advisor for External Affairs
Tom Delahunt, Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid
Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer
Teresa Krejci, Chief Financial Officer
Joe Lenz, Interim Provost
Debra Lukehart, Vice President of University Communications
Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
Lynda Ryan, Executive Assistant to the President and Secretary of the University
John Smith, Vice President for Alumni and Development
Bob Soltis, President of Faculty Senate
Looking for employee benefit information?
Drake Employee Benefit information, including plan summaries, highlights, and contacts can be found in blueView on the Employee Tab. Can’t find what you are looking for? Contact a member of the HR team at 271-3133.