Following the recent announcement that Gesine Gerhard is stepping down as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, we are pleased to share an update on her next professional chapter. Dean Gerhard has accepted a position as the inaugural Dean of the newly unified School of Arts & Sciences at Saint Mary’s College of California, effective July 1, 2026.

As Dean Gerhard prepares for this transition, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible legacy she leaves behind. Her contributions have prepared the College of Arts & Sciences to thrive in the years to come.

Please join us in congratulating Dean Gerhard and wishing her the very best in California.

— Jill Allen, College of Arts & Sciences, Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives

The 11th annual Griff Gives Back pet food drive is underway! With only five days left in the campaign, Griff II is rallying the Drake community to help him reach his goal of collecting 20,000 pounds of adult dog and cat food to support The Pet Project Midwest, a local pet food pantry.

Whether you donate via Griff’s Amazon Wish List, mail-in orders, or at his physical drop-off spots, every pound counts toward keeping local pets fed and with their families. We’ll celebrate the conclusion of Griff Gives Back at the Beautiful Bulldog Contest on Sunday, April 19, at the Knapp Center from 2–3 p.m.

Browse Donation Options

— Erin Bell, University Communications & Marketing

Watch the video — The Bells Are Back! 

Reintroducing Old Brassie

To kick off the start of Relays week, we will be reinvigorating a century-long tradition. For decades, the bell in the tower of Old Main—affectionately known as Old Brassie—has been quiet. But some traditions don’t end—they wait for the right moment to return. Please join us on Thursday, April 16, at 3:45 p.m. between Cowles Library and Painted Street for a brief event that will culminate with the sound of bells chiming out the same song that used to ring across our campus a century ago. And with that historic sound, we’ll mark the start of the paint fight, and the official start to Relays week. 

— John Krantz, University Communications and Marketing

The Drake Road Races and Relays bring thousands of athletes, alumni, and guests to the Drake campus.  As a reminder, parking and travel on and around campus will be impacted Saturday, April 18, through Saturday, April 25.

The first major event of the Relays that impacts the campus is the Drake Road Races which will occur on Saturday, April 18.  As stated on the website for the 58^th Annual Drake Road Races, the Road Races are the place where Iowa’s running tradition began, the Drake Road Races welcome runners of every level to join a celebrated and enduring tradition. Held each year in the lead-up to the renowned Drake Relays, the event offers 5k, 10k, and half marathon distances. 

On the morning of Saturday, April 18 the race route will impact travel and parking both on campus and around the Drake neighborhood.  Please find additional information including the racecourse here.

It is highly recommended that if you are coming to campus from off grounds, that you use public transportation, if possible.  If you plan on driving, give yourself plenty of time to find parking throughout the week, especially Wednesday, April 22–Saturday, April 25.  Please remember that cars that are parked on the grass, illegally in handicap spaces, or blocking operations will be towed without notice.

All valid commuter permits will be honored throughout the week, all day Thursday, April 23, and until 4:30 p.m. on Friday.  Only residential permits are valid in residential lots and commuter permits in commuter lots, unless posted otherwise.   Please note that the Olmsted and Ray Promenade lot still require the correct permit to park in those lots before 4:30 p.m.

Some Important Dates and Times

Saturday, April 18 – Drake Road Races, impacting roads and parking on and around campus.

Saturday, April 18 – Sunday, April 26 – Lot 17 (Facilities Lot) will be closed/no parking allowed.

Wednesday, April 22, at 10 a.m. – Saturday, April 25, at 8 p.m. – Forest Avenue will be fully closed from 27^th Street to 29^th Street and will allow for only limited access from 24^th to 27^th Streets and from 29^th to 31^st Streets. No street parking is allowed along Forest Avenue.

Wednesday, April 22 – Saturday, April 25 – 27^th Street will be intermittently closed between Forest Avenue and Clarke Street.

Wednesday, April 22 – Saturday, April 25 – Lot 18 S (Studio Arts) will be closed/no parking allowed.

Thursday, April 23 – Saturday, April 25 – Clarke Street will be posted No Parking from 27th street to 25th street.

— Scott Law, Executive Director, Public Safety & Operational Services

We continue to work on establishing our Drake location at the City of Knowledge in Panama, that will offer academic programs beginning fall 2027. The initial offerings will include an accelerated B.S. in Data Analytics with a minor in Artificial Intelligence, delivered entirely in Panama. Additionally, a “2+2” pathway will be offered for students who want to begin their studies in Panama and complete their degree in Des Moines. This initiative, consistent with our other transnational education efforts, will allow us to serve more learners around the world; in this case, from Central and South America.

To support the launch of the Panama campus, Jerry Parker, Vice President & Dean of Students, will relocate to Panama in August for an 11-month appointment to oversee the location launch, standing up administrative operations and preparing our facility to receive our first cohort of students in fall 2027. Jerry has consistently demonstrated strong leadership and collaboration across the university, to include with our Admissions team. Jerry’s experience working with prospective students, families, and high school counselors and his Spanish language skills will be invaluable as we establish our new location in Panama.

During his time in Panama, Jerry will retain his title and many of his daily responsibilities. Additionally, Lynne Cornelius, Associate Dean of Students, will assume additional responsibilities to support this important initiative. I appreciate Lynne’s willingness to step up and have full faith in her leadership.

Using existing divisional resources, Student Affairs has elevated an existing position to Assistant Dean of Students, with a search currently underway. This role will oversee the day-to-day operations of the university’s student conduct system and care response under the direction of the Dean of Students Office, ensuring timely support and assistance for our students.

This adjustment supports the division’s long-term sustainability, and I am confident the Division of Student Affairs will continue to operate effectively with Jerry working remotely and Lynne providing leadership on campus.

— Marty Martin, Drake University President

For the first time in 12 years, the University is undertaking the work of a comprehensive website redesign for drake.edu. This process has been informed by significant audience and usability research and has entailed collaboration between our partner Carnegie, University Communications and Marketing (UCM), and Information Technology Services (ITS)—all with input from individuals in each college/school and nearly every University department. 

Evaluating the need for a website redesign began in 2024, at which point the site had not only grown to more than 5,000 pages—many of which were outdated, duplicative, or contained errors—but more broadly, the site had significant room to grow in terms of accessibility, usability best practices, and ease of navigation. The new site will improve the experience for prospective students and families seeking information to aid in their college search decisions, while providing the opportunity to streamline access to content most relevant to faculty, staff, and students via a refreshed internal site structure. The end result will be an enrollment-first destination for prospective students and families with a focus on usability best practices, enhanced content and functionality, updated branding, and modern accessibility standards.  

The new site will launch in Summer 2026—prior to which we will issue further communications and introduce a new internal resource site to keep faculty, staff, and students informed of progress and next steps.  

While this site will become more robust in time, in the short-term, you can find information about the five-phase approach for the new website, including a detailed description of what’s been completed, what’s underway, and what comes next. Before the end of the semester, we will update this internal resource site and communicate need-to-know information about how the new site will be managed, as well as where some of the previously housed information on the current site is being moved to internal sites. 

The UCM and ITS teams would like to thank the many individuals across the University who have contributed to this project’s success. 

Learn more at our internal resource site.

— John Krantz, University Communications & Marketing

Thank you for your understanding and support in our decision to postpone this year’s All In 24-Hour Giving Challenge. Please mark your calendars for April 8–9 from noon to noon as our Bulldog community comes together to make a lasting impact. 

New this year, if 30% of faculty and staff make a gift to the University by the close of All In, we’ll celebrate with a half day off on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Every gift made since July 1 counts, and All In is a great opportunity to be part of the 30% of campus partners participating.

In honor of your support, any Drake faculty or staff member that makes a gift during All In will be entered into a drawing for one of the following prizes:

• Free parking pass for Commuter Tier II Parking Lots
• Treats delivered by Griff II for your entire department
• Drake Relays Experience package (Gift card to use at the Relays Tent, VIP Relays Tickets, and more)
• Year-long, individual membership to the Varsity Cinema
• Bulldog Beer Package (4-pack of Bulldog Beer, a Drake-branded pint glass, and more)
• Limited Edition Griff II socks
• Copy of the new Griff II children’s book, “Griff’s Big Little Adventure”
• Drake Swag (cross-body bags, Drake flags, blankets, bobbleheads, coffee mugs)

Join your fellow faculty and staff and go All In for our Bulldog community on April 8-9. Learn more at all-in.drake.edu.