Category Archives: Strategic Updates Archive

Strategic Updates Archive

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication has a new website

A new website for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication has officially launched. University Communications developed the website in partnership with ITS and SJMC to align with Drake’s new brand platform, and to give the school a distinctive look that sets it apart from other institutions. University Communications plans to redesign websites for the remaining colleges and schools, including the College of Business and Public Administration, which will launch later this week.

—Jeremy Sievers, University Communications         

Strategic Updates Archive

26th Street homes to be relocated soon

Two houses located on 26th Street and south of University Avenue will be moved to the Sherman Hill neighborhood on Nov. 14 or Nov. 15 depending on the weather. The moves are anticipated to occur sometime around 10 p.m. Following the relocation of the homes, DeCarlo Demolition will remove the basements and grade the land where the houses once stood.

The homes are being relocated to clear the lots, which will be redeveloped by Nelson Construction into a mixed-use space. Moving the homes involves careful planning and coordination between city officials, Des Moines Police, and MidAmerican Energy. 

—Jolene Schmidt, Facilities Planning and Management

Strategic Updates Archive

An update from the director of online programming

Recently, there has been quite a bit of activity for Drake’s online programs. These past months have been busy as we try to set up a seamless operation between HigherEducation.Com, our Online Program Manager (OPM), and Drake. I know that there are a lot of questions, so hopefully this update will answer most, if not all, of them.  However, if you still have questions regarding the launch or the programs, contact me at christina.trombley@drake.edu.

The launch

The launch will be Monday, Oct. 30. We were hoping for it to be this week, but several critical factors still needed to be worked out, so the date was pushed back. Launching these programs means that the marketing will begin, the application will go live, and HE.com will begin working with potential students. Although later than projected, launching on Oct. 30 is still within a timeframe designed to provide us with a core group of students in the spring.
Kickoff event canceled 

The hurricane in Florida cancelled our efforts for a kickoff event here at the campus.  At this time, there are no plans for HE.com to come to campus for an event. Our time is better spent ensuring our processes are integrated and running smoothly. Several teams at both institutions have been working closely together to make this happen.

Online offerings

The Master of Arts in Communication and the Master of Science in Education–Literacy Education will be the first full programs offered online. English as a Second Language, Talented and Gifted, and Reading/Reading Specialist endorsements will also be offered fully online. The next programs currently scheduled for online are the Master in Public Administration and Data Analytics Leadership, with a few more in the discussion phase.  We are looking at additional opportunities, so if you and your faculty have ideas or suggestions, I would welcome them.

Planning to teach an online course?

Faculty and adjuncts who plan on teaching for online programs are expected to complete two online training modules in Quality Matters: “Evaluating Your Course Design” and “Orienting Your Online Learners.” Faculty and instructors who successfully complete the training will receive a $500 stipend. Seats are limited, so interested faculty and instructors should contact me prior to participation. I am working to set up new sessions, so if you have faculty who would like to participate, please have them contact me by Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Guides and processes

Finally, several operational processes and practices have to be developed. We have plans to develop a Faculty Guide that will provide information regarding working with instructional designers, plans to develop and share tools and worksheets that help with designing online courses, and plans to create student program worksheets to help with advising, just to name a few. All of these will take time, and our number one priority is getting the launch set.

Watch OnCampus for more updates. For questions or additional information, please contact me at christina.trombley@drake.edu.

—Christina Trombley, Online Programming

Strategic Updates Archive

HLC visit nears, your participation is important

Drake will host representatives from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 23 and 24. The five-member team will conduct focused interviews, meetings, and open forums to learn more about our mission, operations, and aspirations, as we make our case for ongoing institution-wide accreditation. This visit gives the HLC team a chance to ask questions, hear input, and generally follow up on information we shared with them in a dossier filed with the commission in early September.

Please keep an eye out for invitations to attend meetings and forums this week. A complete list of forums and meetings can be found on the Conversations website.  Also visit the website to learn more about the accreditation process and to view Drake’s 108-page self-study.

—Craig Owens, Professor of English/Accreditation Committee Chair

Strategic Updates Archive

Branding next steps

On Friday, Oct. 6, Drake’s branding agency, 160over90, revealed a first look at Drake’s refreshed and re-energized brand platform. Over the next several weeks, University Communications will be updating its toolkit to reflect new brand tools, as we finalize them. You will also begin to see the new brand reflected in marketing and communication materials, such as OnCampus.

Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm for our new brand platform; we will continue to keep you updated and informed as the new strategy is rolled out. Questions? You may find the answers in the Brand Elevation FAQ, or email alyssa.young@drake.edu.

—Alyssa Young, University Communications

Strategic Updates Archive

Accreditation visit nears, supporting documents available online

Drake will host representatives from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 23 and 24. The five-member team will conduct focused interviews, meetings, and open forums to learn more about our mission, operations, and aspirations, as we make our case for ongoing institution-wide accreditation. This visit gives the HLC team a chance to ask questions, hear input, and generally follow up on information we shared with them in a dossier filed with the commission in early September.

For the next couple weeks, please keep an eye out for invitations to attend meetings and forums. Visit the Conversations website to learn more about the accreditation process and to view Drake’s 108-page self-study. More information can also be found on the HLC website.

—Craig Owens, Professor of English/Accreditation Committee Chair