The Human Resources team appreciates the time, effort, and thoughtful feedback provided by faculty and staff who completed the Human Resources portion of the administrative services survey. Please know that it is our commitment to identify from your responses where we can better serve your needs and use that information to improve Human Resources services and processes.

Satisfaction with Human Resources staff—Total Average 4.49: In this portion of the survey, you were asked to provide your perception of how courteous, professional, and knowledgeable the HR staff is and whether or not your inquiries are responded to in a timely manner. Although it was reported that you are generally pleased in these areas, we are hearing that we need to be more responsive to inquiries in a timely manner (4.27).

Satisfaction with Human Resources Services—Total Average 3.86: This section includes new employee orientation, hiring process, benefits enrollment & open enrollment, development programs for staff and mangers, employee relations, and performance management. Although this covers a wide variety of services, the two areas that you have told us are in most need of attention are the manager professional development programs (3.71) and the performance management process (3.38).

Overall, how satisfied are you with Human Resources—Total Average 4.10:
We are pleased that 394 of you have taken the time to complete this survey and provide your observations and feedback. We are especially appreciative of those of you who took the time to provide written comments. Although aggregate numbers provide indicators, reading the comments about individual struggles and frustrations provides the detailed information necessary to identify and make meaningful changes.

We Have Heard You!
Based on feedback from the administrative services survey and last year’s Great Colleges to Work For (GCTWF) Survey, the following initiatives have already been put in place or are in the process of implementation:

A common issue raised in the comments section of the administrative services survey was the difficulty experienced in accessing and/or getting a response when attempting to contact Human Resources. We have worked with ITS to set up the main HR department telephone extension (x3133) so that if the line is busy or is not answered within a few rings, it will roll to another HR team member’s extension rather than going to voicemail. All HR team members will also be listening for when this extension rings with the goal of having this extension in particular picked up by a “live person.” In all cases, the HR team will make it a priority to respond to all telephone and electronic inquiries within one business day.

In both surveys, the theme of an improved new employee orientation was raised. Being unveiled this week is the enhanced new employee orientation. In addition to covering benefits, the orientation is being expanded to include an onboarding session that begins with a video welcome message from President Martin. Other elements include:

• Introduction to Drake’s Statement on Diversity & Inclusion and continuous improvement
• Virtual tour of campus
• Introduction to the work of the All Staff Council and Recreational Services available at the Bell Center.
• Introduction to HR’s BUILD learning and development programming, wellness and engagement services and programs
• Review of the blueView portal including where to go to find information about benefits, policies & procedures and how to view your online pay stubs, direct deposit information, W2s, etc.
• Lunch in Hubbell Dining Hall with an HR team member and All Staff Council representative

Currently in the final stages of development and soon to be released is the New To Drake webpage. This webpage is designed to take the place of the hard copy packet of information that Human Resources has sent via USPS to new hires. The advantage of this website is that it can now be available to all potential candidates, but a link to this page will be included in the HireTouch confirmation email that is sent to all new faculty and staff hires. When the new hire goes to this site, they can click on the link to a video welcome message from President Martin. In preparation for their first day, they will be taken to a step-by-step Orientation Guide. On this page are links to Drake-sponsored Benefits, parking information, on-campus map, Campus Public Safety, DART, Holiday schedule, Drake neighborhood home incentive plan, and tuition rebate plan. This site also contains a section titled “During Your First Week” that includes a link to a new hire checklist and another titled “During your First 30 Days.” We will be looking for feedback from you and new hires on how this site can be expanded and improved to enhance the new hire experience.

Communication of HR programming, initiatives, benefits, etc., was another common issue raised. The HR team worked with University Communications to develop a plan that would enhance our ability to communicate critical and important information without sending multiple facstaff emails. From that collaboration was born the HR Monthly Minute. This is a facstaff communication that is scheduled to be sent out on the first Wednesday of each month and is a summary of all of the HR learning and development, wellness & engagement, benefits, and other HR sessions scheduled for that month and any other information relevant for that month.

The HR Team has added Elevate Service Excellence to the Customer section of our balanced scorecard and will be using the results of future GCTWF and administrative services surveys to monitor our progress.

In response to other issues raised in the GCTWF and administrative surveys, here are some of the initiatives that the HR team has identified for the coming year:

1. Develop a manager training session on the orientation and onboarding of new employees. In addition to creating a new manager checklist, we will be identifying Drake managers who have successful new employee programs and asking them to share their ideas and lead these discussions.
2. Enhance the number and quality of manager development opportunities. As an example, the “Employment Laws: What Managers Need to Know” session facilitated by Nathan Overberg and Becky Reif from the Ahlers & Cooney Law Firm was not only the best attended manager session of this year, but also received rave reviews.
3. Examination of the current performance management system to not only improve utilization, but to examine ways to modify it to better support the continuous improvement model.
4. The HR team has discussed inviting ourselves to your department meetings to discuss ways we can serve you better. This initiative will be more fully developed during the spring, so look for additional information in OnCampus and the HR Monthly Minute. In the meantime, if there is an issue you would like an HR team member to come to your department to address, please let us know.

We also welcome your ongoing feedback and suggestions. Although survey data is great, it only tells us how we have done historically. All HR team members have access to the drakehr@drake.edu email account and is a good way to communicate to all HR team members at once, or you are welcome to send me your requests directly at gary.johnson@drake.edu.

—Gary Johnson, Human Resources

ITS is taking seriously President Martin’s call to focus on continuous improvement. Last fall, we collaborated with Chief Administration Officer Venessa Macro’s division to conduct a survey of satisfaction with administrative services. The ITS portion of the survey asked 14 questions, divided into three sections. Respondents rated each question on a 1-5 (low to high) scale. The survey results were both encouraging and constructive.

Satisfaction with ITS staff—Total Average 3.98: Respondents assessed their satisfaction with ITS staff including their courtesy, professionalism, knowledge, timeliness, and resolution of issues. Satisfaction with ITS staff was generally high, but was lowest for timeliness (3.60) and satisfactory resolution of issues (3.59).

Satisfaction with ITS support and communication—Total Average 3.72: In general, satisfaction was not as strong, particularly regarding training support (3.52) and informing campus about changes to technology (3.42).

Overall satisfaction—Total Average 3.71: Overall satisfaction is above average, but we clearly have room for improvement.

In reviewing the data and reflecting on the comments provided by the more than 450 respondents, I have concluded that:

• ITS staff are generally well regarded, but respondents are less satisfied with the timeliness of issue resolution and lack strong confidence that issues will be fully resolved. Many respondents noted inconsistent levels of support among individuals and units within ITS.
• ITS continues to struggle with timely and effective communication. We need to pay particular attention to communicating around training resources and notifying campus about service interruptions and technology changes.
• Aging technology continues to cause frustration and disruption for many on campus.

Addressing these issues will take time, but we are actively developing strategies to improve our service to the campus community

Over the coming year, ITS makes the following commitments to you.

We will:

1. Reduce our backlog of service requests and maintain overall lower levels of open issues.
2.  Focus on providing reliable enterprise technology services.
3. Ensure that we meet our promised response and resolution timeframes.
4. Partner with you to find reasonable and supportable long-term solutions.
5.  Strive to understand issues and requests before we begin work.
6. Confirm that we have completed your request to your satisfaction.
7. Improve our communication related to support requests and technology changes.
8. Work as a team to provide technology-related services on behalf of Drake.

In May, ITS will be introducing a new service request and management (ticket) system. We anticipate that campus satisfaction with ITS will improve as we adopt this new system. Watch OnCampus and the ITS website for more information beginning in March.

Finally, please save the date for an ITS all-campus town hall to be held on March 23 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. It will be your chance to learn more about ITS and our strategic vision, and to ask questions. The town hall will take place just before the provost’s all-employee social. We look forward to seeing you there.

—Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer

An important aspect of our Continuous Improvement Plan is consistently and repeatedly examining our delivery of exceptional service as well as the services we provide to the campus community. Last fall, we launched the first administrative services survey designed to provide feedback on service levels in Human Resources, Facilities Planning and Management, and Information Technology Services. The survey was developed with key input by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment and in close collaboration with key President’s Council members.

We were very pleased with the response rate for the survey, with 453 responses. In addition to answers to survey questions, survey takers provided significant comments, which will be extremely helpful in contextualizing the data. For each department covered by last fall’s survey, an action plan will be developed. Each department will reflect on the findings and consider ways to enhance, expand, or improve service. Watch OnCampus for additional information from Human Resources, Facilities Planning and Management, and Information Technology Services about their individual departmental results and how they plan to build on the information gleaned from this survey.

—Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Two finalists are participating in on-campus interviews on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and Thursday, Feb. 2. Understanding that the new APCEI will work closely with students, faculty, and staff in diversity initiatives, we invite each of you to be a part of the upcoming interview process and let your voice be heard.

We have two very qualified finalists to participate in on-campus interviews:

• Erin Lain, Associate Professor of Law and Assistant Dean for Academic Services
• Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor and Department Chair for the Study of Culture and Society.

The curriculum vitae and cover letter for each candidate can be found online.

We invite you to mark your calendars for the following events:

• Tuesday, Jan.31, at 4 p.m. in Sussman Theater for an hour-long open session with finalist Darcie Vandegrift. The candidate will present for 20–30 minutes, followed by a 30–40 minute open Q&A time.
• Thursday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m. in Sussman Theater for an hour-long open session with finalist Erin Lain. The candidate will present for 20–30 minutes, followed by a 30–40 minute open Q&A time.

You can find important documents regarding the Quality Initiative, Strategic Diversity Action Team’s work, and Campus Climate Survey on the climate assessment website.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support.

—APCEI Search Committee

Using benchmark institutions for comparison is a common method to address the demand for data-driven decisions. In summer 2016, President’s Council affirmed the need to review Drake’s set of benchmark institutions. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) conducted an analysis of key indicators in national data to identify a set of institutions that are comparable to Drake.

As a result of that analysis, Drake has a new set of 15 benchmark institutions, which includes three sets of institutions—direct competitors (undergraduate admission), peer institutions (close alignment on key indicators), and aspirant institutions (high performance on key indicators). We will use this list for benchmarking purposes at the institution level. Individual units can also use this list, while recognizing that specific needs may require the use of a specialized set (e.g., athletics conference).

Benchmark Institutions

Please contact Kevin Saunders if you would like additional information. This set of institutions will continue to be listed on the OIRA website.

—Kevin Saunders, OIRA

Beginning in Fall 2017, the world languages and cultures department will offer majors and minors, and no longer offer certificates, concentrations, or interdisciplinary minors. Students who have previously declared the formerly available options will be able to complete their program of choice.The following minors will be available:

•  East Asian Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Arabic Language and Culture
• Chinese Language and Culture
• French Language and Culture
• German Language and Culture
• Japanese Language and Culture
• Spanish Language and Culture

There are three approved options students may select from when they declare their minor:

• An emphasis on languages
• An emphasis on study abroad
• An emphasis on integrated studies

Students will work with an adviser in world languages and cultures to select the most appropriate option. Additionally, students who select one of these approved options while pursuing a major in international relations are strongly encouraged to work with advisers from both areas. For additional information, please contact Marc Pinheiro-Cadd at marc.pinheiro-cadd@drake.edu.

—Dorothy Pisarski, Drake International communications liaison

The President’s Council invites you to attend a campus community budget discussion on Dec. 15 at 3:30 p.m. in the Shivers Hospitality Suite. We will be discussing the draft budget for FY18 that has been compiled with projections received from all departments this fall. There will be a presentation with plenty of time for Q&A.

Following the event, everyone is invited to stay for a Drake Social event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Attendees will receive one complimentary ticket for beer or wine, water, soda, etc. Nearby parking is available in Lot 2 east of Shivers at the northeast corner of Forest Avenue and 25th Street.

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost.

—Kim Lammers, Office of Dean of Students

I’m pleased to announce that Nate Reagen will serve the University as my chief of staff beginning tomorrow, Nov. 16. Nate has been working with colleagues across the University for the past 14 months on our continuous improvement efforts, positioning him well for this important role on campus.

Nate has 20 years of experience managing complex projects and programs, including time at The Principal Financial Group, Aviva USA, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. He specializes in strategic planning; project and program management; and business process improvement. Nate earned his BA in management with an emphasis in marketing and organizational leadership from St. John’s University.

As chief of staff, Nate will manage the day-to-day operations of the Office of the President; support University-wide strategic initiatives; coordinate the institution’s continuous improvement work; and provide support and coordination to the President’s Council. The chief of staff serves as an important resource in delivering on our mission promise to students and the greater Drake community.

I am confident that Nate’s past year of experience building relationships on campus and years of expertise in the areas of strategic planning and project management will serve Drake well. Please join me in congratulating Nate on his new position.

—Marty Martin

After a tumultuous election season, Iowa Campus Compact—of which Drake is apart—reinforced its support of its adopted Civic Action Statement, which urges member institutions to contribute to a robust and healthy American democracy. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to read the statement, found here.

—Jerry Parker, Interim Dean of Students