Celebrate the legacy of Governor Robert D. Ray with an ice cream social on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 2:30-4 p.m. on the Ray Promenade outside of Collier-Scripps Hall. Ice cream novelties will be served. The rain location will be inside Collier-Scripps Hall on the lower level.

Governor Robert D. Ray, the 11^th President of Drake University and 38^th Governor of Iowa, had an impact that extended beyond the state of Iowa and positively impacted people around the world. Best known for his humanitarian efforts and transformation of state government, Governor Ray’s legacy lives on through the work of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.

The Ray Center invites the entire Drake campus community to celebrate Tuesday, Sept. 26, as Governor Ray Day in the state of Iowa.

Learn more about Governor Robert D. Ray’s life and legacy.

— Megan Wesselink, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to celebrate the opening of Mediacom Stadium, the new home for Drake Soccer and new venue for Des Moines Public Schools athletics and activities on Thursday, Oct. 12. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. A program and ribbon cutting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. The Des Moines Roosevelt football team will play Waukee at 7:30 p.m. on new the field, marking the first-ever contest in the stadium.

— Ryan Arnold, Community Engagement

Ambassador Branstad will host the second annual U.S.-China Symposium at Drake University on Friday, Sept. 22, in Levitt Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

This annual symposium is an initiative of the Ambassador-in-Residence program at Drake, convening experienced professionals, academics, and other experts to speak on various topics related to China and U.S.-China relations, with the aim to provide a platform for multiple viewpoints and opportunities for candid discussion.

The 2023 symposium will include sessions on national security and defense with Lieutenant General Larry Nicholson (Retired), advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff; trade and business with Greyson Mann, Government Affairs Manager at the U.S.-China Business Council; and international relations with Bobby Richey, former Deputy Chief of Mission and Agriculture Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Learn more and register for the symposium at drake.edu/branstad.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Engagement

Faculty and staff are invited to join us for the next Provost’s Drake Social, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, in the Cowles Library Reading Room, beginning at 4 p.m.

Refreshments will include wine, beer, soft drinks, and light snacks. This is a family friendly event. Feel free to bring your children and partner.

— Madison Bemus, Office of the Provost

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to celebrate the grand opening of the Broadlawns Community Clinic at Drake on Thursday, Sept. 7, from 4:30–7:30 p.m. The clinic is located at 2970 University Avenue. The official ribbon cutting will occur at 5:30 p.m. and no RSVP is required. The celebration event will include food and drinks, music, and offer tours of the clinic.

The clinic will open its doors to patients for the first time on Monday, Sept. 11. Members of the community and Drake students, faculty, and staff will have a convenient location to receive primary care, urgent care, mental health services, and access to a rotation of specialty services.  

Find more information and a list of services the clinic will provide.

Currently, Drake students receive medical treatment and mental health services through Broadlawns Medical Center at the American Republic Student Health Center on the Drake campus. The Broadlawns clinic will replace this facility.

Drake students will receive more information this week regarding scheduling for counseling and student health appointments at this new location.  All student appointments for this upcoming week (Sept. 5–8) will remain at the American Republic Student Health Center (3116 Carpenter Avenue).

— Jerry Parker, Chief Student Affairs Officer

Meredith Hall, home to Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), Bright College, and many College of Arts and Sciences programs, is wrapping up renovation work and will be ready to serve students for the fall semester. Faculty and staff with offices in the building started moving back into their spaces last week.

The renovation work began in December 2022 with the intent to preserve the building’s historically significant architecture, while making the facility more environmentally friendly and better suited to the teaching and learning styles of today.

Throughout the planning and renovation process, Drake Facilities Planning and Management worked in close coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to ensure the building remains eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The completed project includes improvements to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, new LED light fixtures, a solar array installed on the roof, new ceiling systems, new bottle-filler drinking fountains, and technology upgrades throughout the building. Areas within the building were also reimagined to include a new student collaboration space and zip spaces. A new film viewing room was created in the lower level that includes salvaged seating from Varsity Theater.

Another notable aspect of the renovation included returning the signature metal exterior to its original shade of black, as it was when it was first constructed in 1965 and received international attention for its Mid-Century Modern architectural appeal.

Meredith Hall was designed by world-renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and part of the renovation project includes restoring the building’s courtyard, which is distinct among Mies’ designs.

The Drake Facilities Planning and Management team also worked closely with SHPO to add padded cushioning to the original wooden seats in both of Meredith Hall’s auditoriums. To maintain the original design and aesthetics of the seats, Drake worked with the original manufacturer, Carroll Seating Company, on the renovations in which the original seat backs and bases will be used. In fact, the same person who designed the seats in 1965 worked to help renovate those same seats now.

Read about all the infrastructure updates, new sustainable features, and enriched teaching and learning opportunities on the Meredith Hall Revitalization web page.

“Our ultimate goal of updating this historic facility was to create learning spaces that meet the needs of today’s students while retaining the building’s key historic features,” said Michelle Huggins, planning and design manager, Facilities Planning and Management. “We want to ensure that people another 50 or 100 years from now will walk into this space and be just as impressed as they were in 1965 when the building first opened.”

— Heather Winslow, Facilities Planning and Management

The University is currently experiencing a rise in reported cases of COVID-19 among our student population. As of this morning, we are aware of 76 confirmed student cases, 29 of whom are isolating in Ross Hall.

Here are eight reminders and resources to keep in mind to help prevent further spread:

• Follow CDC Guidelines. We encourage all students, faculty, and staff to follow CDC guidelines, including staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccination.
• Free Test Kits. Rapid, self-administered COVID-19 tests are available for free to all students, faculty, and staff in the Student Services Center in Olmsted.
• Exposure. If you were exposed to someone who has tested positive, you should wear a mask while around others and monitor for symptoms.
• COVID-19 Positive. If you tested positive or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, you should refrain from attending classes or other activities in person and wear a mask while around others.
• Student Reporting. Students should report positive COVID-19 test results through the notification form found on this page. Completing the form will provide more information about our COVID-19 protocols.
• Employee Reporting. Faculty and staff should report positive test results by emailing ehs@drake.edu.
• Finals Week. Students who test positive and isolate are still responsible for completing final assignments and exams and should work with their professors to coordinate the best method to do so. 
• Isolation. Residential students who test positive are welcome to isolate at home or in Ross Hall. Students isolating in Ross Hall may be assigned a roommate with a shared bathroom. Additional details are included in the form.

Thank you for your continued vigilance in keeping our community a safe and healthy place to live, learn, and work as we close out the academic year.

— Jerry Parker, Chief Student Affairs Officer

The Great Colleges to Work For (GCTWF) survey is back! Today (March 21), all full-time faculty and staff should have received an email invitation to participate from Great Colleges with the subject line “2023 Drake University Great Colleges to Work For Survey.”

What is the Great Colleges to Work For survey? 

The Great Colleges to Work For survey is the primary employee survey used by the University to gather feedback on our workplace culture. The survey is administered by ModernThink, a management-consulting firm focusing on workplace quality in higher education.  More information about the Great Colleges to Work For survey is available at greatcollegesprogram.com. 

Why should I participate? 

Your voice matters and your responses help the University identify opportunities to improve workplace satisfaction and engagement. Your responses provide valuable insight into employee opinions and needs. Overall responses are reviewed to identify actionable areas for improvement over the next year. Last year, 65% percent of all full-time faculty and staff responded to the survey. This year, we are aiming for a 67% response rate. The higher the response rate, the more accurate and complete the results.  

Is participation mandatory? 

Participation is voluntary, although we do hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to share your feedback and make sure your voice is heard. A high response rate will help ensure an accurate representation of employee perspectives. 

Are my responses confidential? 

By having a third-party provider facilitate the survey process, your participation and the feedback you provide will be completely anonymous. No one at Drake will be able to trace results back to individuals. Drake will receive reports summarizing the results, but will not have access to any individual response data. Furthermore, ModernThink does not report back results for areas that have less than five respondents. Learn more by reading the  Statement of Confidentiality. 

When and how do I participate? 

The 2023 survey period begins Tuesday, March 21, and ends Tuesday, April 4. The survey is administered online by ModernThink. Full-time faculty and staff will receive an email invitation to participate in the survey from ModernThink on March 21. 

How long will it take to complete the survey? 

It typically takes about 10-15 minutes to complete the survey depending on the amount of feedback you provide. 

How is the data used and will the results be shared? 

Consistent with past practice, a summary of the university survey results will be shared with employees and will be used to identify our strengths and opportunities for improvement. All of our units on campus, with greater than five employees, will also have results shared with that unit-leader. Several key measures and targets in the University’s continuous improvement plan (CIP), and in many unit-level CIP’s, are tied directly to feedback from the survey. ModernThink also provides valuable benchmark data that we can use to compare our results against other similar institutions. This information helps senior leaders and individual units can make informed, strategic decisions about improving our culture. 

Can I complete the survey during work hours? 

Yes. Faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the survey during working hours. Completing the survey is an important contribution that you can make to strengthen our campus community. 

For further questions, contact Nate Reagen or Maureen De Armond.   

Thanks for your support in advance! 

— Nate Reagen, Office of the President; Maureen De Armond, Human Resources

The All In 24-Hour Giving Challenge is our opportunity to support, share, and celebrate everything that makes this University and our students exceptional. For the past nine years, the Drake community has come together in inspirational ways to go All In for this University. This year, as we mark our 10^th All In, we are excited to announce an overall matching challenge: if we reach our goal of 1,250 gifts, we will unlock $110,000 for Drake!   

In addition to the overall match, there are also tens of thousands of incentives available with specific challenges for each college and school, athletics, fine arts, students, first-time donors, and more. A gift of any amount, to any area, will be doubled or even tripled through these generous matching opportunities. When you support Drake during All In, you are embracing and empowering the innovations, connections, achievements, and opportunities that happen here each day. 

New this year for Drake faculty and staff:

• In celebration of your support to All In, Griff II wants to honor faculty and staff. Departments with a participation rate of 75% or higher will be entered into a drawing for one of two prizes:
  
  1. Professional headshots with Griff II
  2. Treats delivered by Griff II to your department

• Any Drake faculty or staff member that makes a gift during All In will be entered into a drawing for a free parking pass for Commuter Tier II Parking Lots (valued at $125).

• When you make a gift to the area that means the most to you, Vice President for University Advancement, John Smith, AS’92, GR’00 and, Mary Kay Smith, AS’91, GR’07, will match your gifts up to $4,500. John and Mary Kay are also proud Drake parents of a 2021 graduate. 

Join your fellow faculty and staff and go All In for our Bulldog community March 2–3. Learn more at drake.edu/allin and follow all the fun and excitement on the Drake University and Drake Alumni social media channels.

Reach out with questions to Laura Roling, director of annual giving, at laura.roling@drake.edu.

— Laura Roling, University Advancement