Category Archives: Strategic Updates Archive

Strategic Updates Archive

ITS campus update

As I indicated last week, we are making a number of changes to improve our customer service, including renaming our department: We’re now Information Technology Services (ITS). This is a more accurate description of our role in supporting and strengthening Drake’s exceptional learning environment. 

You will still work with us in the same way—this is just the next stop in the process of improvement that we began last year. For technical support issues, please continue to call the ITS Support Center/Help Desk at ext. 3001. For classroom emergencies, please call ext. 3002. 

Campus technicians will be staying in colleges/schools. Additionally, we are going to cross train technicians to ensure that colleges/schools have adequate coverage, even if their individual technician is out of the office, and we will be expanding service hours soon to provide extended coverage for classroom emergencies. 

 All of these changes are being implemented without increasing the ITS budget. If you have questions or concerns regarding the realignment, please feel free to contact me at ext. 2345, Assistant CITO, Campus Relations Jerome Hilscher at ext. 2415 or IT Project Manager Keren Fiorenza at ext. 2348. 

 I remain dedicated to continuing to improve ITS engagement and customer service. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or to any member of the ITS staff to let us know how we can better serve you and your area.

—Chris Gill, Chief Information Technology Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

From the Provost

Drake Social, Morning Edition
To begin her transition to Drake, Sue Mattison, our provost-elect, will visit campus in February, as well as on other occasions during the spring semester. These visits are intended to extend her familiarity with Drake (and ours with her); to hold conversations with those with whom she will be working closely; and to provide opportunities for her to meet more Drake faculty, staff, and students. To assist her transition, Drake faculty and staff are invited to spend some informal time with Sue at our next Drake social, a morning edition on Thursday, Feb. 11, 8–9 a.m. in Levitt Hall, Old Main. Coffee and pastries will be available, and I hope all of you will be as well. Please join me to welcome our provost-elect back to campus!

David E. Maxwell Distinguished Professor of International Affairs
I am delighted to announce that at its January meeting the Drake University Board of Trustees awarded the David E. Maxwell Professorship in International Affairs to Debra DeLaet, professor of political science. Established through the generosity of Patricia and L. Daniel Jorndt and designed to honor President Maxwell’s years of service to Drake and his devotion to international study, the David E. Maxwell Professorship in International Affairs recognizes a Drake faculty member at the full professor rank in a discipline directly linked to international affairs, including (but not limited to) international business, international relations, politics, sociology, and global public health.

Nominated by her dean, recommended by a selection committee of other distinguished professors, and supported by the provost and president, it is a recognition that Professor DeLaet richly deserves. In her 20 years at Drake she has achieved a record of effective teaching, rigorous scholarship, and engaged service animated by her interest and expertise in international relations, human rights, and global public health. She has previously been selected as the College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Teacher of the Year, invited to present the Stalnaker Lecture, elected to serve as Faculty Senate president, and awarded the Herb & Karen Baum Chair of Ethics and the Professions, a title she will cede to her successor at the end of this year. Please join me in congratulating our newest distinguished professor.

Herb & Karen Baum Chair of Ethics and the Professions
In 2010, a generous gift by Herb & Karen Baum established the Herb & Karen Baum Chair of Ethics and the Professions. The appointment to this chair is for a three-year period for full professors at the University whose teaching and/or research examines issues of ethics and the world of practice, and who are nominated for the chair by their dean. I am proud to announce that after being nominated by her dean, recommended by a committee of distinguished professors, and approved by President Martin, Professor Jennifer Harvey will succeed Professor DeLaet as the next Herb & Karen Baum Chair of Ethics and the Professions. Jennifer is a professor of religion and currently also serves as director of the Humanities Center and faculty director of the Crew Scholars Program. Her focus in teaching and research is liberation ethics, and she has authored three books on race and social justice, published a wide range of essays, and has been invited to give many talks to community groups and professional organizations. She has been recognized as the Honors Teacher of the Year and as the Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor of the Year.

Provost Mobile Office Hour
With the start of the new semester I am resuming my roaming, open office hours. You can find me this week on Friday, Feb. 5, 1–2:30 p.m., in the Olmsted coffee shop. No appointments needed.

—Provost Joe Lenz

Strategic Updates Archive

Coffee and construction

Plan to attend the second STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 8:15 a.m., in Olmsted Center, Pomerantz Stage area. Come learn more about plans for construction of the School of Education and Math and Computer Science facility and the new Science Connector building. Site plans, what to expect during the construction process, tree removal, fencing, and plans for 27th Street will all be discussed. Construction team members as well as members of the University Steering Team will be on hand to answer questions. A brief project overview will be presented at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Light refreshments will be served.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

Preparation for construction on campus

Drake’s campus is about to change with the construction of the new Science Connector Building and the new School of Education, and faculty, staff, and students will feel the effects this major construction project. Delivery of construction trailers and the fencing of the construction sites will begin next week. These changes—detailed in this site map—will be in place for approximately 18 months. Below you will find a list of the approximate dates of changes and milestones. I will periodically update these items as the changes occur.

Week of Jan. 25: Construction trailers arrive/set up

First week of February: Fencing of construction sites; closing south lane of Forest Avenue

March 14: Closure of 27th Street and various areas near the construction site:

  • 27th Street will close north of Jewett Parking Lot (Jewett Parking Lot will remain open with access from Carpenter Avenue).
  • All parking will be removed from the east side of 27th Street.

Note: Commuter parking can be found in the Fine Arts Parking Lot or the parking lot just to the north of Opperman Hall.

Summer 2016: Closure of sidewalk that runs east and west just to the south of Olin

Please review the map and let me know if you have any concerns or issues. Thank you.

—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations and Support Services

Strategic Updates Archive

Volunteer at tonight’s Brown and Black Forum!

Tonight is your chance to get up close and personal with political movers and shakers at the Brown and Black Forum! Although Drake’s entire ticket allotment has been distributed, a few volunteers are still needed for positions following the event. Volunteers would need to arrive to Olmsted Center by 8:30 p.m., so anyone attending the forum is not able to participate in this opportunity. If interested, please contact Rachel Paine Caufield at rachel.caufield@drake.edu.

—Submitted by Jarad Bernstein, Director of Public Relations and Media Management

Strategic Updates Archive

Tree removal on campus

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Over the next few weeks, you will notice the removal of 38 trees on campus. The trees will be removed from two construction sites: between Olin and Fitch halls for the construction of the Science Connector Building (Infill Building Tree Map), and from the south side of Olin Hall to the area just north of Medbury Hall for the School of Education (Education Building Tree Map). This will include all the trees in this area from 27th Street to the 28th Street Plaza.

Drake University will be required by the City of Des Moines and the Drake University Tree USA Committee to replace trees on the campus. As part of the new construction project, the University will plant 64 trees on campus. The trees will be located around the new building sites and other places across the campus.

As part of this removal, Drake will cut down four to five specially picked large oak trees. These particular oaks are approximately 100 years old. The trunks of these oaks will be milled for use in other projects on the campus in the future. The logs will be cut into 20-foot planks and stored for approximately two years; some potential uses of these special pieces of Drake history include wooden benches, picture frames, and more. If you have any other ideas for the use of this wood around campus, please let me know.

We have previously shared the tree information at the STEM@DRAKE Open House and the Holiday Breakfast. Drake University Grounds Department has established a Recommended Campus Trees list of potentially disease-free species to replant on the campus, which you can view here. If you would like to provide input on which trees the University should plant, please email jolene.schmidt@drake.edu.

—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director of Operations and Support Services

Strategic Updates Archive

Drake Law announces new dean

Jerry Anderson, the Richard M. and Anita Calkins Distinguished Professor of Law, has been named dean of Drake University Law School, effective July 1, 2016. He succeeds Ben Ullem, who is currently serving a two-year term as dean of the Law School.

“I am honored to be selected to lead the Law School during an important time in its history,” said Jerry, who has served on the Drake Law faculty since 1991. “We are in the midst of a transformative period in legal education, and Drake is well-positioned to creatively adapt to the changing needs of students and the profession.” To learn more about Jerry, visit the Drake Newsroom.

Strategic Updates Archive

DTS campus update

As we approach the end of the year and my first semester as CITO, I want to provide you with a status update on some of the DTS accomplishments this fall as well as a sense of our priorities for 2016.

  • We have reallocated funds and returned to a model of direct support for schools and colleges and have hired a new classroom improvement specialist. Searches are also underway for a project manager and a help desk manager.
  • Budget planning has resulted in detailed, itemized information on current and future expenditures and the creation of a high-level infrastructure replacement plan.
  • Technology in seven classrooms and the Legal Clinic have been renewed with plans and funding in place to renew an additional seven to eight classrooms in the Spring semester.
  • We have built a redundant data center environment in Shakopee, Minn., for disaster recovery purposes, which should result in fewer future Internet outages. We have also worked with 24 departments to review their business-continuity plans.
  • In order to improve our Banner system, new, robust hardware has been installed. In collaboration with our campus partners, we have implemented a new campus scheduling system and phases 1 and 2 of an online housing management system.
  • Finally, management of Blackboard was moved off campus to increase reliability and availability.

As we end our calendar year and look towards 2016, we will be focusing on:

  • Building a culture of service excellence
  • Increasing collaboration across campus
  • Improving our accountability
  • Communicating better with campus
  • Ensuring a reliable and robust technology infrastructure
  • Reducing risks related to information technology

Thank you for your warm welcome to campus. I’m dedicated to continuing to improve DTS communication and service. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any member of my staff to let us know how DTS can better serve you and your area.

I wish you a holiday season filled with happiness, and I look forward to working with you in 2016.

Chris Gill
Chief Information Technology Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

Welcoming Drake’s new provost

sueoncampus3With great pleasure I share the appointment of our new provost, Dr. Sue J. Mattison. Her experience, leadership, and values will make her an excellent addition to our Bulldog family. We expect Provost Mattison to begin in summer 2016.

Sue was selected for a number of reasons. Above all was her contagious commitment to the student experience and to the integrity of the University’s academic core. Her passion for strengthening academic programs while promoting intellectual vitality will be important in Drake’s efforts to achieve our aspirations and to ensure we continue to fulfill the promise of our mission statement.

Many of Provost Mattison’s accomplishments and areas of focus during her career, which includes leadership positions at UW-Green Bay and the University of Northern Iowa, align with our mission and strategic priorities.

  • While at UW-Green Bay, Sue led several successful accreditation initiatives, experience that will help guide the University through our upcoming HLC re-accreditation. Her focus on data-driven decision-making aligns well with our efforts to create a more evidence-based culture of continuous improvement.
  • She brings commitment and experience in recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty, and staff and improving access to higher education.
  • In addition, Sue has proven herself a champion of faculty scholarship and places great value on building trusting and respectful relationships at all levels of the institution.

My heartfelt thanks to the faculty, staff, and students who attended the open forums and provided feedback on each of our excellent candidates. Your engagement was crucial to selecting Provost Mattison and will be important as she begins her time at Drake. I’d also like to thank the search committee for their time-intensive and enthusiastic dedication to executing a successful and transparent search process.

I am excited for our future as Sue begins what I’m sure will be a long and fruitful tenure at Drake. She will visit campus in the spring semester to meet more members of the Drake community; I have been assured we will be made aware of the details of her visit as they are finalized.

Please join me in welcoming Provost Mattison to the Bulldog community.

—Darcie Vandegrift, Chair, Provost Search Committee