Category Archives: Strategic Updates Archive

Strategic Updates Archive

STEM@DRAKE project update

Significant pre-construction activity is underway relative to the STEM@DRAKE project. Last Wednesday at the STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House, members of the campus community saw the latest building renderings and floor plans. Positive comments were shared about the inclusion of gender neutral bathrooms and dedicated lactation rooms in both buildings, as well as the overall cohesive look of the buildings. Members of Drake’s Grounds Department—Aaron Harpold and Jeff Bosworth—were on hand to discuss how the project will impact trees. Attendees voted on the type of trees they would like to see planted as part of the effort to replace and nearly double the number of trees that will be lost during construction.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

From the President: Continuous improvement

You may recall that in September I shared with you the effort by Drake leadership to introduce continuous improvement planning as an new approach to institutional strategic planning. To recap, continuous improvement is an ongoing, flexible planning process designed to deliver outcomes that improve communication, resource prioritization, and alignment with mission. This approach is a fusion of traditional strategic planning—we are drawing on the work done over the past few years—and HLC reaccreditation efforts, and offers an innovative strategy to improve our University.

Since my email in September, I have met with a number of stakeholders on campus, including Faculty Senate, All Staff Council, and the Board of Trustees to present the idea of continuous improvement and how we envision it working for us. I’m happy to now be able to share this information more broadly.

The campus at large can learn more about continuous improvement and what this means for Drake in one spot online. (You can also access the site via the blueView Homepage or Employee tab.) To give you a brief overview of the process and how it is being integrated across different areas of our University, I encourage you to view the following videos:

  1. Overview of continuous improvement
  2. Continuous improvement and academic operations—Joe Lenz
  3. Continuous improvement and HLC reaccreditation—Kevin Saunders & Craig Owens
  4. Continuous improvement and campus technology—Chris Gill
  5. Continuous improvement and budget planning—Teresa Krejci

I invite your ongoing feedback as we make this transition. While we will no doubt have our growing pains with this change, it is a shift that will provide great benefit to the University.

Sincerely,
Marty

Strategic Updates Archive

Save the Date: STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House

Plan to attend the first STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center. Learn more about plans for construction of the School of Education and Math and Computer Science facility as well as the new Science Connector building. Construction team members and members of the University Steering Team will be on hand to answer questions. A brief project overview will be presented at 3:15 and 4 p.m., but you can come anytime to learn more and visit with our team.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

Drake welcomes new Title IX coordinator, equity and inclusion policy specialist

Drake welcomes Kathryn Overberg to the role of Title IX coordinator, equity and inclusion policy specialist. Kathryn’s role is to oversee sexual harassment and sexual assault complaints involving students and to ensure the University’s overall compliance with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. In addition to her focus on Title IX compliance, Kathryn will provide consultative guidance on policies and practices that will advance Drake’s commitment to nondiscrimination and inclusivity. She will conduct training and be involved in a variety of prevention and outreach activities. She will work closely with Student Life, the Office for Sexual Violence Response and Healthy Relationship Promotion, Disability Services, the Office of Residence Life, Academic Affairs, and Human Resources.

Kathryn has extensive experience in higher education and Title IX related issues, serving as associate counsel for Iowa State University where she built strong working relationships across campus in academic and non-academic units. Kathryn received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she also played varsity soccer. She earned her law degree from the University of Iowa.

Please feel free to reach out to Kathryn to welcome her to Drake. Her email address is kathryn.overberg@drake.edu and her extension is x2982. Her office is located in Old Main, Room 205.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Strategic Updates Archive

From President Martin: Oct. 12

This past weekend was a busy one as members of the Drake University Board of Trustees were on campus for their fall meeting. We covered many topics on Friday and Saturday, and concluded with a wonderful celebration of the record-breaking distinctlyDrake campaign Saturday night. Seeing so many of our loyal supporters all in one spot was energizing and inspiring.

Many noteworthy topics were addressed at the board meeting, of which I’d like to share a few highlights. The board received an update regarding the STEM@DRAKE project. Work is being done to finalize costs in alignment with the budget, as well as to complete construction documents that will take our design and renderings into development. The board was briefed that the University will pursue Green Globes certification of the new connector building and the School of Education, Computer Sciences, and Math building. Green Globes is a nationally recognized rating assessment, guidance, and certification program. Right now, we are targeting the rating of two globes, an achievement that will underscore the importance of sustainability on our campus.

Teresa Krejci, chief financial officer, shared budget savings updates with the board. Savings initiatives in the FY16 budget call for a temporary reduction in operational expenses of $509,000 and temporary salary savings of $500,000. Thanks to the efforts of units across campus and the work of our colleagues in the finance office, we have already met the goal for operational savings. Additionally, we have saved $330,000 in salary expenses from the 60-day open position hold practice and nearly $60,000 from position restructuring thus far, and Teresa expects we will meet or exceed our goal for the fiscal year.

We also discussed improvements to our athletics facilities. Drake Stadium underwent a $15 million renovation in 2005, and the time has come to replace the track surface, field turf, video board, and sound system as these features have begun to fail. The cost of the updates is approximately $2.3 million. We have secured gifts and pledges from donors totaling more than $2.45 million for these projects.

Finally, the trustees spent much of their time looking at tuition pricing. As we are all well aware, the cost of higher education and the resulting debt many students leave college with is an important issue in our industry. While no decisions were made, the discussion was productive and informative as we begin the work of both setting next year’s tuition and the University’s operating budget.

Best,

Marty

Strategic Updates Archive

This changes everything

We concluded the distinctlyDrake campaign on June 30 with a total of more than $216 million raised—70 percent in immediate gifts and short-term pledges. Not only did we exceed our monetary goal; we have completed one for the record books, the largest fundraising effort in the University’s history.

distinctlyDrake is not, however, defined by campaign timetable or final tally. What matters is its widespread impact and our future as an influential institution of higher learning. We in the Office of Alumni and Development often speak of buildings and renovations, centers and collections, scholarships and endowed positions. What we’re really talking about is enriching learning experiences that expand minds, gifted professors who inspire exploration, bright students who are able to pursue their dreams, remarkable possibilities that will change our world.

Powerful stuff. And why we’re all here. Thanks for your invaluable role in strengthening Drake University. Click here to share the excitement of our success!

I invite your comments and questions regarding distinctlyDrake and look forward to partnering with you as we work together to steer the University’s future.

—Submitted by John Smith, Vice President, Alumni and Development

Strategic Updates Archive

From President Martin

Thank you to everyone who attended one of the open forums regarding the Campus Climate Assessment earlier this week. While we have room for improvement in order to ensure Drake is an inclusive and welcoming environment, I’m confident this community can rise to the challenge. One step in that direction is that a commitment to inclusivity and diversity is now part of every senior leader’s essential job functions. Also, as mentioned at the forums, members of the Strategic Diversity Action Team will lead small group discussions to determine actionable next steps based on the survey results. I strongly encourage each of you to attend a session—sign up here.

Another topic important to all of us is campus safety. In light of recent serious crimes taking place near campus, I want to emphasize that the safety of students, faculty, and staff is a top priority for the University. Part of fulfilling that responsibility is ensuring the University is engaged in the Drake neighborhood. We have a number of formal commitments to the surrounding community and are working on ways we can continue to enhance the relationship we have with our neighbors.

As to safety on campus, you may have read in Public Safety Director Scott Law’s message in the weekly OnCampus newsletter that we are implementing additional safety measures beyond the resources already available to the campus community. One feature I want to reiterate from Scott’s message is the difference between Bulldog Alerts and Timely Warnings.

  • Bulldog Alerts are issued for situations involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of Drake students or employees. These range from natural disasters to gas leaks to criminal activity.
  • Timely Warnings are issued when a crime is reported that does not involve an immediate threat. There is also a connection between these warnings and those events for which we report statistics to the government, such as homicides, sex offenses, or robberies. The crime can occur on campus, on immediately accessible public property, or at a non-campus location, such as a remote classroom.

There are several exceptions to these general guidelines for both Bulldog Alerts and Timely Warnings. I have every confidence in Scott and his team to expertly address each case quickly, with the safety of the campus community as their top priority.

Finally, please be sure to utilize and engage with our internal newsletter, OnCampus, which goes out to all students, faculty, and staff every Monday. This newsletter serves as a centralized source of relevant information and contributes to an environment of timely, relevant, and transparent communication on campus.

Regards,

Marty

Strategic Updates Archive

Climate Assessment: Next Steps

We invite you to share your ideas about how we can make Drake a more welcoming and inclusive University. Our Campus Climate Assessment survey, implemented in February 2015, was designed to gauge the experiences and attitudes of current faculty, staff, and students. The public forums held on Sept. 21 and 22 provided our community with the data from that survey. If you were unable to attend one of the forums, a video recording of the presentation, Powerpoint presentation, and the full report are available on the climate assessment site. Print copies of the full report are also available on reserve in Cowles library.

Now, the Strategic Diversity Action Team is hosting small group conversations where we can come up with actionable next steps for campus. Please read the report, sign up for one of the small group sessions, and be a part of change on campus.

—Submitted by Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success

Strategic Updates Archive

Drake community safety updates

Des Moines Police Patrol
In response to recent incidents in the Drake community, Drake has contracted for a uniformed Des Moines Police Department officer to be dedicated to the Drake campus in the evenings. The officer will patrol primarily from 25th Street to 34th Street on both Forest and University. The officer will primarily be here from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week, for the next few weeks to help serve as a visible deterrent and expedite response time.

Safe Ride
As many of you know, Drake recently introduced the new Safe-Ride program, a Drake-owned bus that provides late-night transportation service in the immediate Drake neighborhood. The service has been very successful and demand in the evenings has exceeded capacity on some weekend nights. In order to increase visibility and provide additional capacity, a second bus will operate Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. It is our hope that students will choose to use the Safe-Ride service for travel around the Drake neighborhood at night. The location of the Safe-Ride bus can be found by visiting www.drake.edu/bus. The bus runs 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday–Wednesday and 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursday–Saturday. The two buses will travel opposite circuits around campus to maximize response time.

Drake Guardian App
Drake Public Safety would also like to remind students, faculty, and staff to download the “Drake Guardian” App. This app is available as a free download and enhances safety on campus through real-time, interactive features that create a virtual safety network of friends, family, and Drake’s Department of Public Safety. Features include a panic button that connects you immediately to Drake Public Safety and anonymous texting for crime tip reporting. The app also allows your network to monitor your location when you set a safety timer. For more information, visit the Drake Public Safety site. The app is also available in the App Store and through the Android App by searching for Rave Guardian. Once the Rave Guardian is downloaded and you enter your drake.edu email, the app becomes the “Drake Guardian.”

Timely warnings vs. Bulldog Alerts
The Director of Public Safety or a designee will develop Timely Warning Notices for the University community to notify campus about serious crimes against people that have already occurred on or near campus, where it is determined that the incident may pose an ongoing threat to members of the University community. Timely Warning Notices may be distributed for other crimes as determined necessary by the Director or his or her designee in his or her absence.

Bulldog Alerts are issued for an emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees that is currently occurring on or may imminently affect the campus.

As always, if you see something, say something. If you see something you feel is out of ordinary, no matter how trivial it may seem, contact Drake Public Safety at 811 (emergency) or 515-271-2222 (non-emergency). DPS has 21 sets of eyes, but with the campus community, we have more than 5,000.

—Submitted by Scott Law, Director, Drake Public Safety

Strategic Updates Archive

From the Provost: Sept. 21

Fall 2015 Enrollment
Last week we took the official enrollment census for the Fall 2015 semester. This fall, we welcomed 803 first-year students and 117 transfer students to Drake. They are among the 3,338 full- and part-time undergraduate students at Drake (compared to 3,364 in 2014). In addition, we have 1,653 full- and part-time graduate students distributed across various programs: graduate (887), law (330), and Pharm.D. (436). Overall, our student population is 4,991, compared to 5,062 last year, continuing a downward trend in total headcount over the past few years. This trend can be attributed to the dip in first-year students (which we knew about last spring) and continued lower enrollments in law and graduate programs. However, law appears to be stabilizing, and has seen an increase in part-time enrollment due in part to the new Master of Jurisprudence. Our first- to second-year retention rate continues to be strong. For the second year in a row we are above 88 percent—88.4 percent to be exact. This is good news, and it shows the impact of special efforts we are making, such as proactive advising and working with open-enrolled students.

Drake Social Club—Reminder
I am pleased to invite you to the inaugural Drake Social Club, sponsored jointly by the Offices of the Provost and the Chief Financial Officer. The event will be held this Thursday, Sept. 24, 4–6 p.m. in Shivers Hospitality Suite, adjacent to The Knapp Center. Attendees will receive two complimentary tickets for beer or wine. Water, soda, etc., are also on the house. Nearby parking is available in Lot 2 east of Shivers at the NE corner of Forest and 25th Street.

There will be no speeches, no presentations, no power points, no need to register or RSVP, and no agenda other than casual conversation and better acquaintance. Please feel most welcome, even if you can only come for a short while. Depending upon the response, this is an event we hope to repeat periodically throughout the year.

Open Office Hours
This week appearing at the Cowles Café, 2–3:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25

—Submitted by Joe Lenz, Interim Provost