Join Drake and the Greater Des Moines Partnership as they host Charles Evans, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, for an economic update on Wednesday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. at Sheslow Auditorium. This timely and relevant discussion will provide an expert perspective on the effects of recent monetary policy on regional and U.S. economic activity. 

The conversation will feature a question-and-answer session with Evans moderated by Robert Palmer, who serves on the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Advisory Council and is General Counsel to the Iowa League of Cities.

Register for the event. 

More about Charles Evans and the Chicago Fed
The Chicago Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks across the country. These 12 banks — along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. — make up our nation’s central bank. As head of the Chicago Fed, Evans oversees the work of roughly 1,400 employees in Chicago and Detroit who conduct economic research, supervise financial institutions and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government.

Evans has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago since September 2007. In that capacity, he serves on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve System’s monetary policymaking body. Before becoming president in September of 2007, Evans served as director of research and senior vice president, supervising the Bank’s research on monetary policy, banking, financial markets and regional economic conditions. His personal research has focused on measuring the effects of monetary policy on U.S. economic activity, inflation and financial market prices, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

One of the University’s chillers is not working properly causing some campus buildings to be warmer than normal. Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) is working with a contractor to repair the chiller as quickly as possible. An update will be provided to building contacts once more information is available.

The buildings affected include: Olin Hall, the Science Connector Building, Collier-Scrips Hall, Fitch Hall, Medbury Hall, Knapp Center, Shivers Practice Facility, Cline Hall, Harvey Ingham Hall, Hubbell Dining Hall, Aliber Hall, and Cowels Library.

FPM is working to relocate several classes and events taking place across campus this week due to the high temperatures and reduced cooling capacity.

For questions, contact Kevin Moran at kevin.moran@drake.edu.

— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning and Management

The following message was sent from President Martin to the campus community on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

As communicated to campus yesterday, the University is experiencing a strong rise in reported cases of COVID-19 among our student population. As of this message, we are aware of 107 confirmed student cases, 20 of whom are isolating in Ross Hall. We expect these numbers to rise in the coming days as more test results are received. In recognition of the situation, to include where we are in the semester, we are taking steps to stop further spread of COVID-19 on campus with the explicit goal of protecting in-person commencement exercises.

Classes and final exams. Faculty are empowered to choose whether the remainder of classes and finals are in-person or online. Faculty are also empowered to require masks and/or distancing in the classroom for the remainder of the spring term and exam week.

All Drake University extracurricular and co-curricular events will either be postponed, moved online, modified, or canceled as decided by event organizers. Some of the events immediately impacted by this decision include the cancellation of today’s Provost’s Social and the postponement of the Faculty Honors Luncheon and the Senior Wine and Cheese celebration. Additionally, tonight’s Student Senate Inauguration and tomorrow’s Adams Leadership Awards ceremony will be moved online. Further information will be forthcoming from the organizers of all the events impacted by these changes.

Remote work. Managers should consider allowing staff to work remotely for the next two weeks where practicable. Individual departments and managers will determine and communicate changes regarding remote work based on departmental needs.

Masks are strongly recommended when in shared indoor campus spaces. Well-fitting, N95/KN95 masks remain the best protection against transmission. KN95 masks are available to students, faculty, and staff and can be picked up in the Student Life Center in Olmsted (one per person, while supplies last).

With everyone’s help and compliance with the above, we can stem the current spread of COVID-19 on campus and preserve an in-person commencement experience for our graduating seniors. Thank you for your continued commitment to the health and safety of our campus community.

— Marty Martin, President

The OG (Griff I) is turning 10 and Griff II is throwing him a birthday party! Students, faculty, and staff are invited to stop by Black Cat Ice Cream Saturday, May 7, from 1–3 p.m. to help Griff I celebrate.

Both Griff I and Griff II will be there, party hats on. Instead of gifts, please consider bringing non-perishable food and/or personal care items for the Little Free Pantries in the Drake Neighborhood. Let’s honor the OG by helping our neighbors!

— Erin Bell, University Communications and Marketing

Drake students, faculty, and staff are invited to the groundbreaking celebration for the Des Moines Public Schools Community Stadium at Drake University. Please join us at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20, at the Courtside Club in Shivers.

First proposed in November 2019, this 4,000-seat venue will be used by high school football and soccer programs, additional high school activities ranging from marching band festivals to rugby matches, as well as middle school activities. The stadium will also be the new on-campus home for the Drake Bulldogs men’s and women’s NCAA Division I soccer teams. With construction bids awarded in March 2022, construction will begin this spring, and the stadium is projected to be complete by fall of 2023.

— Ryan Arnold, Community Engagement 

While cases and hospitalizations remain low in Polk County, Drake University continues to assess the impact of COVID-19 on our campus.

Moving forward, the University will make the following changes to its COVID-19 response plan:

Contact tracing: The University will continue to notify contacts of exposure through the spring semester. Based on a low rate of contacts testing positive for COVID-19, contacts will no longer be asked to quarantine.

Free COVID-19 testing: Test kits will continue to be available in the Student Services Center in Olmsted and through local pharmacy retailers such as Walgreens and Hy-Vee. Free at-home antigen COVID-19 tests are also available through the federal government by request at covid.gov/tests.

Campus COVID-19 case numbers will continue to be posted weekly on the University’s COVID website through spring commencement.

Mask policy: If Polk County moves into the CDC high risk designation, or if we experience an outbreak on our campus, the University will reinstate a mask mandate in all campus buildings.

The University will remain vigilant in monitoring changes to the ongoing pandemic and reassess its actions as necessary.

Thank you to everyone who completed the Great Colleges to Work For survey. We achieved our highest response rate in five years with 65% of employees participating! This includes 59% of faculty and 67% of staff. We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and making your voice heard.

Continuous improvement remains a critical part of Drake’s strategic planning and your feedback leads to more informed decisions, better ideas, and accelerated innovation. While it is only one mechanism through which you can share your voice, it is an important one that helps Drake focus on priorities that matter to you.

A summary of the results will be shared with campus early this summer.

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