Thank you to everyone who has already completed the Great Colleges To Work For survey. Currently, 52% of faculty and staff have completed the survey—only 10 percentage points short of our 62% participation goal. The survey period ends Friday, April 1, so if you have not completed the survey, please consider taking this opportunity to make your voice heard. The higher the response rate, the more accurate and complete the results.

Note: You should have received an email invitation to complete the survey from ModernThink on March 21. If you did not receive the email, please check your junk or spam folder. If you still can’t locate it, please contact Maureen De Armond or Nate Reagen right away. Thank you! 

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

Full-time faculty and staff received an email Monday, March 21, from ModernThink with an invitation to participate in this year’s Great Colleges to Work For survey. Thank you to those who have completed the survey already. If you haven’t, please take time to complete it. It is easy, quick, anonymous, and the primary tool used by the University to gather feedback on our workplace culture.  

Instructions on how to access the survey are included in the email.  The survey period ends Friday, April 2.  

For questions, contact Maureen De Armond or Nate Reagen.  Thank you! 

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

The University Bookstore has changed its name to the Bulldog Shop. The name change is an effort to help the Drake community better connect with the store, which sells much more than just books. The Bulldog Shop sells clothing, gifts, graduation essentials, and more. The new name better reflects all the store has to offer.

New signage is being installed this week at the Bulldog Shop. In addition, the website has been updated with the new name. Visit the Bulldog Shop in the Olmsted Center or online to see the latest offerings, including more than 35 different styles of Drake Relays gear (tees, crewnecks, shorts, hoodies, polos, and more).

— Kyle McVay, Bulldog Shop

Projects made possible by gifts to The Ones are already making a difference at Drake. Nearly four months after launching, the University’s comprehensive campaign is now more than halfway to its $225 million goal.

Donors have gifted $125 million to The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave and the Bold. The gifts will fund new scholarships that create opportunities, institutes that strengthen communities, and facilities that expand possibilities.

Some major gift highlights from the initial round of contributions:

• Campaign co-chair and Drake Trustee Suzie Glazer Burt has donated more than $8 million to the campaign. Her generosity will help the Drake women’s basketball program reach new heights. She also changed the Drake campus, and the lives of thousands of local children forever, by funding the creation of the Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Boys & Girls Club at Drake University.
• Campaign co-chair and Drake Trustee Mark Ernst, BN’80, and his wife, LeighAnn Davis, believe so strongly in the mission of Drake University they have pledged $3 million for the University to use with no restrictions.
• Peggy Fisher, FA’70, the chair of the Drake University Board of Trustees, and her husband Larry Stelter, are giving $3.325 million to the campaign. Their gift will be felt throughout the university including the Burt Club, the men’s basketball program, and the University’s annual fund and endowment. They will also help create the University Center, the future focal point of the Drake Campus.
• Drake Trustee Paul Schickler, BN’74, GR’83, and his wife Claudia will make a difference in the health and viability of rural communities with a $6 million gift that will be used in part to create the Jay N. Darling Institute. The Schicklers’ gift will also help fund the men’s basketball program and Knapp Center renovation.
• The Drake University Law School Refugee Clinic will be able to provide free legal services to individuals applying for asylum in the United States thanks to a $1 million gift from Karen Shaff, LW’79, and her husband Steven Jayne, LW’78.
• Every year, one student with exceptional potential and a financial need will be able to attend Drake University Law School due to a $1 million gift from Sheldon Fleck, LW’75, and his wife Terry Fleck, PH’74. The chosen scholar will receive full tuition and additional financial support.
• Honorary Campaign Chairs, Bill, BN’57, and Jean Buchanan, are inspiring entrepreneurs through the Buchanan Center. The Buchanans are gifting an additional $2 million to the Center to enhance its programming.
• The University Center is coming closer to fruition with a $2 million gift from Gary Porter, BN’72, and his wife Melissa. In addition, the Porters have contributed a $100,000 endowed gift to the Changemaker Scholars program, which will help students use their talents to create positive change in the world.
• Generations of Drake students will benefit from a $3 million collective gift from Meredith Corporation (now Dotdash Meredith) and the Edwin T. Meredith Foundation to renovate and enhance Meredith Hall, the home of Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Renovation work begins this summer.
• Students who are the first in their families to attend a four-year university will benefit from a $1 million gift from the David J. Noble Foundation to the Noble Center in Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration. The gift will be used to create scholarships and fund the programming of the Center. In 2014, the late David Noble and American Equity committed $1.5 million for the CBPA to create the Noble Center.

Read the full press release, or for more information on the campaign, visit: theones.drake.edu.

With new dates of March 3–4 from noon-to-noon, All In 2022 is going to be bigger than ever. This tradition of collective generosity and impact helps Drake transform every day for our students, faculty, staff, and community. The challenge will reach new heights with a total of $100,000 being unlocked for Drake University if 1,250 donors go All In during the 24 hours. This match is made possible by the generosity of Trustee Lindsay Whorton, AS’08, ED’08; Doug Zinser, AS’96; Christopher Smith, AS’88; and an anonymous alumni couple.  

There are also tens of thousands of matching dollars 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 fantastic 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. You are joining the ones who provide for the NOW that will build the better FUTURE for us all. 

Learn more at drake.edu/allin and follow all the fun and excitement on the Drake University and Drake Alumni social media channels.  

— Becca Widmer, University Advancement

Arrival testing and reporting for residential students
Residential students: If you are back on campus, you should have completed a PCR test upon arrival. Please submit your test results through the Report Return-to-Campus Test Results form. Failure to report your test results, may ensue deactivation of your key card. Until students receive their results, they are asked to avoid close contact with others and, as always, adhere to the University’s mask policy.

Residence hall guest policy
From Jan. 24–Feb. 6, residents may not have guests in their residence hall, with the exception of assistance provided during move-in.

Masks
KN95 masks are available to non-residential students, faculty, and staff and can be picked up in the Student Life Center in the Olmsted Center (one per person, while supplies last). Residential students will receive two KN95 masks upon arrival to their residence hall. These masks are to be worn during the first two weeks of the semester.

Student Life: Through Feb. 7
In-person student activities will be limited until in-person classes resume Feb. 7. Please help keep Drake safe and healthy by restricting social activity during these crucial two weeks, including informal social gatherings. Athletic events will continue as scheduled during the first two weeks of the semester. Please note: Drake athletic teams follow extensive testing and safety protocols recommended by the NCAA. Dining halls, the Bell Center, Underground Fitness, Student Health and Counseling, and the libraries will remain open following masking and safety protocols.

How to get a test kit on campus
Self-administered saliva-based PCR test kits through Test Iowa are available at the Student Services Center in the Olmsted Center. Students, faculty, and staff can pick up a test kit at no cost. Students with COVID-19 like symptoms are asked to notify contacttracing@drake.edu before administering a test. Please refer to the COVID-19 Testing FAQ for additional information.

— Chris Nickell, Environmental Health and Safety; Jerry, Dean of Students

The CDC recently adjusted its isolation and quarantine guidance. As it has since the start of the pandemic, Drake will follow the CDC’s recommendations. The new requirements are:

If you test POSITIVE for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status):

• Days 1–5: Isolation(stay home).
• Days 6–10: If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving and you have been fever free for 24 hours, you can leave isolation. Continue wearing a mask around others at all times. Do not eat and drink around others. This includes all campus dining facilities and coffee shops. Drake travel is prohibited until after day 10.

Note: If you have symptoms, the five-day isolation period begins the day after symptoms appear, regardless of test date. If you do not have symptoms, the five-day period begins the day after your test date.

If you were EXPOSED to COVID-19 and boosted:

• Continue wearing a mask around others. It is recommended to test on day five. If you develop symptoms, get a test and stay home. Follow the guidance above if you test positive.

If you were EXPOSED to COVID-19 and unvaccinated or vaccinated more than five months ago with Pfizer or Moderna (more than two months ago with Johnson and Johnson) and have not received your booster:

• Days 1–5: Quarantine (stay home). The date of exposure is day zero.
• Day 5: Take a test. Send your results to contacttracing@drake.edu. If you test negative, you no longer need to quarantine. If you do not choose to test or do not communicate your negative results to contacttracing@drake.edu, you must quarantine for the full 10 days.
• Days 6–10: If you test negative on or after day 5, you can leave quarantine. Continue wearing a mask around others. Do not eat and drink around others. This includes all campus dining facilities and coffee shops. Drake travel is prohibited during days 1–5. If you test negative on or after day 5, travel can resume.