Drake and The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center will host an event to celebrate the expansion of no-cost Character Counts! early childhood resources to nearly 1,700 classrooms in Polk County.

WHO: Students, Faculty, and Staff
WHEN: Thursday, May 15, from 9 to 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: The Gregory & Suzie Burt Boys & Girls Club.

The initiative is made possible by generous grant funding from four major community partners: the Lauridsen Family Foundation, Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant Program, Polk County Community Development and Community Betterment program, and the Gartner Family Foundation.

The campus community is invited to attend the event and hear from Walter Lauridsen who will speak on behalf of the four organizations responsible for the grants and from Cassidy LeCroy, director of The Bob & Billie Ray Child Development Center. Scott Raecker, executive director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, and Marty Martin, Drake University president, will also deliver remarks.

— Amy Smit, The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center

The cost of long-term care has nearly doubled from the early 2000s to 2024, both for at home care and nursing home care. These costs are out of reach for everyone except the wealthiest households. Long-term care costs are internalized by caregiver families in some combination of the following: diminished or lost earned income, early retirement, direct caregiving expenditures, and mental and physical health issues.  There are a variety of policy options to address this economic burden on families across the income distribution. Join us for a free webinar featuring a panel of leading experts on LTC policies to learn more about current state, national, and international policies addressing long-term care needs.

Date: Thursday, May 22, 2025

Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m. CT

Location: Zoom Webinar (link will be sent to attendees closer to the event)

Cost: Free, but registration is required.

Accommodations: Live-captioning in English will be provided for attendees. American Sign Language interpretation is only available upon request due to interpreter shortages throughout Iowa. ASL and other accommodation requests can be made by emailing harkininstitute@drake.edu.

Click here to register!

— Kathryn Kuckelman, Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement

The 2025 Adams Leadership Awards Ceremony, held on May 3, recognized exceptional student leadership, service, and engagement across the Drake University campus. Please join us in celebrating the following students, staff, and organizations for their remarkable impact on our community:

• Outstanding First-Year Students: Allie Koenigsfeld & Sean Groh
• Outstanding Sophomore Students: Emerson Whittemore & Audrey Martin
• Outstanding Junior/P1 Students: Eli Benson & Olivia (Liv) Swaney
• Outstanding Senior/P2 Students: Josie Hildreth & Skylar Lathrop
• Oreon E. Scott Legacy Award: Ashley Dyson
• Outstanding Bright College Student: Princess Winters
• Outstanding Transfer Student: Brooklynn Grooms
• David Maxwell Outstanding Student Organization President: Eli Benson
• Outstanding Student Organization Officer: Chloe Isbell
• Outstanding Residence Hall Leaders: Valerie Vera & Sean Groh
• Wanda E. Everage Outstanding Peer Mentor Award: Elliot Nelson & Mia Stefani
• Drake Outstanding Individual Service Award: Beth Posey
• Outstanding Student Organization Advisor of the Year: Mary Edrington
• Outstanding Student Organization: NAMI on Campus
• Outstanding Group Service Award: American Pharmacist Association (APhA)
• Outstanding Educational Program: AOE Club: Alpha Phi
• Outstanding Social Program: Ramen Noodle Night at Herriott Hall
• Outstanding Equity & Inclusion Program: Alpha Phi’s DEI Committee
• Outstanding Alcohol Alternative Program: Dogtown After Hours
• Outstanding Collaboration Award: SAA’s 2024 Halloween Hoops

We are proud to recognize these students and organizations for their dedication to leadership, service, inclusion, and community-building. Their contributions continue to shape a stronger and more connected Drake University.

—Kristin Economos, Senior Director, Adams Leadership Institute

The 2025 edition of the Drake University Social Science Journal is now available at: https://www.drake.edu/dussj/currentedition/.

The Journal publishes exceptional social science research conducted by Drake University students. Any current Drake undergraduate (or recent graduate) is eligible to submit a paper on a topic in the social sciences (political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, economics, history, and social psychology).The first edition of the Journal appeared in 1999 (back editions are available at: https://www.drake.edu/dussj/). 

The 2025 edition features articles by Lauren Buchanan, Stell Depuydt, Mitchell P. Davis, Catalina Samaniego, and Chloe Q. Slater. 

The Journal’s student editorial board consisted of Berkeley Coyne, Anna Knueve, Lizzy O’Neel, Carson Smith, Reid Stevens, and Madison Tarr. 

Congratulations to the above students for their hard work and dedication to high-quality social science research.

— David Skidmore, Professor of Political Science/Global Citizenship Director

Rec Services will have modified hours during finals week, May 12–18.

Bell Center
May 12–13: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
May 14–15: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
May 16: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 17–18: Closed

Underground Fitness
May 12: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
May 13–summer: Closed

Roger Knapp Tennis Center
May 12–13: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
May 14: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
May 15–18: Closed

Bell Center Pool
Check rec.drake.edu for reservations

The Olmsted Center and Bulldog Shop will be undergoing exciting renovations this summer to refresh and upgrade the space for the fall semester.

To prepare for the refresh, the Bulldog Shop will close May 17 following graduation and reopen on May 27 in a temporary space in the lower level of Hubbell Dining Hall. If you’ll be around campus this summer, stop by the temporary store and say hello to Kyle (the best campus store manager)! Or you can shop online 24/7 at drake.ecampus.com for all your Bulldog essentials.

Thanks for your patience while we renovate. We can’t wait to welcome you back to our updated space this fall.

— Bulldog Shop

Looking ahead to Olmsted’s summer refresh, we wanted to alert you of the change in location for some of the Olmsted services for summer. After finals week, all staff and offices normally housed in Olmsted will be moving to other locations during construction.  Additional information about the summer schedules and locations for each office are listed below – feel free to contact the office directly if you have questions about availability or location during the summer, as there may be adjustments to their normal hours or availability due to construction or staffing.

• Olmsted Starbucks will be closed for summer.
• Underground Fitness will be closed for the summer.
• Campus Print Operations will be closed for the summer.
• The Bulldog Shop will move to Lower Hubbell.
  • Summer Hours – 10am – 4pm
  • https://drakehelp.ecampus.com/
• Student Services will move to Johansen Student Center.
  • Summer hours – Monday – Friday, 9am – 3pm
  • studentservices@drake.edu
• Campus Mail Operations will move to Johansen Student Center.
  • Summer hours – Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 1pm
  • campusmailoperations@drake.edu
• Conferences and Events will move to Jewett Hall.
  • campsandconferences@drake.edu
• Residence Life will move to Johansen Student Center.
  • housing@drake.edu
• Sodexo Food Services will work out of Hubbell Dining Hall.
  • dining@drake.edu

Construction is planned to be completed before the start of the fall academic semester, so many of the offices will be returning to Olmsted in August.  Student Services plans to remain in Johansen through the start of the Fall semester, and will move back in September.

— Sara Heijerman