Get your Blackboard pages ready for the new semester! Faculty are invited to drop in and meet with a learning designer for hands-on assistance during two upcoming sessions this August.

Wednesday, August 19

Location: Howard Hall Faculty Lounge (Room 212)
Drop-in Times: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Wednesday, August 26

Time: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Drop-in Location: Howard Hall Faculty Lounge (Room 212)
Microsoft Teams Virtual Option: Available via Teams

If you have questions outside of Blackboard Office Hours:

• Review the help guides for faculty, organized by topic, in Drake’s Knowledge Base.
• Go directly to the upgraded Blackboard LMS Help Center.
• Click the question mark icon in the lower-right corner of most Blackboard pages to open Blackboard’s related help pages.

— Bret Sikkink, Faculty Development Specialist

Please join us for the Provost’s Social today, Aug. 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Patty and Fred Turner Jazz Center.

Stop by to connect with colleagues and enjoy an assortment of light snacks and beverages.

— Anne Marie Greenwood, Office of the Provost

Access & Success (A&S) partners with students, faculty, and staff to ensure equitable access to academic resources, personalized support, and accommodations. Over the summer, A&S welcomed three new team members to support campus success:

• Sam Shelton, Director of Accessibility: Works with students, instructors, and campus partners to ensure equitable access to learning. Sam leads the student accommodation process, promotes Universal Design for Learning, and advocates for campus-wide accessibility.
• Mia Stefani, Academic and Student Support Manager: Oversees tutoring and academic coaching programs while providing direct academic coaching to students.
• Katie Akin, Student Success Systems & Data Manager: Analyzes Starfish data, workflows, and success metrics to evaluate program efficacy and share best practices with advisors and instructors.

Sam, Mia and Katie will work primarily in Starfish, Drake’s student success and early alert system. If you have questions, reach out via email, or visit the Access & Success office on the lower level of Cowles Library.

— Katie Akin, Access & Success

Help kick off the new semester with a warm welcome for our new and returning students! We are looking for faculty and staff to serve as Griff Guides during the first few days of classes to assist students with navigating campus, answering quick questions, and making them feel connected.

Got 15 minutes? Volunteering is easy.

• Choose the exact time slot and campus location that fits your schedule. See a map of all locations here.
• Signs are provided at each station so students can easily identify you.

Sign up to volunteer here!

Together, we can ensure every student starts the semester knowing they belong at Drake.

— Mia Stefani, Access & Success