The Sponsored Program Administration and Research Compliance (SPARC) office would like to extend our thanks to everyone who completed the Survey of Administrative Services this year. The SPARC team has taken the time to review the responses and commit to enhancing our support for the Drake Community.

The assessment of the SPARC office is difficult to compare to previous years due to the number of transitions that took place over the last few years. However, the survey was able to provide helpful feedback for the current SPARC staff.

The mean overall satisfaction score for services provided by the SPARC office was 4.38 on a five-point scale. Areas of highest satisfaction include professionalism and courteous nature of the interactions with staff (4.79 and 4.77, respectfully) and the provision of valuable grant administration services (4.38). Room for improvement was indicated in funding opportunity identification (3.67) and budget development and up-to-date information (4.08, 4.13, respectfully). Respondents did comment about the significant staff transitions but expressed optimism about moving forward.

Since I started at Drake in May, I’ve also taken the opportunity to meet with Deans, Directors, and Faculty individually and in groups to discuss the experiences, concerns, and hopes for the services we provide. With all this input, we are updating processes (i.e. online proposal routing form, indirect cost waiver request form) and educating the faculty about the services the SPARC office provides.

The SPARC staff are committed to helping you identify grant opportunities, assisting in writing and submitting grant applications, and managing grants once they are funded. We aim to guide you through the entire grant process from start to finish.

Our website offers a wealth of information on grant applications, as well as IRB and IACUC applications. We’ve recently added a News & Updates section to keep you informed about the latest grant-related information, and we’ve launched a new podcast, SPARC’ing a Conversation, featuring interviews with Drake grantees.

In November, we hosted our first grant networking event, providing faculty with the opportunity to discuss project ideas and potentially identify collaborators. We plan to continue hosting these networking events, along with educational workshops and webinars, in the new year. Keep an eye out for future announcements. We can also provide individualized education to colleges and other units upon request.

The SPARC team looks forward to strengthening our relationships with the Drake Community and fostering a supportive, service-oriented grant-seeking environment.

—Lori Byrd, Sponsored Program Administration and Research Compliance

Writing in Your Academic Field: Spring 2025

Written communication is important in almost any academic field, but the genres and accepted conventions of writing vary from discipline to discipline. In this project, we will discuss ways to integrate writing instruction into courses for which written communication is not necessarily the primary learning outcome, as well as courses that require students to communicate in field-specific ways (for instance, lab reports or business memos).

Instructors who participate in this project will have a one-semester commitment that will include:

• Working with the Director of Writing, Megan Brown, on the development of a writing assignment, writing activities, or a writing project for one of their spring classes.
• Attending hour-long meetings of all participants in the program in February, March, and April (or early May) 2025.  These meetings may be structured as two sessions each month, with half of the group at each session, to facilitate more in-depth discussion.
• Requiring all students enrolled in their class to attend tutoring sessions at the Writing Center at least twice during the semester.

After completing the project and attending the final meeting, participants will receive a $500 stipend.

Participation is limited to 10 individuals.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Madison Bemus (madison.bemus@drake.edu) by Monday, January 6.

If you have questions, please contact Megan Brown (megan.brown@drake.edu).

—Megan Brown, College of Arts & Sciences

 

All Staff Council and Human Resources invite faculty and staff to attend this year’s Holiday Cheer gathering on Tuesday, Dec. 17, by the Pomerantz stage in the Olmsted Center. You are welcome to come and go as you please from 9 to 11 a.m.

Relax and enjoy some tasty holiday treats and beverages with friends and colleagues. Griff II is going to stop by, so bring your phone for a chance to get your picture taken with him in your favorite holiday attire. And we encourage everyone to bring at least one non-perishable food or other goods for Drake’s Free Little Food Pantries.  We would love to stock it up prior to the holiday break.

This event is a chance to give back to others in the Drake community, while mingling with coworkers.  Please take a moment to stop by, grab some cheer, and drop off a donation.

—Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Survey of Administrative Services. Your insights help us align ITS services with the needs of our students, faculty, and staff. I’m pleased to share this summary of the 2024 findings. 

Survey Participation and Satisfaction Trends

This year, 266 community members responded to the survey to provide invaluable feedback. Overall satisfaction reached 4.42 on a 5-point scale—the highest we’ve ever seen—demonstrating strong, positive growth.

Staff and Service Quality

Across all service areas, including staff courtesy, professionalism, knowledge, and timely resolution, satisfaction has trended upward. These results reflect our commitment to providing responsive and reliable support that meets your needs and resolves issues to your satisfaction.

Communication and Access to Resources

Satisfaction with communication and support services continues to rise as well. Respondents reported improvement in key areas, such as having the right tools, accessible training, regular updates, and clear communications on technology changes.

Please note that our Internal Site has been updated with new information on ITS policies, project management, cybersecurity awareness, and more. We’ll continue to keep you informed about the status of your tickets and upcoming changes to campus technology. This is a key priority area for us in the coming year, and we are committed to ensuring you stay updated on all developments.

Commitment to Core Values 

We’re also pleased to see that satisfaction with how ITS embodies Drake’s core values—joyful accountability, generosity of spirit, all in this together, and commitment to mission—continues to grow. These values guide our approach to service and foster collaboration across campus.

Looking Ahead

We’ll use your feedback to guide future improvements, focusing on effective training options, clear communication, and seamless service. Thank you for your engagement and trust in ITS as we work to provide reliable, responsive technology solutions for our campus.

In addition to the annual survey, we gather regular feedback through ticket surveys sent after each support interaction. This continuous feedback loop helps us quickly identify and address issues while validating trends seen in the annual survey, such as improvements in staff professionalism and communication. Your responses to these surveys enable us to respond promptly and effectively to your needs year-round.

If you have additional feedback or questions, please reach out. Together, we’re building a better ITS experience for everyone.

—Keren Fiorenza, ITS

Drake defines a first-generation student is a college student whose parents/legal guardians have not received a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university. At Drake, First-generation students make up 29% of Drake’s new student population. This includes 26.2% of new EFR students — an all-time high for Drake.

In an effort to make more connections between first gen students and first gen faculty/staff, we are creating a directory to share on our website that lists our first gen faculty and staff.

If you identify as first generation and would like to be listed on this directory, please email Marina at marina.verlengia@drake.edu by Monday, December 16.

—Marina Verlengia, New Student Programs

Please note the following schedule for payment processing, through the Finance Self-Service portal, to accommodate the 2024 holiday break:

For Winter Break:

• Monday, December 16, 2024 – All Payment requests (including wires) are due, with proper approvals, and received in the AP queue by the end of the business day. Requests received by this deadline will be processed for payment before Winter Break.
• Thursday, January 2, 2025 – Normal payment processing will resume this week.

The accounts payable office will be closed during the winter holiday break.

Thank you for your help coordinating requests to ensure we meet all needs during the upcoming season.

Please contact Jeni at ext. 4509, or Jenifer.Baugher@Drake.edu, with any questions you may have.

—Jeni Baugher, Accounting