Category Archives: For Staff

For Faculty, For Staff

Faculty/Staff Affinity Groups: Invite to Join

This message includes 2 new Affinity Groups that will be starting this year!

 Since the 2021–2022 academic year, the Office of Campus Equity and Inclusion has supported a variety of faculty and staff affinity groups designed to build community, foster belonging, and support professional well-being across campus.

If you would like to connect with any of our active affinity groups or be added to their mailing list, please reach out directly to the designated point of contact below.

Additionally, we are actively seeking a new faculty or staff champion to help lead the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. While Terrance is currently serving as the interim point of contact to collect names and share updates, we would love to transition leadership to anyone interested in helping guide and shape this community. If you are interested in stepping into this leadership role or co-championing the group, please let Anisa know!

Affinity GroupContactEmail Address
Parents of Young Children (NEW!)Elizabeth Talbertelizabeth.talbert@drake.edu
Disability (NEW!)Sam Sheltonsam.shelton@drake.edu
LGBTQ+Terrance Pendleton (Interim)terrance.pendleton@drake.edu
Black / African AmericanTerrance Pendletonterrance.pendleton@drake.edu
JewishLilianna Bernsteinlilianna.bernstein@drake.edu
Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI)Jeanette Tran

 

Ellen Yee

jeanette.tran@drake.edu

 

ellen.yee@drake.edu

Latino/a/xMarina Verlengiamarina.verlengia@drake.edu
MuslimAlimoor Rezamd.reza@drake.edu

We are also always looking to expand spaces of connection on campus. If you are interested in starting a new affinity group that aligns with and advances Drake’s mission for equity and inclusion, please feel free to reach out to Anisa directly.

— Anisa Hansen, Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion

— Terrance Pendleton, Faculty Fellow for Equity and Inclusion

For Faculty, For Staff

Drake Athletics Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game Nights

Cheer on the Bulldogs and take advantage of a special offer just for Drake faculty and staff. For select Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game Nights, Drake employees can claim one FREE ticket and purchase additional tickets for family and friends at a special discounted rate. Come out, show your Bulldog pride, and enjoy a great night of NCAA Division I athletics with the Drake community!

https://godrakebulldogs.evenue.net/promotions/STAFF

— Tim Tesar, Athletics

For Staff

Committee on Student Ready Institution Needs Your Input

This past spring, the Faculty Senate created an ad hoc committee focused on a review of Drake’s ability to be a student-ready institution and ways the campus community can play a role in achieving this goal. If you are not familiar with the term, a student-ready institution provides holistic support to its students and restructures systems to support student needs.

Also, this past spring, the ad hoc committee met with campus stakeholders and assessed university systems and faculty and staff practices related to this area to understand where we are. While this helped us develop a picture of Drake’s current practices, WE NEED YOUR HELP. As staff play a key role in helping students succeed at Drake, we need to better understand what you are doing and what improvements you feel can be made to achieve the goal of being a student-ready institution.

This sessions will gather your insight into how we currently are and, in the future, can do better to support our students and effectively prepare them for both academic success and future careers.

Please note that for efficiency, artificial intelligence will be used during the meetings to record and transcribe the discussions. The findings from staff focus groups will be combined with data from corresponding student and faculty focus groups to generate a comprehensive report outlining ways actionable changes and best practices for faculty and suggestions for institutional system modifications to make Drake a more student-ready institution.

Meetings will be held on the following dates/times and you can sign up for these meetings via the links provided:

Tuesday, September 22nd, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Johansen Room 301: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-staff1

Monday, September 28th, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Library Room 201: https://calendly.com/maria-valdovinos-drake/ad-hoc-student-ready-institution-focus-group-staff2

— Maria Valdovinos, Professor of Psychology

For Faculty, For Staff

Call for Travel Seminar Proposals for J-Term 2028

The call for travel seminar proposals for J-Term 2028 is now open

If you are considering proposing a travel seminar, your first step is to set up a meeting with Chelsea Funk to discuss your ideas and intent to propose.

All seminars hoping to travel for J-Term 2028 must submit a proposal. There is only one proposal submission link, and all fields must be completed.

Want More Info? Travel Seminar resources are available on our Global Affairs internal site. The internal site replaces our previous PDF and has information on:

Dates & Deadlines:

  • Submission: Sunday, October 18, 2026 (11:59pm)
    • No late applications will be accepted; contact Chelsea with any questions or concerns ahead of the deadline
  • Department & Dean Approvals: Thursday, October 22, 2026
  • Decision Notification: end of October 2026

 Proposal Link & Instructions:

The proposal submission is now being collected through Via TRM (not Qualtrics).

  1. Set up your Via profile (https://drake.via-trm.com/authV2/welcome)
    • Click “Go to Portal” to use your Drake SSO credentials; accept Terms & Conditions
  2. Once signed in, use this link to locate the Travel Seminar Proposal (drake.via-trm.com/program_brochure/38102)
  3. You can read through the relevant details on the proposal landing page. When you’re ready, click “Apply” in the top right corner to open the proposal application.
  4. You may stop & save your progress at any time using the “Save” button. Once you are finished, click “Submit”.

Please contact Chelsea with any questions ahead of the deadline. The EAPIC committee looks forward to reviewing your proposals!

— Chelsea Funk, Global Affairs

For Faculty, For Staff

Learn About Water Quality at “It’s in the Water” Sept. 17, Wilson’s Orchard

The Humanities Center Colloquium invites you to “It’s in the Water” at 5:30 p.m. on Sept.17 at Wilson’s Orchard and Farms in Cumming (3201 15th Ave, Cumming, IA 5006)
 
Art Professors Emily Newman and Edward Kelley will share about the nitrate removal sculpture they created and installed. Environmental Science Professor Claire Hruby will help us understand more about water quality in Iowa.
 
We’ll learn about art and activism, and water and enjoy light refreshments together (Ciderhouse Restaurant will be open too).
We’ll meet at the pond and see the sculpture there while we learn, so bring lawn chairs / blankets. People of all ages / families are welcome.

— Inbal Mazar, Associate Professor of Spanish