Chris Creighton

The Kili Bowl will pit the Drake Bulldogs against a Mexican all-star team in the first sanctioned American-style football game on the African continent. While in Tanzania, Coach Creighton will lead the Bulldogs in a variety of service projects, including a construction project that will add a new girls’ wing to an orphanage in Moshi.

The team will also conduct football clinics for approximately 1,600 Tanzanian youth and engage in team-building exercises, such as a climb to the highest point in Africa, with fellow athletes from Mexico.

NCAS announced Creighton’s Giant Step Award today in Orlando, Fla., as part of National STUDENT-Athlete Day. NCAS established the day to honor the hard work and dedication of high school and college student-athletes, nationwide, who have not only excelled in the classroom and on the playing field, but also have made significant contributions to their schools and communities.

Giant Step Awards honor individuals who use sport to positively affect social change, actualizing the mission of the NCAS. The awards recognize student-athletes, athletic administrators, civic leaders, coaches, parents, organizations and other individuals who demonstrate an outstanding ability to manage life on and off the field, and who demonstrate a commitment to the betterment of society.

In a news release announcing the Giant Step Awards, NCAS said, “Coach Creighton has always sought to develop his players as men, as ethical leaders and as influential members of their communities. His goal has never been simply to win games, but to make his players’ experience as a Drake Bulldog one that will challenge them, change them and impress upon them how sport can be used to serve humanity.”

“I am definitely humbled to receive this award,” Creighton said. “I’m appreciative of the support of (Drake Athletic Director) Sandy Hatfield Clubb, taking the time to make this possible for me and being supportive of this entire trip. She’s put so much work into this project, as have so many others. My hope would be that everybody involved would share in the excitement that I feel in being recognized, because they too have played a significant role.”

“A couple years ago Dr. Richard Lapchick (NCAS President & CEO) visited Drake and spoke to our athletics staff,” Creighton said. “He had a very powerful message. I know that we at Drake want to be involved in sport for all the right reasons, and the NCAS stands for all the right things. To be a part of their mission means a lot.”

Creighton and the other 2011 Giant Step Award winners will be honored on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the NCAS banquet in Orlando, Fla. More information about the Giant Step Award winners is available on the NCAS website.

Drake Law School’s annual Constitutional Law Symposium is an opportunity to explore a timely constitutional issue.

The symposium, hosted annually by Drake Law School, brings together a prominent array of constitutional scholars, civil libertarians, policy analysts, lawyers and judges to explore a timely constitutional issue. The proceedings are published in the Drake Law Review. The topic of discussion this year was whether the Constitution should be interpreted as a living document or whether it should be strictly interpreted as it was originally written.

David Strauss, the Gerald Ratner distinguished service professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and author of “The Living Constitution,” argued that the Constitution should be interpreted as a living document using the techniques of the common law.

Several other well-respected legal experts participated in the debate, including Keith Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell professor of politics at Princeton University; Rebecca Brown, the Newton professor of constitutional law at the University of Southern California School of Law; and Wil Waluchow, the Senator William McMaster chair in constitutional studies at McMaster University.

“Being able to draw nationally known scholars of this caliber is a tremendous benefit for all the attendees,” says Drake Law Dean Allan Vestal. “Not only does the dialog during the program stimulate insightful questions, but it also prompts continuing discussions and thought. The scholarship resulting from the symposia is remarkable. Thanks to the Belin McCormick Law Firm, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the symposium.”

Supreme Court Celebration gives students the chance to breakfast with Iowa Supreme Court Justices, observe oral arguments

Drake Law School hosted the Iowa Supreme Court as justices heard oral arguments in two cases as part of the Law School’s 74th Annual Supreme Court Celebration. The celebration is held annually to help law students become more familiar with appellate court procedure and arguments, and to honor the Iowa Supreme Court for its commitment to justice and legal education. View a photo gallery of the 2011 Supreme Court Celebration.

This year, students were present to witness oral arguments made before the justices in two cases presented in the courtroom of Drake’s Neal and Bea Smith Law Center. Justices also mingled with students over breakfast in the morning and engaged students in a question-and-answer session following the arguments.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to see our Supreme Court in action,” said Matt Jarvey, a first-year law student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “I also enjoyed meeting with one of the justices over breakfast and learning from them in a less formal setting.”

The three-day event, which included celebrations to acknowledge the work of students involved with the Journal of Agricultural Law, Law Review and the Moot Court program, culminated with the Supreme Court Banquet and Awards Ceremony in Olmsted Center on the Drake Campus on March 26. William Robinson III, president elect of the American Bar Association, presented the keynote lecture at the event, which also featured awards bestowed upon Drake Law alumni and current students.

Chief Justice Mark S. Cady, LA’75, LW’78, was honored at the banquet as the Drake Law Alumni of the Year, and third-year student Gavin Quill received the first annual K.M. Waggoner Peer Mentoring Award made possible by Phil DeKoster, LW’10.

Law student Katherine Carlucci poses with Drake Law Dean Allan Vestal at the Supreme Court Celebration.

A complete list of this year’s honorees can be viewed at www.law.drake.edu.

Patty and Fred Turner Jazz Center

The two-day reunion will take place in the newly constructed Patty and Fred Turner Jazz Center, a testament to the vitality of Drake’s jazz program as well as the impact of alumni generosity. Participants will reconnect with old friends and reassemble their instruments to form the Drake Alumni Jazz Band, which will give its premiere performance as part of the center’s opening gala.

On Friday, April 15, alumni will gather for a jam session held from 9 p.m. to midnight. Hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine will be available for purchase.

The following day — Saturday, April 16 — brunch will be served from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in Levitt Hall in Old Main. Immediately following the brunch, the musicians will gather for a rehearsal in the Turner Center until noon.

That evening, the Drake Alumni Jazz Band will perform alongside Drake’s Jazz Ensemble One as part of the Turner Center’s Opening Gala, an exclusive and formal celebration of the University’s jazz program and the state-of-the-art Turner Center. Read more about the center, which was completed in December, online.

The gala will begin at 7:30 p.m., and both jazz ensembles will be directed by Andrew Classen, the Fred and Patty Turner professor of jazz studies at Drake.

To RSVP and to join the band, call 515-271-4539 or register at www.alumni.drake.edu/jazzreunion by April 8.

— Stella Hart

The purpose of these events is to bring people together to learn about the ambitious plan through which Drake University will realize its vision for the future — to be, and be recognized as, one of the best institutions of higher education in the country.

Diane Caldbeck, Drake University associate vice president, alumni and development, shares stories with Mac Bohlman, BN’57.

Bill Drury, LA’73, LW’77, Drake University Board of Trustees member, enjoys the evening with his son in-law and Pro Bowl kicker for the Baltimore Ravens Billy Cundiff, AS’03, daughter Nicole Drury Cundiff, BN’02, and Sandy Hatfield Clubb, Drake University athletic director.

Guests listen to Drake University President David Maxwell.

Photos from the Drake University campus were interspersed throughout the beautiful grounds of the Phoenician Resort.

See more distinctlyDrake pictures on the Drake alumni website.

Visit www.distinctly.drake.edu for more information on how to get involved.

On April 8, distinctlyDrake will travel to downtown Chicago. RSVP online, or by calling 515-271-3147.

— Sherry Speikers

Drake sophomore Caitlin Podemski certainly remembers her college search. The music and psychology major from Rockford, Ill., weighed Drake’s reputation for academic excellence against the price tag for tuition — and decided to enroll only after she received an endowed scholarship from Winifred M. Kelley, mother of EMC Insurance Companies President Bruce Kelley.

“Without that scholarship, I could not have attended Drake,” Podemski said. “It has helped make me the best person I can be.”

Caitlin Podemski performs for guests at Drake's Scholarship Luncheon.

Podemski was one of dozens of scholarship recipients who joined University officials, friends, alumni and donors at Drake’s second annual Scholarship Luncheon on Friday, March 25.

The luncheon honors the many individuals, families, companies and foundations that contributed to Drake’s scholarship funds last year. It also gives donors an opportunity to meet the students who benefit from their scholarship contributions.

Podemski, in meeting Winifred Kelley, discovered they were both members of the musical fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota. She showed her appreciation to Kelley and the rest of the donors by performing an excerpt from a sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Approximately 150 people attended the luncheon, including representatives from 21 contributing families and organizations.

“We are excited to celebrate this moment,” said John Smith, vice-president of alumni and development at Drake University. “And we’d like to thank you all for sharing the recognition that philanthropy can, and does, transform the future of an institution.”

Thanks to the generosity of donors, 98 percent of Drake University students receive at least some financial aid. The University spent $47 million on aid for students in the current fiscal year, making financial aid the second highest line item on Drake’s budget, second only to faculty and staff salaries.

The average award package at Drake for the 2010-11 school year was in excess of $19,000.

“A lot has been said, recently, about how expensive higher education has become and how that affects student access,” Drake University President David Maxwell said. “I want everyone to know how sensitive we are to that issue, and how hard we work to make the price of an education have as little an impact as possible on students. We do that by reducing our costs and providing students the maximum financial aid.”

A.J. Harris, a senior actuarial science and finance double-major from Des Moines, was one of 15 students this year to receive an endowed scholarship from EMC Insurance Companies.

“The financial aid I’ve received has saved me from taking out additional loans during my final semesters of study,” Harris told donors. “Drake is an appealing choice to many students because of the level of financial aid offered by this institution.”

EMC Insurance Companies, which has contributed to Drake University in myriad capacities in the business’ 100-year history, recognizes that “Drake is a great institution, a great provider of employees and attracts some of the very best students in the United States,” said company President Bruce Kelley.

Bruce Kelley, president and CEO of EMC Insurance Companies, discusses the value of philanthropy during Drake's second annual Scholarship Luncheon Friday, March 25.

During his remarks, Bruce Kelley named five Drake alumni who he said “helped move EMC Insurance Companies forward” and outlined some of their contributions to the company.

• George W. Kochheiser, undergraduate class of 1949, was chairman of EMC from 1994 to 2007 and was president and chief operating officer of the company from 1982 until his retirement in 1991.
• Richard Haskins, Drake Law School class of 1951, worked at EMC while studying law. He went on to expand the company’s reinsurance projects around the world.
• Tom Wright, Drake Law School class of 1948, ran EMC’s claims operation until his retirement in 1989.
• Fred Schiek, undergraduate class of 1959, ran EMC’s branch office in Omaha and served a term as chairman of the Board of Directors.
• John Isenhart, undergraduate class of 1962, designed cost-effective programming as a data processing technician for EMC.

“Yes, there are great professors and great programs everywhere,” Bruce Kelley said, “But we believe that Drake has professors and programs that are second to none.”

Drake University in October 2010 launched the distinctlyDrake campaign. A leading priority of the ongoing $200 million campaign is providing access for students through endowed and current scholarships.

—    Aaron Jaco

Though service trips had been organized by other campus groups, such as Habitat for Humanity in the past, this was the first organized by the Office of Student Life.

“Over the past few years we’ve been working to evolve the volunteer opportunities available through our office,” said Tasha Stiger, director of campus programming. “We’ve had many students express interest in going on service trips, so we knew there was a demand for this type of experience.”

First-year student Katherine Elder, who has previously participated in service trips through her church, said she appreciated the alternative spring break option provided by Drake.

Drake students Colton Davis, Katie Elder, Michelle Markiewicz, Samantha Carlson, Lucy Stanke and Tanaya Thomas spent their spring break volunteering in Appalachia.

“I’m really glad that Drake offers opportunities like this,” said Elder, a biology and psychology double major. “It really encourages a culture of service on campus by making it easy for students to find ways to help other people.”

During the week of spring break, Stiger and the students built and restored a home for a family in Chavies, Ky., through the Appalachia Service Project.

“The trip opened my eyes to how there are many people less fortunate than myself in the world,” said Michelle Markiewicz, a sophomore health/science management major. “The family we helped during the week were happy and very appreciative for our being there.”

The author of books on creativity and collaboration started by sharing some of the insights she’s gained during her more than 45 years in dance.

Twyla Tharp spoke on creativity and collaboration.

“Creativity is something we often think of as God-given gift and if you don’t have it, you’re not going to have it,” she said. “I don’t believe that to be true. I believe we all are creative and I believe that we all can increase our creativity by certain practices addressed daily.”

She added that these practices, detailed in her book “The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life,” can help individuals overcome the fear and paranoia that often stifle creative endeavors.

To illustrate this point, Tharp invited an audience member who was experiencing a case of writer’s block to join her on stage. Monica Worsley of Cary, Ill., a first-year student majoring in magazines and international relations, quickly accepted. She told Tharp that, among other things, she was intimidated by writing an article about that evening’s lecture for her Writing and News Reporting class.

Tharp invited audience members onstage to help her illustrate a point.

Tharp instructed Worsley to sit down on the stage, pull her knees up to her chin, lower her head to her knees and maintain that position until Tharp told her to move.

Then Tharp called for another volunteer — someone with an extremely large handbag. She selected Jo Anne Reed of Colfax, Iowa, and instructed her to stand near Worsley and dump the entire contents of her handbag onto the floor, then rearrange all the items.

Tharp told the audience she was seeing a circular geometric pattern emerge, and Reed confirmed that’s what she was thinking.

“There you go,” Tharp said. “That’s called art. That’s called communication.”

After another rearranging of the objects, Tharp explained that the exercise of rearranging is a metaphor for finding ways to get out of a creative rut. Then the choreographer turned her attention to Worsley, who had been bobbing her head up and down as she struggled to remain curled up in the shape of an egg.

When Worsley confessed that instead of thinking about getting started on her writing she was trying to memorize what Tharp was saying, Tharp playfully admonished: “You let education get in the way of your learning.”

“What is an egg?” Tharp asked the audience. When no one ventured an answer, she supplied one: “It’s a thing in progress, a thing that is not always the same.”

“That’s why I put you in the egg position,” she told Worsley. “When you set out to do something and have trouble getting started because you know it won’t be perfect, you should think of the egg. It keeps evolving and changing.”

Tharp advised Worsley to approach an assignment assuming she would get an A and to expect it would work, even though it might not be perfect.

“I think she is right,” Worsley said after the lecture. “The best work a person can expect comes when you don’t place too much expectation on the outcome. Perfection is not attainable, but satisfaction with one’s best work is. I really enjoyed participating and considering the advice Ms. Tharp had to offer about expending as much effort as possible in one’s actions, accepting failure, and being passionate about one’s creations.”

In addition to giving the Bucksbaum Lecture, answering questions from the audience and participating in a book signing, Tharp joined in a question-and-answer session with about 45 students Monday afternoon. The students queried her about her career, next major project, workout routine, and advice for artists just starting out.

Tharp’s interaction with the students received a rave review from Makha Mthembu, a senior acting major from Johannesburg, South Africa.

“There are few women in the arts who have accomplished as much as she has,” Mthembu said. “I liked her simplicity, her frankness. She made it clear that if you want something, you need to figure out how to make it happen and just do it. In short, talk less, do more.”

The next Bucksbaum Lecture will feature author, humorist and radio host Garrison Keillor. His lecture, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the Knapp Center.

— Lisa Lacher

A student presents her research poster at the 2010 DUCURS.

The free, public conference on Thursday, April 14, will feature research posters and oral presentations by an interdisciplinary group of ambitious Drake students. They will display their work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Parents Hall in Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave. All participants and attendees will be eligible to win door prizes.

The Drake conference highlights collaborative work of undergraduates and faculty, featuring a record number of research projects from multiple departments, including: biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics, environmental science and policy, neuroscience, pharmaceutical science, physics and psychology. For a complete schedule of conference events, visit http://www.drake.edu/ducurs/schedule.php

This year’s DUCURS luncheon keynote speaker is Julio De Paula, professor of chemistry and associate vice-president and director of special projects at Lewis and Clark College. De Paula will speak about the challenges faced by science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educators and researchers with a focus on research-rich curricula. De Paula’s research centers on photosynthesis and nanotechnology.

Julio De Paula

In addition to the annual luncheon, a science career fair will also be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in conjunction with this year’s conference. Participants will have the opportunity to network with corporate representatives regarding careers, internships and experiential learning. 

Following the presentations,  students will have the opportunity to participate in an inter-science department knowledge competition. Top student exhibitors will receive awards courtesy of alumnus Dr. James Holsapple, AS’80.

Dr. Holsapple is on the faculty of the department of neurosurgery at Boston Medical Center where he continues his general practice in adult and pediatric neurosurgery. He has maintained research interests in neuroscience collaborating in studies of primate vision and mechanisms of transmitter release and lives in Boston.

Presenting sponsor is Metro Waste Authority, with additional sponsorship from Kemin Industries and Aerotek Scientific.

Recognized as the leader in environmental stewardship and cost-effective waste management, Metro Waste Authority is an independent government agency comprised of 16 member communities, one county and six planning members.

Drake University is poised to take a leadership role in this kind of research, with a new Pharmacogenomics Teaching and Research Laboratory currently under development to open in the fall of 2012. A recent $112,000 grant from Grow Iowa Values for the second phase of the project will help support acquisition of equipment and the design of a rigorous pharmacogenomics curriculum.

In addition to the Grow Iowa Values funding, creation of this facility is also supported by a generous gift from Jack Ellis, PH’57, the CPHS Harris endowment, CPHS technology fees, and a federal appropriation directed at purchasing equipment.

Pramod Mahajan works works with a student.

“We are training pharmacists and health sciences graduates who are going to play a very critical role in making the field of personalized medicine a success,” says Pramod Mahajan, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and the author of the grant proposal. Mahajan already teaches an elective course in pharmacogenomics.

“Healthcare employers are looking for people with expertise in this area,” he says. “Students who will be trained in pharmacogenomics will have a greater marketability.”

Mahajan says the Pharmacogenomics Teaching and Research Laboratory will not only benefit students, but that the facilities will enhance faculty research projects across science departments and spur collaboration across institutions. (Des Moines University professors have already expressed interest in working with Drake faculty in the lab.)

Additionally, Drake officials plan to engage existing healthcare workers by offering professional development training.

“This is a rather new area, so many people who have been in the healthcare workforce for a long time didn’t know anything about this when they were trained,” Mahajan says. “But they are going to be required to acquire some of this training through continuing education. We hope that Drake will be able to provide that opportunity through the Pharmacogenomics Teaching and Research Laboratory.”

Beyond its initial benefits, the new lab may inspire entrepreneurially minded students to explore ideas that could advance the pharmacy profession – a goal of the Drake Entrepreneurial Leadership Tools for Advancement (DELTA) Rx Institute.

“It is our hope that some of the students who are going through our training program will be entrepreneurial enough that they will begin thinking about starting a new business in this area,” Mahajan says. “Personalized medicine is going to literally explode in the next few years. Students are already thinking and already excited about the possibility that they can use this knowledge for starting a business that’s high tech and that’s going to fill a gap.”

Personalized medicine practices are already in use to determine whether it is safe to prescribe certain medications, and at what dosage.

For example, pharmacogenomics is used in adjusting the dose of drugs such as Warfarin, a blood thinner that is among the top three medications prescribed in USA, but also one of the top three drugs responsible for causing adverse drug reactions. Genetic tests recommended for this drug could save lives and reduce hospitalizations and costs associated with treatment.

Currently, the FDA recommends carrying out a genetic test to discover whether patients infected with HIV-1 and AIDS patients carry a gene type called HLA-B*-5701, which causes severe hypersensitivity reactions in individuals who take a drug called Abacavir. It is possible to test individuals for the presence (or absence) of this gene type before prescribing this drug and avoid the adverse effect.

“Although FDA recommends using genetic information for prescribing these — and many other— drugs, how many physicians and hospitals actually do it is unclear,” Mahajan says. “A recent report published by the Office of the Secretary of Human and Health Services has identified educating healthcare workers in this area as a national need. That’s why educating tomorrow’s healthcare workers in pharmacogenomics is so critical. I believe Drake University is paving the way.”

— Brianne Sanchez

Nanci Ross

Q: Odds aren’t “ethnobotanist” wasn’t always your career goal. How did you get here?

Ross: I started out as a history major as an undergrad (at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln). I got interested in plants by reading “herbals,” medieval writings listing plants and instructions for how to collect and use them. I liked how the natural history mixed with lore and legend. It was this fascinating mix of science and culture that led me to a botany class.

Q: Can you explain what an ethnobotanist does?

Ross: Ethnobotany is the study of the interrelationship between people and plants. I’m interested in plants in the natural world and how they are impacted by human culture. Also, how management of land affects plant communities. For my dissertation, I studied the impact of ancient Mayan forest gardens after the abandonment of urban centers in Belize and Guatemala. In the Himalayas, I am researching the effect of climate change on alpine communities (above the tree line). Management and mitigation strategies of those indigenous populations are something we can learn from as climate change effects continue moving down the mountains toward us.

Q: Are there any non-academic blogs or websites that you read regularly to stay in the loop in your field?

Ross: In the fall, I’m going to be teaching a class about food cultures of the world and how plant adaptations to ecosystems factor into the cuisine of the area. Lately I’ve been visiting tastingcultures.org, the website for the Tasting Cultures Foundation.

Q: Are there particular environments you feel compelled to travel and explore?

Ross: One of the best parts of my job is that it takes me everywhere. The science takes you around the world. I would love to go to Australia or New Zealand, which is part of the Alpine research network. I’d like to research tree gardening in the Philippines or go to South America, perhaps. I can think of something I’d like to do pretty much anywhere.

Q: Have you found a special place on campus yet, as someone who’s new to Drake?

Ross: I took over the (Pioneer Hi-bred International) Greenhouse when I got here. Now, we’ve got quite a collection of plants. I’m trying to create someplace where classes can go to see plant diversity. I’m being mailed a banana, and we already have a pomegranate I germinated from a seed with a student. I am also receiving a pineapple plant, a cinnamon tree (cinnamon comes from the bark) and some sugar cane. This month, we’ll be digging up the ground outside and planting a vegetable garden.