Drake welcomed more than 1,400 new members to the alumni network on May 14, following the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree commencement ceremonies held in the Knapp Center.

“Commencement was an unforgettable experience,” says Adam Gallenberg, of Rochester, Minn., who received a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology. “Not only did the event signify the accomplishment of my long-term goal in earning a degree at Drake, but I got to see my fellow classmates celebrating that same success.”

The undergraduate commencement ceremony featured keynote addresses by Drake President David Maxwell and honorary degree recipients John and Mary Pappajohn. Samantha Haas, student body president and recipient of the University’s Oreon E. Scott Award for the most outstanding senior, also gave a commencement address.

John Quinn of Monticello, Iowa, felt the event provided an inspirational send-off for graduates.

“I think that commencement was a great opportunity to celebrate the culmination of our Drake experiences,” says Quinn, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music. “I really enjoyed the many encouraging words delivered by different faculty members and other featured speakers who addressed the graduating class.”

Following the ceremonies, many took part in the tradition of posing alongside (or astride) the bronze bulldog statue in Drake Plaza. (View a gallery of commencement photos on Drake’s Flickr page.)

The Graduate Commencement Ceremony, held later that day, honored 51 degree recipients including Tony Shafer, who suffered a stroke seven years ago while a student in Drake’s pharmacy program. Shafer received a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at the ceremony.

The Des Moines Register recently profiled Shafer’s inspiring story. In the article, Shafer says that his message to his fellow graduates would be to maintain an optimistic outlook.

“Always be positive about your future,” says Shafer. “You can take as many steps as you need to get to where you want to be.”

Drake University Bulldogs triumph in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl, but the success went beyond a football game

American football crossed a new international border on May 21 when the Drake University Bulldogs and CONADEIP All-Stars from Mexico met on the first-ever gridiron painted on African soil.

Drake triumphed in the matchup against a team of Mexican all-stars.

Thanks to a second-half comeback, Drake beat the All-Stars 17 to 7 in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first American football game played on the African Continent. The event, presented by the Tanzania National Parks Association and attended by more than 11,500 enthusiastic Tanzanian spectators at the Sheik Amri Abedi Memorial Stadium.

The game was observed by Alfonso Lenhardt, American ambassador to Tanzania, and Lazaro Nyalandu, the nation’s deputy minister of industry and trade, and a procession of dignitaries.Masai tribesmen entertained the crowd where cheerleaders would have danced in an American stadium.

The game also featured a halftime show of touch football by groups of local youngsters.

Bigger than football

“This game was the realization of a dream of many people and we are humbled to have not only brought a football game to Africa, but also to have created friendships that will last a lifetime,” says Patrick Steenberge, event producer and Global Football President. “In sport there has to be one team that loses, but today every single person in this stadium was a winner, I have no doubt about that.”

The Kilibowl

Chris Creighton, Drake head football coach, expressed his approval for the team’s performance and sportsmanship and emphasized the significance of the game.

“I’m so proud of you guys, each and every one of you, on so many levels,” Creighton said. “This is so much bigger than a football game and it was phenomenal. Do not let this moment and what we just did slip away from you.”

Service, a climb and camaraderie

The players from Drake and CONADEIP — 110 in total — continued to work together the week following the game to build an addition to an orphanage and complete other community services projects. On May 25, both teams embarked on a climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro — the highest point in Africa at 19,341 feet.

Seventy of 74 members of Drake’s climbing party, including Drake University President David Maxwell, reached the summit. Maxwell kept a blog, titled “Peak Performance,” during the trip.

“A number of the players had tears in their eyes as they stood at the summit, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the experience and the view in front of them,” Maxwell wrote.

The Drake and Mexican teams, staff and alumni pose before setting off to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Drake created a photo gallery to showcase the game and other activities related to the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl, including youth football clinics conducted by the Bulldogs and their Mexican opponents. The Global Kilimanjaro Bowl Facebook page chronicled events with updates, photos and fan commentary. Sophomore Cameron Good posted original video clips and photos on his website.

Student-athletes from Drake and CONADEIP also attracted press coverage from the Associated Press, with the story reprinted by ESPN, Yahoo!, USA Today, MSNBC and other national news outlets.

Beyond athletics, the Tanzania trip was about global citizenship.

Alumni from Drake's classes of '41, '51 and '61 pose for a photo with their gold medals and Drake President David Maxwell.

Gold looks especially striking against Drake blue, as graduates from the classes of 1941, 1951 and 1961 can attest.

In May, these alumni gathered to reconnect with old friends and reminisce about their Drake University experiences at the 50 Year Club Reunion. The club, which is composed of alumni who graduated from Drake 50 or more years ago, celebrated the induction of the class of 1961 in a ceremony featuring the presentation of gold medallions.

Lee Donnellan, FA’61, served on the planning committee for the event.

“I thought the reunion was very beautifully presented and very well done,” Donnellan says. “I was happy to be a part of the whole celebration and to serve on the committee; it was a very rewarding experience. The reunion gave us all a chance to renew friendships with fellow alumni whom we hadn’t seen in 50 years.”

During the two-day gathering, alumni watched presentations on how the University evolved in the last half century, toured campus and reconneced over meals and a cocktail reception.

The induction ceremony, medallion presentation and reunion dinner was held at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines on May 13. View photos of the event.

“The reunion dinner was wonderful,” says George Wood, LA’61. “It was a nice atmosphere, and it was great to be around a lot of people we hadn’t seen in a long time.”

The following morning, all three classes were invited to don their gold robes and medallions at Drake’s 130th Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony.

“My wife and I both enjoyed participating in the commencement ceremony,” says Wood. His wife, Jane, is a fellow member of the class of 1961. “We enjoyed hearing the commencement addresses delivered by Drake President David Maxwell, honorary doctoral degree recipients John and Mary Pappajohn and Student Body President Samantha Haas. It was a very heart-warming and moving experience.”

The Drake men’s tennis team wrapped-up the 2010-2011 season at the NCAA Tennis Tournament, held in May at the University of Illinois’ Khan Tennis Center. The Bulldogs were pitted against the 17th-rated Fighting Illini.

“I thought we competed very well today against a talented Illinois team,” said Evan Austin, head men’s tennis coach. “I’m really proud of Drake’s team and the way they fought and competed all year long, and I’m looking forward to continuing to build upon this year’s success.”

Mauricio Ballivian

Mauricio Ballivian, who graduated from Drake in May, and Anis Ghorbel, a junior international business major from Sfax, Tunisia, broke open a two-all tie with five unanswered tallies to assume a 7-2 lead. The triumph allowed Ballivian, who is originally from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to earn fourth place on the all-time victory list at Drake with 194 career wins.

The competition was the final one in the distinguished career of Ballivian, who led Drake to a trio of Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

“Mauricio has been such an incredible leader and representative of our team and university, and it has been great to see him reach so many of his goals during his distinguished Drake career,” Austin said.

The tournament concluded Drake’s season at 21-3 and represented the team’s fifth NCAA Tournament berth in school history.

On May 31, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) placed the Bulldogs at 62nd in the final ITA national rankings, recognizing the team’s outstanding season.

“It is great to see all the hard work we put in this year culminate with a national ranking in the final ITA poll of the year,” Austin said. “This group has come a long way in my first season here and I’m excited about the solid core we have returning in the fall. We plan on continuing to raise the bar for this program and know that hard work, dedication and attention to detail will be keys in the offseason to achieving this.”

Cody Schweinefus

Drake University student Cody Schweinefus fired a final-round 75 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Colorado Men’s Golf Regional held on May 21. He finished in 67th place after the tournament’s final 18 holes.

“It’s a new level of golf,” says Schweinefus, the first Drake men’s golfer to earn a spot in the regional competition since 2006. “To compete against bigger schools is something to look forward to.”

Schweinefus, a senior management major from Decorah, Iowa, was competing for a spot at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. He finished in eighth-place on the Colorado National Golf Club Course, a par-72 course stretching 7,753 yards with many elevation changes and water hazards.

In April, Schweinefus claimed medalist honors and earned a spot to the NCAA regional competition by beating a Wichita State University student athlete in a sudden-death playoff at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Golf Championship.

In May, Drake University women’s softball team pitcher Brynne Dordel received CoSIDA-Capital One Academic All-American honors, earning second team accolades and becoming Drake softball’s first Academic All-American since 2004.

Brynne Dordel

Dordel, of Chanhassen, Minn., graduated from the University in May with a degree in accounting. While at Drake, she maintained a perfect 4.00 grade point average.

“This is a great culmination to a great career at Drake,” says women’s softball head coach Rich Calvert. “Brynne sets the mark for what a Drake student-athlete should be.”

The senior earned a host of academic awards this season, including her third-straight first team all-Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete recognition and her second-straight CoSIDA-Capitol One Academic All-District honor.

Additionally, Dordel earned the MVC’s Elite 18 Award, given to the competitor with the highest GPA at each of the league’s 18 championships.

Dordel becomes Drake’s first Academic All-American in any sport since 2009.

Approximately 2,000 students per year have attended a pharmacy, science or general education class in room 104 of Harvey Ingham Hall over the last 60 years — so, naturally, it’s suffered some wear and tear.

“That’s a total of 120,000 students — nearly double the number of Drake’s living alumni,” Don Fletcher, chairman of the Drake University Board of Directors said during a dedication ceremony of the newly spruced-up space. “Renovating this venerable classroom to fit today’s pedagogy certainly enhances Drake’s exceptional learning environment and benefits large numbers of students.”

The crowd at the Harvey Ingham 104 dedication experienced the room from a student perspective.

The $966,104 renovation replaced the fixed 1950s-era desks with new furniture equipped with electrical outlets for students’ laptops. Furnishings may be arranged to facilitate various activities, including small group projects. Technology updates include the installation of variable lighting, audiovisual equipment for lecture capture and podcasting, as well as a new screen at the front of the classroom with a fully accessible white board beneath.

“The renovations have allowed our classes to be more interactive between both faculty and student and also student-to-student,” says Andrew North, who is on track to earn both a Pharm.D. and MBA from Drake in 2012. “This is not only more conducive to the recently adopted Team-Based Learning approach that is now utilized in several courses throughout the pharmacy curriculum, but also creates an academic environment that is more representative of the collaborative nature of our future careers, as members of the health-care team.”

The project got started because one alumnus expressed a desire to contribute.

Soon after a trip back to campus, Drake Trustee Dr. Bill Smith, AS’70, initiated fundraising necessary for the project in an effort to see the room where once he sat for freshman biology and first year inorganic chemistry updated for today’s students.

“Dr. Smith’s commitment and challenge resulted in a fundraising effort that truly represented the University’s common goal to enhance science education at Drake,” says Raylene M. Rospond, dean of Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Additional donors stepped up, contributing a total of $436,000 toward the project. They included:

• The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust
• Carl Jakopec, PH’69
• Rene Beckham and John Shufeldt, MD, LA‘82
• Annette, FA’85 and Patrick Verdun, PH‘83
• Ellen and Craig A. Mandel, BN’66 PH’69

The May ribbon cutting ceremony celebrated the generous contributions of many.

“I want to thank the generosity of our alumni and friends who have helped to make this renovation possible,” North said on behalf of Drake’s students during the recent dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. “You are truly making a positive impact upon our futures through your gracious donations.”

Following the ceremony, several people went next door to check out classroom 102, which looks much the way 104 did before the renovation.

Fletcher sat down at a desk in the back row and surveyed the scene, imaging how it, too, might be transformed through generosity of alumni and friends.

Read more about the features added in the renovation. Plans are underway to bring a similar transformation to HI 102. If you’d like to contribute, please contact the Office of Alumni and Development.

Philanthropists Mary and John Pappajohn pose for a photo with Drake President David Maxwell.

Drake University recently presented honorary doctorates to philanthropists John and Mary Pappajohn for their extraordinary support of educational opportunities, entrepreneurial development and art initiatives, including the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines.

“The awarding of an honorary doctorate is the highest honor that a university can bestow, and Drake is proud indeed to grant the Pappajohns this acclaim for their extraordinary contributions to Drake University, to our community, the state and the nation,” Drake President David Maxwell said during the 130th Commencement Ceremony for Undergraduate Degree Recipients. Maxwell’s commencement address is available online.

John Pappajohn, a renowned venture capitalist who financed entrepreneurial centers at five Iowa universities and colleges including Drake, received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration at Drake’s Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 14. His wife, Mary, a community leader and ardent supporter of the arts, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. View an online photo gallery of the ceremony.

“The question is: How did we get here?” John Pappajohn told undergraduates, noting that he and Mary are children of immigrants who came to America from Greece in a quest to provide a better life for their children and grandchildren.

“Both of our fathers were entrepreneurial and established businesses — my father a grocery story and Mary’s father a restaurant and bar — as soon as they were able to save a little money, which was accumulated from manual labor employment, including railroad section work and packing house labor.

“This provided their children the opportunity to attend college — Mary to the University of Minnesota and me to the University of Iowa. Even though none of our four parents had any schooling, they knew the value of education and it was their mantra that ‘we must get a college degree.’”

The best of times and the worst of times

John Pappajohn’s message for the graduates paid homage to Charles Dickens, author of “A Tale of Two Cities.”

“These are the best of times and the worst of times,” Pappajohn said. “Remember it is always the best of times or the worst of times. Should it really matter? No! What you do about it determines whether or not you become successful in whatever challenges that you take on.”

The biggest challenge, he said, is to find a job that you really love. “If you don’t,” he added, “you won’t be happy. If you are not happy, change! You must love your work to be successful.

“Opportunities today are the greatest that I have ever seen if you are willing to pay the price and remember it is always the best of times and the worst of times. Don’t complain — just go out and do whatever you have to do. Remember God gave each of us some special talent. Use it. Take advantage of it and you will become successful.

“A successful life must include service to others — to society and to your fellow man — that is how you will be judged. You must try to make a difference in the world. Learn to give, even when you don’t have much — it makes you feel good . . . You will find the more you give, the more you make!”

Learn to give when you don’t have much money

Mary Pappajohn expanded on her husband’s comments about the importance of philanthropy, saying, “I’m a firm believer that if you don’t learn to give when you don’t have much money, you’ll find it difficult to give when you do.

“John and I spend a great deal of time deciding where our investment will do the most good,” she added. “It’s a lot more fun to give away our own money while we’re living than to give someone else the pleasure of doing what we could have done. To the graduates, congratulations and may all your dreams come true.”

Archived copies of Drake’s 2011 Commencement Ceremonies are available online for streaming, downloading and podcasting. Apple Quicktime is required to view the archive stream. iTunes is required to download or podcast the files.

Drake faculty members Keith Summerville (L) and Gholam Mirafzal (R) pose for a photo with Drake President David Maxwell.

The late Madelyn Levitt, longtime Drake trustee and honorary alumna, established the awards in 1994 to recognize faculty and staff for their commitment to academic excellence and student success. The honorees embody Madelyn Levitt’s commitment to Drake and her ongoing interest in faculty achievement.

Summerville: The Levitt Teacher of the Year  

Associate Professor Summerville receives the 2011 Madelyn Levitt Teacher of the Year award.

Summerville, associate professor of environmental science and policy and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, received the 2011 Madelyn Levitt Teacher of the Year award. The award recognizes the Drake faculty member who best demonstrates excellence in teaching, inspirational leadership and intellectual rigor.

“I am both honored and humbled to receive this recognition from my peers,” Summerville says. “A number of my mentors and role models on campus have previously won this award, so it thrills me to be considered on par with Drake’s exceptional teachers.”

In letters of nomination for the award, his current and former students praise him for his capabilities as an outstanding professor and mentor.

“Dr. Summerville teaches with an ease of delivery that reflects his extensive experience,” says Laura Ippen, a 2010 Drake graduate. “His classes are challenging, but he explains complex concepts in plain English and always checks in to make sure students understand. Dr. Summerville strikes the balance between approachability and professionalism, and he is a mentor to countless students.”

Cara Pratt, a senior environmental policy and international relations major from Kenosha, Wis., agrees with Ippen’s assessment.

“Dr. Summerville is extremely busy, yet every time I send him an e-mail I can expect a response within mere minutes,” Pratt says. “Whenever I meet with him, I can expect his complete attention and dedication to our conversation. Many of the opportunities I’ve had at Drake can be directly attributed to the role Dr. Summerville has played in my education.”

Summerville, who has worked at Drake since 2001, says he became a university professor because of his personal commitment to connect undergraduates with the natural world.

“My teaching philosophy firmly asserts that encounters with mosquitoes, wetland seeps, startled bull snakes and sunny springtime afternoons are as critical to student understanding of ecology and environmental science as textbook readings and laboratory experiments,” he says.

Summerville received his bachelor’s degree from Westminster College, his master’s degree from Miami University and his doctorate from the Miami University Department of Zoology.

He has received numerous research grants, including endowments from the National Science Foundation, Iowa Great Outdoors Foundation, National Geographic Society, Polk County Conservation Board and United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Summerville, who serves on the board of directors for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Iowa Audubon Society, is a member of the Ecological Society of America, Society of Conservation Biologists and Entomological Society of America.

His research has appeared in myriad publications, including The Wilson Journal of Anthology, Journal of American Ecology and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Mirafzal: The Levitt Mentor of the Year  

Professor Mirafzal was honored with the 2011 Madelyn Levitt Mentor of the Year Award.

Mirafzal, professor of chemistry, is the recipient of the 2011 Madelyn Levitt Mentor Award, which recognizes faculty and staff who exhibit outstanding commitment to student success in and out of the classroom, as well as integrity in personal relationships.

“I’m extremely grateful and honored to receive this award,” Mirafzal says. “I consider myself very lucky to be among a fine group of faculty members at Drake who are very passionate about their work, which is to provide the best quality of instruction to our students, to inspire them, to bring out the best in them and to help them achieve their goals and dreams.”

In a letter of nomination for the award, Drake student Mohamed Hassan commends Mirafzal for his commitment to mentorship.

“Dr. Mirafzal’s willingness to answer questions in and out of the classroom is one of his trademarks,” says Hassan, a junior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from West Des Moines. “His sense of humor and calm, down-to-earth demeanor — combined with his great expertise in organic chemistry — truly make him the embodiment of a quality mentor.”

Albena Ivanisevic, a 1996 Drake graduate and associate professor at Purdue University, cites Mirafzal’s capable and engaging laboratory instruction in her letter of recommendation.

“Professor Mirafzal had the greatest impact on my career through his mentorship in the lab,” Ivanisevic says. “He personally taught me every technique, celebrated every success I had and encouraged me to continue even when things were not working as planned. He is a fantastic mentor.”

“It makes me feel good that many of my students still keep in touch with me long after graduation from Drake, and I am especially glad that I have been able to assist them in their journeys to success,” Mirafzal says. “My office door has always been open for my past and current students, and it will stay open for future Drake students.”

Mirafzal, a member of Drake’s faculty since 1993, received his bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville State University and his doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He is the recipient of the Cromwell Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching and Research in Organic Chemistry, the Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Teacher of the Year Award and the Drake Chemistry Club 2003 Chemistry Professor of the Year Award.

Mirafzal has received research grants from the Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute, Grow Iowa and NASA. His work has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Journal of Chemistry Education, the Journal of Porphyrins and Phtalocyanines and the Organometallics journal.

The Fulbright Program is the United States government's flagship international educational exchange initiative.

Drake’s 2011 Fulbright recipients are set to create a documentary film in Russia, teach English in Brazil and mentor graduate students at Uganda Martyrs University, among other notable pursuits.

This year’s two alumni grant recipients and faculty fellow add to the University’s success in placing students with esteemed Fulbright research and service opportunities abroad.

“Drake’s Fulbright Scholars represent the University’s interest in helping communities and society on a global scale,” says Eleanor Zeff, the Fulbright Program adviser at Drake. “Above the prestige of the program, our students make a difference in the lives of people.”

Projects take passions beyond borders

While projects span a variety of topics, the common thread between each is the grant recipient’s desire to make a positive impact on the lives of individuals worldwide. 

Bulldog Fulbright beneficiaries have studied and documented the Crimean Tatars’ memories of exile in the Ukraine, explored women’s health initiatives related to reproductive politics in Jordan and taught English in South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. The two newest winners of the award are 2010 graduates Ellen Bastian and Rachel Shulruf, who will make an impact on communities in Russia and Brazil, respectively. Drake Associate Professor of Finance Jimmy Senteza was also awarded a Faculty Fellowship for work in Uganda.

The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, is the United States government’s flagship international educational exchange initiative. Designed to increase mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and people of other countries, the program awards grants to candidates based on high academic achievement, compelling project proposals and leadership potential.

Since 2004, the Fulbright Program has awarded 16 Drake University alumni Fulbright Grants, enabling Bulldogs to circle the globe in the pursuit of international citizenship, research and service. Drake averages approximately eight applicants and two award recipients every year.

2011 recipients achieve aspirations

Ellen Bastian

Bastian, JO’10, currently a production intern with Iowa Public Television, will use her grant to create a documentary film analyzing the impact of globalization on agricultural practices and the lives of peasant farmers in Russia.

She will spend a year shooting the documentary and studying geoecology in Orenburg, a hub of agribusiness located on the northern boundary of the Kazakh Steppe, a vast region of grasslands adjacent to Kazakhstan.

“Documentary filmmaking has been my professional aspiration since entering college,” says Bastian, who is originally from Belle Fourche, S.D. “The opportunity to not only do such work in Russia, but to choose my own research topic, is incredible.”

Rachel Shulruf

Shulruf, AS’10, originally from Buffalo Grove, Ill., will use her grant to teach English in Brazil for a year. Since January, she has taught English in Colombia through the WorldTeach program.

“Since English is largely the language of tourism, learning English can improve people’s quality of life,” Shulruf says. “I feel honored to have been selected for a Fulbright Grant, and I am grateful to all of the people at Drake who helped me with my application. I look forward to teaching in Brazil.”

Drake alumni, faculty well prepared for Fulbright Grant candidacy

Shulruf credited Drake with preparing her to teach abroad through the University’s international relations program and global citizenship initiatives.

“I received a multifaceted education at Drake, which has qualified me for this cross-cultural opportunity,” she says. “Studying sociology and international relations forced me to explore issues from various perspectives and enhanced my intercultural understanding.”

Bastian cites Drake’s emphasis on the value of multiculturalism as one of the University’s strong suits.

“Drake appealed to me because of its large population of foreign students and innovative language program,” Bastian says. “I am so grateful for the preparation I received at Drake.”

The Fulbright program has also named numerous Drake faculty members as Fulbright Fellows. Most recently, the program awarded Associate Professor of Finance Jimmy Senteza a fellowship to teach, conduct research and mentor graduate students at Uganda Martyrs University for the 2011-12 academic year.

— Stella Hart