Bulldogs planning to take on The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) in July should pack panniers full of Drake apparel to wear along the route this year.

RAGBRAI kicks off the first-ever College Spirit Day on Friday, July 29, during the Grinnell to Coralville stretch, and Drake University is proudly taking part. Drake has teamed up with RAGBRAI and other Iowa institutions for a celebration of school spirit. Whether you’re riding or road support, show your Bulldog pride by donning Drake blue.

Alumni will meet in Grinnell at 6:30 a.m. Friday at the northern campus tower at Grinnell College’s Gates Hall, 9th Avenue and Park Street for a group photo and free Drake giveaways. Other college spirit riders will meet at this time and place as well, if you’re riding with rivals.

Spike is ready to take on the competition during the RAGBRAI mascot challenge July 29.

Stop by our tent in Coralville to receive free DU swag, purchase Drake apparel and enter a raffle for a Drake prize pack. At 6 p.m., cheer on Spike as our beloved mascot competes against the University of Iowa’s Herkey, Iowa State’s Cy and University of Northern Iowa’s TC in the “RAGBRAI Mascot Challenge.”

Connect with other Drake fans who are planning to ride by RSVPing to the virtual Team Drake: RAGBRAI 2011 College Spirit Day event on facebook. Drake will update the event page with information, including a Grinnell meeting point for a photo opp of riders on Friday morning.

Make a return trip to Drake in the coming year. The University has a full schedule of opportunities planned to bring together Bulldogs who share a special bond — be it choir practice, a law class or pledge week. Mark your calendar for a visit:

• Drake All Law Reunion:  September 30–October 1
• Choir Reunion and Benefit Concert: February 17–18, 2012
• 10, 25 and 40 Year Reunions: April 26–28
• African American Reunion: April 27–29
• Greek Reunion: April 28
• 50 and 60 Year Reunion: May 11–13

Liz Tesar, BN'07

Questions about these events? Contact Liz Tesar, BN’07, at elizabeth.tesar@drake.edu or 515-271-3378.

Tesar serves as the assistant director of alumni relations for Drake’s Office of Alumni Relations. During her time as a Drake student, Tesar was involved in Kappa Kappa Gamma, Panhellenic Council and the Senior Experience committee.

She also worked at Cowles Library as a student and the Kinne Alumni and Development Center. She says she is excited to be returning to a place she knows and loves.

“This position seemed like a perfect fit because I love interacting with people and planning events where people can reconnect and build relationships,” Tesar says. “I also loved my experience at Drake, so the fact that I can work for such a respected institution is a cherry on top.”

Following her graduation, Tesar worked for United Way in Valparaiso, Ind., as a volunteer coordinator. She has also worked for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce in Columbia, Mo., as the director of the Women’s Network. Her experience will serve the office well as she coordinates reunion programming and serves as a liaison to Drake’s various colleges and schools.

“I’m really looking forward to putting on fun, memorable events,” she says. “I want the alumni who attend our reunions to reconnect with their love for Drake and remember the fun they had while on campus.”

• Facebook: With about 1,600 fans (and growing every day), our alumni page is an easy way to leave us a note, post a picture or link, or just see what’s new on campus. We aim for at least one post every day but we’ll never clutter your feed. Can you find another friend with a cuter profile picture than our Beautiful Bulldog Royalty? While you’re looking, add the main Drake University Facebook page, too.
• LinkedIn: Populated by professionals and alumni from all over the country, this is a great resource for networking, soliciting recommendations and feedback, connecting with those in your field or finding friends.
• Twitter: If 140 characters is more your speed, find us in the Twitterverse. We’re often talking about upcoming events both around the country and on campus, and we love getting tweets from you, too.
• Flickr: Seeing is believing when it comes to how beautiful and busy campus is these days. From Relays tent parties to distinctlyDrake celebrations, we have photographers at almost every alumni event. Head to the alumni stream to see photos of yourself and your friends.
• RSS feed: A condensed and simple way to find stories we publish on our website. Add it to your own feed to integrate Drake into your daily intake of news.
• Online alumni community: A secure way to connect with fellow alumni to post photos, create groups and share class notes in real time — no need to wait for Drake Blue Magazine to be published. Forgot your login information? E-mail holly.worthy@drake.edu.
• Events: Posted frequently on the alumni website, www.alumni.drake.edu, find upcoming events happening both on campus and in your city.
  

  Holly Worthy

Keeping Drake connected

The face behind Drake’s alumni site, social media and electronic communications is Holly Worthy, JO’11, AS’11.

“I’m most excited about the position because digital media allows us to present the benefits of the alumni experience to people in new ways,” says Worthy, the assistant director of digital media. “It will be challenging because some of it hasn’t been done before at Drake, but everyone here has been receptive to taking on new initiatives.”

Drake’s National Alumni Association has slated October 22, 2011, as DU Good Day, a national day of service. Event coordinators are currently seeking site leaders for projects across the country. Meet three alumnae who are leading the cause and register to participate in your hometown DU Good Day event.

Marisa Gift

Marisa Gift, AS’02

City: Omaha, Neb.

DU Good Day site: Open Door Mission (tentative)

Why I was inspired to take part in DU Good Day:

I am a member of Drake’s National Alumni Board of Directors, and I’m really interested in growing the alumni spirit here in Omaha. What better way to get people excited about Drake than to tackle a project together that benefits our hometown? It will give us a chance to show Omaha, home of Creighton, what the Bulldogs are all about!

How Drake exposed me to the value of service:

My lifelong friends who I met at Drake continue to inspire me to this day. One friend is currently working for the Foreign Service in India and another is working in Kyrgyzstan after serving in the Peace Corps. They remind me that this world really is a small place, and we need to take care of each other.

To me, community service means: Not turning a blind eye to the problems that surround us and remembering that even one person can make a difference.

Rachel Manuel

Rachel Manuel, JO’08, AS’08, GR’10

City: Milwaukee, Wis.

DU Good Day site: TBA

Why I was inspired to take part in DU Good Day:

I recently relocated to Milwaukee, and I was excited about the opportunity to network with Drake alumni in the area and learn more about the Milwaukee community.

How Drake exposed me to the value of service:

Service was an integral part of my experience at Drake and provided me with the opportunity to not only learn by doing and develop unique skills, but also to gain a deeper understanding the type of role I wanted to have in my community personally and professionally.

How I give back:

For the past two years I have served as a big sister for Big Brothers and Big Sisters and as a commissioner for America’s Service Commissions. For three years, I went on alternative spring break trips to Biloxi, Mis., to do Hurricane Katrina service.

Kim Pfannebecker

Kim Pfannebecker, JO’08, GR’12

City: Des Moines

DU Good Day site: The Food Bank of Iowa

How Drake exposed me to the value of service:

I was able to volunteer through Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity. We volunteered in ways that allowed us to immediately see our impact on the community, such as serving dinner at a local food back or picking up trash in the Drake neighborhood. Most of my friends from Drake volunteered through the Greek system (social and professional) or through other organizations on campus.

To me, community service means:

I have to steal some of this from Tim Johnson, one of my professors in the MBA program at Drake: Community service is doing something that changes the world. That can be a big “W” or a small “w,” meaning you don’t have to feed the world or find a cure for a global disease. It’s doing something for the greater good without the expectation of receiving anything in return — aside from the satisfaction of knowing you made some kind of a difference.

What’s special about volunteering with other Drake alumni and friends:

You meet some pretty amazing people. I didn’t know most of the folks on the Central Iowa Alumni advisory board before I joined, so it’s great to meet new people who have similar interests. Everyone in the group has a desire to stay actively involved with Drake University and create programs and events that allow other alums to connect and give back. We wouldn’t be working so hard if we didn’t have rewarding experiences as undergraduate and graduate students at Drake.

The camp came down in 1955 but not before a trailer court culture and even a governing body had been established. The construction of the the Quads — Herriott, Carpenter, Crawford and Stalnaker residence halls — turned Pregnant Acres into a memory.

Share your own memories of Drake days gone by in the comments section. Browse electronic editions of The Quax and other historical resources in The Drake Heritage Collections on the Cowles Library website.

The typical tour of Egypt takes visitors to the desert, pyramids and the Sphinx — landmarks that have stood for thousands of years. This summer, a Drake University group went beyond the typical tourist sites and saw a contemporary Egypt as a nation in flux.

Drake students saw contemporary Egpyt, but also experienced historic landmarks.

Mahmoud Hamad, assistant professor of politics, took a group of 28 students and two other faculty members on a travel seminar in Egypt from May 15 to June 6. They were one of the first groups from a U.S. institute of higher education to visit the country since revolution shook the nation earlier this year.

“In a time when many institutions of higher learning were canceling similar trips, administrators at Drake rigorously examined the situation and decided it was safe to capitalize on this opportunity for global citizenship,” says Sentwali Bakari, dean of students.

Understanding the politics

The visit afforded a rare insight into the reformation of the Egyptian government and included meetings with politicians from three major parties vying for political power.

Students spoke with the vice president of the Justice and Freedom Party, an Islamist party; the president and executive committee of the Al Wafd Party, which held power prior to 1952 and re-formed in 1983; and officials from the Egyptian Socialist Party, an emerging leftist party.

The students also met Egypt’s chief administrative prosecutor, who leads prosecution of court cases that involve the government, as well as academics from Egyptian colleges and universities. Discussions centered on the future of a government dismantled by revolution.

Students met with politicians from three major parties vying for political power in Egypt.

“I believe no one else will ever have the opportunity and experiences that we had while in Egypt, due to the current political situation,” says Mandi Plagman, a senior accounting and information systems double major. “Egypt is in a transition toward democracy. Everyone is extremely passionate about the Revolution and what the future will bring. I learned a great deal about the Egyptian culture through the revolutionists’ stories. In America, I am given democracy as a birth right, but there are people all around the world who do not have this luxury. I now have a greater interest in global affairs.”

Understanding Islam

Trip organizer Hamad, a native of Egypt, also wanted students to learn Islam’s major tenets and experience the religion first hand. At the airport, they saw security guards drop to their knees in prayer. Students toured the centuries-old Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha, where they watched a demonstration of ablution — the act of washing oneself for ritual purification.

Nickey Jafari, a sophomore political science and biochemistry, cell and molecular biology double major, spoke with a Coptic Christian revolutionary on the trip.

“He had no problem with Sharia Law (Islamic Law) because it was about justice and equality,” Jafari says. “What he feared were the radicals who might impose only the parts that benefit them. Religion is not what you believe but how you behave, and people are responsible for their actions. We should not blame the religion.”

Experiencing the sights

Throughout the trip, students were immersed in history and culture. They slept in a white sand desert in western Egypt, where the sky is so clear that a person can photograph the Milky Way galaxy.

Student Anna Prier and Rachel Paine Caufield explore Egypt on a trip with Drake.

They ate goat cooked in a traditional Bedouin underground oven, saw priceless historic items in homes and churches as well as museums and took a nighttime cruise on the Red Sea.

And yes, they saw the pyramids of Giza.

“Students not only had the opportunity to see history,” says Rachel Caufield, assistant professor of politics, “but they also watched history unfold.”

To learn about next year’s faculty-led study seminars to Egypt, Uganda and elsewhere, contact Annique Kiel in Drake’s Study Abroad Office.

— Aaron Jaco, AS’07, JO’07

Drake keeps track of how its faculty, staff, alumni and students are making an impact in the world. Catch the latest Drake media mentions in the “DU in the News” section, linked off the Drake home page. Highlights* from June:

President Maxwell on The Exchange

Friday, June 17: Iowa Public Radio

President Maxwell discusses the costs and values of private education, his recent trip to Africa with the football team, the development of a new personalized medicine lab on campus and the recently established Patty and Fred Turner Jazz Center.

The smooth sounds of clarinet

Sunday, June 12: Des Moines Register

Clarence Padilla, professor of clarinet and chair of the music department, was recently named the new conductor of the Des Moines Metro Concert Band.

Five things to know about climbing the ladder

Sunday, June 19: Des Moines Register

Annette Watson, career services manager, shares her tips for being successful at any age.

After 51 years, south-side teacher puts down her chalk

Friday, June 10: Des Moines Register

Des Moines teacher Frieda Griffin, 81, recently retired after a career that spanned more than half a century. Griffin took classes at Drake to keep current during her tenure.

No straw polls for Romney: Is he really the front-runner?

Friday, June 10: Washington Post

Arthur Sanders, politics professor and a longtime analyst of the Iowa caucuses, says Mitt Romney’s strong likelihood of not doing well in Iowa is why he is skipping Ames.

Good News: Frat Rallies Behind Cancer Battle

Thursday, June 2: KCCI-TV

From diagnosis through chemotherapy, Shiv Morjaria, a 20-year-old Drake student from Kenya, has received support from fellow members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

A life-altering football game for Drake

Thursday, June 2: ESPN

Richard Lapchick, director of both the National Consortium for Academics and Sports and the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, writes about the significance of Drake’s involvement in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl.

*Please note that some links from news outlets expire and may no longer be available.

The Drake University Board of Trustees recently approved the following faculty members to receive promotions and/or tenure:

College of Arts and Sciences

•    Megan Brown received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of English.

•    Curt Cardwell received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of history.

•    John Gitua received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of chemistry.

•    Jeff Karnicky received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of English.

•    Karen Leroux received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of history.

•    Joan McAlister received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of rhetoric.

•    Carol Spaulding-Kruse has been promoted to professor of English.

•    Maria Valdovinos Loder received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of psychology.

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

•    Dorothy Pisarski received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of advertising.

College of Business and Public Administration

•    Mary Edrington has been promoted to associate professor of marketing.

Cowles Library

•    Bart Schmidt received tenure and has been promoted to associate professor of librarianship.

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

•    Renae Chesnut has been promoted to professor of pharmacy practice.

•    Sally Haack has been promoted to associate professor of pharmacy practice.

•    Chuck Phillips has been promoted to professor of pharmacy administration.

•    Lori Schirmer has been promoted to associate professor of pharmacy practice.

•    Geoff Wall has been promoted to professor of pharmacy practice.

Law School

•    Ellen Yee has been promoted to professor of law.

Drake University’s commitment to sustainability continues to grow and serve as an example that implementing policy designed to protect the environment is possible and pragmatic.

Recently, Drake’s Blue is Green recycling program was selected by the Iowa Recycling Association to receive the 2011 Best School Recycling Program award. The honor will be presented at the organization’s annual luncheon on July 14.

Drake Facilities received a grant from the Department of Natural Resources and created the program in 2010 to qualify the University for single-stream recycling, a cost-effective process in which papers and plastics are mixed together for processing.

To implement the recycling program, facilities employees were assigned new duties pertaining to recycling and residence halls formed student committees to help encourage recycling practices.

Now, a Drake truck regularly delivers recyclables to Green Star’s single-stream recycling center in downtown Des Moines. Between October 2009 and June 2010, 62 tons of waste was diverted from the Des Moines landfill, saving the University $2,418 in fees.

As part of the ongoing recycling initiative, Drake has also installed recycling containers throughout campus, added a 40-gallon recycling container to the custodians’ trash pick-up carts and added outdoor dumpsters to already existing trash enclosures.

“It is important for Drake to have a strong campus recycling program to enhance our commitment to sustainability,” says Mark Chambers, Drake’s director of facilities.

— Nicki Mittelbrun, class of 2013

Musical traditions created on opposite sides of the world are bound to feature different styles of performance, composition, subject matter and languages. A recent trip to China convinced members of the Drake community that music can serve as a bridge between cultures.

In June, 24 Drake University fine arts faculty members and students spent a week abroad studying the cultural role of music in Chinese society and traditions of music and drama education.

Drake music students visited the Hebei School in China.

The group visited numerous academic institutions, attending concerts and presentations performed by Chinese students and music educators. Drake faculty members conducted master classes and one-on-one lessons, instructing Chinese students in the Western classical style of vocal music.

The students and faculty members also represented Drake and the United States, performing concerts comprised of American art songs, arias and musical theater repertoire.

Friendship through a folk song

Eric Ferring, a sophomore vocal performance major and musical theatre minor from Dubuque, Iowa, struck up a friendship with a Chinese music student named Li Chao.

During a recital held in Beijing, Ferring heard Li perform a traditional Chinese folksong titled “Wusuli.” The song is about a fisherman’s experiences boating on the Wusuli River in Eastern Asia.

“I immediately fell in love with not only the song and vocal technique associated with it, but also his portrayal of the character,” Ferring says. “After the performance, I met up with Li Chao and had to use hand signals to express my desire to obtain sheet music for ‘Wusuli.’”

Over lunch, Li translated the song from traditional Chinese musical notation into a phonetic version, sound by sound.

“He slowly went through each and every character in the song,” says Ferring, who intends to perform “Wusuli” at a recital this spring. “He would point to his mouth when I would say something incorrectly. This was his signal for me to watch his pronunciation more closely.”

Cultures in harmony

Chelsea Smith, who graduated from Drake in May, says that she learned about the differences and similarities between Chinese and American music education during the trip.

“I observed a vocal lesson and I understood what the teacher was trying to accomplish,” says Smith. “Though we didn’t speak the same language, we shared a love of the arts. Many of the musical principles that we are taught in the United Sates are the same, though the vocal production is a bit different.”

Associate Professor of Voice Leanne Freeman-Miller organized the trip, which was centered on the theme of “Cultures in Harmony: Transcending Language Barriers with Music” and made possible thanks to a grant provided by Drake’s virtual language studies program.

“Personally, I feel that it’s very important to develop cultural exchanges through music,” Freeman-Miller says. “We didn’t need interpreters during performances — there’s an understanding between artists and musicians that transcends cultural or national boundaries.”

The Drake group visited Tianamen Square as part of a June trip to China.

The Drake group also visited the Peking Opera House, Tiananmen Square, The Summer Palace, The Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.

“We all very much enjoyed climbing the Great Wall,” says Smith. “It was an incredibly inspirational and moving experience for many of us, and to now say that we have witnessed one of the seven great wonders of the world makes me all the more incredibly thankful for this amazing opportunity.”

Read student blogs about the experiences at http://drakemusicstudio.posterous.com/

Interested in going abroad? Contact Drake’s Study Abroad Office for information on upcoming opportunities.

— Stella Hart, class of 2011