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February 18, 2000 Vol. 52, No. 35

GOV. VILSACK TO SPEAK AT DRAKE SATURDAY

Gov. Tom Vilsack will speak to Drake students at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, in Bulldog Theater in Olmsted Center. The event is open to the entire Drake community. Vilsack is expected to talk about the importance of getting young people involved in the political process. Vilsack was invited to speak at the University by the Drake Democrats.
SIMPSON TO RECEIVE SPIRIT OF DRAKE AWARD

Lou Ann Simpson, professor of business law at Drake University, has been named the first recipient of the Donald V. Adams Spirit of Drake Award. The newly-established award will be presented annually to the Drake faculty or staff member who best exemplifies the spirit of Drake as reflected in its mission statement and in the daily life of the University.

Simpson, who has twice been named the outstanding undergraduate teacher of the year in the Drake College of Business and Public Administration, will be recognized during halftime of this Saturday's Drake-Wichita State men's basketball game at the Drake Knapp Center. The game starts at 7:05 p.m.

The award, established by the Drake Athletic Department, is named in honor of Don Adams, who has been an administrator at Drake since 1969. He served as vice president of student life from 1969 to 1985 and then was named vice president of enrollment management from 1985 to 1995. Adams' current role is executive assistant to the president, director of government relations and secretary of the University.

Simpson, who has been nominated for the Levitt Teacher of the Year award, earned her bachelor of science degree in business administration and her law degree from Drake before she began practicing law in Des Moines. She joined the Drake faculty in 1974.

Simpson serves on the Drake Faculty Senate and will be president of the Drake Faculty Senate for the second time during the 2000-01 academic year. She has been both an assistant and associate dean of the College of Business and Public Administration as well as the director of the School of Accounting.

"Lou Ann is an extraordinary teacher and an even better person who genuinely cares about students," said Drake athletic director Lynn King. "She has consistently served the institution in leadership roles, excelling in the classroom and mentoring students. She represents what Drake is all about. It gives me great pleasure to present her with the first Don Adams Spirit of Drake Award."

Simpson has been a member of the Bulldog Scholarship Board and has chaired the Drake Athletic Council. She also served as Drake's faculty athletic representative to the NCAA from 1988 to 1992.
USA TODAY HONORS DRAKE SENIOR CODY KOCH

Cody Koch, a senior at Drake University, Thursday was named to the Second Team of USA Today's All-USA College Academic Team. He was among 20 students selected for the Second Team and 828 students nominated by their colleges and universities for the newspaper's academic teams.

USA Today also named 20 students to the First Team and 20 students to the Third Team. The students were chosen as representatives of all outstanding undergraduates for their grades, awards and activities, leadership and ability to use their academic skills outside the classroom.

Koch, who will graduate in May with both his bachelor's degree with a biology major and with his master's degree in public administration, is a resident of Johnston. He plans to attend the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn., where he was one of 42 students admitted from a field of 3,100 applicants.

"Cody is very bright, but there are a lot of bright people out there," said Dr. Moses Rodriguez, director of Mayo's M.D./Ph.D. program. "He is a unique person, with a real commitment to both science and to patient care. He's very well balanced."

USA Today noted that Koch has a 4.0 grade-point average and has conducted research on antibodies' binding sites aimed at multiple sclerosis treatments. The newspaper also reported that he played varsity football, served as student body vice president, and founded and chaired a health policy task force.

Koch attends Drake on a National Alumni Scholarship, which covers full tuition and room and board. As a first-year student, he began conducting research with Drake pharmacy professor Nita Pandit and chemistry professor Maria Bohorquez. "They have been excellent mentors who have taken the time to teach me about research rather than mindlessly carry out experiments at their direction," he said.

Under the guidance of the two professors, Koch had two peer review research articles published. He also landed prestigious biomedical research internships at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston as well as at Mayo.
PROF. MARTY TO LEAD FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT DISCUSSION

On Sunday, Feb. 20, Drake professor Myron Marty and his wife, Shirley, will give a talk and slide presentation about their newly published book titled Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Fellowship. The free presentation will start at 2:30 p.m. at the Franklin Avenue Public Library, 5000 Franklin Ave. Borders Books will offer signed copies of the book for sale after the presentation.
SUNDAY RECITAL TO FEATURE FLUTE MUSIC

Flutist Patricia Shinehouse and pianist Chiu-Ling Lin will perform "A Program of Flute Music from Around the World" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. The recital will feature works by composers from China, Hungary, India and Latin America as well as music with an African-American influence. Admission is free.
MATT WILSON'S JAZZ QUARTET TO PERFORM AT DRAKE MONDAY

The Matt Wilson Quartet will perform at Drake University on Monday, Feb. 21. The concert will start at 8 p.m. on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 for adults, $3 for students or free with a Drake ID.

Matt Wilson, a drummer, leads the quartet, which received glowing reviews of its first CD, "As Wave Follows Wave."

"Wilson is a great drummer, a promising composer and he knows how to lead a band," wrote Bob Blumentahl in the Boston Globe. Ken Franckling of United Press International described Wilson as "a wizard of sounds, pulling from his bag of tricks a spectrum of musical colors and accents to fit whatever jazz moment he is in at the time."

Born in Knoxville, Ill., Wilson started playing the drums when he was 8 years old. "While in high school I played in rock bands, a big band and some small groups; I learned to be versatile early on," he said.

During the past few years, Wilson has played with many groups, including the bands of Kohlhase, Fewell, Dewey Redman, Cecil McBee, Sam Newsome, Allan Chase, Vic Juris, Lee Konitz, Don Friedman and Ingrid Jensen, among others. Wilson also is active as a jazz educator, teaching part time at Long Island University, giving private lessons to students at the New School and conducting clinics and workshops.
FORUM TO EXPLORE 'STEPS TOWARD RACIAL MATURITY'

A public forum on Wednesday, Feb. 23, will address the steps the Drake community can take to create a high quality multicultural environment inside the University and beyond. The forum, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in room 101 of Meredith Hall.

Drake students Ajenai Clemmons and Serge Kobsa will moderate the discussion. Clemmons is a sophomore majoring in international relations and Kobsa is a first-year biology major.

The panelists will be Des Moines Mayor Preston Daniels, LA'78, GR'85; Judith Allen, associate professor of psychology; Wanda Everage, assistant to the provost for academic enhancement programs; Min-Zhan Lu, associate professor of English and endowment professor of the humanities; Edward Mays, visiting instructor of sociology; Jody Swilky, associate professor of English and director of the Cultural Studies program; and Linda Williams, interim director of student activities.
ATTORNEY INVOLVED IN STUDENT EXPULSION CASE TO SPEAK AT DRAKE

Berve Power, one of the lawyers who assisted in the case of the six Illinois black students who were expelled from school after a brawl at a football game last fall, will speak at Drake Law School on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The speech, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7 p.m. in room 206 of Cartwright Hall.

Power helped draft pleadings, write briefs and question witnesses after the students filed suit in federal court to have the expulsions overturned. The Decatur, Ill., school board expelled the students for two years for their participation in the melee.

The case drew national attention when the Rev. Jesse Jackson called the action discriminatory and went to Decatur to protest the harsh punishment. He eventually negotiated a shorter suspension period for the students, but a federal court upheld the right of the school system to impose the punishment. The students have filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.

Power, who earned his law degree from DePaul University, will answer questions after his talk and then attend a reception. His appearance at the Law School is sponsored by Drake's Black Law Students Association.
STUDENTS COMPETE IN PHYSICS OLYMPICS AT DRAKE

Approximately 150 high school students from central Iowa tested their creativity and construction skills Wednesday in the 22nd Annual Physics Olympics at Drake University. Drake physics and education students helped with the event, which is sponsored by Drake's School of Education and the Heartland Area Education Agency. The Des Moines Register, WOI TV and the Radio Iowa network covered the competition. Team and individual winners received prize ribbons. They will advance to the state competition, which is set for April 4 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.

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