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March 24, 2000 - Vol.52, No. 40

Sheila McCoy named a Truman Scholar

Sheila McCoySheila R. McCoy, a junior at Drake and a resident of Merrill, Iowa, has been selected as a 2000 Truman Scholar on the basis of her leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of "making a difference."

McCoy will receive a $30,000 scholarship. She plans to serve in the Peace Corps before attending law school and devoting herself to finding effective, workable solutions to human rights abuses.

She is the fifth Drake student to be named a Truman Scholar since 1990. Drake's last Truman Scholar was Todd Sechser, AS'99.

McCoy's selection as one of approximately 75 Truman Scholars nationwide "is a tribute to the values of your institution and to the support of your Truman Faculty Representative Julian Archer," said Louis Blair, executive secretary of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, in an e-mail message to Drake President David Maxwell. "Professor Archer has just been terrific over the years in sending great Truman Scholars," he added.

McCoy has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 4.0 while majoring in English, political science and international relations.

Professor Archer describes her as a student "who combines her intellectual prowess with well-focused activism that has led to a variety of political and social involvement." She is president of Drake Democrats and secretary of the Iowa Young Democrats. She was head delegate and vice president of the Model United Nations as well as director of professor Debra DeLaet's Model World Conference on Human Rights.

McCoy also serves as a member and curriculum chair of the Honors Student Council Executive Council, editor of the Drake University Social Sciences Journal and president of the Phi Alpha Theta History Fraternity.
Pharmacy student wins national counseling competition

Katie Cubria, a sixth-year doctor of pharmacy student from Kansas City, Mo., recently won the national Patient Counseling Competition at the American Pharmaceutical Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C. She is the fifth Drake student in the last 11 years to finish in the top 10 in this competition.

Cubria, who plans to work for Medicap Pharmacies in Milwaukee following her graduation in May, was one of 80 students competing in the first round of the national competition. She and 9 other finalists advanced to the final round in which students were given a prescription and patient profile, then had five minutes to consult reference sources and prepare for a counseling session with the patient.
During the counseling session, the student has five minutes to effectively communicate necessary information and respond to the patient's questions and
concerns. The sessions are videotaped for judging, which is based on the accuracy of information and communication skills.

Cubria finished first and received a plaque and a $600 cash award. "It was pretty exciting," she said. "Since I'll be graduating soon, this has given me a vote of confidence."

Cubria attributed her success to her classes in patient counseling and communication skills as well as coaching provided by Linda Krypel, assistant professor of pharmacy.

"Katie is an outstanding student in all areas, and I am so proud of her achievement and have greatly enjoyed working with her," Krypel said.

Rick Morrow, interim dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, also praised Cubria. "Given the profession's changing role, with its increased emphasis on dissemination of information and other cognitive activities, this is an even more important and timely accomplishment by one of our finest students," he said.
Trumpet Ensemble wins honors

The Drake University Trumpet Ensemble, conducted by Andrew Classen, has been invited to perform at the 2000 International Trumpet Guild Conference May 24-27 at the State University of New York in Purchase, N.Y.

Drake's ensemble was selected through the judging of audition tapes submitted by college trumpet ensembles from around the world, said Classen, associate professor of trumpet and director of jazz studies.

Drake students will perform at the conference along with ensembles from Australia and France as well as New York, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The ensemble consists of eight students: Jackie Bechtold, a junior English major from St. Cloud, Minn.; Lucas Kraut, a freshman music business major from Winnebago, Ill.; Adam Kreis, a freshman music major from Batavia, Ill.; Bob Palmer, a senior trumpet major from Norwalk, Iowa; Bryan Parsons, a freshman music performance major from Alleman, Iowa; Marc Reed, a junior music education major from Ankeny; Melanie Spies, a freshman music education major from Manilla, Iowa; and Chris Strohmaier, a senior music performance major from Urbandale.
Seymour Papert to teach at Drake

This spring Drake's School of Education is launching a special partnership that could revolutionize education with some central Iowa public schools, Drake Head Start, the Heartland Area Education Agency, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. and one of the foremost thinkers on education, Seymour Papert.

A mathematician at MIT and one of the early pioneers of the concept of artificial intelligence, Papert is recognized as the world's seminal expert on the ways technology can change learning.

He invented the computer language Logo, designed to help children engineer their own learning. His constructionism theory of learning and education is based on the idea that people learn by actively constructing new knowledge, rather than having information "poured" into their heads. Technology is an important tool for helping learners "construct" complex ideas.

Papert met local educators and Drake education faculty when he attended educational conferences in central Iowa last year. Their conversations prompted Jan McMahill, FA'71, GR'76, assistant dean of the School of Education, to formally propose a three-year project to develop a new model of classroom instruction based on constructionism. After many meetings, Papert and the other partners signed on.
Over the next three years, Drake education students, teachers at the partner schools and parents will learn to teach elementary school students with the constructionist approach, using the Logo language, robotics and even Lego construction toys. Papert and his colleagues will visit regularly to teach courses at Drake and work with participating teachers in their classrooms. In fact, Papert will be teaching at Drake on Friday, March 31.

"This project represents true systemic change in education, and it's deep change," McMahill said. "It's an opportunity to create primary research to share with educators worldwide."
Appeals court judge to speak

Judge Laurence Silberman, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, will discuss how expanding legal processes and judicial activism affect the U.S. economy and policy on Thursday, March 30, at Drake Law School. The speech will start at 4:30 p.m. in room 206 of Cartwright Hall. It is sponsored by the Law School's Constitutional Law Center.
Microware exec to speak April 6

Kenneth B. Kaplan, BN'76, president and chief executive officer of Microware Systems Corp., will be the featured speaker at Drake's 21st Annual Business Days Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 6. His speech will focus on the challenges of operating a business in the dynamic field of information technology.

Members of the business community as well as Drake faculty, students, alumni and friends are invited to attend the banquet, which will start at 5 p.m. in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center.

Kaplan, a member of the Drake Board of Trustees, co-founded Microware in 1977. Today, Microware's system software can be found in products ranging from medical instrumentation and factory automation systems to consumer electronics products such as smart phones, pagers and digital television.

Business Days is made possible by Arthur Andersen LLP. Tickets for the banquet are $12.95 per person. For reservations, call x3749.
Drake Relays director to retire

Bob Ehrhart this week disclosed plans to retire as director of the Drake Relays, effective Sept. 1. He is in his 31st season as Drake Relays director, holding the longest tenure of any of the nine relays directors in school history. He will remain on as a consultant for the 2001 Drake Relays.
Exhibit to honor Kirschenbaum

Works by the late Jules Kirschenbaum, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of art, will be displayed in the Anderson Gallery in October in conjunction with an exhibition of his work at Olson-Larsen Galleries.

Three mobsters face-off at gunpoint in "Tarantino Variations,"
a comedy that's one of 10 new 10-minute plays to be presented
by Drake Theatre in "Ten x Ten," which opens Thursday, April 6,
in Studio 55 of the Harmon Fine Arts Center.
Seth Kramer, JO'93, wrote two of the plays, including "Tarantino Variations."
Bach recital set for April 2

On Sunday, April 2, organist Carl Staplin, assisted by members of the Drake Choir, will perform the second in a series of recitals celebrating the Art of J.S. Bach. The program will feature all of the major compositions from one of Bach's greatest keyboard collections: the monumental Clavierübung, Part 3 ("German Organ Mass"). These works have been recorded by Staplin on a CD released by Calcante Recordings Ltd. The recital will start at 3 p.m. in the Hall of Performing Arts, Harmon Fine Arts Center.
Freed to give lecture Thursday

Barbara Freed, author of Artists and their Museum on the Riviera, will give a lecture at Drake before speaking at the Des Moines Art Center on Thursday, March 30. The lecture, titled "In the Footsteps of Artists on La Cote d'Azur," will start at 4 p.m. in room 336 of the Harmon Fine Arts Center. Her visit is sponsored by the Alliance Française of Central Iowa with support from Friends of Drake Arts, the Drake art department and Des Moines Area Community College.
A Student-Centered Learning Environment

Crystal Smith, a journalism major from Des Moines, wanted to sign up for a summer political science program in Washington, D.C., but one of the requirements was the acquisition of an internship there. She asked one of her professors, Mike Marty, whether he knew of any summer internships in Washington. He told her that Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-based Children's Defense Fund, would be visiting Drake the next day.

The following day, Smith attended a workshop conducted by Mike Hudson, state coordinator of the Children's Defense Fund. She introduced herself to Hudson and inquired about available internships. Later that day, at an informal discussion, Smith was met at the door by Hudson, who took her by the hand and led her over to Edelman. Hudson proceeded to introduce Smith and describe her background, which led Edelman to conclude that "She wants to work for us."

Hudson and Edelman told Smith that all she needed to do was provide a resume and she would have herself a job. Smith followed up on the instructions and, indeed, in a matter of days, found herself with an internship in the nation's capital.

"I want to be able to serve somebody...and help change the world," she said. "When I spoke to Mike Hudson, he told me that the Children's Defense Fund made world-changers, so it's definitely something I want to be a part of."

Smith's internship will be in the Community Monitoring Department, which concentrates on child welfare laws. "I'm not exactly sure what I'll be asked to do," she said, "but I'm ready to do whatever I can."

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