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April 21, 2000 Vol. 52, No. 44

Governing board elects new chair, member

Ben Ullem
Benjamin B. Ullem


David W. Miles



At its April meeting, the Drake University Board of Governors elected Des Moines attorney Benjamin B. Ullem, LA'66, LW'69, to be its chair for a one-year term. Ullem, a senior partner in the law firm of Whitfield and Eddy, P.L.C., succeeds former Iowa Gov. Robert D. Ray, BN'52, LW'54, as chair.

Ullem has been a member of Drake's board of governors since 1992. His service to Drake is long and varied. He has been president of the Drake Law School Board of Counselors and president of the Drake National Alumni Association Board. In 1993 he received Drake's Alumni Loyalty Award and was named to chair Drake's National Commission II, which helped to plan the current fund drive, Campaign Drake. In that campaign, Ullem is chair of the Law School's $30 million effort.

The Drake Board of Governors also elected David W. Miles, LA'79, GR'81, president and CEO of AMCORE Investment Group, to a three-year term as a board member. Miles has served on the Drake governing board in an ex-officio capacity since 1996 by being president of the Drake National Alumni Association and chair of its board of directors.

Miles served on Drake's National Commission II, was a member of the Drake Student Life National Advisory Board, received the Young Alumni Achievement Award, was president of Drake's National Alumni Association from 1996 to 1998 and was chair of its board from 1998 to 2000.
Relays tickets selling fast

Tickets are selling briskly for the 91st annual Drake Relays, April 28 and 29. Athletic Ticket Office Manager Michael Boele expects a sellout crowd on Saturday for the 35th consecutive year. Faculty and staff receive a discount. For tickets, call x3791.
Faculty and staff also are invited to attend the following events during Relays Weekend:

J-School Awards Dinner Friday

Two alumni will be honored at the Fourth Annual Awards Dinner for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication on Friday, April 28. They are:

The featured speaker will be Herb Strentz, professor of journalism and mass communication. His speech is titled "Fear and Loathing in the J-School" or "I Keep Forgetting Whether I'm Senile."
A reception will be held at 6 p.m. in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center. Dinner will follow at 7 p.m. The cost is $25 per person or $10 per student. For reservations, call x4176 by noon Monday, April 24.

Dinner to honor alumni May 12

Faculty and staff are invited to join the Drake University National Alumni Association in honoring outstanding alumni on Friday, May 12.

The annual Alumni Awards Dinner will start with a cash bar from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Upper Gallery of Olmsted Center. Dinner and the awards ceremony will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in Parents Hall. The cost is $25 per person. For reservations, please send payment to Special Programs, Office of Alumni and Parents Programs. For more information, call x3152.
Beautiful Bulldog Contest returns

The 21st annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest will kick off Drake Relays Festival Week on Monday, April 24, at Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines. Forty bulldogs will participate in the contest to determine Drake's mascot for the 91st running of the Drake Relays April 28-29.

The contestants will be judged by a panel starting at 11 a.m. with the pageant scheduled for noon. The Beautiful Bulldog Contest is sponsored by the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery and Three Dog Bakery of West Des Moines.

Members of the celebrity judges panel include Drake President David Maxwell and his wife, Madeleine; John Rosen, Drake student body president; and members of the local media.

From left: Scott Lefton, Jennifer Pytleski and Jill Fouts star in Drake's production of Maxim Gorki's "Vassa," which opens Thursday, April 27, and continues through April 30 in Studio 55 of the Harmon Fine Arts Center. William S.E. Coleman directs the darkly satiric comedy that probes the baser nature of a middle-class Russian family.



Despite snow and a temperature of 23 degrees, 60 to 70 Drake students pitched in to help area residents pick up 40 tons of litter and debris along streets and alleys near campus on April 8.

Honors Convocation Wednesday

Faculty and staff are invited to attend the annual Honors Convocation of the College of Arts and Sciences at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center.

Jennifer McCrickerd, assistant professor of philosophy, will deliver the honors address. Ronald Troyer, dean of the college, will announce the student awards, which will be presented by the faculty.
Drake to celebrate 'Take Our Daughters to Work Day' Thursday

Deb Jospin, director of Americorps, will be the featured speaker at Drake's "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" luncheon on Thursday, April 27. The lunch will start at noon in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center. For more information about "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" at Drake, visit www.mac.drake.edu/org/women/tod.html.
Drake students to teach in China

Drake seniors Marta Anderson and Nicholas Buchholz have been selected to teach English during the 2000-01 academic year at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China. They will be participating in a program co-sponsored by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.
Drake is one of roughly one dozen colleges and universities that select students approaching graduation or recent graduates for teaching assignments in China. This is the fourth year that Drake has participated in the program.

David Skidmore, associate professor of politics and international relations, said Anderson and Buchholz were selected for the program because of their English language and teaching skills as well as their travel experience, maturity and sense of adventure. They are scheduled to leave for China in August.
Robertson wins Fulbright grant

Elizabeth Robertson, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Workshop, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant to teach at the Universite Nationale du Benin in Africa for the 2000-01 academic year.

Although she is eager to go, Robertson said her acceptance of the grant will hinge on whether she can secure adequate housing and schooling for her eight children in Benin. "We're all hoping for the best," she said, adding that she expects to decide by June.
Keep up with program review

To stay up to date with Drake's program review, visit this Web site:
www.drake.edu/artsci/drakeprogrev/
Drake co-sponsors town meeting

Drake is one of four co-sponsors of a U.S. Department of State Town Meeting titled "Refugees and Immigration: Humanitarian Response and Workforce Implications." The meeting will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at the Marriott in downtown Des Moines.

Registration, including a luncheon, is $25 per person. For more information and reservations, call
282-8269 or send a message to iowaiciu@aol.com.
Goldwater Scholar selected

Christopher Fennell, a junior chemistry major from Council Bluffs, Iowa, has received a Goldwater Scholarship Award for the 2000-01 academic year.

He is one of 309 outstanding students selected by the Goldwater Foundation on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,176 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. His one-year scholarship will provide up to $7,500 for tuition, books and fees.

Fennell plans to graduate from Drake University in May 2001 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, then earn a Ph.D. in theoretical/computational chemistry.

"Chris is a very thoughtful student...he has given a lot of thought to his future research," said Colin Cairns, associate professor and chair of the chemistry department. "Academically, he is one of the strongest students I've seen come through the department in the 12 years I've been here."
Hamilton chairs new council

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has named law professor Neil Hamilton chairman of the newly created Iowa Food Policy Council that will help identify new opportunities for Iowa food producers.

Hamilton, director of the Law School's Agricultural Law Center, is a strong proponent of a food-system approach to agricultural issues and was instrumental in convincing the governor to create the council. The 20-member council includes representatives from local food producers, processors, distributors and retailers as well as cooperative extension representatives, urban agriculture and education representatives, and policy, legal, hunger prevention and food security experts.

All research, policy development and publication activities of the council will be coordinated through the Law School's Agricultural Law Center, which has devoted $20,000 to the creation and startup of the council. Additional funding will come from private donations, state and federal grants, the Wallace Genetic Foundation and the Ruan family.
Drake to stage 'Fledermaus' Gala

Drake University Opera Theatre will present A "Fledermaus" Gala, based on Act 2 of the operetta "Die Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss, at 8 p.m. Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29, in the Hall of Performing Arts, Harmon Fine Arts Center.

This ever-popular operetta is a madcap comedy of light-hearted deceit, filled with lively dance music. Two former Metropolitan Opera Audition winners will appear as special guest soloists.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call x3841.
Drake Head Start gives awards

Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack was the keynote speaker at the second annual Drake University Head Start Awards Presentation on April 14. More than 30 individuals and organizations were recognized for their contributions to the six-county Drake Head Start program.

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