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On Campus
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April 30, 2004 Vol. 56, No. 30
A total of more than 1,150 students representing 28 countries will be honored during Drake's Commencement Weekend - May 8-9.
The weekend's activities will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8, with a hooding ceremony for Doctor of Pharmacy graduates at the Drake Knapp Center.
All 2003-2004 graduates, their parents and guests are invited to attend the President's Reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 8, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center.
The Law School Commencement Ceremony will start at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Drake Knapp Center. Dennis W. Archer, the first African American to be elected president of the American Bar Association, will give the commencement address. His speech, titled "The Power of the Lawyer," will have historic significance because it will take place in Des Moines, the birthplace of the National Bar Association, the nation's oldest and largest national association of predominantly African American lawyers and judges. Archer served as national president of the National Bar Association 20 years ago.
Drake's 123rd Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 9, at the Drake Knapp Center. An honorary Doctor of Public Service degree will be presented to Cushing Dolbeare, who has tirelessly given a voice to Americans in need of affordable housing for more than 50 years. As a leader and advocate for progressive housing policy, she has created a legacy of commitment to protecting and improving federal housing resources. As a lecturer and researcher, she has raised awareness of the need for a solution to the nation's affordable housing crisis.
In 1974, Dolbeare's dedication to the affordable housing movement led to her founding the National Low Income Housing Coalition in her garage in suburban Washington, D.C. Through the coalition, she brought together religious groups, labor unions, social welfare organizations and other social justice activists in an effort to represent the interests of people with lower incomes in the housing debate. After leading the organization from 1977 to 1984 and again from 1993 to 1994, Dolbeare is now chair emeritus of the coalition, which is recognized by Congress as the leader in affordable housing education and advocacy.
Dolbeare will speak at the ceremony, as will Drake President David Maxwell and Martha Chaput, the recipient of the Oreon E. Scott Award. John McCaw, professor emeritus of religion and former dean of Drake's Divinity School, will be the featured speaker at the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at the Drake Knapp Center.
All three commencement ceremonies will be televised on cable television and streamed live on the Drake Web site. On Mediacom of Central Iowa, viewers can tune in to channel 16 or 46. To view the streaming video, visit www.drake.edu/dtc and click on the "View DTC Streaming TV" link.
Charli Carpenter, a lecturer in politics and international relations, recently completed a research trip to Bosnia, where she examined the fate of "war babies" - children born of wartime rape. Her research is funded by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Carpenter will discuss her findings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, in room 235 of Meredith Hall. The talk is sponsored by the Drake Center for Global Citizenship. She also will show Raymonde Provencher's award-winning documentary titled "War Babies." The documentary focuses on children of wartime rape in Bangladesh, Bosnia, Rwanda, Nicaragua and Korea.
Before leaving on a 13-day tour of Austria and the Czech Republic, the Drake Choir and Chamber Choir will perform a concert at noon Wednesday, May 12, on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. The choirs are conducted by Aimee Beckmann-Collier, director of choral studies. The concert will be followed by an ice cream social sponsored by Drake University President David Maxwell.
Billie Ray, ED'50, will be honored at the 76th Anniversary Awards Dinner of the National Conference for Community and Justice on Tuesday, May 11, at the Embassy Suites on the River. The event will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.
In addition to Ray, four other individuals will be honored: B.J. Do, Linda M. Carter-Lewis, Rich Eychaner and Stella Neill, RSM.
NCCJ is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism. The group promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education.
The first Drake students to ever compete in the National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Competition sponsored by the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) were hoping to make the finals. Drake's team not only made the finals; it won the competition last month in San Francisco.
"At first we were thrilled to get into the top eight for the finals, " said Emily Rogers, a fourth-year pharmacy student from West Des Moines and one of four members of the Drake team. " When we won, I was thrilled. It's a big win for the College of Pharmacy and one of the best things I've done as a student."
In addition to Rogers, the team consisted of Abby Butler, a third-year pharmacy student from Sioux City, Iowa; Phil Grgurich, a second-year pharmacy student from Canton, Ill.; and Nichole Schliemann, a first-year pharmacy student from Kasota, Minn.
The other universities competing in the finals were Maryland, Ohio State, Illinois-Chicago, Southern California, Duquesne, Pittsburgh and Loma Linda.
Drake's team began
preparing for the competition in late December and worked diligently throughout the spring semester under the guidance of adviser Lon Larson, professor of pharmacy administration. The competition focused on analyzing drug products and determining which ones are most medically appropriate and cost effective for treating disease and promoting health. "The competition involved writing a summary that included all the pharmacological, clinical, therapeutic and economic factors of a drug that medical institutions such as HMOs or hospitals must consider when choosing which medications are best at treating disease and saving money," Larson said.
The competition challenges students from the Academy's Student Chapter ranks to think in terms of real world experience when implementing AMCP's Format for Formulary Submissions. The competition gives students an opportunity to hone and test their evaluation skills. More important, the competition allows students to view different styles and processes that can be used in effective formulary management.
In the competition, each team reviewed and critiqued a dossier of a new drug product prepared by its manufacturer. A drug manufacturer typically proffers a dossier when it asks to have a drug placed on a medical institution's drug formulary system.
The dossier contains clinical evidence and economic analyses, which need to be assessed and critiqued. A drug formulary system is a process in which a health care organization establishes its policies on the use of drug products and therapies, and identifies the most medically appropriate and cost-effective choices to best serve its patient population.
The Drake team prepared a five-page document comparing the dossier to formulary submission guidelines, a 10-page summary, a two-page executive summary, and a handout for a 30-minute presentation.
"At the national AMCP meeting, the team verbally presented the highlights of the summary to a pharmacy and therapeutics committee," Larson said. "The judges were extremely complimentary, and the comments weren't just about this particular issue, but also addressed how the students understand the entire scope of managed-care pharmacy."
For its efforts, the Drake team will receive a free trip to an AMCP meeting next fall in Baltimore, where it will receive a plaque commemorating this spring's victory.
"I knew we have good students, very exceptional students actually," Larson said. "And with this being the first time we've been in this competition, it was a very pleasant and rewarding experience. We were just floating in the clouds. Our students did an outstanding job and we can be very proud of them."
Rodney Rogers wins WOI-TV's 'My Favorite Teacher' award
Rodney Rogers, professor of biology, recently received the "My Favorite Teacher" award from WOI-TV. The presentation of the award during one of Rogers' classes was broadcast April 21 on the Channel 5 newscasts at 5 and 10 p.m.
Rogers, LA'49, GR'51, was nominated for the award by one of his friends and former students, Kirk Brill, ED'63, GR'69. Brill, a retired teacher who taught biology at Southeast Polk High School for 34 years, wrote a three-page letter of nomination that he read during the award presentation.
"Dr. Rogers has the greatest warm smile and twinkle in his eyes that you have ever seen," Brill said in his letter. "He takes a genuine interest in all his students. He has a wonderful sense of humor and made every minute of his classes interesting. He tried to teach things that were important. He tried to apply our class learning to our lives. I took this to heart and did the same thing. I helped over 100 students in my career become doctors and vets. Some of them even ended up at Drake in Dr. Rogers' classes and had him as their adviser also (at my insistence)."
Brill has won several awards himself, including Biology Teacher of the Year from the Iowa Academy of Science. His students have been nationally recognized for their work in environmental projects, such as saving Brown's Woods from becoming a housing development. Brill said Rogers always sends him a congratulatory note whenever he or his students receive recognition.
Drake will honor seven alumni for their professional accomplishments and community service at the Drake National Alumni Association Annual Awards Dinner on Friday, May 7, at Olmsted Center.
Dean P. Baarda, a 1962 Drake graduate, will receive the Distinguished Service Award, the top honor bestowed upon alumni of Drake University. This award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual in a career or professions and exemplary service to the community and University. Baarda, of Grinnell, Iowa, is former vice president of Petco Inc.'s Midwest region. He has served as chair of the Drake President's Circle, gift chair for his 40th class reunion and co-chair of his 35-year reunion.
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a 1992 graduate of Drake Law School who also holds a graduate degree in journalism from Drake, will receive the Young Alumni Achievement Award. Taylor, of Charlotte, N.C., is executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for Compass Group USA Inc.
The Young Alumni Loyalty Award will be presented to Jeremy Glenn, a 1994 Drake graduate who is an attorney with Meckler Bulger and Tilson in Chicago, representing management in labor and employment matters.
Bill and Ann Lienemann of Springfield, Ill., will share the Alumni Loyalty Award for their dedicated service to Drake University. Bill Lienemann, who earned a bachelor's degree from Drake in 1954 and a graduate degree from Drake in 1959, is retired vice president of Northeastern Illinois University and former vice chancellor for the governing board of Illinois' state universities. Ann Lienemann, a 1956 Drake graduate, has been an active volunteer for many organizations.
Two Alumni Achievement Awards will be given this year to honor individuals for outstanding achievement in a career or profession.
Anel E. Beliz, a 1950 Drake graduate who lives in Paris, France, will be recognized for his distinguished career in communications and diplomacy. He is the ambassador of the Republic of Panama to France. Beliz and his wife, professor Olga Geneteau de Beliz, were the first Panamanian students to graduate from Drake.
Don Fletcher, a 1967 Drake graduate who lives in Liberty, Mo., will be recognized for his professional accomplishments and his service to Drake. He is president of North American and international operations of Hallmark Carks Inc. At Drake, Fletcher has served as a career adviser and as a member of the College of Business and Public Administration's National Advisory Board.
Reservations are required for the dinner, which will start with a reception at 6 p.m. The dinner costs $25 per person. Call x3147 for reservations.