|
On Campus
- Stories
May
9, 2003 Vol. 55, No. 42
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| Don Stratton, right, watches Jerry Honts, center, receive his award from Richard Anderson, president of the Iowa Academy of Science. |
Jerry Honts, associate
professor of biology at Drake, received the Distinguished Iowa Science Teaching
Award at the 115th annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science on April 25.
"This award usually goes to faculty members at research institutions such
as the University of Iowa and Iowa State University," said Don Stratton,
the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of physiology and professor of biology at
Drake. "It's quite an honor to have a Drake faculty member receive this award."
The award was established to acknowledge, honor and promote exceptional and innovative
teaching of undergraduate science at an Iowa college or university. Eligible disciplines
include all sciences, mathematics and the science-based technical disciplines.
Since Honts joined Drake in 1995, he has developed and offered 11 new courses
and is an advocate and practitioner of inquiry-based learning.
"It has been my goal to expose Drake students to the cutting edge of research
in molecular and cellular biology," Honts said. "My success in this
regard can be attributed to being able to teach in an environment that is conducive
to pedagogical development and innovation."
One of Honts' colleagues in the biology department described him this way: "He
is skilled. He is patient. He demands rigor and he receives respect and praise
for his efforts. In short, he is a gem."
Professor Stratton said Honts' students love his classes and get caught up in
his enthusiasm for science.
"It is impossible not to feel some of his enthusiasm, which never seems to
lessen as the semesters go on," one student said. "During the year that
I had Dr. Honts as a professor, I found, to my surprise, that my own passion for
biology and drive to learn expanded immensely."
Honts has been on sabbatical at the University of Arizona this year, working on
analyzing the molecular structure of an cellular protein that is a key target
in anti-cancer chemotherapy. "These studies have the potential to guide the
development of safer and more effective drugs," Honts said.
A walk-a-thon to
raise funds for the Drake Adult Literacy Center will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday,
May 17, on the Drake campus. Registration and the walk will begin at the School
of Education, 3206 University Ave. Participants are asked to solicit pledges in
advance of the walk, which will encompass a 1.5-mile tour of the Drake campus.
For 27 years, the Adult Literacy Center has offered tutoring to adults with such
low literacy skills that they cannot complete job applications, figure out their
bills, read medicine instructions correctly or apply for job promotions.
Currently, the center has 80 volunteers who tutor 70 adults as well as 20 children
in the adults' families.
The adults being served are among the 38 percent of Polk County residents whose
low literacy skills prevent them from functioning independently with the written
word, said Anne Murr, volunteer coordinator of the center.
Contributions to the Adult Literacy Center may be sent to the School of Education.
Please make checks payable to Drake University. For more information about signing
up for the walk, call Susan Harn at x3726 or Anne Murr at 1-641-342-3368.
On Saturday, May 17, Charles C. Edwards Jr., dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will become the third member of his family to give the commencement address at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. He also will become the second member of his family to receive an honorary doctorate from Iowa Wesleyan.
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| Charles C. Edwards Jr. |
Edwards said he
is proud to be carrying on a family tradition that began in 1854 when his great,
great grandfather, William Fletcher Cowles, gave the first-ever commencement address
at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
Edwards noted that his great uncle, Gardner "Mike" Cowles Jr., delivered
the commencement address to Iowa Wesleyan graduates in 1946 and again in 1955.
Cowles also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the college.
Serving on college and university governing boards also is a strong tradition
in Edwards' family. Three of his relatives - William Fletcher Cowles, Gardner
Cowles Sr. and Gardner "Mike" Cowles Jr. - were members of Iowa Wesleyan's
Board of Trustees. Edwards served on Drake's governing board for 13 years and
chaired the board's Academic Affairs Committee before taking a leave of absence
to apply for the dean's position in 2001.
Edwards will be receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Iowa Wesleyan
for the work he has done throughout his distinguished career.
Before joining Drake in 2002, Edwards had amassed 26 years of industry and administrative
experience with the Des Moines Register and Tribune Co. and the Gannett Co. Inc.,
including 12 years as publisher and president of The Des Moines Register.
During his tenure as publisher, the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes and was
named the best of Gannett's 97 daily newspapers three times.
Edwards left The Register in 1996 and spent the 1996-97 academic year teaching
at Drake as the visiting professional in residence in the SJMC. In 1998, he joined
Visionary Systems Ltd. as an owner and manager. In 2000, he formed Iowa Title
Plant LLC, which builds searchable databases of indexed public records and operates
four Iowa abstract and title offices.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Edwards serves on numerous boards and
commissions, including the State Board of Education and the Iowa College Foundation.
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| Marion J. Cubbage |
Marion J. Cubbage,
who worked at Drake for 25 years, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on April
29 in Des Moines at the age of 78.
She first worked in Drake's admission office, then served as the assistant to
two Drake presidents - Wilbur Miller and Michael R. Ferrari - before retiring
in 1992.
"Marion was always dependable and kept me organized during my time at Drake,"
Miller recalled. "She was a capable, bright and talented co-worker who was
truly a rare find. Marion always made working with her a pleasant experience in
both good times and bad times."
Ferrari, now chancellor at Texas Christian University, said he and his wife, Jan,
were deeply saddened to learn of Cubbage's death. "She was such a dear friend
and close colleague for so many years," he added. "We're so grateful
for all the wonderful times we had together. She was always a source of strength
and wise counsel on so many topics and issues. I knew I could depend on her honesty
and forthrightness and her sensitivity to others. Her contributions to Drake were
enormous. She was just an incredible person and I know she'll be missed deeply
by her family and friends."
Drake alumna Sharon Pilmer, director of marketing and communications at Drake,
said Cubbage made a huge difference in her life and was the personification of
what it means to be part of the Drake family. Here's her most memorable story
about Cubbage:
"Marion's daughter, Ann, and I grew up together, so Marion knew me - at least
who I was - since my kindergarten days. During my first semester as a freshman
at Drake, I decided I needed to be a Big 10 party girl - so I transferred to the
University of Iowa for spring semester.
"Suffice it to say, I was miserable from Day One. I was so accustomed to
having professors who knew me and would spend time with me that I just couldn't
handle things like my 700-person rhetoric class and my 500-person American history
class at Iowa. I had been spoiled by Drake - I knew it, and I wanted to go back.
"After less than two weeks at Iowa, I dropped out, hoping I could re-enroll
at Drake, but knew that I may have missed the registration cut-off and would have
to wait until fall semester.
"So, one cold January morning in 1976, I was headed toward Old Main and ran
into George Mosher, who was then the purchasing director and the father of a good
friend. When he heard what I had done, he literally grabbed me by the arm, took
me to the president's office and told me to tell Marion my sad little story. (I
was in tears by this time.)
"Marion listened, then smiled at me at said, 'Sharon, it's OK. We can get
you re-enrolled.' She handed me a course catalog, told me to pick out my classes,
and immediately got on the phone to take care of whatever administrative stuff
had to happen. She hung up, looked at the list of courses I wanted to take and
got on the phone again to work her magic.
"By the next morning, I was back at Drake - enrolled in every class I had
requested, and welcomed with open arms by professors who knew me. Oh, and Marion
somehow got all of the financial aid I had previously been awarded - and given
up when I transferred to Iowa - restored.
"More than 25 years later, I still think about that experience quite often
- and about Marion, and how wonderful she was to me. I always meant to send her
a thank-you years afterwards to let her know how much I appreciated what she had
done - and that as a freaked-out 18-year-old who thought she was a total loser
and had ruined her life, I thought she had truly saved it. I only wish I had done
so. She was a very special person."
In addition to her work at Drake, Cubbage was an active volunteer at her alma
mater, Grinnell College, where she served as a member and president of the Alumni
Council. She was involved in planning her 55th class reunion at the time of her
death. Memorial gifts should be made to Grinnell College.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at Scottish Rite Park,
2909 Woodland Ave. Cubbage is survived by her husband, Jerome; three children:
Frederick Cubbage of Apex, N.C., Alan Cubbage of Evanston, Ill., and Ann Hoeppner
of Sioux City; and five grandchildren and a sister.
Donald V. Adams,
executive assistant to President Maxwell for community and alumni affairs, recently
was presented with the national Pillar of the Profession Award. The honor was
given by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Foundation
Board of Directors. The award recognizes distinguished NASPA Foundation members
who have made significant contributions to the student affairs profession and
signifies the high regard in which its recipients are held by their student affairs
colleagues across the country.
The NASPA Foundation supports the advancement of knowledge concerning students,
higher education institutions and issues facing the student affairs profession.
"I am very flattered to receive this award," Adams said. "Drake's
compatibility with my personal and professional values and the values of the NASPA
Foundation has enabled me to develop into the productive professional I am today.
I have had the opportunity to work with great staff members and student leaders
over the years. To see Drake students who see it as the highest honor to be in
a position of leadership is a dream come true to an administrator like me. I feel
very lucky and fortunate."
While president of NASPA from 1977-78, Adams worked with the president of the
American Council on Education to establish a NASPA office at ACE in Washington,
D.C. He also served as consultant and evaluator for the North Central Association
of Colleges and Schools and ACE.
Faculty and staff are invited to help Larry Molenburg, real estate manager, celebrate his retirement after 34 years at Drake by attending a retirement picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, on the south plaza of the Drake Knapp Center. In case of rain, the picnic will be held at the same time and place on Thursday, May 15.
The May 2 issue
of On Campus incorrectly reported the honorary degree to be presented at
the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony to Iowa Chief Justice Louis Lavorato.
He will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Also in that issue, a member of the Helmick family was misidentified in a photo.
The photo showed Suzanne Helmick Book with her brother, John Helmick, not Rob
Helmick. Rob Helmick had been scheduled to speak at the dedication of Helmick
Commons, but John Helmick spoke instead.