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On Campus
- Stories
June 25, 2004 Vol. 57, No. 3
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| Gathering on the track after Tuesday’s announcement of the Prairie Meadows gift are (from left) Mark Kostek, Bob Farinella, Gary Palmer, Natasha Kaiser- Brown, Tom Drake, David Maxwell, Brian Brown and Dave Blank. |
Drake is dashing into the homestretch in the race to revitalize Drake Stadium with
recent announcements of two major gifts - $1 million from the Principal
Financial Group Foundation Inc. and $1 million from Praire Meadows.
Drake President David Maxwell said the gifts will help the University bring the track up to international standards and attract regional and national track and field competitions with an economic impact of more than $300 million over 10 years.
"We are extremely grateful to the Principal Financial Group Foundation and to Prairie Meadows for their generous commitments toward the revitalization of Drake Stadium," President Maxwell said. "This project is not just about Drake University - it has tremendous potential to enhance the economic vitality and the visibility of Des Moines by making the city the track and field capital of the Midwest."
J. Barry Griswell, chairman, president and CEO of the Principal Financial Group, said: "Revitalization of Drake Stadium represents great economic opportunity not only for Drake, but the entire Greater Des Moines area. The Principal is proud to be part of this important investment in the growth of our community."
Bob Farinella, president, CEO and general manager of Prairie Meadows, noted that athletes have been competing in Drake Stadium for nearly 80 years. "Just as Drake Stadium has become a part of the history of Des Moines, Prairie Meadows wants to do its part to ensure this wonderful landmark is a part of the future as well," he said.
Over the years, Drake Stadium has played host to hundreds of world-class athletes, including Jesse Owens, Frank Shorter, Carl Lewis, Gwen Torrence, Kevin Little, Brian Brown and Natasha Kaiser-Brown.
Kaiser-Brown, a two-time Olympian who competed in 16 Drake Relays, serves as head men's and women's track coach at Drake, as well as honorary co-chair of the stadium fundraising campaign's Leadership Team. "The new stadium will not only provide an awesome atmosphere for the athletes, but for the fans as well," she said. "New bleachers,
concessions and modern rest rooms will definitely
enhance the Drake Relays experience."
Athletes competing in the Relays appreciate the stadium's intimate atmosphere, the enthusiastic and dedicated fans, and the experienced volunteers who help the meet run smoothly year after year, said Brian Brown, assistant men's and women's track coach at Drake and a former world-class high jumper who holds the Relays special invitational record of 7-7. "Drake Relays has a long tradition of excellence," he added, "and it will be wonderful to have an excellent facility for the Relays as well."
Delaney Kirk, professor of management at Drake, is on a mission to help faculty across the country wrest back the college classroom from students who have, she claims, exploited a trend toward informality in higher education and become increasingly disruptive and inconsiderate.
Kirk’s “A-ha” moment occurred three years ago, during an undergraduate human resources course she refers to now as the “class from hell.”
“I had been teaching for 20 years and was just dumbfounded by the behavior of the students in this class,” Kirk recalls. “Coming to class tardy; having their cell phones ring during class; leaving in the middle of class to go to the bathroom. One student even fell asleep during every class period.”
At first, Kirk was angry at the students, but then blamed herself for not setting expectations early on.
She seized control of the classroom by changing the rules of the course in midstream and feared she’d be punished accordingly in student evaluations. It didn’t happen.
“I found they respected me more for having set these rules,” she says. “And, they learned more because I didn’t have to deal with behavioral problems.”
Since that course, Kirk has emerged as a pioneer in classroom management. She’s writing a book on the topic and teaches classes to other college teachers around the country. For example, she recently taught mini-courses at Duke University and will be conducting a three-day workshop at the University of Washington in Seattle in July. She also led a workshop in March in Orlando, Fla., at the national meeting of the Federation of Business Disciplines.
Wherever she goes, she hears enthusiastic agreement
with her assessment that college students can tend to be uncivil and disrespectful, and that teachers often don’t know how to deal with this tendency.
“Part of this is probably our fault as instructors,” she says. “Many of my colleagues ‘dress down’ in the classroom as a way to relate to their students. Universities are putting greater emphasis on the student as a customer and giving student evaluations a great deal of weight in determining renewals of contracts. Some faculty members say they are afraid to say no when asked to allow late papers, give extra credit, or makeup tests. They have lost control of their classrooms.”
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| Herb Strentz |
Herb Strentz, who recently retired after 30 years as an administrator and professor in the Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named to the national "Open Government Hall of Fame" for his efforts to ensure that public meetings and records remain accessible to Iowans.
Strentz was selected by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Society of Professional Journalists for their "Heroes of the 50 States: The Open Government Hall of Fame" at the organizations' annual conference in Newark, N.J., in May.
Induction into the Hall honors "long and steady effort to preserve and protect the free flow of information about state and local government that is
vital to the public in a democracy," according to its creators.
"NFOIC and SPJ are pleased to recognize Herb Strentz's tireless efforts to keep state and local government records and meetings open and accessible to his fellow citizens," said the letter announcing his selection. "His many years of educational
efforts have provided an invaluable public service to the citizens of Iowa."
Strentz was the longtime executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, based in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is an international consultant on freedom of information and information policy issues.
The Iowa Freedom of Information Council is a coalition of journalists, librarians, attorneys, educators and others concerned about open government.
More than 250 alumni and friends will represent Drake University at the Des Moines Arts Festival today (June 25), June 26 and 27. They will sell Pepsi beverages and bottled water to raise money for the Central Iowa Alumni Chapter Computer Scholarship.
"Our volunteers will help create awareness of Drake at the festival, which is ranked fifth in the nation this year among 600 festivals across the country," said Melissa Sturm-Smith, associate director of alumni and parent programs.
The free three-day celebration will decorate the downtown riverfront with exceptional artwork, entertainment and children's activities. Bob Henderson, computer/network technician at Drake, plays bass and tenor drum in the Iowa Scottish Pipes and Drums band, which will perform from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at the Simon Estes Amphitheater as part of the Des Moines Arts Festival.
The band recently won first place in its division at the Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival in Springfield, Ill., and second place in its division in a Chicago competition.
Jazz in July will come to Drake on Saturday, July 3. The Java Jews will perform at 5:30 p.m., followed by Thelonious Assault at 7:30 p.m. in the courtyard of the Harmon Fine Arts Center, 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue.
Abe Goldstien, JO’76, leads the Java Jews. Andrew Classen, associate professor of trumpet and director of jazz studies at Drake, directs Thelonious Assault, a band named in honor of legendary jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk.
The free concert is sponsored by Friends of Drake Arts, Drake University and the Drake Neighborhood Association. In case of rain, the concert will be held in First Christian Church, 25th Street and University Avenue.
A third-year Drake Law School student from Clear Lake, Iowa, is the new Miss Iowa. Carolyn Nicholas, 23, won the title on June 12 over 17 other competitors.
"I'm ready to travel Iowa and promote my platform, Alzheimer's research and awareness," she said. "And I'm glad I'll be able to go to Atlantic City for the Miss America Pageant and take my platform to the national level."
Nicholas played the flute in the talent portion of the contest. She won more than $24,000 in scholarships and awards.
The Iowa Center for Pharmaceutical Care (ICPC) is celebrating its 10th year of helping shape a new generation of pharmacy practice. A ceremony commemorating the anniversary took place June 12 in Dubuque, Iowa, at the annual meeting of the Iowa Pharmacy Association.
In 1994 a group of progressive Iowa pharmacists met with representatives of the Iowa Pharmacy
Association and the Drake and University of Iowa Colleges of Pharmacy to form the Iowa Center for Pharmaceutical Care. Their main objective was to transform pharmacy practice to a more patient-care- focused approach known as pharmaceutical care.
Pharmaceutical care is a practice where the pharmacist focuses not only on the prescription but also on the patient and his or her drug-related needs. Many pharmacists who practice pharmaceutical care have received training through ICPC to find, resolve and prevent drug therapy problems,
instruct their patients on how to take their medications, and followup on a regular basis.
Since 1994, ICPC's programs and activities have had a profound influence on community and hospital pharmacy practices in Iowa. ICPC's efforts have been recognized on the national and international levels.
Drake faculty members involved in ICPC over the years include Steve Hoag, former dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Raylene Rospond, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; John Rovers, associate professor of pharmacy; Brad Tice, associate professor of pharmacy practice, Angela Tice, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Harry Hagel, former assistant professor of pharmacy.
Erika Inge Leake, assistant professor of flute, is leading two flute camps at Drake this summer.
The Junior High/Middle School day camp for sixth, seventh and eighth graders meets from June 23-26.
Leake also will conduct a flute camp for ninth through twelfth graders from July 6 through July 10. The cost is $330 for double occupancy, $350 for single occupancy and $290 for those students staying off campus.
For more information or registration, contact Leake at x2808 or at leakyflute@aol.com.