First True Blue awards presented to faculty and staff Lawless, program assistant in the Student Life Center, was nominated for her dedication to students, faculty and staff and her efficient management of SLC. "Gloria always goes the extra mile," said Ericca Saddoris of Residence Life. "She believes that students are at the center of our work at Drake and she embodies that sentiment in all she does." Lawless was given a blue phone with caller identification for use at her desk. The Department of Teaching and Learning received a traveling bulldog. Each individual in the department also will receive a small bulldog to display on his or her desk. "The selection committee would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination," said Suzanne Brown, administrative assistant in the Provost's Office. Nominations for the next round of awards are due by Jan. 28, 2005. Nomination forms are available at www.drake.edu/hr. Completed forms should be submitted to Human Resources. Buster's "Model City" will open Friday, Nov. 19, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and an artist talk at 5:30 p.m. In "Model City," Buster creates an installation that responds directly to the architectural space of the Anderson Gallery. Revisiting the collapsible, lightweight forms of her earlier works, she continues an exploration of the same boundaries that she began in such sculptures as "Subterrain" (2003) and "Cells" (2001). Performances will start at 8 p.m. Nov. 18, 19 and 20 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, in the Performing Arts Hall of the Harmon Fine Arts Center. Tickets may be purchased at the Drake Fine Arts Center Box Office, x3841. Tickets are $6 for the general public, $4 for all students and senior citizens. Elliott will discuss the importance of style in producing period plays at a TalkAbout dinner sponsored by Friends of Drake Arts before the Nov. 19 performance. The dinner will start at 6 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room. The cost is $20 per person and includes the meal, discussion and performance. Seating is limited. For reservations, call x4176 by the end of the day today (Monday, Nov. 15). The Drake University Business Link will hold a free workshop titled "How to Improve Relationships with our Diverse Co-Workers and Customers" from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19, in Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. There will be a video presentation by Jane Elliott, a national diversity expert noted for her innovative experiment in which she divided her all-white class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed students, making each group superior or inferior on successive days. Her research demonstrated the nature and effects of bigotry by showing changes brought about in behavior and learning patterns. After the video, a panel of local diversity experts will share their own personal experiences with race discrimination and discuss how to improve our relationships with co-workers, supervisors and customers. The panelists are Ruth Ann Gaines, a diversity consultant and trainer; Eric Johnson, assistant professor of education at Drake; Shannon Owens, a sports reporter at The Des Moines Register; and Dolph Pulliam, director of community outreach and development at Drake. Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Registration, which is required, can be completed online at Approximately 150 faculty and staff members already have added or updated information for the new Drake Resource Guide. Those who have not done so yet are asked to take a few minutes to complete and submit the survey found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=68104703746 The deadline for completing the survey is Wednesday, Nov. 17. The Drake Resource Guide, which is posted on the Drake Web site, lists faculty and staff members by their areas of professional expertise. The guide is used by news media seeking experts to comment on current events and trends, as well as community organizations requesting guest speakers. Friday, Nov. 19, is the deadline for submitting pledges and donations to Drake's Charitable Giving Campaign for United Way of Central Iowa and Iowa Share. The pledges and donations may be sent to the designated person in your department or to Dolph Pulliam in Institutional Advancement. Last year a record 271 staff and faculty members and 33 retirees contributed more than $29,000 to United Way and more than $7,000 to Iowa Shares. "I hope that we can continue the momentum started last year," said Drake President David Maxwell, "and that we can exceed last year's goals." If you have any questions about the Drake campaign or would like a list of United Way or Iowa Shares member organizations, please contact Dolph Pulliam at x3084 regarding United Way, and Denise Fasse-Beasley at x2905 regarding Iowa Shares. On Saturday, Nov. 20, Drake University will host The Great Ape Crisis, a symposium on the threat of extinction faced by all species of the great apes. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Bulldog Theater in Olmsted Center. "It's conceivable that in five or six years, one species of orangutans could disappear from the face of the earth," said Robert Shumaker, director of the orangutan research program at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, one of the co-sponsors of the symposium. "It is beyond tragic and must be addressed more urgently by more people." Topics to be discussed at the symposium include "Orangutans as World Heritage Species," "Great Apes in Entertainment and the Pet Trade," "Using Field Research to Conserve Orangutans" and "Lessons by the 'Forest People' Taught in My Office, Laboratory and Life." The event is free and open to the public; however, tickets must be reserved in advance. Those interested in attending may register online at On Saturday, Nov. 20, Drake University will host International Night, a celebration of cultures from around the world. The show, organized by the Drake International Students Association, will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. Following the performance, a variety of international food will be served in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center. "I-Skies" is the theme of this year's show, which will simulate a flight around the world. Each presentation represents a stop on the flight and showcases native dances, music or fashion of a country or region. Acts will include vocal and instrumental music, traditional African dances, Indian dances, hiphop performances, and salsa and merengue dancing. Tickets, which are $5, may be purchased in advance at the Student Life Center in Olmsted Center or at the door. All proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Des Moines. For more information, call Zviko Mudimu at (515) 271-2619. The Drake chapter of Kappa Psi has been awarded the Nicholas W. Fenney Industry Scholarship Award, which recognizes the chapter with the greatest percentage improvement in grade-point average over the past year. Drake University student Thomas Laehn of Allison has been named an Iowa state finalist in the competition for the Rhodes Scholarships. As part of the state-level competition, He will be interviewed by a selection committee, made up of former Rhodes scholars, on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The individuals selected by the committee will then move on to the regional competition. During this stage, four Rhodes Scholars are selected from each of the eight regions around the country. The Rhodes Scholarships were established by Cecil Rhodes in 1903 to bring qualified students from throughout the English-speaking world and beyond to study at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Each year, 32 U.S. citizens are selected as Rhodes Scholars. "I feel very honored to be moving onto the next stage of the process," Laehn said. "I know the interview will be intense, but I am preparing so I can be as confident and articulate as possible." Laehn is a senior, majoring in political science and philosophy. Laehn was the 2002-2003 Drake student body president and has served on numerous University committees, including the Drake Safety and Security Committee and the Board of Trustees Student Life Committee. He was a United States legislative intern in 2003 and was an intern for Iowa Care Givers Association Public Policy in 2004. "Someday I would like to have a career both as a professor of political theory and an elected government official," he said. "Such a dual career would allow for the full expression of my academic interests and also the opportunity to participate in the political arena. I want to be at Oxford so that I can… have a lasting, positive effect on the world via the practice of politics." Drake University student and ROTC cadet Molly Alesch recently received the General Creighton W. Abrams Scholarship in Washington, D.C. Alesch was the sole national recipient of the $1,500 award. There were also six regional scholarships awarded. "It feels like my hard work is beginning to pay off," said Alesch, a senior psychology major from Denison, Iowa. The scholarship candidates were evaluated for their academic success, leadership qualities, and ROTC involvement and evaluations. Alesch has a 3.92 grade-point average, works part-time on campus and consistently scores highly on her ROTC evaluations. "Cadet Alesch is an excellent role model for other cadets and continually leads by example," said Marvin Meek, professor of military science at the Iowa State University of Science and Technology. "She has outstanding qualities and unlimited leadership potential." Alesch joined the ROTC program her junior year for career reasons and to become more active and involved. "When I graduate in May I would like to work with the FBI or military intelligence. The ROTC has helped me establish connections that will help make that possible," said Alesch, who has attended various leadership and development camps since joining ROTC and also enjoys the high activity level required by her training. "Above all, I am compelled to be active in the ROTC because I feel a sense of duty," said Alesch. "After graduation, I plan on continuing to serve and joining the National Guard." Eula Biss, a poet, nonfiction writer and the author of "The Balloonists," will discuss poetry and prose at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, in Cowles Library Reading Room. Her essays have recently appeared in The Massachusetts Review, Jubilat and Harper's Magazine. She is working on a book about happy unconventional marriages. Tickets are still available for Drake's annual Christmas Madrigal Dinners, which will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and Sunday, Dec. 5, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center. The dinners provide opportunities to celebrate the holidays in the tradition of Elizabethan England. Guests will be entertained by the Drake Chamber Choir, as well as jugglers, dancers, a magician and Musica Antiqua. The menu includes Cornish game hen, rice pilaf, harvest greens, baked apples, flaming figgy pudding and wassail. Vegetarian meals are available. Tickets are $40 per person. For reservations, call the Drake Fine Arts Box Office at x3841. A new limited-edition print titled "Drake University" by internationally known artist P. Buckley Moss is available at two galleries in central Iowa. "P. Buckley Moss painted this image for our gallery because of the number of requests we have had for an image of the Drake campus," said Pat Hill of Country Gallery in Story City. "There are 1,000 prints in this edition, and they are selling quite well." The print, which includes Old Main, Meredith Hall and Opperman Hall and Law Library, is available at Country Gallery (1-800-252-6929) and at Kenneth Paul Gallery in Urbandale (278-4378). Unframed prints cost $120, and framed prints also are available. |
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