Roy J. Carver

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust has awarded a $200,000 grant to Drake University for the renovation of science laboratories in Olin Hall.

The Carver grant provides the foundation for a $2.9 million fundraising effort by Drake to rebuild three biology labs and remodel the second floor of Olin Hall, which houses Drake's psychology, biology, neuroscience and environmental science departments. Drake hopes to begin construction in May 2006.

The remodeled educational spaces will help Drake create a new science-learning environment in which the distinction between lab work and classroom learning is diminished as students pursue inquiry-based courses.

"The traditional image of science classes is a big hall where lectures occur and then a once-a-week sort of 'cookbook' lab where the students do the experiments exactly as they're printed in the lab book," says John Burney, dean of Drake College of Arts and Sciences. "The new spaces will allow professors and instructors to challenge students to formulate experiments and hypotheses right in class. The students will be working the way actual scientists do."

The Carver Trust is the largest private philanthropic foundation in the state of Iowa with assets totaling $300 million and annual grant distributions of more than $13 million. The trust was created through the will of the late Roy J. Carver, a Muscatine, Iowa industrialist and philanthropist. The trust has awarded more than $145 million through 1,200 individual grants primarily for biomedical and scientific research, all levels of education and youth program needs.

"The Carver Trust is well-known for its support in advancing science education," Burney says. "This gift will be the foundation for a change in Drake science facilities that, with the additional support of our alumni and friends, will enable our faculty to keep us on the cutting-edge of 21st century undergraduate science education."
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Through "Law & Order: Trial By Jury" and Court TV, television pretends to offer insight into the American justice system, first-year Drake University Law School students will be getting the real deal beginning today (Monday, Feb. 14).

More than 175 students will observe an actual Iowa district court case from jury selection through verdict and receive exclusive debriefings with the trial lawyers, the judge and an especially rare question-and-answer session with jurors after the closing. The case will be tried in the courtroom of the Neal and Bea Smith Law Center, 24th Street and University Avenue.

The case the students will observe is Brad Morgan v. Hairy Mary's Inc. et al. Morgan alleges that a broken wrist and other injuries he sustained in 2002 while slam dancing in a mosh pit at Hairy Mary's, a popular heavy metal bar near Drake's campus at 23rd Street and University Avenue, were due to the negligence of the bar's owners.

The case features two of Des Moines' top attorneys: Alfredo Parrish representing Morgan, and George Appleby representing Hairy Mary's Inc.

Coordinated by Drake law professor Russell Lovell, this observation gives students the unique opportunity to see a trial inside and out in a way they can't get through a half-dozen flavors of "Law & Order" or even other law schools.

"This is cutting edge education," Lovell says. "Drake is the only law school in the country that cancels classes for a week so its first-year students can observe a jury trial from beginning to end. The Trial Practicum is the laboratory that makes the first-year classroom, the book learning, come alive."

The Drake Law School works with the state court system to screen more than 200 cases for potential observation during the trial practicum week. At least 25 lawyers and judges volunteer to help coordinate the event – all to give the future barristers a preview of their coming career.

"This is like a Cecil B. DeMille production," Lovell says. "There's a cast of thousands involved. We work with numerous judges, court administrators, court personnel, deputy sheriffs, attorneys, the state court system and the parties involved very closely to pull this off every year. Most people are surprised to learn Drake is the only law school that provides this law-in-action educational experience. Not just any law school can do what we've been doing here for eight years now."
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Drake's Center for Global Citizenship will present a performance by the Shijiazhuang Performance Troupe at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main. The performance, which is free and open to the public, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Sister-Cities relationship of Des Moines and Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.

The event is hosted by The Greater Des Moines Sister City Commission, the Chinese Association of Iowa and co-sponsored by Iowa Sister States, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, Drake University and Central College.
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Drake University has received a $27,000 gift from alumnus Dwight "Joe" Dollison and his wife, Diane, to help launch a career services office in the School of Management and Communication.

The school is a new joint venture between Drake's School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) and College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA). The career services office will help business and journalism students secure internships, develop career skills and conduct job searches.

Dollison, a Polk City resident who graduated from Drake in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in accounting, retired in 2001 as vice president and treasurer at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

"We are grateful to Dwight and Diane for this wonderful gift," said Charles Edwards, dean of the SJMC and CBPA. "Their generosity will help business and journalism students take advantage of new resources related to their career development and planning. Career services is a crucial component of the college experience and it is certainly an area in which we should strive to excel for our students and graduates."

"Diane and I are honored to have the opportunity to participate in the career development of Drake graduates entering the business field," Dollison said. "I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with graduates looking for a career at Pioneer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Careers are built on opportunities and companies that nurture this concept will be the beneficiary of satisfied and innovated employees."

The new office will be located in Aliber Hall near the dean's office. A new career services manager will be hired to oversee internship programs and career services activities for students in business and journalism majors.
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Erin Tylski, Doug Graham and Danka Scepanovic are trapped together for eternity in Drake's production of "No Exit."

On Thursday, Feb. 24, Drake University Theatre will open its production of Jean-Paul Sartre's existential drama "No Exit."

Director Clive Elliott describes the play as intense and thought provoking for it poses many questions: Is the greatest pain imaginable the result of whips and thumbscrews, or is it the lies we inflict on ourselves? Can we freely invent ourselves, or would we rather exist in darkness than face the consequences of our actions?

Garcin, Estelle and Inez have an eternity to find out, Elliott said. "Trapped in a poorly decorated room for all time, the characters have nothing to do but torture each other," he added. "Each of them needs something the others are unwilling to give. Each of them has the means of escape, but first they have to free themselves from the hell that is other people – from the power the others possess when they are allowed to dictate the individual's sense of self."

Sartre, a professor of philosophy in France, was one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. He was one of the pioneers of existentialism, a philosophy asserting the freedom and responsibility of the individual. He was imprisoned by the Nazis during World War II and his first play, "Les Mouches" ("The Flies"), was produced during the German occupation of France. "No Exit" was the first play to be produced after the liberation of Paris in 1944. The play is just 90 minutes long with no intermission because Sartre had to limit its length so that audience members could get home without violating curfew laws.

Performances start at 8 p.m. Feb. 24, 25 and 26 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, in Studio 55 of the Harmon Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $5 for the general public, $3 for students and senior citizens and $1 for those with a Drake ID. Reservations are required due to limited seating. For reservations, call the Drake Fine Arts Box Office at x3841.
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Edmund J. Sease

The Des Moines law firm of McKee, Voorhees & Sease has increased its gift commitment to increase the Drake University Law School scholarship fund promoting the development and practice of intellectual property law from $35,000 to $100,000.

McKee, Voorhees & Sease has an 80-year history of specializing in intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and intellectual property litigation. The attorneys also have spent hours throughout the past three decades teaching Drake students the finer points of intellectual property law.

"Intellectual property is a subject of vital importance to our profession and our society, and of great interest to our students," said David Walker, dean of the Drake Law School. "McKee, Voorhees & Sease has been a leader in this field in the Midwest, even nationally, and their $100,000 endowed scholarship commitment to support outstanding students focusing on intellectual property is wonderful news for the Drake Law School and our community."

The law firm also established scholarship funds at the University of Iowa and Creighton University.

"I was a member of Drake's first class in patent law in 1966 and I have been teaching intellectual property courses at Drake for more than 25 years," said Edmund J. Sease, partner at McKee, Voorhees & Sease. "As a firm specializing in intellectual property law, and with one-third of our attorneys having studied at Drake University, this is a way for us to give back to the University and Law School."

"McKee, Voorhees & Sease, particularly Ed Sease, has been providing a rich array of intellectual property courses and simply outstanding teaching and other support for Drake students for many years," Walker said. "We are truly grateful to the members of the firm for their generous commitment and leadership."
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On Saturday, Feb. 19, the Fourth Annual Celebration of New Books for Children and Youth will be held at Drake University's Cowles Library. The event is sponsored by the Drake University School of Education, the Des Moines Public Schools, the Des Moines Public Library, Heartland Area Education Agency and Iowa Stories 2000.

The celebration is the annual highlight of the collaborative effort, which strives to provide teachers, parents and librarians with an up-to-date review of recent and upcoming quality publications for young people. This year's event, which will begin at 8 a.m. and run until 3 p.m., will include a preview to more than 300 children and young adult's books published in 2004 and 2005, as well as presentations and book signings by three authors.

To kick off the day, author Marsha Wilson Chall, a 1975 Drake graduate, will present. Chall has published a children's chapter book and five picture books, including "Up North at the Cabin" and "Sugarbush Spring." She also teaches Writing Children's Literature at Metropolitan State University and speaks at writing workshops on how to write for children.

Musician, storyteller and author Ralph Moisa Jr. will make the second presentation. Moisa is the author of "Great Eagle and Small One" and "Little Fish." He has a strong interest in American Indian culture and is known for using his voice to "mend the sacred hoop" and build bridges among cultures.

For the final presentation, special guest First Lady of Iowa Christie Vilsack will introduce award-winning author Pat Mora. Mora is an author of poetry, non-fiction and children's books who often speaks about the writing process, multicultural education, family literacy and leadership. She is the author of "Tomas and the Library Lady" and "Love to Mama." The New York Times has praised her poems as "proudly bilingual."

The cost for the event, which includes a continental breakfast and materials, is $15. Books may be purchased throughout the day.

To register for the celebration, visit www.aea11.k12.ia.us/drakebookweek/index.html.
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Dean Jan McMahill chats with authors Margaret Wheatley and Jim Autry.

Last week approximately 110 people attended the School of Education's annual Alumni Awards Dinner where five outstanding alumni were honored for their professional achievements.

Receiving Alumni Awards were Marsha Wilson Chall, Arlene DeVries, Mike Gudka, David Mitchell and Elaine Smith-Bright. In addition to the awards presentation, the event featured a keynote address by Margaret Wheatley, author of numerous books including "Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time" and "Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World."

"It was one of our most successful alumni events to date," said Jan McMahill, dean of the School of Education. "The presentations of awards, the exchange of ideas and the official presentation from Margaret Wheatley made for a very remarkable evening.

"We were pleased to honor outstanding alums for the first time from five very different professions that comprise the School of Education: a school administrator, a rehabilitation specialist, a teacher of gifted and talented students, an author of adolescent literature and an adult learning/training specialist," McMahill added.

The following morning, Wheatley hosted a leadership workshop titled "Leadership in an Uncertain Time." Ninety-five individuals attended the workshop, which focused on an innovative approach to contemporary leadership. "She presented ideas that were thought-provoking, at times hard-hitting, but ultimately optimistic," McMahill said.
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Anita Allen chats with a student after the lecture.

There was standing room only as 220 people packed a lecture room with 180 seats in Cartwright Hall to hear renowned scholar Anita Allen give a lecture last Thursday as part of the Constitutional Law Center's Distinguished Lecture Series.

Allen, the Henry R. Silverman professor of law and professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, presented "Law Floats on a Sea of Ethics" and answered many questions from audience members before attending a reception and book signing.

"In addition to students, there were a fair number of lawyers from the community, some Drake faculty, and members of the general public," said Mark Kende, who holds the James Madison chair in constitutional law and directs the Constitutional Law Center. "I think the good attendance at the event was due to the fact that many people are concerned about the state of ethics and the role of law in this country, so the topic had a wide appeal. Moreover, professor Allen is well known nationally and is a dynamic speaker who used PowerPoint to effectively (and sometime humorously) illustrate her points."

The lecture series will continue when Vicki Jackson, associate dean for research and academic programs at Georgetown University Law Center, visits Drake on Wednesday, March 2. Jackson's lecture, which will start at 4 p.m. in room 213 of Cartwright Hall, is titled "What Does Proportionality Have to Do with Constitutional Law? Or, What Do Hate Speech Bans and National Security Laws Have in Common?"
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Rod Henshaw, dean of Cowles Library, has given a major book and film collection to the University. Consisting of nearly 500 items, the research collection chronicles the origins, development and evolution of film noir.

In the 1940s and '50s, film noir became a prominent genre in the Hollywood stable of films. Noir films generally dealt with the underside of American life and more often then not dealt with crime themes, wrapped in subplots of despair, betrayal, and alienation. The genre had its origins in popular crime fiction pioneered by Dashiell Hammett, and refined by Raymond Chandler. Indeed, Raymond Chandler's novel, the "Big Sleep," filmed by John Huston, and starring Humphrey Bogart as private detective Phillip Marlowe, has become an icon of American popular culture.

The Henshaw collection contains this film and hundreds of others considered to be part of film noir. In addition, the collection has numerous editions of Hammett, Chandler, and other books analyzing the genre as a film movement, as well as material on such actors as Bogart and Robert Mitchum. This gift will be entered into the Drake online catalog, and will be housed together as a research collection in Cowles Library.
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Iowa Department of Transportation officials presented an update on the reconstruction of Interstate 235 and the 31st Street and 35th Street exits at a public meeting last week at Callanan Middle School. They said:

• The eastbound loop at the 31st Street exit will close today (Monday Feb. 14). However, motorists going south on 31st Street who want to go east on the freeway are allowed to make a left turn and take the eastbound entrance ramp to the freeway. A turning lane has been created for this purpose.

• The eastbound exit ramp at 31st Street is expected to close around the first week in March.

• In July the westbound entrance ramp at the 31st Street exit will be closed.

• Work on the 31st Street exit is expected to take about four months. The exit is scheduled to reopen by the middle of November.

• The 35th Street exit is slated to be closed permanently at the end of February, weather permitting.

• Freeway signs will be posted directing east- and west-bound travelers to exit at 42nd Street to get to Drake University.

The fourth Thresholds Art Festival to a Culture of Peace comes again to the Drake Neighborhood of Des Moines Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27, with the theme of "Leonard Bernstein's Artful Peacemaking: A Celebration of Leonard Bernstein's Musical and Humanitarian Contributions." Bernstein's daughter, Jamie Bernstein will be host and commissioned composer.

Jamie Bernstein is the public radio voice of the New York Philharmonic and hosts their Young People's Concerts in the tradition of her father. A gifted singer and songwriter, she is beginning to write more music for choirs, and the Thresholds Festival Chorus will premiere her new work, "This World Beats Like A Heart," a pulsing, danceable setting of the Six Points of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Culture of Peace Pledge on which the festival is based. The pledge includes humanitarian ideals of respect for life, the environment and rejection of violence.

Bernstein will host the Saturday evening program at 8:15 p.m. on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium and will speak about her father's music and his humanitarian work. Also appearing Saturday: Clarence Padilla, clarinet, and Cynthia Giunta, piano, perform Bernstein's Clarinet Sonata, the composer's first published work. Bernstein's masterpiece, Songfest, 12 songs by 12 American poets celebrating the diversity of the American experience, will be sung by Leanne Freeman-Miller, Martha Hart, Ann Cravero, Gary Western, Timothy Robinson and Timothy Bostwick, accompanied by Danuta Long. The Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble, conducted by Carol Stewart, will perform choruses from Bernstein's "The Lark," "Mass" and "Candide." A multimedia presentation designed by Denver-based J. Richard Norton will accompany the music.

The concert will be preceded by a dinner with Jamie Bernstein at 6:30 p.m. in Levitt Hall in Old Main. The cost of the dinner is $25. Tickets are available at First Christian Church, 25th Street and University Avenue. For more information, call the church at 255-2181 or visit www.fccdm.org.

The festival will culminate in a Gala Concert featuring the Drake Chorale and other choirs under the direction of guest conductor Judith Churman of the Juilliard School in New York City at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at First Christian Church. Admission is free but tickets are required. Tickets are available at the church and the Drake Fine Arts Box Office.

Admission to the concerts on Feb. 26 and 27 is free, but tickets must be obtained at the door or in advance at the Drake University Fine Arts Box Office or First Christian Church.
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• Drake Adult Literacy Center presents author Stephanie Kane in a discussion about dyslexia and learning disabilities, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Student Center, 6:30 p.m.
• Drake Writer's Night, students, faculty and staff are invited to read a short literary work, Medbury Honors Lounge, 8 p.m.

• "Black Ice" poetry night, Black History Month event, Cool Beans, Hubbell Dining Hall, 8 p.m.

• Drake Business Link Workshop: "Diversity: Exploring Opportunities -- Seeking Solutions," Parents Hall North, Olmsted Center, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Register online at www.cbpa.drake.edu/businesslink
• "Brown Bag Question and Answer Session Workshop," All-Staff Council TIAA-CREF Informational Session, Olmsted 310-11, 12 p.m.
• All-Staff Council Executive Meeting, Levitt Hall, Old Main, 1:30 to 3 p.m.
• Faculty Senate, Levitt Hall, 3:30 p.m. The agenda includes the recommendation of the Retiree Benefits Task Force and the University Benefits Committee to switch all Medicare- eligible participants to the "Humana Gold Choice" plan for health insurance coverage, effective June 1.
• "Job Interview Skills For Dummies," Improve Professional Preparation Seminar Series, Parents Hall, Olmsted Center, 4 to 5:15 p.m.
• Drake Center for Global Citizenship will present the Shijiazhuang Performance Troupe in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Sister-Cities Relationship of Des Moines and Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, 7 p.m.

• "Retirement Distribution Flexibilities Workshop," All-Staff Council TIAA-CREF Informational Session, Olmsted 310-11, 10 a.m.
• "Management Essentials," Human Resources Learning and Development Program, Levitt Hall, Old Main, 12 to 4 p.m.

• Workshop on "Improving Student Learning in Your Academic Program -- What's the First Step?" There will be one session from 9 a.m. to noon and one from 1 to 4 p.m. in Levitt Hall. To register, call x3939.
• Drake men's tennis vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, Drake Tennis Center, 4 p.m.
• Drake women's basketball vs. Southwest Missouri State, Drake Knapp Center, 7:05 p.m.

• Drake men's tennis vs. Nebraska, Drake Tennis Center, 4 p.m.
• Drake men's basketball vs. San Jose State, Drake Knapp Center, 7:07 p.m.

• Last day to view the Biennial Faculty Exhibition at the Anderson Gallery, noon to 4 p.m.
• Drake women's basketball vs. Wichita State, Drake Knapp Center, 2:05 p.m.
• Master class for Drake saxophone students taught by Jean-Marie Londeix, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, 1 p.m. Londeix also will give a lecture on the history of the saxophone at 3 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. Admission to both the class and lecture is $10.
• Guest recital: Bill Street, saxophone, and Roger Admiral, piano, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 8 p.m.

• Drake men's basketball vs. Indiana State, Drake Knapp Center, 7:05 p.m.
• Drake Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Canarina, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 8 p.m.

• Drake men's tennis vs. Arkansas, Drake Tennis Center, 2 p.m.
• Writers and Critics Series presents author and poet Rae Armantrout, Cowles Library Reading Room, 8 p.m.

• "Drake Retiree Benefits, Social Security and Medicare Workshop," All-Staff Council Workshop, Olmsted 310-11, 10 a.m.
• Student Concert: Tim Bostiwick, Black History Month event, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 8 p.m.
• Play: "No Exit," Studio 55, Harmon Fine Arts Center, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $1 with a Drake ID.

• "Breaking Ice" theatrical performance by a Minnesota troupe, Black History Month event, Parents Hall, Olmsted Center, 8 p.m.
• Play: "No Exit," Studio 55, Harmon Fine Arts Center, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $1 with a Drake ID.

• Drake men's basketball vs. Evansville, Drake Knapp Center, 4:05 p.m.
• Play: "No Exit," Studio 55, Harmon Fine Arts Center, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $1 with a Drake ID.
• "Artful Peacemaking: An Evening with Leonard Bernstein," concert sponsored by the Drake Music Department as a part of the Thresholds Arts Festival to a Culture of Peace, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 8:15 p.m.

• Opening of the 34th Annual Student Juried Exhibition, Anderson Gallery, Harmon Fine Arts Center. A reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. with an awards ceremony at 1:30 p.m. in Weeks Gallery. The exhibit will run until March 18.
• Drake Wind Symphony, conducted by Robert Meunier, Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 2 p.m.
• Play: "No Exit," Studio 55, Harmon Fine Arts Center, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $1 with a Drake ID.
• "Mama's Cooking," Black History Month event, Black Cultural Center, 6 p.m.

Dean Wright, professor emeritus of sociology, was interviewed on ABC World News Tonight Saturday, Feb. 12, as part of a story on Des Moines being a top choice for working mothers. Wright said " The population in rural America is declining and one of the only ways to stabilize and keep it going is to bring in people from the outside and keep them here, by allowing them to have both work time and family time, maybe even enjoying a different kind of commute."