The new field over Drake Athletic Director Dave Blank's shoulder was raised four feet to be level with the track. The infield is a FieldTurf artificial surface just like the ones used on professional football fields. The field is large enough to accommodate Drake's football and men's and women's soccer teams.

Workers continue tuck-pointing bricks the inside the stadium's historic façade facing Forest Avenue. At one point during the restoration, workers had so many bricks out of the wall that the wall had to be reinforced by anchoring steel cables to the old stadium infield to avoid collapse.

After years of waiting, the press box at the stadium is under a major overhaul that includes creating more workspace for journalists covering Drake sporting events, an elevator for disability access and a new president's box for special receptions and celebrations.

On the outside, the stadium press box has gotten bigger and will soon sport the Drake University name as workers race to complete the work before the Relays. The seating of the stadium dropped slightly from 18,000 to 14,000 with the renovations, but all wooden bleachers were replaced with metal seats. Contractors restored the concrete in throughout the stadium and covered it with a gray seal coat that creates a freshly-poured appearance.

The new scoreboard, which is partially installed now, will be able to make video presentations as well as keep fans up to date on the latest races. Buel Field, home of the Drake softball team, is visible in the distance.

The new track new meets international competition standards. When certification is complete, Drake Relays records will again qualify for world records and the University can host any track event except the Olympics.
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Drake President David Maxwell recently announced the University's commitment to ensuring that within five years the Drake Law School will be one of the best law schools in the Midwest and that it will be recognized for that distinction.

At the request of President Maxwell, a group of Law School faculty, staff, students and University trustees has recently prepared a strategic plan to achieve that goal. Faculty, students, alumni and members of the Board of Counselors are reviewing the plan this spring.

As part of Drake's effort to enhance fundamental strengths of Drake Law School, one new tenure-track faculty position will be added this fall and there will be an increase in admissions staff and a new tech support position. The Law School will also have increased resources for adjunct faculty, legal writing and library acquisitions. Two additional tenure-track faculty positions will be added in fall 2007. These new initiatives will be supported by an aggressive fundraising effort already under way.

Throughout this process, Drake Law School intends to preserve its traditions, including the focus on preparation for the practice of law, faculty interaction with students, the Constitutional Law Center, Agricultural Law Center, Legal Clinic, Middleton Center for Children's Rights, regular visits of Supreme Court justices and the school's partnership with the American Judicature Society.

"Drake Law School will maintain its very strong orientation towards the Bench and Bar, preparing students for the practice of law and the full and effective participation in the legal profession," said Law School Dean David Walker. "We integrate theory and practice because law is never static and because we are always concerned with the values expressed and the purposes served by the law. Most of our graduates go into the practice of law, and we know that leads naturally to further opportunities for leadership and service."

In the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools," Drake Law School was ranked in the third tier and improved in almost all categories, including the assessment score by lawyers and judges. The percentage of graduates employed nine months after graduation increased to 95.1 percent from 87.7 percent the previous year. In addition, Drake Law School's bar passage rate in Iowa climbed to 86 percent, matching the state's overall bar passage rate.

Also, U.S. News' rankings of pharmacy schools, which came out for the first time last year, were not updated this year, so Drake's ranking in that list did not change.

Additional information about the rankings is available at www.usnews.com and in "America's Best Graduate Schools" and the April 10 issue of U.S. News & World Report, both of which are on newsstands now.
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Mud-coated students can only mean nasty spring flash flooding - or mud volleyball as part of a month of Drake Relays celebrations.

From a foam dance party to mud volleyball and, of course, the world's greatest athletes whipping around inside the newly renovated Drake Stadium at top speed, Drake University is poised to celebrate its 125th anniversary with its grandest of traditions, the Drake Relays.

Drake students will celebrate the Relays with a month of activities, beginning with the traditional Blitz Day kickoff beginning at 4 pm., Thursday, April 6. Student activities include the annual mud volleyball session from 2 to 5 p.m. near Carpenter Residence Hall on Sunday, April 23, and Drake's first foam dance party.

A foam dance party features a DJ playing music and squirts a foamy substance into a contained area in which people dance. See it for yourself from 9 p.m. to midnight, Thursday, April 27, in the patio area of Olmsted Center.

Other Relays festivities include a birthday party for the University between the regular Friday Relays session and the new evening session. The birthday party, which is free and open to the public, will start at approximately 4:30 p.m., April 28, in the Helmick Commons area of Drake campus directly south of Drake Stadium.

Ticket-holders to the evening session of the Relays will be treated to a grand opening ceremony including the national anthem sung by Iowa native and international opera star Simon Estes, a parade of athletes from elementary school to elite track and field professionals, a ceremonial torch lighting by Relays stars of the past and a fireworks display.

Below is a complete list of this week's activities. All events are free and open to the public unless specifically noted. For a complete list of activities, click here.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

• Blitz Day, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.
• Chris Redding Tournament, flag football, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.

• Drake chapter of College Against Cancer presents Relay for Life, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Drake Fieldhouse.

• Chris Redding Tournament, flag football, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.

• Chris Redding Tournament, flag football, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.

Drake University Business Link is presenting a workshop that enables participants to truly experience - and not just talk about - the awareness and skills necessary for successful diversity work. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, April 12, in Olmsted Center.

The co-founders of The Circle Project, Patricia Digh and David Robinson, will facilitate the workshop. The Circle Project provides innovative learning experiences through story, theatre and other experiences.

Digh has published more than 75 articles on diversity and intercultural issues and traveled and worked in more than 60 countries. Robinson has extensive experience in theater, visual arts, creativity and education innovation. His 20 years of professional directing experience help him design exceptional educational programs for academic and corporate environments.

The workshop is free but seating is limited. To register online, visit www.cbpa.drake.edu/businesslink. For more information, call professor Delaney J. Kirk, director of Drake Business Link, at x3724.
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This friendly fellow, made possible by a gift from Drake alumni Elaine Hanna Wright and Andy Wright, with support of the Class of 1997, will stand guard over Drake Stadium once installed in the newly renovated plaza area.

The biggest, bronziest bulldog around - a 3-foot tall, 5-foot long bronze sculpture - will make his home at the newly renovated Drake Stadium.

The sculpture, designed by Kansas artist Richard Bergen, was donated by Andy Wright, a 1970 alumnus and member of the Drake Board of Trustees; Elaine Hanna Wright, a 1969 alumna; and support from gifts by the Class of 1997.

The fierce-looking creature weight 750 pounds and will make his first appearance at a dedication ceremony for the sculpture and the plaza just west of Drake Stadium set for 12:15 p.m., Friday, April 28. The bronze bulldog will be permanently installed in the plaza when construction is completed in early June.
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Dan Miller

Fresh off two weeks of asking public TV viewers to support reruns of "Doctor Who" and British comedies, Dan Miller, executive director and general manager for Iowa Public Television, will discuss the future of public television in the digital age at Drake's "Let's DU Lunch" at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the Polk County Convention Complex, 501 Grand Ave.

The event, which is co-sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, is open to the public. The cost of the lunch is $15. For reservations, call the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs at x3848 or send an e-mail to dottie.johnson@drake.edu.

Miller's talk will be the last "Let's DU Lunch" of the spring series.
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More than 450 people representing 47 teams from the Drake community will set out on the Fieldhouse track this week for a 12-hour run and walk to raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society.

The Drake University Relay for Life will take place from 6 p.m. Friday, April 7, to 6 a.m. Saturday, April 8, in the Fieldhouse.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Then at 8 p.m. there will be a candlelight ceremony paying tribute to those who have been affected by cancer. Luminaries will be lighted and kept burning through the night to represent the healing power of the community and the importance of finding a cure for cancer

The Drake band Milkwar will perform at 9 p.m. Additional activities will include
movies and games as well as special programs sponsored by the Drake Residence Hall Association. Refreshments have been donated by businesses such as Jimmy John's, Iowa Bakery Cafe, Mars Cafe and Coca Cola Co.

"We are all involved because we all have been affected by cancer in some way," said Sid Singh, coordinator of the event and president of the Drake chapter of Colleges Against Cancer. "All members of the community are welcome and encouraged to come and participate in or observe the fundraising activity."

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From the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in social change to a Drake alumna working to cure blindness, Drake plays host to a variety of top-flight speakers and gatherings this week. Below are the highlights. Click on the links for the full details.

Albena Ivanisevic, AS'96

• Albena Ivanisevic, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and chemistry at Purdue University, returns to Drake at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, in Bulldog Theater in Olmsted Center, to discuss her groundbreaking research on retinal transplants for age-related macular degeneration that could ultimately restore sight for millions. For more information, visit http://www.drake.edu/news/release/20060327-02.php.

• Visiting Fulbright Scholar Ren Donglai will discuss Chinese constitutional history at 1 p.m., Wednesday, in Cartwright Hall, Faculty Lounge.

• Stephen Rapp, a 1974 Law School alumnus and chief prosecutor in the Rwandan genocide trials, visits Drake 3 p.m., Thursday, April 6, in room 213 of Cartwright Hall. For more information, visit http://www.drake.edu/news/release/20060324-01.php.

• David Chipperfield, architect of the new Des Moines Central Library, will offer a preview of the building and his other recent projects when he delivers the Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Drake Knapp Center. The event is free to students from all academic institutions with a valid student ID. For more information, visit http://www.drake.edu/news/release/20060330-03.php.

• A host of top scholars from around the nation will discuss the U.S. Supreme Court's role in social change at the Drake Law School Constitutional Law Symposium, set to begin at 8 a.m., Saturday in Cartwright Hall. The event is free to students. For more information, visit http://www.drake.edu/news/release/20060327-01.php.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibit One, begins March 31 and runs through April 16. Features artwork by Meridith Tenney, Kirby Willis, Joe Klein and Pat Burkhartzmeyer.

• Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute "Life After Drake" series presents, Albena Ivasenevich, assistant professor at Purdue University and 1996 Drake alumna, delivering a lecture titled "Fabrication and Characterization of Biological and Chemical Architectures," 7:30 p.m., Bulldog Theater, Olmsted Center.

• Let's DU Lunch with Dan Miller, executive director of Iowa Public Television, 11:30 a.m., Polk County Convention Complex, 501 Grand Avenue, $15 per person (lunch included). Contact Dottie Johnson at (515) 271-3848 to register.
• Drake women's softball vs. Creighton, 3 p.m., Buel Field.

• Friends of Drake Arts Annual Banquet, celebrating Drake's 125th anniversary and honoring Ann Anderson, founder of Friends of Drake Arts. This is a members-only event, featuring a pre-dinner reception, student theater and music performances and dinner on Drake's campus. For membership and event information, call (515) 271-3147 or visit www.drake.edu/friends.
• Blitz Day, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.
• Chris Redding Tournament, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.
• Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture, "An Evening With David Chipperfield," David Chipperfield, architect of the new Des Moines Central Library, 7:30 p.m., Drake Knapp Center.
• Stephen Rapp, LW'74, chief prosecutor in the Rwanda genocide trials, "International Criminal Justice: The Case of the Rwanda Genocide," 3 p.m., room 213 of Cartwright Hall.

• Drake women's tennis vs. Bradley, 4 p.m., Drake Tennis Center.
• Drake Municipal Observatory presentation, "Mercury and Venus Physical Attributes and Materials Available for Life," 8 p.m., Drake Municipal Observatory, Waveland Park.
• Drake chapter of College Against Cancer presents Relay for Life, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Drake Fieldhouse.

• Drake Law School Constitutional Law Symposium examines "The Role of Courts in Social Change," with activities beginning at 8 a.m. in the Constitutional Law Center, Cartwright Hall. For a complete list of speakers and topics, visit the Drake Law School Web page at http://www.law.drake.edu/calendarNews/newsDetails.aspx?eventID=symposium2006. For more information on the event, contact Ginnie Nevins at (515) 271-2988 or ginnie.nevins@drake.edu.
• Drake women's tennis vs. Indiana State, noon, Drake Tennis Center.
• Chris Redding Tournament, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.

SUNDAY, APRIL 9

• Drake women's tennis vs. Illinois State, noon, Drake Tennis Center.
• Two piano recitals by Robert Lein and Ray Songayllo, faculty members in the Drake Community School of Music, 2 p.m., on the Jordan Stage, Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main.
• Chris Redding Tournament, 4 to 7 p.m., Helmick Commons.