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Campus
News New College of Arts and Sciences dean arrives on campus  The College of Arts and Sciences has a new dean. John Burney, former vice president
for academic affairs and academic dean of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, accepted
the dean's position more than a year ago but didn't arrive at Drake until June
because he wanted to wrap up several major initiatives at Loras. Burney spent his first weeks on campus meeting with all the department chairs, touring their spaces and learning about their programs and needs. "I want to find out what's going on in the nooks and crannies of all the different buildings that house the College of Arts and Sciences," he said. "I want to see individual programs get the resources they need to excel as well as see the College of Arts and Sciences make additional connections with other colleges." He also wants to find ways to link the liberal arts with professional studies with the goal of improving the learning experiences of all Drake students. Burney is also putting together a fall travel schedule to meet with alumni around the country. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of Drake's six colleges and schools, with 14 departments, 140 faculty members and 33 majors. In addition, the college is home to seven interdisciplinary programs such as the First-Year Seminars and the Center for Global Citizenship.  Drake honors
fundraiser, philanthropist Madelyn LevittDrake recently celebrated Madelyn M. Levitt Day by honoring the national chair of Campaign Drake, who continues to serve the University as special assistant to President Maxwell for development. Levitt, a major benefactor of Drake and member of the Drake Board of Trustees, was celebrated at a breakfast in Levitt Hall, where President Maxwell read the proclamation that established May 31 as Madelyn M. Levitt Day at Drake. The proclamation is displayed near the entrance to Levitt Hall. Levitt expressed her heartfelt thanks and said she can hardly believe it's been a year since the final gift to Campaign Drake came in at 3 p.m. May 31, 2002, enabling Drake to reach its goal of raising $190 million. "It's gone by in the blink of an eye," she said. Two students receive Goldwater honors Two Drake University students have received honors in the annual Barry M. Goldwater Science Scholarship competition. Kavitha Pundi, a physics major who recently completed her sophomore year at Drake, was awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Science Scholarship. Bob Berendt, a pharmaceutical sciences major who recently completed his junior year at Drake, received an honorable mention. The Goldwater Scholarship is a national award established by Congress to encourage students to pursue research and advanced degrees in science. Approximately 300 students are selected each year from among 1,200 applicants. Both Pundi and Berendt recently completed summer internships as researchers: Pundi at the Mayo Clinic and Berendt at the University of Kansas. Drake letter-writing campaign produces engaged citizens Students in Stuart Shulman's political science classes had 38 of their letters to the editor published during the fall semester, including seven that appeared in The New York Times. Shulman encourages his students to write letters to the editor because "letter writing is what engaged citizens do. The results this fall have been extraordinary. I am awfully proud of the students' achievements this semester," said Shulman, assistant professor of environmental science and policy. A typical semester might see five to eight letters published with perhaps one or two in The New York Times, where the acceptance rate is very low. The Letters to the Editor office at the Times receives more than 11,000 letters each week, according to spokeswoman Sharon Sion. "We publish the best 15 to 16 letters received for each day," she said. "In response to one story, we can receive as many as 300 letters, e-mails and faxes. When there's breaking news, that number can easily double." "Seeing my name actually published next to an opinion that I had to craft made me feel like an engaged citizen for the first time in my life," said Brett Myrick, a first-year student from Baldwin City, KS, who had three letters published in The Des Moines Register. "I've enjoyed it so much that I continue to write letters to the Register and my hometown newspaper even though no class incentive is offered." Drake joins forces with American Judicature Society
For most of its 90 years, AJS has been based in Chicago. AJS conducts and disseminates research to support reform in areas such as judicial conduct, judicial elections and court procedures. "We are very excited about the opportunities that await us both as we develop this new partnership," said Drake President David Maxwell. "All of us at Drake University are profoundly grateful to Dwight Opperman, a distinguished lawyer, businessman and Drake alumnus who has been instrumental in bringing this partnership to fruition." With support from Opperman, chairman of Key Investment Inc., the University is renovating the stately 19th century three-story house at 2700 University Ave. that served as the Drake president's residence until 1951. The landmark structure will be renamed The Opperman Center and will become the AJS headquarters. "The close proximity of Opperman Center to the Drake Law School will benefit both AJS and Drake, creating opportunities for joint initiatives in a variety of areas of mutual interest," Maxwell said. "Collaboration with one another is a natural fit - education and research are at the forefront of what we both do to promote the effective administration of justice." Allan D. Sobel, executive vice president and director of AJS, also is enthusiastic about the new partnership. "The move to Des Moines allows AJS to partner with Drake University and share many of its resources, not least of which is its student body and faculty," he said. "Although each organization will operate independently, AJS and Drake will collaborate on programs and projects of mutual interest." New Drake alumni Web site unveiled Redesign provides more information  Drake's online alumni community, www.drakealumni.net, has received more than
just a face-lift. The updated site includes exciting new features for alumni
to take advantage of once they've registered."The most exciting thing about our update is the new and improved alumni directory," says Missy DeYoung, Drake Web editor. "Not only will alumni find it easier to get in touch with fellow classmates, they'll also have their own personal page, which can be customized in many ways. They can add their friends to their 'personal pals' list, upload a picture, set up links to favorite sites and edit personal information all from one convenient location." The site also includes a new and greatly expanded news section to help users stay in touch with what is going on around campus as well as news specifically for alumni. Another new addition is the student recruitment area, which allows alumni to help Drake get in touch with prospective students. Many of the user areas that were previously available, such as mentoring, business card exchange, volunteering, online giving and event RSVP and payments, are still available. The class notes section has been upgraded to allow users to upload pictures as well as post notes. As before, users can sign up for their very own @drakealumni.net e-mail address. Alumni who've already signed up for e-mail can continue to use their drake e-mail address without interruption. Using drakealumni.net To protect personal information, Only Drake alumni can access certain areas of the site. The quickest way to enter the entire site is by using your ID number, which appears above your name on the mailing label of this copy of Update. Click on the "first-time user" button and enter your last name and ID number. A registration page will appear and ask you to select a username and password that grant you access. If you do not use your ID number, you will still be able to register, but you will not be allowed to enter until Drake approves your request, which may take two to three working days. If you were a member before, you'll need to re-register. Please follow the directions listed above. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but with our new validation process, it should be even easier than before. Questions? 515-271-4843 |
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