Drake Blue Magazine - Fall 2009 by Drake University

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Drake

Winter 2009

BLUE Going out on a limb They went to Uganda to study sustainable development. They came back with a new partnership and unexpected lessons on life.

Thanks

for

10 years

of service

During the 2009 commencement,

Drake University President David Maxwell advised graduating students that “The only reliable prediction is that things will always be different, the only constant is change ... That’s simply the way the world works. Nothing stands still, and everything changes — sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But it’s always — always — changing.” But for the past decade, the Drake community has been inspired by the constant vision and leadership shown by President Maxwell, and the passion and enthusiasm that first lady Madeleine Maxwell brings to the University. “It is due to their leadership and support of students like me that my peers and I have developed the skills to be leaders in our communities, representing Drake with pride and honor,” said Drake alumna Rachel Manuel, JO’08 AS’08. “On behalf of all of the students and future leaders that you’ve provided guidance to in your time at Drake, thank you and congratulations on your tenth anniversary as a Bulldog.” On behalf of the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Drake University, we thank the Maxwells for their service, and look forward to a future built upon the spirit of cooperation and leadership they’ve demonstrated in their first decade in the Drake family.

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Features

President

Dr. David E. Maxwell

Director of Alumni & Parent Relations

Ties That Bind

Blake Campbell, GR’05

Students at Drake Law School make connections early and carry the relationships throughout their careers.

EDITORIAL STAFF Abbie Hansen, JO’01 Tim Schmitt, GR’08

Art Director Courtney Hartman

Class Notes Editor

Abbie Hansen, JO’01

Graphic Designers

going out on a limb

They went to Uganda to study sustainable development. They came back with a new partnership and unexpected lessons on life.

Calee Himes • Shelly Mootz

Contributors Lisa Lacher • Tory Olson, JO’05 Eric Morse, AS’00• Steve Sullivan

Interns

Rachel Harrison • Rebecca Lee Meagan Savage

Publication Support

Finances, Strategies, Results

Despite the economic downturn, there is plenty of good news at Drake.

Andrea McDonough • Jaquie Summers

Departments Campus

To submit news or update your alumni file, contact Drake’s Office of Alumni and Parent Programs. Call: 1-800-44-DRAKE, x3152 E-mail: alumni.update@drake.edu Surf: www.drake.edu/alumni

Drake blue is published as a service to Drake alumni, parents and friends by the Drake University Office of Marketing and Communications. Views expressed in Drake blue do not necessarily reflect opinions of the editors or the University. We welcome articles by and story ideas from and about Drake alumni. Send correspondence to Tim Schmitt, Drake University, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 503114505. E-mail: marketing@drake.edu.

Faculty

Art Professor Exhibits Work in Beijing • Inaugural Fisher-Stelter Magazine Chair Named • Lon Larson Remembered • Law Professor Accepts Award at U.S. Supreme Court • Tom Drake’s Legacy

SPORTS

Relays Celebrates 100 Years • Softball’s Home-Field Advantage • Drake’s MVC Golfer of the Year • Josh Young’s Last Hurrah

Maya Angelou/Bill Bryson Visit Campus • Drake Moves Up in Rankings — Again • Journalism Students Recognized for Coverage of Same Sex Marriage Legislation • Former Drake President Passes Away • Student Recruitment/Retention Thrives • Drake Commemorates Khrushchev’s Visit to Iowa

Alumni

22 Ways to Connect With Drake • Alumnus Confirmed for State Department Post • Johnny Bright Honored • An Alumnus in the White House • All Greek Reunion • Alumni Award Winners • Class Notes

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the HOT list with students from Scavo Alternative High School. “I’m from Des Moines,” Tran said, “but I’m finding this is a whole different way to experience Gray’s Lake Park. I’m amazed at the many types of butterflies you can see here. This project is a great way to make people aware of the many other species that also use the park.”

DRAKE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DAVID MAXWELL teamed up with Drake Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb and her husband, Jeff, to compete in the Firefest 2009 Water Fight in downtown Des Moines. Maxwell finished third in the competition, which helped raise funds to assist firefighters.

LAW STUDENT ARGUES CASE BEFORE IOWA SUPREME COURT Days after winning the award for best oralist in the annual Iowa Supreme Court Competition, third-year Drake University law student Erin Grundy again found herself standing before the seven justices of the state’s highest court. Grundy presented an oral argument on behalf of Paul Anthony Garrity in the case of State v. Garrity at the Drake Legal Clinic. Garrity was seeking a new trial for his conviction for operating while intoxicated because he felt his rights had been violated. Law students are allowed to present oral arguments to the court as long as the students meet certain requirements. Grundy’s participation was allowed because of her involvement in the Law School’s Advanced Criminal Appellate Clinic in association with the State Appellate Defender’s Office. “It has been an amazing opportunity for me,” she said. “I’m thankful to the Iowa Supreme Court for its strong support of clinical programs across the state and for giving student practitioners the opportunity to practice before the state’s highest court.”

The court ruled that Garrity’s rights were violated in a harmless error, but he was not entitled to a new trial. STUDENTS DEVELOP MURAL AT GRAY’S LAKE PARK Four Drake seniors helped raise environmental awareness in Des Moines by creating a wildlife mural at Gray’s Lake Park. The Connecting to Nature: Community Eco-Mural features images of birds, butterflies, tree rings and animal tracks on the Kruidenier Trail. The flora and fauna depicted on the mural are native to central Iowa and can be found at the park. The students involved in the project as part of their senior capstone project in Drake’s Environmental Science and Policy Department were Leah Tran, an environmental science major from Des Moines; Tara Lange, a drawing, field ecology and nature illustration major from Orion, IL; Nina Gray, an environmental science and anthropology major from Rockford, IL; and Rachel Zieske, an environmental science and policy major from Eden Prairie, MN. The group painted butterflies at the west end of the trail’s bridge

DRAKE MOVES UP IN RANKINGS OF ACADEMIC QUALITY, VALUE Drake received the secondhighest score for academic quality and improved its overall ranking from fifth to third among Midwest master’s universities in the annual college rankings released by U.S.News & World Report magazine. In the Great Schools, Great Prices category, Drake moved up to sixth place after ranking eighth last year, according to the magazine’s 2010 issue of “America’s Best Colleges.” This is the 10th consecutive year that Drake has been recognized in this category. Drake’s score for academic quality (peer assessment) increased to 4.0 this year as compared to 3.9 last year. Only one of the 142 Midwest universities that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s programs scored higher than Drake in this category. Drake also had the fourthhighest score in the entire country for academic quality among the 548 master’s universities in the nation ranked by U.S.News & World Report. “We are delighted, of course, to be recognized as one of the best institutions in the Midwest in both academic quality and value,” said Drake President David Maxwell. “It is important to note, however, that

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Cowles Library’s ongoing Citizens Arise! initiative featured national traveling exhibits on presidents John Adams and Abraham Lincoln. Gordon Wood spoke on “The Foundations of Democracy” as part of the program, and Beth Prindle appeared as part of the John Adams Unbound exhibition. Friends of Drake Arts presented A Night of Stars at Sheslow Auditorium. Drake theatre students performed Cabaret. The Vienna Boys Choir performed on campus in November, and the annual Madrigal Dinner featuring the Drake Chamber Choir took place in December. South African novelist and playwright Zakes Mda read from his work to fans. Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent of The New York Times, led the Constitution Day celebration with a lecture on “The Roberts Court in the Obama Era: A Reporter’s Reflections.” The Drake Municipal Observatory

kicked off a new fall series on technology used in astronomy. The Whirling Dervishes of Rumi

performed ritual song and movement on campus in August. Drake Stadium hosted more than 9,000 athletes for the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games. Historian and former

Drake University Dean of Arts and Sciences Myron “Mike” Marty gave a free, public talk on his new book, Communities of Frank Lloyd Wright. Several potential Republican candidates for Iowa governor met on campus to discuss the 2010 campaign. Beth Younger kicked off Cowles Library’s Midweek Muses and Munchies series with a talk on “Women in Horror Films.”

we do not view these rankings as a goal in and of themselves — they are a consequence of our efforts to provide the exceptional learning environment that we promise our students.”

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Tools of the Trade STATE–OF–THE–ART PHARMACY LAB GIVES STUDENTS A TASTE OF THE REAL WORLD.

APPLY THE CAP. LABEL THE BOTTLE. REPEAT. These are what most believe are the primary responsibilities of a retail pharmacist. But Drake Trustee Don Davidson, PH’50, knows better. And he wants to ensure Drake students understand that donning a white coat doesn’t limit them to a life behind a counter. In fact, it’s something significantly different. In 2007, Davidson made a $300,000 gift to renovate the lab that was initially named in his honor in 1997. The premise was to create a facility that replicated a community pharmacy and housed state-of-the-art equipment. LEARNING BY DOING Heidi Price, instructor of pharmacy practice at Drake, was charged with creating the initial sketches for the lab’s renovation. With her experience working in both hospital and community pharmacy settings, she was able to design a community practice setting with a practical workflow. The floor plan was finalized by Price, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Dean Raylene Rospond and Anisa Fornoff, assistant professor of pharmacy practice. The result — the only classroom of its kind in the United States. The space now encompasses eight minipharmacies with custom-made workstations and the most modern technology available, which includes bar code scanning, order scanning and a Parata Max dispensing machine. The lab also has four flat-screen TVs, computers with video recording and playback functions for critiquing sessions, signature pads, and vitals equipment for checking blood pressure and temperature. “It’s important that students see what’s being used in pharmacies,” says Price. “It’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s another thing for them to use the equipment in a learning environment. The lab allows them to make mistakes and to learn rather than just do.” REAL-WORLD PRACTICE Each of the new tools allows students to focus more time on patient counseling, especially the Parata Max dispensing unit. The unit, only one of three in Iowa, enables students to fill and dispense prescriptions using automated technology. “We want students to focus on the interactions that are taking place, not the counting and labeling,” says Price. The addition of non-prescription medications in the lab allows students to learn about drug interactions and non-prescription drug counseling. Pharmacy management software allows students to learn about pharmacy workflow management, check for drug interactions while filling prescriptions and file practice insurance claims. “It’s extremely vital to give [students] a real-life situation and to offer curriculum to prepare them for the real world,” says Fornoff. And that’s just what the CPHS and the Davidson Lab are doing. — Abbie Hansen, JO’01

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campus buzz DRAKE, LEOPOLD CENTER LAUNCH LAND TENURE PROJECT Sustainable agriculture and land tenure are the focus of a new research and outreach collaboration between Drake University and Iowa State University. The two-year jointly funded program — the Iowa Landowner and Sustainable Agricultural Land Stewardship project — will be carried out by a partnership between the Agricultural Law Center at Drake and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU. The project will explore trends in Iowa farmland ownership and the transition of land to a new generation of owners, many of whom will rent or lease farmland to others. “We’re interested in studying current farm lease agreements and hope to provide information for landowners about how leases can be used to promote conservation and sustainable agriculture,” said Neil Hamilton, director of Drake’s Agricultural Law Center.

Drake will add a fellow position in the Agricultural Law Center. The new staff attorney will conduct research, inventory and survey land tenure legal agreements and practices, interview landowners and advisers, develop survey tools, and collect and analyze legal agreements. In addition four Drake law students spent the summer working on internships related to the project’s research agenda. Drake will use the project’s findings to draft a model sustainable agricultural leasing guide that will offer alternative provisions and practices to traditional farm leasing agreements and practices. JOURNALISM STUDENTS COVER IOWA SUPREME COURT RULING ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE The Iowa Supreme Court ruling overturning the ban on same-sex marriage was international news, and Drake journalism students made headlines of their own for covering the court’s decision.

Matthew Smith, a junior magazine major from West Des Moines, IA, received national coverage on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. As a freelance contributor to The Windy City Times, Chicago’s oldest gay publication, he had taken more than 400 photos on the first day same-sex couples could marry. When Maryfrances Evans and Stephanie McFarland, a couple from Urbandale, IA, were asked to share their story on Winfrey’s show, they agreed to supply a photograph, which is where Smith came in. “It was surreal,” Smith said. “There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your name in the end credits of The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Drake’s award-winning student-produced magazine THiNK posted stories, photos and commentary about the court’s decision, people’s reactions and a public rally held in downtown Des Moines on the magazine’s Web site at www.thinkdsm.com.

THiNK, a news magazine, is a joint senior capstone project for magazine and news-Internet majors during the spring semester. “This demonstrates that Drake students continue to be at the center of national, even international, news,” said junior Mark Micheli, thinkdsm.com site director. PAUL SHARP, DRAKE’S EIGHTH PRESIDENT, PASSES AWAY Paul F. Sharp, a nationally renowned historian and widely admired administrator Sharp who served as Drake University’s eighth president from 1966–1971, died after a lengthy illness in February at his home in Norman, OK. He was 91. Sharp came to Drake after serving as chancellor of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and president of Hiram College in Ohio.

admission update STUDENT RECRUITMENT, RETENTION THRIVES Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Tom Delahunt is thrilled with the Class of 2013 on all fronts. “Considering the financial situation facing many of our current and prospective students, we were extremely anxious,” Delahunt admits. “Our Student Financial Planning counselors have been busier than they have ever been.” Delahunt reports that not only did the retention rate of current students increase, but the recruitment of new students continued to thrive. “Our freshman class is where we had hoped, and we set a new record for entering transfer students,” he says, noting the cooperation from the entire Drake community in helping to make this happen. “We could not have achieved our goals without the Herculean efforts of our faculty, staff and students. Recruitment this year was, and continues to be, a complete team effort.”

As recruitment for the next class begins, Director of Admission Laura Linn states that the number of visitors to the Office of Admission has topped previous records for each of the last four months. In addition, during Iowa Private College Week in August, Drake hosted more than 600 students and their families, which is also a record attendance mark. The admission staff would like to thank Emily Kruse for her eight years of service to the University and wish her the best of luck as the new Director of Admission at Clarke College. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Kirk Pohlman has joined the staff as an admission counselor after serving in a similar role at the University of Northern Iowa for seven years.

Spike proved a popular photo spot for many of the students and families who attended Iowa Private College Week in record numbers in August.

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BEST-SELLING AUTHOR BILL BRYSON COMES HOME TO DRAKE Best-selling author and Drake graduate Bill Bryson brought laughter and spirit back home during a visit to Des Moines and Drake. Bryson met with students, had lunch with alumni and friends, and held an informal question-and-answer session at Cowles Library. He later received the Alumni Achievement Award from the Drake University National Alumni Association. Bryson also delivered a talk as part of the annual Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture series. A crowd of more than 4,800 attended the lecture, which has featured many notable speakers, such as Jane Goodall, Bill Moyers and Magic Johnson. At the start of the Bucksbaum event, Drake President David Maxwell and Provost Ron Troyer presented Bryson with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the behest of the Drake Board of Trustees. Bryson, who received his bachelor’s degree from Drake in 1977, has lived in England for the past 35 years. His books have sold 10 million copies and include A Walk in the Woods, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, which describes his adventures growing up in Des Moines during the 1950s.

During Sharp’s presidency, Drake’s enrollment increased by 20 percent and the faculty grew by 40 percent. Sharp saw opportunities for Drake in graduate education, leading to the introduction of several master’s programs and the first doctoral program. Sharp proved to be a highly successful fundraiser, enabling the University to increase faculty salaries, expand scholarship funds and improve facilities. “He turned Drake in the direction of becoming a leading

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university in the Midwest, including a more diverse student body and faculty,” recalled John McCaw, professor emeritus of religion and former dean of the Divinity School. DRAKE COMMEMORATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF KHRUSHCHEV VISIT TO IOWA Drake observed the 50th anniversary of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Iowa with a special event featuring Khrushchev’s biographer,

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William Taubman; Drake President David Maxwell; and Nikita Khrushchev’s son, Sergei. In 1959 Roswell Garst invited Khrushchev to tour his Coon Rapids, IA, farm in order to share with the Soviets the advances that Americans had made in mechanized grain production. Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science at Amherst College, began the evening with a lecture based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era. He was later joined in a brief discussion with Maxwell and Sergei Khrushchev, a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. The lecture was preceded by a special dinner hosted by Drake. Guests of honor included Khrushchev and a Russian delegation of political and business leaders. A highlight of the dinner was Maxwell’s welcoming remarks, which he delivered in Russian. “William Taubman’s talk, and Sergei Khrushchev’s contributions to the discussion, provided powerful insights into the life of one of the 20th century’s most important figures,” Maxwell said. MAYA ANGELOU GIVES BUCKSBAUM LECTURE Maya Angelou, an award-winning writer, poet, journalist and activist hailed as one of great voices of contemporary literature, presented Drake University’s Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture in October. Angelou has authored 12 bestselling books and numerous magazine articles, earning her Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award nominations. In 1993 Angelou became the second poet in U.S. history to have the honor of writing and reciting original work for a presidential inauguration. Her reading of the

poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration brought her wide recognition and earned her a Grammy award for best spoken word performance. She is fluent in five languages, including French, Spanish and Arabic and serves as the Reynolds professor of American studies at Wake Forest University. Angelou holds more than 60 honorary degrees. “I know Drake is a rainbow in the clouds,” said Angelou. “I know there are people who have entered this institution of higher education who represent families that have never gone to a high school — people who will leave this place with an assurance Angelou of a formal education and who represent for the first time to their families that they can do this.” She closed with a challenge, telling audience members “Do not be timid. Be who you really are. Each of us has the possibility to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. That’s who we are, that is what we are. You see?” Drake President David Maxwell declared Angelou’s appearance as one of the “defining moments of this university.” Angelou’s lecture drew more than 8,000 people to the Knapp Center — the largest crowd in the history of the Bucksbaum Lecture Series. The series, made possible by a gift from Melva and the late Martin Bucksbaum, was established in 1996. Bucksbaum was a member of Drake’s governing board and a leader in the Des Moines community. More photos from the event are located on the back cover of this issue.

faculty focus Art Professor Exhibits Work in Beijing Phillip Chen, professor of art and design, recently showcased a series of prints on an 80-foot wall at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing — China’s premier venue for contemporary photography. The exhibit, titled “Origins and Destinations,” is the most prominent show of Chen’s career to date. The display consisted of 24 etchings that use photography and drawing to address themes, including race relations, gender politics and cultural history. As a Chinese-American artist, Chen offers perspectives on his own family history as well as broader intersections of Chinese and Western cultures. Chen holds a master of fine arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been featured in more than 150 venues worldwide and is held in collections throughout the United States. Blachford Named Inaugural Fisher-Stelter Magazine Chair Lori Blachford has been appointed the inaugural Peggy Fisher and Larry Stelter Chair of Magazine Journalism, a position made possible by a $1.5 million gift presented by Drake alumna Peggy Fisher and her husband, Larry Stelter. Lori Blachford The couple are owners of the Stelter Co., a Des Moinesbased consulting company specializing in charitable giving organizations. In this position, Blachford is responsible for leading and 8

refining Drake’s nationally recognized magazine journalism program. She will also present a lecture each year that reflects her current research. “The confidence that Peggy and Larry are showing with their investment in the program and our students is wonderful,” Blachford said. “Because of supporters like Peggy and Larry, we are able to supply our students with an environment where they can produce a professional product.” Blachford received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and has spent more than 20 years working as a professional journalist for The Des Moines Register and Country Home magazine. Law Professor Accepts National Prize at U.S. Supreme Court Melissa Weresh, professor of law, was awarded the 2009 Warren E. Burger Writing Competition Prize for her essay that examines the professional identity of novice lawyers. The essay, “I’ll Start Walking Your Way, You Start Walking Mine: Sociological Perspectives on Professional Identity Development and Influence of Generational Differences,” will be published in the South Carolina Law Review. A distinguished panel of law scholars chose the winning essay in a blind contest. The writing competition aims to encourage outstanding scholarship that “promotes the ideals of excellence, civility, ethics and professionalism within the legal profession.” Weresh accepted the award at the United States Supreme Court on October 17 during the American Inns of Court’s Celebration of Excellence hosted by Justice Antonin G. Scalia. “This is a tremendous honor for me,” said Weresh, who also serves as director of legal writing

Director of Human Resources Venessa Macro (left) and Drake University President David Maxwell presented the Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award to Associate Director of Admission Deneen Dygert at the annual fall Faculty and Staff Convocation. The 2009 Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Awards were presented to Tom Delahunt, vice president for admission and financial aid; Michael Ball, associate director of recreational services; and Matt Miller, assistant director of recreational services and facilities. The awards were established by the late Madelyn M. Levitt, who served as a Drake trustee and special assistant to the president for development. Her daughter, Suzie Burt, attended this year’s presentation.

at Drake University Law School. “I am humbled to receive this prestigious award and thrilled to visit the United States Supreme Court.” Lon Larson Remembered for Passion and Mentoring Lon Larson, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of Pharmacy Administration, died in May after a three-year battle with a rare, aggressive type of cancer called mantle cell lymphoma. He was 60. Larson was one of the most beloved professors at Drake and is the only member of the University’s faculty to have twice received the Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor of the Year Award. He was first honored with the award in 1997 and then again in 2007. Weeks before his passing, Drake

Larson became the 10th recipient of the Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver Medal of Honor, one of Drake’s highest awards and the most prestigious honor given by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The Weaver Medal was established by Lawrence Weaver, PH’49, dean emeritus of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, and his wife, Delores. Shortly after being told he had only a few months to live, Larson gave a speech in which he encouraged students to live positively and to savor each moment. “Each of us gets to choose our attitudes. We can worry about a future that may never arrive, or relive the past, or we can live in this moment and be thankful for it,” Larson said.

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Drake’s Engaged Citizen Seeing a need in the community allowed this professor to take creative educational initiative and leave his own legacy His last name is Drake, so it was almost destined that he should strengthen the University’s impact on the surrounding community. Tom Drake, AS’65, assistant professor of education and director of student teaching, was a student-athlete at Drake and a recipient of the 2005 Double D Award. Given his background, Drake understands the need to further bridge the gap between the classroom and athletics, and between elementary school and college. With this goal in mind, Drake helped develop a program that integrates Drake athletics with an elementary school curriculum. The Grow Bulldogs program has been successful in getting younger kids thinking about higher education and the University at an early age by putting college students in mentor roles. And the program not only benefits elementary school students but also provides additional opportunities for student-athletes and education majors to extend themselves beyond the University and truly become engaged citizens in the community. All about Experience As director of student teaching, Drake places senior education majors in schools alongside professional teachers, providing them with valuable real-world opportunities. Sophomores and juniors who have yet to gain official student teaching experience, however, can still get some hands-on practice by facilitating Grow Bulldogs sessions and creating lesson plans. “The students deliver the curriculum,” he says. Qwest awarded the program a $15,000 grant to help with curriculum development and materials, allowing more room for Grow Bulldogs to expand and get even more college and elementary school students involved. Because Grow Bulldogs is centered on athletics, students have to think creatively and move beyond typical classroom style to teach subjects like math, reading, writing, social studies and health. Solutions like using jersey numbers to teach addition and subtraction are successful. “It helps them approach curriculum differently,” says Drake of the student teachers. Leaving his Legacy Drake, who has taught at the University since

2004, will be leaving at the end of this academic year, but the results of his hard work and dedication will remain. The Grow Bulldogs program is moving into its third semester and the feedback has been positive. “They absolutely want the program to continue every year,” says Drake. “Drake is a vital part of the metro area, and we all need to demonstrate our support for community projects.” — Meagan Savage

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Ties that bind Students at Drake Law School make connections early and carry the relationships throughout their careers BY TIM SCHMITT, GR’08

efore Erin Dallinger-Lain, AS’06, LW’08, even stepped foot into Cartwright Hall as a first-year law student at Drake University, she’d heard the horror stories about law school — never-ending readings, days without sleep, intense competition.

“Drake’s connection with alumni, the bench and bar, and working professionals is unique and intentional ... ” WILLIAM HENNAN DRAKE LAW SCHOOL ASSOCIATE DEAN

And then there were the actual classes to worry about. “I was pretty intimidated,” she recalls. “I was nervous even just going to buy my books and check out the school. I didn’t feel very confident about what I was about to undertake.” Dallinger-Lain’s experience is not unique. For most outsiders, law school is the proverbial riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The only ones with any idea of what to expect or a clue as to how to get through it all are those who’ve already done so. But from their very first days, students at Drake Law School are connected to those who have come before them, and they benefit directly from the knowledge and skills of those with experience. Alumni, working attorneys, corporate partners, judges, and the state and county bar associations work closely with students to make the difficult years of law school a bit more manageable. And these connections continue well after graduation as students transition into careers, then often return the favor by assisting the next batch of students just starting out. “Drake’s connection with alumni, the bench and bar, and working professionals is unique and intentional,” says Drake Law School Associate Dean William Hennan. “It helps new law students get acclimated in that first year of school, which can be very challenging. And it benefits not only students but the profession as a whole.”

“At every event, we’ve had someone find something, whether an internship or a job.” THE BUDDY SYSTEM For Dallinger-Lain, these connections helped her overcome her initial fears and get through the first scary weeks of classes — and eventually graduate in less than three years. “After the first week or so, I realized that this was something completely doable,” she says. “It was going to be a lot of work, but it wasn’t going to be impossible. From day one we had judges coming in speaking about what it meant to be a successful student and lawyer.” Especially helpful to Dallinger-Lain during her first year was Drake Law’s Partners Program, which allows students to begin developing a support system to get them through the first months of school and develop a relationship with working attorneys. The program pairs incoming law students with alumni or working members of the profession who might offer guidance, advice or mentoring through that first year of law school — and beyond. The school arranges for an initial meeting between the attorneys and students and then allows the relationship to evolve organically. “I did the program my first year, and it was pretty impressive,” says Dallinger-Lain. “It showed me right away what I could be in just a few years and it demystified the whole process. It was a good opportunity to talk to someone outside the Drake bubble about internships, what an attorney does on a daily basis and how to get through the challenges of the first year.” Carol Burdette, executive director of the Polk County Bar Association, works closely with Hennan to oversee this program, which both agree has benefits beyond those received by the students. “It’s an official welcome to the profession,” says Burdette. “As the bar association, we want people to feel that you are welcome and that you are one of us now. Plus a lot of attorneys get to the point where they have something to offer and really want to give back to an upcoming generation of attorneys.” These relationships, says Hennan, help students develop professionally and allow working attorneys to continue learning as well. “These connections benefit the attorneys, too,” he says. “It makes them assess what they do and why, and it gives them an opportunity socialize with a younger generation and re-evaluate old ideas and discover new ways of thinking.”

“From day one we had judges coming in speaking about what it meant to be a successful student and lawyer.” ERIN DALLINGER-LAIN, AS’06, LW’08

TRISHA FILLBACH, DIRECTOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

BEYOND NETWORKING The Partners Program is especially helpful given there is an American Bar Association rule that prevents a law school’s career development staff from contacting entering students during their first months of classes. But the Career Development Office staff jumps in as quickly as they can to ensure that students benefit as much as possible from the alumni connections the school works hard to make and maintain. “We really try to connect students with alumni, and a lot of what we do is facilitate relationships between students and alums,” says Trisha Fillbach, director of the Career Development Office at the Law School. “I meet with alumni whenever I go to different cities and always discuss ways they might connect with students.” The Career Development Office holds numerous formal and informal networking events throughout the year that encourage students and alumni to meet and explore relationships that might benefit them both. Speed networking events allow a group of 25 students to each meet individually with 25 alumni for brief get-to-knowyou interviews. Off-campus events match students interested in practicing law outside of Des Moines with alumni in other cities. Other events include small-firm networking, lunch and learns, career fairs, resume collects, and many other formal and informal events. “At every event, we’ve had someone find something, whether an internship or a job,” says Fillbach. But more important is that students learn the importance of going beyond just networking to building symbiotic relationships and making long-term mutually beneficial connections they can carry throughout their careers and lives. “Networking may be the single most important activity new attorneys can do to further their careers and obtain new business,” says Fillbach. “It is important in getting that first job, and it is just as important to network in order to keep it or get a different one. In its broadest sense, however, networking means relationship building. It means being open to meeting new people and sharing ideas.” Dallinger-Lain agrees and recognizes the importance of helping new students make these connections as well. That realization played an important role in her decision to remain at Drake after graduation as an assistant director of admission at the Law School, where she now helps to ensure incoming students have the same opportunities she had. “There are a lot of things you can’t learn in the classroom,” she says. “The best way to overcome that is to meet people who can help you and keep you from having to reinvent the wheel. The Law School really excels at helping everyone find the support they need to succeed in the classroom, in their careers and in life in general.”

Going out on a limb They went to Uganda to study sustainable development. They came back with a new partnership and unexpected lessons on life. By Rebecca Lee

Two rows of eucalyptus trees lining a dirt road in Africa are more than a vision for a future road. The saplings symbolize a growing connection between the people at Drake University and Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Kampala, Uganda. During a 19-day travel seminar in Uganda this summer, Drake students and faculty members planted the trees along a piece of land that is to become a residential development. According to MUBS Chairman Colin Sentongo, the trees will one day line a neighborhood street named Drake Boulevard and represent the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burgeoning development and connection with the University.

Seeds of development The travel seminar stems from Drake’s semester-long course Sustainable Development in Africa, which was first offered in spring 2006 and developed by Jimmy Senteza, associate professor of finance, and Glenn McKnight, associate professor of history. Senteza, a native of Uganda, traveled with fellow professors Debra Bishop and Tom Root to accompany 16 Drake students to Uganda on this year’s trip. “The main objective of the seminar is to introduce students to sustainable development and what it means for developing countries,” says Bishop, assistant professor of management and international business. “We use Uganda as a small-scale example of what is going on in the rest of Africa.” In a broad sense, sustainable development refers to resources such as health care, education, infrastructure, good governance and a system of values that meet the needs of people both now and in the future. “The students come away with diverse perspectives on what the issues for development are by interacting with people in the community, government and

businesses,” Senteza says. “When students come to the realization that the issues are not simple, they can educate other people about what they now understand. It is a small, simple step that will have a long-term impact.” Much like other African countries, Uganda faces a multitude of problems, including poverty, political conflict, government corruption and the prevalence of AIDS among the population. Students observe these complex issues firsthand and come away not only with a better understanding of the challenges and the impact on development but also ideas on how to approach solutions.

Change and growth During the visit the group also had the opportunity to speak with a young man, Patrick Bitature, who Bishop says is one of the country’s most successful telecommunication entrepreneurs. “It is individuals like Patrick who have drive and ambition to make the big changes that the country needs right now,” Bishop says. “It is about more than just making money. It is about providing jobs, creating social impact and taking the opportunity to act as a catalyst for the formation of other businesses. This all plays a critical role in sustainable development.”

Thanks to the work of leaders like Bitature, many aspects of life in Uganda have improved since the program launched and the first Drake contingent visited three years ago. There are more paved roads, better housing conditions, and wider availability and quality of Internet connections, which allowed Drake participants to maintain a blog about their experiences throughout the course of the trip. (The blog can be viewed at www.mubs-drakeseminar.blogspot.com.) “The fact that we could maintain a blog at all is a true testament to the progress that Uganda has made,” says Root, associate professor of finance. “Three years ago you would be hard-pressed to even find a connection; now there are wireless spots available in hotels and other places.” The blog recorded the students’ experiences and their reactions to aspects of daily life in Uganda, such as the challenging modes of transportation and the poverty that commonly plagues rural villages. “Our students will inevitably encounter things they have never seen or given much thought to during the trip, but they rarely come away from it with a negative reaction,” Bishop adds. “They seem to come away with a deeper

sense of appreciation for the life they have back in America.”

A deep-rooted appreciation Drake students interacted with Makerere students and faculty members as well as the people of Kampala. These relationships helped give students new perspectives on not only their own lives but also those of the Ugandans. “I’ve lived a fairly sheltered life, and this trip really gave me my first real look at poverty,” admits Scott Brown, an accounting and finance major from Highland Park, IL. “Intellectually I have always known that there are people who live in impoverished conditions, but it is completely different when you see it.” In addition to the time spent with local families, the Drake group also traveled to marketplaces, rural farms, historical sites, wildlife preservation areas and AIDS clinics. “When we were in Kampala, the first thing I noticed was the extreme security measures,” Brown recalls. “There were security guards with AK-47s and huge walls topped with barbed wire. I wondered how all of these things could possibly help with the country’s development.”

“When students come to the realization that the issues are not simple, they can educate other people about what they now understand. It is a small, simple step that will have a long-term impact.” — Debra Bishop

One experience — a visit to an underfunded primary school outside of Kampala — was particularly memorable for Jess Hoffert, a junior magazine and broadcast news major from Winona, MN. “We visited the building to bring them school supplies,” he says. “There were so many children, but I will not forget their faces any time soon.” While the students lack food and wealth and oftentimes do not have parents to provide for them, one Ugandan boy showered Hoffert with generosity by sharing his lunch. “I will never forget the moment when a child came up to me and gave me a small piece of bread,” says Hoffert, who now keeps the bread in his freezer to remind him of the life-changing experience. “This could have been half of his lunch for the day. What an inspiration to be less selfish in this troubled world.”

A growing connection Since the course was created, organizers have strived to expand

the cooperation between Drake and Makerere. The program aims to help Drake students and professors gain a greater understanding of global business and culture, while Makerere students and faculty members learn about best practices in the United States. To fulfill its mission, the Drake group met with MUBS professors and students to discuss Uganda’s obstacles and plans for development, which include improving tourism. “Tourism depends on the attractiveness of a country and its economy,” Senteza says. “Uganda has to find a way to appeal to tourists by offering services that are user-friendly and satisfactory for people coming to view wildlife.” Drawing from these conversations with the MUBS students, as well as their own observations, the students’ final task in the course was to write a research paper on an aspect of Uganda’s sustainable development. Chosen topics included farming, freedom of the

press and the dental hygiene system — things Drake students have learned to appreciate more since the trip. “I never thought I would wake up in the morning and be grateful for the Constitution, but now I am,” says Korey DeBerg, BN’09. “In Uganda you could be thrown into jail and held up to seven years without ever seeing a lawyer. Here in America you could be walking out on bail by the next morning. I never gave it any thought until I spoke with the Ugandan students about it.” The MUBS students also showed interest in the lives of Drake students and in the University itself, leaving participants hopeful that the travel seminar could eventually develop into an exchange program with Makerere that would bring its students to Drake. “Over the last three years, the group’s visits have stimulated interest in international issues,” says Sentongo, the MUBS chairman. “The [Drake] visitors have come to appreciate the

socioeconomic conditions in Uganda, and the visits have excited our students’ interest in learning about the United States. MUBS expects to expand the relationship through collaborative research, visits by MUBS students and faculty to Drake, and identifying sources of funding for some of those activities that are mutually beneficial to both institutions.” Bishop says that although no MUBS students have yet been able to attend Drake, the possibility is there and the potential benefits of such a visit are fantastic. “I have had several MUBS students come to me throughout the years with questions about Drake’s graduate programs,” she says. “It is exciting to think that they could obtain education and resources here that will be taken back to Uganda and used to significantly improve the situation there.”

Additional reporting for this article was done by Rachel Harrison.

Drake Relaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 100th The 100th running of the Drake Relays brought alumni back home to celebrate Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Athletic Classic through events both on the track and off. Twenty Athletes of the Century were saluted by thousands of fans as they entered the Drake Knapp Center for a public gala. Michael Johnson and Gwen Torrence both appeared at the event to accept honors as the Relays Athletes of the Century. Plaques commemorating each Athlete of the Century were unveiled in Drake Plaza outside the stadium. Twelve records were set and one tied during the four-day meet, including four on Saturday, April 25, when the streak of consecutive sellout crowds (14,500) reached 44 straight years.

sports sideline FAR ABOVE PAR Somewhere in the Lansing family scrapbook, there is a picture of Drake senior Olivia Lansing holding a golf club. She insists she wasn’t born that way, but one would be hard-pressed to know that. “I didn’t really get serious about golf until seventh or eighth grade,” she recalls. Lansing was a member of the women’s golf team when the sport started at Drake in the fall of 2006 — her freshman year. Right off the tee, Lansing made her presence known. In that first season, she led the Bulldogs with a 78.7 stroke average based on 12 rounds. In spring 2007 her average dropped to 77.6. By her second year, Lansing earned medalist honors at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 77-73-77=227 card to win by three strokes. She topped all of that in 2008 by earning medalist honors at the MVC Fall Preview and becoming the MVC Golfer of the Year, leading the league with a 76.07 average based on 14 rounds.

So what’s next for one of the nation’s best collegiate golfers? “I just keep trying to improve,” the Dellwood, MN, native says. “As a team and as individuals, we set high goals for ourselves. We expect to get better each year.” Lansing, a double major in graphic design and journalism, also pushes herself when off the greens. She spent a portion of her sophomore year volunteering at PACE Juvenile Center at Orchard Place in Des Moines in a program that helps students with behavior and learning challenges get back on track in school. She discovered the opportunity during a sociology class and volunteered to tutor some of the students and help them with homework twice a week. “That was a rewarding experience,” she says. “It was really eye-opening. I would like to do more of that, but our schedule is pretty hectic. You want to be the kind of person these students can rely on, and I don’t want to let them down.” If her tutoring is half as good as her golf, she doesn’t have much to worry about.

SPIKE PAYS A VISIT to Dennis Albaugh, chairman of Albaugh, Inc., and member of the Drake Board of Trustees, and delivers a cake in honor of his birthday.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE When Drake senior and shortstop Elena Leon charges a ground ball, she spins and fires a throw to a very familiar target at first base. The woman manning the bag is senior Molly McClelland. The pair has played on infields throughout central Iowa together for six seasons — three as teammates at West Des Moines Valley High School, where the duo graduated a year apart, and three more as part of the Bulldogs’ softball program.

21ST-CENTURY SPIKE Getting all of your news through social media sites Facebook and Twitter? Then become a fan of Drake Athletics on Facebook and follow DUBulldogs at Twitter to stay up on the action all season long. The Drake Athletic Department will feature inside information, ticket specials, contests and

more through its new Facebook and Twitter sites. Also new to www.godrakebulldogs.com is the True Blue Blog. Each week, coaches and studentathletes will post entries about what is new in their lives and in the world of Drake Athletics. It will give fans a look “outside the lines” of each Drake sport.

DRAKE

“It definitely helps your comfort level when you know your teammates for as long as we’ve been playing together,” Leon says. For central Iowans, there are a lot of familiar faces on the Bulldogs’ roster. Drake senior and third base and utility player Carrie Hatfield is a Des Moines East High School alumna who played with and against Valley’s McClelland and Leon throughout the years. And newcomers Maci Silliman, a first-year infielder and outfielder from Winterset, IA, and Lindsey Vande Wall from Prairie City, IA, played on tournament teams together as kids. For the younger players, the familiar faces help aid the transition from high school sports to NCAA Division I athletics. “You have someone you know who is going through the same thing as you,” Vande Wall says. “You understand each other well.” The crop of local players also packs the stands at Drake softball games with fans from the metro area. “A lot of our former teammates come and watch us play,” says McClelland. “And some of the younger girls — ones who are still in high school — come to see what it’s like at the college level. It’s rewarding to play with a home field advantage.”

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champions

Old Faithful JOSH YOUNG — DRAKE BASKETBALL’S STEADY FORCE FOR THREE YEARS — LOOKS AHEAD. TINGLY TIPS When Drake men’s basketball star Josh Young

releases a three-point shot he knows is on the money, he gets a little tingle in his fingertips. The game slows down as the ball travels through that long, high arc. It slips past the iron rim and snaps the net. Three points appear on the scoreboard for the Bulldogs. The crowd goes wild. “That’s the best feeling in the game,” says Young, a marketing and management double major entering his senior season at Drake. “It’s like a home run in baseball. The crowd really gets up for threes. They just go crazy.” It’s a feeling Young should be getting used to. Entering his final season, he is third on the Drake career three-point list with 202 and tied for seventh on Drake’s career scoring list with 1,328 points. Last season Young hit an average of two threepointers per game and made 66 throughout the course of the season. He scored a career-high 34 points against Morehead State last season, dropping seven three-pointers in the game. LEADING THE TEAM Young has helped lead the team throughout

his three seasons, an important constant on the court during a period when three different coaches led the team. Tom Davis led Drake to its first winning season in 20 years in Young’s freshman year. The following year Davis’ son, Keno Davis, took the Bulldogs to a national ranking and a first-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament — Drake’s first bid since the 1970s. Last year Coach Mark Phelps notched a 17-16 season during Young’s junior campaign. “I think last year we were looking for our niche, that one thing we did better than everybody else,” Young says. “This year we’re all going to be more familiar. We’re going to try to move the ball more and speed up the tempo of the game and apply a little bit more defensive pressure.” ONE MORE THING Despite the coaching changes, Young has continued to excel. He led Drake in scoring average with 15.4 points per game and set a school record by hitting 32 free throws in a row. Young has his eyes set on one other scoring feat. “I want to get my first dunk in a game,” the 6-foot-1 guard from Lawton, OK, says. “Maybe I can knock that off this year, too.”

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2008–2009

Finances, Strategies, Results Annual financial reports are often dry reading . . . but not this year. Given the economic tumult, the numbers and statistics found in this document should ease the minds of those with an interest in the future of the University. Considering the economic hardships experienced by higher education in fiscal year 2008–09, Drake University’s financial position is much better than one might expect. This is a direct result of years of planning that has gone into stabilizing the University’s financial status, as well as an enduring commitment by administrators, faculty and staff to achieve that stability. “We had very strong results this past fiscal year,” says Victoria Payseur, vice president for business and finance and treasurer. “This is probably the strongest year operationally that we’ve had in well over 12 years.” Let’s start with the overall budget picture. For the fifth year in a row, Drake ended the fiscal year with a surplus ... a modest surplus, but still a surplus. (See charts accompanying this story.) “Our total revenue grew 6 percent, while our expenses grew 3.4 percent,” says Payseur. “The revenue growth is primarily tied to tuition, and we had strong enrollment and retention.” The surplus is used in several ways, including reinvestment in the endowment, student loan support and capital project funding. Due to the economy, capital projects were minimal this year and mostly exterior-focused. Cole Hall, for example, received a much-needed facelift, while Cartwright Hall got a new entrance. But even minor improvements enhance the experience of being on the Drake campus. “We also removed hedges along University Avenue and 25th Street, which opened up campus to the neighborhood and made it

more visible from the street,” says Payseur. “People can really see how beautiful the campus has become.”

ENDOWMENT DROPS, THEN GROWS Drake’s endowment slipped nearly 25 percent, which is less than the national average loss of 27 percent for university endowments. And there is other good news. “At the beginning of the fiscal year, the endowment was $146 million, by the end of the year, it had declined to $115 million,” says Payseur. “That’s rough; but we’re optimistic. As of September 2009, we’re back up to $126.7 million.” Payseur adds that the endowment spending distribution accounts for less than 6 percent of Drake’s budget, “So we weren’t as damaged as other institutions that are more reliant on their endowment fund.” The University has several objectives it strives to achieve each financial year — a sort of report card. Here’s what Drake accomplished in 2008–09:

•

Balanced the operating budget and met surplus targets

•

Created positive cash flow (an increase of $4.2 million)

•

Met or exceeded all debt covenants in advance of changes in accounting standards

•

Received an unqualified audit opinion

To conserve resources Drake’s 2008–2009 Honor Roll of Donors is available online at www.drake.edu/alumni/donors

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Two objectives were not achieved, due entirely to the economic situation and tumultuous investment markets. The University hoped to increase net assets, but instead experienced a $39 million decrease. The University also aimed to meet or exceed investment benchmarks. While the endowment spending target was slightly under the anticipated 5 percent, there was a 24.8 percent decrease in total return. The targeted return was 5 percent over inflation.

sophomore year has reached an all-time high of 89.4 percent. The University also gained 192 new transfer students this fall, exceeding its goal of 150 transfers. Hitting enrollment targets enabled Drake President David Maxwell to announce in September that the University is devoting $1.5 million to salary increases for faculty and staff in 2009–10. That’s $500,000 more than was allocated in the “likely” budget scenario. Payseur gives the University’s faculty and staff a lot of credit for helping Drake remain Oper ating Revenu es , FY09 ($119,089,363) financially stable. “Everyone on campus Other Private Grants $2,496,205 $1,259,579 knows their job depends on 2% 1% our ability to recruit and Auxiliaries $21,372,073 retain students,” says 18% Payseur. “Our faculty and staff are deeply involved in these processes. Endowment Used Net Tuition They provide the personal $5,000,000 $ 73,835,320 5% attention that we promise 62% to our students. We need to Private Gifts keep doing that. We can’t $4,496,298 4% become complacent.”

READY FOR THE FUTURE

Drake is already preparing for the potential of continuing economic stress. The President’s Cabinet created a series of best- and worstcase scenarios that take into account such things as projected enrollment, interest rates, fundraising and the endowment. To ensure that the University remains financially strong in 2009–10 and beyond, budgeting plans based on these scenarios were put in place. Essentially, Government Grants PLANNING, PLANNING, $9,354,844 Drake delayed releasing 8% budget funds for several PLANNING areas, including salary “We’ve been working for increases and capital projects, a long time getting the Oper ati ng Expend i tu res , FY09 ($113,040,885) until the enrollment picture fundamentals of the budget was clear. right,” says Payseur. Student Service $9,582,463 “As opposed to making A decade ago, Drake was 8% firm cuts, this approach gave operating at a deficit. Public Service us a lot more flexibility,” $9,581,292 University officials worked to Instruction 8% $35,021,286 says Payseur. “We were correct that, taking the 32% covered in case of an University through a rigorous enrollment downturn. On series of program review, the other hand, it was to restructuring and strategic everyone’s advantage to be planning. As difficult as these Auxiliary part of the effort to recruit changes may have been, they $29,015,698 and retain students. We’re 26% put the University in a better committed to doing this sort position to weather the Academic Support of budgeting for at least a current economic crisis,” $18,552,369 16% few more years until the says Payseur. Institutional Support $11,287,777 economy settles down.” There were no staff 10% Most of these funds have reductions this past fiscal now been released because year and the University did not the University met its best-case enrollment goal for the 2009–10 raise rates for health benefits. The University has had a compensation academic year. initiative to bring most faculty salaries up to the median of the Total enrollment remained stable as planned, with 5,653 graduate institution’s peer group. Since 2004 more than $11 million has gone and undergraduate students this fall, as compared with last fall’s toward this effort. In July The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked total enrollment of 5,668. Drake enrolled 863 first-year students Drake one of the best places to work based on such factors as healthy this fall to meet the targeted enrollment level for the entering class. faculty / administration relations, confidence in leadership, collaborative Drake’s retention rate for first-year students returning for their governance and internal communications, among other areas. — Steve Sullivan The Magazine of Drake University

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9. Register your family as

10. Contact the Drake

www.drake.edu/alumni/ legacy

www.drake.edu/about/siteinfo/ directory-search.php

a part of the Drake Alumni Legacy program. Kids will receive great Drake items throughout their childhood.

22 WAYS TO CONNECT WITH

DRAKE UNIVERSITY

Join Drake’s social media network. Register to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. www.drake.edu/alumni/ socialnetworking.php

7. Celebrate your

6. Ride in style —

www.drake.edu/alumni/ support

www.drakebookstore.com

connection with Drake by making a gift to The Drake Fund each year.

classmates and help plan your class reunion. www.drake.edu/alumni/ reunions.php

4. Announce your

accomplishments as a Drake graduate by sending in a Class Notes form.

With so many options on this path,

which will you choose?

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put a Drake decal on your vehicle’s window.

5. Reunite with fellow

As Drake alumni, there are incredible moments that we’ll remember for a lifetime — the first NCAA basketball tournament appearance in nearly 40 years, walking in commencement, the 100th running of the Relays, the return of more than 1,600 graduates to campus last April for the first ever All Greek Reunion. We share these times (and more) that make us proud to be alumni of Drake University and share in its success. But more than that, we want to celebrate your achievements and memories. We want you to be involved, to continue the rich tradition that is Drake. There are so many ways to stay connected throughout life.

www.drake.edu/alumni/ updateinfo.php

1. Help Drake be green

2. Wear your Drake

www.drake.edu/alumni/ updateinfo.php

www.drakebookstore.com

by giving us your e-mail address and updating your contact information.

professor or staff member who made your experience on campus truly meaningful and memorable.

apparel. Everyone looks great in Drake blue!

3. Display your

Drake diploma in your home or office. www.drake.edu/alumni/ 20 benefits.php

11. Recruit a talented

high school student to visit campus and to consider enrolling at Drake.

www.drake.edu/alumni/ recruitstudent.php

12. Promote your

Drake pride with a National Alumni Association credit card. www.drake.edu/alumni/ benefits.php

13. Remember

14. Attend a

www.drake.edu/alumni/ support

www.drake.edu/calendar

Drake in your will or estate plan.

Drake fine arts or athletic event.

15. Take a trip as a

participant in our alumni travel program sponsored by Alumni and Parent Relations. Then share your photos with Drake. www.drake.edu/alumni/ alumnitravel.php

18. Upload your

photos and share your Drake memories at Drakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photo site. www.flickr.com/photos/ drakealumnievents

17. Hire Drake

16. Connect with Alumni

students as interns during the summer and place graduates into professional positions.

and Parent Relations staff and offer opinions and feedback about programs and events.

www.drake.edu/career/ career_blueprint.php

www.drake.edu/alumni/ servicecentral.php

21. Call your old

22. Buy a bulldog.

19. Attend a

Bulldog Bash in your area. Better yet, help plan one. www.drake.edu/alumni/ bulldogbash.php

20. Sing the Drake

fight song proudly at University athletic events. www.drake.edu/alumni/ drakesongs.php

roommate, fraternity brother or sorority sister. www.drake.edu/alumni/ keepconnected.php

Name it Spike.

www.drake.edu/news/ db/official/archive. php?article=4236

Drake University is still the life-changing place for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students that it has been for the past 128 years. The question: How will you stay connected to Drake today?

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For information, log on to www.drake.edu/alumni and once again play an important role in continuing the success and vibrancy of Drake for many years to come.

alumni update Nominate Accomplished Alumni The Drake National Alumni Association Board is seeking nominations for the 2010 Drake Alumni Awards to be presented during the annual Alumni Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 22. The Alumni Awards honor individuals for outstanding achievement in a career or profession and reflect the pride of Drake University in their achievements. The awards include the Distinguished Service Award, the top honor bestowed upon alumni of Drake University; the Young Alumni Achievement Award, honoring alumni age 40 and younger for outstanding achievement in a career or profession; the Young Alumni Loyalty Award, honoring alumni age 40 or younger for dedication and service to Drake; the Alumni Achievement Award; and the Alumni Loyalty Award. Submit nominations to the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations and include contact information for the nominee along with career information, service to the community and profession, service to Drake University, and the specific award for which the person is nominated. Contact information for the person making the nomination is required. Send nominations to Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Blake Campbell at blake.campbell@drake.edu. Join a reunion committee Class reunion committees are being formed for the 5-year cluster reunion for the Drake classes of 2006, 2005 and 2004; the 20-year cluster reunion for the classes of 1991, 1990 and 1989; and the milestone reunions

for the classes of 1960, 1950 and 1940. The 5-year cluster reunion will bring alumni back to campus during Drake Relays, April 22–24, while milestone classes will reconnect during Commencement weekend, May 15–16. All Drake graduates are welcome to attend the reunions. To join a reunion committee, contact Blake Campbell, director of Alumni and Parent Relations, at blake.campbell@drake.edu, 515-271-3077. Have you ever heard a Bulldog “tweet”? The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations has joined hundreds of Drake graduates and fans by launching a Twitter account with the goal of connecting with alumni and sharing updates and news from campus and fellow alumni. “It’s a great way for Drake to connect with people in their personal lives, and it offers us another chance to hear feedback about our programs, events and happenings across the country,” said Blake Campbell, director of of Alumni and Parent Relations. “We’ve already seen a great response and hope we can continue to add followers as well as hear from our graduates.” Drake staff members also plan to use the forum as another tool to connect current Drake students to alumni across the country. You can follow the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations today at www.twitter.com/ DrakeAlumni. Alumnus confirmed for State Department post Stephen Rapp, LW’74, prosecutor of the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone, recently

was confirmed for a key U.S. State Department post under President Barack Obama. Rapp heads the Office of War Crimes Issues, directly advises Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and formulates U.S. policy responses to atrocities committed in areas of conflict and elsewhere throughout the world. In announcing the nomination of Rapp and several others, Obama said: “I am confident that these skilled and dedicated individuals will diligently work to serve the American people, keeping our country safe at home and abroad and firmly placing us back on a path to prosperity. I look forward to working with them in the future.” Obama’s nomination of Rapp drew praise from both of Iowa’s U.S. Senators — Republican Charles Grassley and Democrat Tom Harkin — at Rapp’s confirmation hearing on July 22. Rapp has served as prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone since January 2007, leading the prosecutions of former Liberian President Charles Taylor and other persons alleged to bear the greatest responsibility for the atrocities committed during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Bright honored by Edmonton Public Schools in Canada Edmonton Public Schools in Alberta, Canada, recently named a new K–9 school to

honor the memory of Johnny Bright, ED’52, who played football for Drake in the 1950s. Johnny Bright School is scheduled to open in 2010. Bright is well-known for his participation in the October 20, 1951, Drake vs. Oklahoma A&M football game at Oklahoma. He was the first African-American athlete to play at Lewis Field and, at the time, was a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate. During the first seven minutes of the game, Bright was knocked unconscious three times and his jaw was broken by Oklahoma A&M’s defensive tackle, Wilbanks Smith. A cameraman from The Des Moines Register caught the series of assaults in a photographic sequence that made the cover of Life magazine. The incident also led to changes in NCAA blocking rules and mandated the use of helmets with faceguards. After receiving his Drake education, Bright joined the Canadian Football League as a fullback and linebacker before retiring from professional football in 1964. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1970. Bright used his bachelor’s degree in education from Drake to work as a teacher, coach and school administrator in Edmonton Public Schools during and after his football career until his death on Dec. 14, 1983.

For a full listing of all Drake events — including athletics and fine arts events — visit:

www.drake.edu/calendar

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The East Winger

spotlight

Alumna’s path to the White House began at Drake University

Making News Happen “Drake was one of the best decisions I made because it brought me to Iowa and afforded me an opportunity to get involved in politics in a real way,” says Franny Starkey Sanguin, the Denver, CO, native who is now director of scheduling and advance for Michelle Obama. “I was taught over and over again to take what you learn in the classroom and then get involved in your community through the organizations that interest you.” In the summer of 2001, Sanguin, JO’02, worked as a political assistant on Gov. Tom Vilsack’s re-election campaign. During her senior year, she held a reporting internship with The Des Moines Register, but the pull of politics was too strong. Sanguin didn’t want to just report the news; she wanted to help make it happen. iowa Connections Sanguin returned to the Vilsack campaign and later served as deputy director of communications with the governor’s administration. She went on to work for Howard Dean’s Iowa caucus campaign (where she met her husband, Ken) and Minnesotan Amy Klobuchar’s successful U.S. Senate run. Sanguin returned to Iowa for the 2008 caucus, this time working for the Obama campaign.

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“I had seen Senator Obama’s convention speech in 2004 and met him several times. He inspires me,” says Sanguin. Rewarding Experience Following Obama’s victory, Sanguin was

asked to join the administration. She’s responsible for the creation and execution of everything the First Lady does outside of the White House, from visits to military bases to trips abroad. She spends much of her life these days in the East Wing, managing a small team of people who coordinate all of the details that go into the First Lady’s day-to-day schedule and planning larger events that involve Michelle Obama. “I don’t want to work 80-hour weeks forever, but I’m young, and this is a unique and rewarding experience. I genuinely believe in this administration. These are determined and compassionate people who can make a positive impact on the lives of ordinary people,” says Sanguin. “When the First Lady visits a school in D.C. and talks to students about her life and their dreams, you can instantly see the impact she has made — the students sit up, stand taller, talk louder, smile bigger.” — Steve Sullivan

All Greek All Blue Reunion Nearly 2,000 alumni and friends of Drake gathered at the All Greek All Blue Reunion and braved typical Relays-weekend weather to reconnect with fellow Greek alums. “With so many Greek alumni coming back for the tent party, I think it demonstrates the clear passion and commitment this group has for Drake,” said Blake Campbell, director of Alumni and Parent Relations. “They are incredibly loyal and have a tremendous opportunity to make an impact on our current students and faculty.” The weekend included all-Greek house tours, alumni receptions at individual houses and culminated in a giant tent party at 32nd Street and Carpenter Avenue. “I hope we as an institution showed them how valued their contributions are to us,” Campbell added. “We look forward to hosting another Greek Reunion very soon with more attendees and an even bigger tent!” 24

spotlight

Space Cadet

Ann Hornschemeier AS’97

Black holes, deep space and neuron stars are part of daily life for this alumna

Growing up in rural Ohio , Ann Hornschemeier, AS’97, found few opportunities to participate in science, and it was not until high school that she realized how much she enjoyed it. “Things changed when I read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking,” Hornschemeier says. “Even though I didn’t really understand it, I discovered that you could study those types of things in a career.” Hornschemeier has come a long way since then, from earning her master’s degree and PhD at Pennsylvania State University to joining the Goddard Space Flight Center in Baltimore. “The coolest part is that I definitely don’t get bored,” she says. “I work with really smart, interesting people, and I’m always learning something new.” Deep Space Observation Hornschemeier is a deputy project scientist for the International X-ray Observatory, a mission due to launch in 2021. The mission is headed for L2, a stable gravitational point beyond the orbit of the moon, where astrophysicists will be able to observe deep space structures, including black holes and large galaxies. Hornschemeier advises on aspects of the mission’s development and design, including science issues and risk management. When not working for the mission, she directs student interns in researching neuron star and black hole binary systems in external galaxies, using space-based telescopes and ground-based facilities. “Sometimes I don’t need a degree in astrophysics,” says Hornschemeier, whose duties are heavily focused on teamwork and communication. “But at the end of the day, everything is related to science,” she says. The Ace of Space Hornschemeier may be a scientist to the core, but the value NASA places on her leadership and collaboration skills makes her a good example for youth as well. Hornschemeier has partnered with the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland to serve as a role model for girls in science. She was instrumental in developing Big Explosions and Strong Gravity, an annual event first held in 2004, which invites girls to spend the day with scientists exploring supernovae and black holes. She also works with the Astronomical Cosmic Exploration (A.C.E.) of Space program in which Girl Scouts meet regularly to explore space-related topics. Both programs are stationed in central Maryland, but Hornschemeier hopes they will expand to girls across the nation. “I want girls to recognize science as a career option,” she says. “The goal is to intercept them before they opt out of science. The more they get bitten by the bug earlier in life, the more we can retain them.” — Rebecca Lee

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alumni update

3 Picture 1: Jaffrey Blanks, BN’99, reconnects with friends at the 10-Year Cluster Reunion. Picture 2: Phyllis North Lewis, ED’59, and Ned Miller, AS’59 at the 50-Year Dinner. Picture 3: Alumni Award Winners with Drake University President David Maxwell. (From Left) Carrie Blumenfeld, JO’00, Young Alumni Loyalty Award recipient; Joan E. Middleton, ED’63, GR’77, Alumni Loyalty Award winner; Richard J. Hartig, PH’73, GR’81, Distinguished Service Award recipient; Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, JO’90, Young Alumni Achievement Award winner; President Maxwell. Not pictured, Bill Bryson, LA’77, Alumni Achievement Award winner. Picture 4: (From left) Barbara Powers Hazlehurst, JO’69, Denise Moore Baker, JO’70, and Kathryn Gannon Kajari, LA’70, at the 40-Year Cluster Reunion. Picture 5: Alumni gathered at the Hollywood Bowl event in Los Angeles, CA with Drake development staff member Laura Palmer.

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The Magazine of Drake University

As you are busy preparing for your holiday festivities, please keep Drake University in mind. Whether you choose to support student scholarships, athletics, the arts, or your college or school, your gift to The Drake Fund makes an immediate impact on the lives of our students. Make the holidays brighter for our students by sending your gift to The Drake Fund today.

Warm Holiday Wishes to You and Yours. Note that Drake University will be closed Dec. 24, 2009–Jan. 4, 2010. We will be in the office Tuesday, December 29, from 8 a.m. to noon and again Thursday, December 31, from 8 a.m. to noon to process credit card gifts. Any credit card gifts received after that time will be processed in 2010. You may make your gift via Drake’s secure Web site, www.drake.edu. Click on “Giving to Drake” and then “Make a Gift” to reach the online gift form.

Drake notes 12/09

Changed your career? Your address? Do you have family news or any career information you’d like to share with the Drake alumni network? Tell us so we can stay connected with you and share your news with classmates! Log on to find out what’s happening at Drake and with your Drake classmates, faculty and friends!

www.drake.edu/alumni

Use the form below, and mail or fax to: Drake University, Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, 2507 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50311-4505 FAX: 515-271-4847 • e-mail: alumni.update@drake.edu

q Please check here if your current address is different from the attached mailing label. And please attach the mailing label so we can correct our records — and stay connected with you. Name (Mr./Ms.*) *If you are married, please write your married name exactly as you want it to appear in Drake’s records. Please indicate your unmarried surname in parentheses if it is not part of your married name.

College and Year Address City Phone (Home)

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(Business)

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The Magazine of Drake University

Alumni Accomplishments 1940 William Palermo BN’48,

Linden, NJ, celebrated the birth of his fifth great-grandchild, Kate Lyn.

1950 Rosalee (Points) Oakley FA’59, Hadley, MA, was

elected president of the Association for Gravestone Studies, a national nonprofit organization. The group previously awarded her the Harriette Merrifield Forbes Award and named the Oakley Certificate of Merit after Oakley and her husband.

1960 Barbara (Haines) Deur FA’62, Buena Vista, CO,

moved to Colorado after living in Iowa City since 1974. Charles Minerman LW’65,

Pensacola, FL, has served as a FEMA disaster assistance employee community relations field specialist for the past three years and has been deployed to Mississippi and Louisiana for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, New York for flood duty, Alabama for tornado duty, and the Midwest for windstorm duty.

1970 Richard Doyle LA’71, BN’76,

Des Moines, was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals by Iowa Governor Chet Culver. Ann (Kerr) Romberg LA’72,

Woodbury, MN, is co-owner of Wisdom Horse Coaching and recently held a professional development event for fellow equine-guided coaches from as far away as Scotland. Wisdom Horse Coaching conducts leadership and team-building workshops for senior executives around the world. Richard Sapp LA’72, LW’76, Waukee, IA, was

elected into membership of the American College of

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Trial Lawyers, an exclusive national college, based on his trial advocacy skills, high standards of ethical conduct and professionalism. David Erickson LA’74, LW’79, West Des Moines,

IA, was recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2008, the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession. Carl Marsh PH’74, Pukalani,

HI, accepted a position as pharmacy manager with Longs Drug Store in Maui. Richard Worcester LA’74,

Wheaton, IL, celebrated the arrival of his new granddaughter. Eric Ekstrom BN’75,

Wheaton, IL started his own insurance agency, Windy City Financial Partners, in October 2007. Lloyd Fry JO’75, Chicago,

accepted a position as director of development with the Chicago Community Trust. Norwin A. Merens JO’76,

Glenview, IL, was named to the publicity club of Chicago’s board of directors as managing director of NM Marketing Communications, Inc. Beth (Locey) Hirst FA’77,

Des Moines, was promoted to assistant director of the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. She will supervise the production unit, which includes audio and Braille production and the instructional materials center. Michelle (Nebel) Oppong PH’77, Smyrna, GA, accept-

ed a position with Ernst & Young providing health care consulting services to hospitals and pharmacies nationwide. Glen Davies FA’78, Urbana, IL, accepted a position as guest curator at the Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion on the University of Illinois campus for the exhibition Stranger in Paradise: The Works of Reverend Howard Finster. Davies also recently

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completed a series of outdoor murals for the University of Illinois and completed a workshop on sideshow banner art at ARTSPACE in Shreveport, LA, during the summer of 2008. Anne (Delger) Hilton BN’78, Denver, was pro-

moted to vice president of finance operations at Qwest Communications. Michael Bates JO’79,

Arlington Heights, IL, accepted a position at Quest Academy as director of institutional advancement and chief development officer.

Attorney of the Year by the Missouri Bar Association and its Family Law section. Lee Wright BN’82,

Marlborough, MA, was featured in The Boston Globe for conducting the first survey of historical societies in New England. The surveys indicated the need for historical societies to recruit younger volunteers. Barbara (Dietrich) Boose JO’83, GR’90, Urbandale, IA,

accepted a position with Des Moines University as publications director. Myron Cahill LA’83, Atlanta,

1980

joined Aspen Specialty as a senior property underwriter in November 2008.

Rex King PH’80,

Daniel Paterson BN’83,

Aurora, IL, accepted a position as director of pharmacy at Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora.

Glenview, IL, moved back to Glenview after five exciting years in Tokyo with his wife and their three children. On the way back they visited Mongolia, living in tents on the steppe and in the Gobi desert.

Michael Fitzpatrick LA’80, LW’84, Janesville, WI, was

appointed by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle to be a circuit court judge for Rock County, WI. Christopher White LA’80 and Julie White BN’81,

Norwalk, IA, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on September 15. Brenda Coleman-Beattie LA’81, Austin, TX, was named

chair of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities and reappointed for a term to expire in February 2013. Coleman-Beattie is also CEO and principal consultant of 2Thrive4 LLC. David Hibbs BN’81,

Urbandale, IA, was promoted to vice president of the midwest regional office with the Independent Community Bankers of America. Julie White BN’81 and Christopher White LA’80,

Norwalk, IA, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on September 15. Cary Mogerman LA’82,

Bob Kirschbaum GR’84,

Sheldon, IA, retired after 32 years in education, 26 of which were spent as an elementary principal. Kirschbaum was the

recipient of the 2001 Iowa Reading Administrator of the Year Award and served as the president of the Iowa Reading Association from 2002 to 2004. He now works for the American Red Cross as a fund development executive and as a motivational speaker. Ken Watkins LW’85, Des Moines, was recognized for his 35 years of service with the Davis Brown Law Firm. Cathleen (Button) Benscoter JO’87, Beaver, PA, accepted

a position as a print designer for Penn State University’s Beaver campus, where she also teaches newspaper design and acts as a design adviser to the student newspaper. She is also enrolled in a Web design diploma program at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and owns a Web site, J29 Designs, with her husband, Charles.

1990 David Remund JO’90, GR’08, Chapel Hill, NC, joined the University of North Carolina as a Roy H. Park Fellow within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where

Cracking the Class Code Here’s the “code” for identifying your fellow Drake alumni: AS – Arts and Sciences BN – Business and Public Administration DV – Divinity ED – Education FA– Fine Arts GR– Graduate Studies JO– Journalism and Mass Communication LA– Liberal Arts LW– Law PH– Pharmacy and Health Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences evolved during the reorganization of Drake’s colleges and schools in 1987 when “Liberal Arts” and “Fine Arts” were combined. Thus, those pre-1987 alumni carry the acronym “LA” or “FA,” while those post-1986 alumni are labeled “AS.”

St. Louis, was named Roger P. Krumm Family Law

Drake notes he is pursuing a PhD. Remund was named to the Observatory on Corporate Reputation in December 2008. Grant Tarbox JO’91,

Ft. Worth, TX, accepted a position with Aetna in Dallas as southwest region medical director. Rinky Parwani BN’93,

Tampa, FL, opened her own law firm in Tampa. Ardie Bland LW’95, Kansas City, MO, was selected as Municipal Court Judge in Kansas City for Division 205. Kristiane Ridgway JO’95,

Belmont, CA, was awarded tenure at College of San Mateo in the English as a Second Language Department. Cristina (Zivtins) Folkestad LW’96, Des Moines, and her

husband own a prototype development company, Creative Werks, Inc., and also have a consulting firm called Spark Dog, LLC. Kari (Kapteina) Palutis JO’96, Wentzville, MO,

accepted a position as media relations manager with NORDYNE, a St. Louisbased heating and cooling manufacturer. Caryn (Caldarola) Volk AS’96, Alpharetta, GA,

relocated to Alpharetta with her three children. Sol Bobst AS’97, Houston, accepted a position as toxicologist with Shell Health. Lex Leifeit AS’98, North

Adams, MA, accepted a position as executive director with SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco. Jennifer Ban ED’99, Oak

Park, IL, accepted a position as principal at W.A. Johnson Elementary School in Bensenville, IL. Doug Bend AS’99, New

York, accepted a position as attorney in the investment management practice group at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP in New York City.

Advanced Degrees Anne (Readey) King ED’80,

Kylie (Dummett) Riggins BN’02,

Aurora, IL, received her master’s degree in reading instruction from Aurora University.

Rapid City, SD, received her juris doctorate from the University of South Dakota School of Law in May 2008.

Tobias Van Assche AS’00, Antwerp, Belgium, received his PhD in political science from Syracuse University in May 2008.

Breeanne (Bella) Tirado PH’99, Fox Point, WI,

was promoted to director of pharmacy services for Independent Care Health Plan in Milwaukee, WI.

2000 Cynthia (Brunkan) Brace AS’00, Rock Hill, MO,

and her husband accepted research positions at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Gretchen Todd ED’00,

Norfolk, VA, accepted a position as director of tickets for the Norfolk Tides, the AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Tobias Van Assche AS’00,

Antwerp, Belguim, accepted a position as a post doctoral fellow at the University of Antwerp in the political science department. Joel Wiegert LW’00,

Minneapolis, was named partner at the law firm of Meagher & Geer. Elizabeth Cross JO’01,

St. Louis, was promoted to communications coordinator with SSM Health Care in St. Louis. Jane McLaughlinMiddlekauff PH’01,

Elmendorf AFB, AK, received the highest honor at Southcentral Foundation, “Living Our Values” for her activity in the community and for being a role model for other employees by leading the Pharmacy Student Program at the

Jonah Katz AS’02, Rockford, IL, received his master’s degree in urban planning from University of Illinois in Chicago in May 2007.

ANMC Primary Care Center Pharmacy. McLaughlinMiddlekauff is a lieutenant commander in the United States Public Health Services stationed at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. Rosalind Sargent LW’03,

Rockville, MD, accepted a position as attorney adviser for the United States Department of Justice in the Office of the Pardon Attorney in Washington, D.C. Jeremy Yenger ED’04,

Ankeny, IA, was awarded the 2007 James Madison Fellowship. Yenger also led the winning Iowa team in We The People, an academic competition based on the Constitution, and represented Iowa at the national competition in Washington, D.C., in April. Syeta (Nile) Glanton LW’05,

Des Moines, was appointed as the assistant business services director for the Secretary of State by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver. Glanton currently serves as the

Elissa Koc BN’05, Naperville, IL, received her master’s degree in business and administration from DePaul University with a concentration in finance. Raleigh Miller AS’06, Atlanta, received his master’s degree in philosophy at Georgia State University.

criminal justice and human rights adviser for Gov. Culver and Lt. Governor Patty Judge. She is also a new member of the Des Moines Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Michele (McAfee) Howard LW’05, Des Moines, accepted

a position as civil rights investigator with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Elissa Koc BN’05,

Naperville, IL, accepted a position as manager of communications with Navistar Defense. She also won a Gold Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators for her role in Navistar’s labor communications efforts during a three-month labor strike at the company’s assembly plants.

Danielle Sturgis AS’06,

Fairfax, VA, was promoted to senior media specialist at the National Rifle Association of America. Stephen Frahm BN’07, State Center, IA, accepted a position as agency manager of Aviva USA. Cody Gough JO’07, Chicago, accepted a position as producer at WGN Radio in Chicago. Breanna Dumke AS’08,

Fort Collins, CO, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology.

Jesse Folk JO’06, Ft. Thomas, KY, accepted a position as regional editor for Internet Broadcasting Systems under the HearstArgyle Television account.

Alumni Authors LeClaire Mitchell Nzerem JO’80, Collegeville, PA,

published a book of poems titled Doppleganger in a High Tech World.

Don Potochny LA’82, St. Louis, published his first book, Dear Mary: My Life with ADHD.

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Heather Reed McClenahan JO’89, Los Alamos, NM,

co-authored a book, Of Logs and Stone: The Buildings of the Los Alamos Ranch School and Bathtub Row, with Craig Martin.

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Marriages

Births/Adoptions

Shelly Nebel PH’77 to Kobi

Amy (Brower) Gleason AS’78, Fort Collins, CO,

Amanda (Lewis) Crowell GR’99, Davenport, IA, a son,

a daughter, Ester

Nolan Wesley

Jeff Hudgins BN’90 and

Melinda (Blythe) Rees BN’99 and Tyler,

Oppong on Dec. 10, 2007

Kelly Gale JO’02 to Patrick Miller BN’03 in October 2008

Nancy Burris ED’77 to

Stacey Rice JO’02 to Matthew

William Perret on June 25, 2006

Kennan on Oct. 4, 2008

Beth Stuchel LW’86 to Jeff

Mack on Nov. 29, 2008 Gina Brennan BN’95 to

Rafael Gomez-Cabrera on Dec. 31, 2008. Sol Bobst AS’97 to Victoria

in August 2007

Sara Wilson JO’02 to Travis

Wilson, Dec. 6, 2008 Margaret Swanson JO’05 to Aaron Frazier AS’05 on

Sep. 6, 2008 Kristin Tausend PH’06 to Matt Jolliff on Sep. 29, 2007 Jacqueline Cavender ED’07

Lori McDonald AS’98, GR’00

to Matt Wild on Oct. 18, 2008

to Cory Braunschweig on Oct. 11, 2008

Erin McGrory PH’08 to Justin

Riffel on Oct. 18, 2008

Cynthia Brunkan AS’00 to E. J. Brace on April 26, 2008

Deaths M. Katherine “Katie” (Allen) Montgomery LA’29,

Des Moines Lester Strubhar LA’35,

Pensacola, FL Lovell Diddy LA’36, GR’42,

Dade City, FL Alice (Jenks) Larkin ED’36,

Cindy, Chicago, a son, Jeffery Benjamin Christine (Lore) Anderson BN’93, Palatine, IL, a son,

Cole Valentine Rinky Parwani GR’93,

Tampa, FL, a daughter, Sabella Kamla Debra (Braun) Crocker JO’96

and Kevin, Lombard, IL, a daughter, Sarah Katherine Michelle (Cameron) Spellerberg JO’97 and Dan,

Washington, IA, a son, Blaine Tyler Virginia (LaVigne) Dowse BN’00, Centerville, OH,

Katherine Turpen LW’03,

Las Vegas, a son, Jackson Turpen Parks Kristin (Bauer) Kunert LW’04 and Mitchell Kunert LW’05,

a son, Connor James

Ankeny, IA, a daughter, Annabelle Kathryn

Jennifer (Bieleck) Calnon ED’01 and Brian Calnon PH’01, Rosemont, MN,

Kristin (Tausend) Jolliff PH’06 and Matt, Pewaukee, WI,

a son, Preston Gregory

a daughter, Kaleigh Lynn

Todd Chelf LW’03 and Laurie, Burlington, IA, a son, Lucas Matthew

Amy McDowell JO’07, AS’07,

Des Moines, adopted a son, Chase Timothy

Palatine, IL, a daughter, Tegan Spellerberg

Richard Stephenson LA’50,

William Erickson FA’60,

Kay Geitzenauer ED’68,

Lance Ferguson LW’82,

Meadville, PA

Omaha, NE

Bancroft, IA

St. Charles, MO

Shirley “Joan” (Garber) Flood FA’51, Lynn, MA

Acie Jordan Jr. LA’60,

Judith Hickman GR’69,

Streetar Cameron LW’83,

Des Moines

Hernando, FL

Des Moines

Connie (Glascock) Godwin FA’51, Indianola, IA

Varroll Robinson DV’60,

Tom Phillips LA’69,

Independence, IA

Des Moines

Stefanie (Luke) Shoemaker FA’84, Estes Park, CO

Floyd Miller ED’51,

Jack Standefer ED’61,

Vilma Freidenfeld ED’70,

Apopka, FL

Milwaukee, WI

Cleo Enders BN’62,

Kreigh Hunt LA’70,

Urbandale, IA Carl Kent GR’52,

Rockford, IL

Cambridge, IA

Bruce McCraney PH’52,

Janyce (Beauchamp) Meadows ED’39, Spirit

George Starcevich GR’52,

Palm Desert, CA

Lake, IA

Centerville, IA

Mary (Deboest) Deutsche ED’40, GR’72, St. Peters, MO

Jack Oatts FA’53, GR’61,

Robert Hanson BN’41,

Joe Barker ED’54,

Jefferson, IA

Scottsdale, AZ

Chillicothe, MO

Martha Stalnaker LA’41,

Paul Duffy FA’54,

Omaha, NE

Green Valley, AZ

Dorothy Hanson ED’45, GR’55, Solon, IA

Virginia (Kruse) Pernicka ED’54, Cedar Rapids, IA

George Atkinson BN’47,

Berenice Katch LA’55,

Indianola, IA

Des Moines

Kenneth “Ken” Hunt LA’62,

Robert Reynolds GR’71,

Des Moines

Somerville, TN

Larry Ferin LA’63,

Paul Vos LW’71, Pella, IA

Ankeny, IA Karl Kassulke LA’63,

St. Paul, MN

Carl Coco LA’73,

Urbandale, IA Chris Frosheiser LA’73,

Harry Lees DV’63, Marion, IA

Altoona, IA

Marie (Breen) Mailander ED’63, Albia, IA

Cordell Bruce Musser FA’73, Stillwater, MN

Laura (Herndon) Smith ED’64, Woodburn, IA Robert Horner BN’66, Cedar

San Antonio, TX

Cape Coral, FL

Rapids, IA

Karl Killinger FA’47, FA’62,

James Sawyer LA’55,

Thomas Spence FA’74,

Buffalo, NY Peggy Smerek-Eggesiecker FA’77, High Ridge, MO

Madison, WI

Dorothy (Freed) Sheldahl ED’66, Palos Heights, IL

Raymond Wright Jr. LA’78,

Des Moines William Brinkman Sr. BN’49, Des Moines

Leslie Smith ED’55,

Alice (Gleason) Sittig ED’66,

Joseph Wiley LA’79,

Clarion, IA

Rockwell City, IA

Reading, PA

Edward Engstrom ED’49,

Joyce (Richards) Bosworth FA’56, San Francisco

Richard Anderson LA’68,

James Colby GR’80,

Waterloo, IA

Bloomington, MN

Springfield, MA

George Swanson JO’49,

Willis “Jeff” Brawner FA’58,

Nellie Benge ED’68,

John Martin JO’80,

Grosse Point Woods, MI

Colfax, IA

Bloomfield, IA

Burlington, IA

Patricia (Lawrence) Purinton ED’50, Ocala, FL

Bernice (Keeton) Crane ED’59, Pleasantville, IA

James Craver LW’68,

Mary Ann Riley GR’80,

Centerville, IA

Des Moines

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Sarah (Koger) Schock PH’03

and Klas, Palmer, AK, a daughter, Adalynn Clara

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Aurora, CO

Lenar (Streeter) Schweikhardt ED’85,

St. Joseph, MO Dennis Mitcham BN’86,

Ankeny, IA Russell Frank Kinney AS’87,

Des Moines Debby Webb-Burneiski ED’87, Normal, IL Bruce Walker ED’88,

Marshaltown, IA Gerald Stocker GR’90,

Des Moines Ellen (Stine) Harrison AS’93,

Des Moines Martin Ramsey LW’96,

Earlham, IA Susan (Hagemann) Ferden GR’03, Des Moines Andrew Linnenburger BN’03,

Cary, NC

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Office of Alumni and Development 2507 University Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50311-4505

DRAKE’S MISSION is to provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.

pictorial

A Rainbow in The Clouds A RECORD CROWD OF MORE THAN 8,000 PEOPLE watched

Maya Angelou deliver the Bucksbaum Lecture at the Drake Knapp Center in October. Angelou called Drake “a rainbow in the clouds,” and encouraged audience members to be the same. A select group of students met privately with Angelou before the event, which Drake President David Maxwell called a defining moment of the University. See page 7 for more information.