Transformational...
The winds in higher education are shifting. As the world becomes more interconnected, more interdisciplinary in nature and more reliant upon emerging technologies, it is crucial that the exceptional learning experience we provide be just as interconnected ‌ just as interdisciplinary ‌ just as technologically driven.
Visions of a Brighter Future We must empower the best and brightest students to come to Drake to realize their dreams.
We must attract and retain the finest scholars, academicians and teachers this country has to offer.
We must improve and enhance the physical facilities, technology and resources across our campus.
We must broaden perspectives through exciting and innovative new interdisciplinary centers and institutes.
We must build upon our collective financial strength.
Office of Alumni & Development 2507 University Avenue Des Moines, IA 50311 1.515.271.2500 www.distinctly.drake.edu
Can a love story really change the world?
Sometimes, there comes a rare moment when love ... of new ideas, common
purpose and life-changing discovery … can power a revolution. It is the kind of moment when a university arrives at a crossroads, pauses to catch its breath, and looks around. For passion, the kind that creates a 21st-century place of learning so students may successfully compete in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. For excellence that shakes the status quo to illuminate entire disciplines. For opportunity that empowers dreams to overcome the gravest odds in realizing their potential. For new connections — among people, professions and more sustainable ways of learning, living and being. For innovative ways to deliver the kind of leadership the world needs.
This is the moment that is distinctlyDrake. A moment in our history when, together, we can do what it takes to be one of the very best institutions of higher education in the United States. We invite you to join us as we seize this moment. Because it’s our moment ... to transcend our individual aspirations, to enable future generations to achieve their goals in life, and to create history by proving, yet again, that some love stories ...
really can change the world.-
“At Drake, our commitment to providing an exceptional learning environment and boundless opportunities for our students is a passion that is shared by every member of the Drake community and infused into everything that we do on a daily basis. That passionate commitment defines who we are as the Drake family and provides the context for every decision that we make. Already recognized by our colleagues in higher education for academic excellence, in five years we aspire to be a national model for the very best in higher education.” Dr. David Maxwell President, Drake University
Passion for What’s Possible
For learning. For living. For blazing new trails of thought and breathing new life into every facet of human knowledge.
Passion for What’s Possible Passion is what it takes. The kind of passion that comes alive in the eyes of a student on the verge of a new discovery. Or in the heart of a professor who collaborates with a student, and together they present their findings at a national conference. Or in the mind of the graduate who carries the Drake legacy out into the world with every new accomplishment. Passion is what drives us. It has since our founding in 1881. Our people. Our places. Our purpose. Whether it is the way we invest in new knowledge through our interdisciplinary centers and institutes, or endow the professorships necessary to be one of the best institutions of higher education in the country, it all starts with passion. It is what drives you and your love for Drake. And it is what creates new possibilities, empowers achievement and transforms bright young minds into the leaders of tomorrow.
Passion for community … whether it’s creating new endowed professorships to attract the nation’s best scholars or enabling the professional development of our faculty and staff, we have ranked in the top 10 among the nation’s midsized universities in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Schools to Work For” survey.
Passion for Drake … in the fall of 2009 we achieved a record retention rate of 89.4 percent, placing Drake in the top 10 percent of all four-year institutions in the United States.
“Excellence is a habit, and it doesn’t come easily. Talking about it is one thing, but it’s another thing entirely to actually back it up the way Drake does. Whether it’s groundbreaking legal research, a renovated Drake Stadium, or beautifying the Drake Plaza, you see the excellence everywhere. It’s in our blood.” Peggy A. Fisher, FA’70 distinctlyDrake Campaign Co-Chair; Member, Drake University Board of Trustees; and Chief Strategic and Operating Officer, The Stelter Company Larry P. Stelter President and Chief Executive Officer, The Stelter Company
It is relentless. It is enduring. It is the foundation of everything we do.
Excellence that Endures Our quest for excellence transcends time and discipline and takes us beyond the boundaries of imagination. It is explored in all of its forms ‌ excellence in teaching, in learning, in leading, in pioneering new ideas and constantly evolving old ones. It carries with it the responsibility, and the honor, of making life better for people down the street, across the country and around the world. Excellence is an innate value at Drake. It can be seen at every turn, in the tens-of-millions of dollars dedicated to the improvement of our buildings and facilities; in the increased emphasis on providing new scholarships in order to open doors of opportunity for the very best students this nation has to offer; or in the strides we take to enhance our outstanding curriculum. Excellence is rooted in the fabric of our rich history. It is what brings us all together in spirit. And it is the reason we are viewed as one of the finest master’s universities in America.
Excellence in teaching ‌ from providing cutting-edge learning environments to encouraging collaborative scholarship through new interdisciplinary centers, our tireless pursuit of excellence continues to define us. In the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Drake had the third highest score for reputation for academic quality among 572 masters institutions in the nation.
Excellence in learning ‌ our mock trial team recently won first place at the Harvard Crimson Classic, and the Associated Collegiate Press awarded our student-produced Drake Magazine the ACP Pacemaker Award for Magazine Excellence.
Excellence that Endures
Nearly 18,000 Drake alumni
Des Moines has been named
Forbes magazine ranked
have chosen to live and work in
one of the top 10 cities for the
Des Moines No. 1 on its list of
Des Moines — Iowa’s capital,
next decade by Kiplinger’s
largest city and center of
Personal Finance magazine.
business, industry, entertainment and culture.
“Best Places for Business and Careers.”
wonderfully surprising city. Des Moines is a city where big things happen. Business, industry, politics, media, the arts, law, medicine, it’s all here. The recognition and rankings Des Moines receives are wonderful, but you have to be here and a part of this community to truly experience the amazing sense of energy and opportunity this place affords.� Steve Lacy Member, National Campaign Committee and Chairman and CEO, Meredith Corporation
Opportunities that Open Doors
“Drake is an excellent institution in a
To realize potential. To shine a light on the hopes and dreams of today and transform them into the realities of tomorrow.
Opportunities that Open Doors Opportunity. It is — in its purest form — the starting point for any human endeavor. To learn from the best. To take one’s curiosity out into the world. To engage with the finest programs, resources and technology. To prepare for, and thrive within, today’s interconnected world. It all begins with an opportunity. It may be the high school senior who has always dreamed of attending Drake seeing that dream realized thanks to a scholarship. Or the biology professor who will be able to take her research to new heights thanks to new, state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories. Or the junior traveling the world thanks to the Center for Global Citizenship. Opportunity. It is a door propped open by you. By your love for Drake. And by the goal we all share of positioning Drake to be one of the country’s best universities.
Opportunities to excel … an exceptional learning environment is a key factor in fostering academic excellence. In recent years we’ve invested nearly $70 million in renovations to classrooms and residence halls, upgrades to laboratories and technology, and new construction.
Opportunities to achieve … we spent more than $47 million in financial assistance for students in the 2009-2010 academic year alone, with 98 percent of undergraduates receiving some form of aid.
Opportunities to grow … demand for the Drake experience continues to expand significantly as we attract more of the nation’s best young minds every year. After several years of double-digit increases, our applications for fall 2010 were almost 20 percent ahead of the previous year.
“When we talk about fostering connections that change lives, it’s because we see these connections happening at Drake and know how powerful the changes can be for students. So it’s paramount that we enhance our ability to connect students with world-class teachers, with new and emerging fields of study, and with opportunities to travel the world.” Eleanor Zeff Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations and Drake University Coordinator for Post-Graduate Student International Scholarships
Connections that Change Lives
Connections that inspire … are critical to Drake’s future as one of the nation’s very best universities, whether it is connecting students to faculty or rewarding faculty and staff achievement in more tangible ways. In fact, we’ve added more than $12 million in new funds to the faculty and staff compensation budget over the past six years to ensure students will have greater access to the best minds in their fields.
Connections that empower … not surprisingly, we also continue to be one of the top producers of Fulbright Scholars among master’s universities nationwide, with four students and two faculty members receiving Fulbright Scholarships in recent years.
They can be seen around every corner. In every building. At any point in the day.
Connections that Change Lives Their simplicity is matched only by their brilliance and power to illuminate everything they touch. Connections. It might be a moment between a student and teacher that will forever impact them both. Or an idea that will lead someone down a new path in life. Or an opportunity to link fields of study, which had never previously intersected, in an innovative and imaginative way. Since our founding and throughout our history, we have helped forge these life-changing connections. Connections that empower individuals — through expertise, resources and technology — to do, and to be, their very best. Connections that enrich learning through world-class teaching, enhanced curricular and cocurricular offerings, new interdisciplinary centers and institutes, and unparalleled facilities. And connections that ignite the brightest futures one can imagine — in business, medicine, the arts, law, education and countless other professional fields — in a way that truly is distinctlyDrake.
It is not easily defined. You know it when you see it.
Leadership for Life Leadership. True leadership. For some, it comes naturally. For others, it is a part of their character that may need a bit of coaxing to bring out into the world. But no matter what, to see it in action is a thing of beauty. It inspires. It collaborates. It is applied with a sense of values, ethics and social responsibility that is beyond question. Our brand of leadership is something special. It harkens back to the day we were founded by a Civil War general and continues to shape us now, as Iowa’s largest private college. It can be seen in the glint of our eyes … the student who won a leadership award at a national conference, the professor leading a conversation about the economy on National Public Radio, the alumnus who has led one of the nation’s great states as Governor or the institution itself, as a leader in the world of sports through a century of hosting the renowned Drake Relays.
Leaders in knowledge … endowed professorships are a strong indicator of academic excellence and leadership. In recent years, Drake has added four new endowed professorships (Baum, Turner, Fisher/Stelter and Johnson) in addition to other achievements, like establishing the Buchanan Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Leaders in spirit … every year, more than 300 students take advantage of the programs, opportunities and interactions with alumni and community leaders offered by our Donald V. Adams Leadership Institute, which exemplifies Drake’s tireless commitment to preparing students for leadership within their communities and professions.
Leaders in achievement … more than 90 percent of Drake students find career employment or enter graduate school within six months after receiving their degree. A sampling of our many alums making positive change in the world includes three governors, the CEO of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group, the CEO of Principal Financial Group, the retired CEO of Walgreens, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, an Emmy Award-winning actor, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the former Chairman of McDonald’s.
“True leadership isn’t something that can be quantified. It’s about listening, inspiring action, moving ahead in a confident and thoughtful and belief in those around you. Leadership is something that is taken very seriously at Drake. It’s the type of people we bring in — faculty, administration, staff and students. And it’s the type of person our experience produces.” Donald V. Adams Professor Emeritus of Education and retired Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Life
Leadership for Life
way. It instills an energy
“This campaign is intended to support a vision for Drake that is far reaching in its scope and supported by plans to create an environment that is conducive to the changing needs of higher education and staffed by the highest caliber people who believe in the vision of the University and are prepared to deliver it.” Don Fletcher, BN’67 Chair, Drake University Board of Trustees and retired President of Hallmark Cards Personal Expressions Group
Our Priorities Vision is a powerful thing. It has the ability to fuel passion, to foster excellence, to unleash opportunity, to create lasting connections and to strengthen one’s ability to lead at the most crucial points in history. But vision alone isn’t enough. Even the most ambitious vision needs one thing in order to power it into action — resources. Our vision is simple, yet bold … to be one of the very best institutions of higher education in the United States. In order to generate the necessary resources to transform that vision into reality, we have established the following priorities as the foundation for distinctlyDrake:
Creating Access to Opportunities
Funding Capital Projects
Leadership, the Center for
Investing in our campus and
Global Citizenship and the
Investing in scholarships will
facilities is essential in order
Intellectual Property Law Center,
ensure that we remain
to create the kind of
as well as the creation of the
financially accessible to
exceptional learning experience
Center for Speaking and Writing
America’s best students and
that will continue to attract
and the Institute for Creative
competitive with other top
the nation’s best and brightest
Learning and Teaching.
universities. It is also critical that
students. The construction of
we do everything we can to
a new School of Education
distinctlyDrake seeks to
reduce the debt burden placed
building, new and renovated
on students and their families.
science facilities, and the
raise $15–$18 million for the
renovation and expansion of
support and development of interdisciplinary centers.
distinctlyDrake seeks to
Cartwright Hall, Cowles
raise at least $50 million in
Library and Drake Fieldhouse
scholarship funding as an initial
will do just that.
Building Our Collective Strength
distinctlyDrake seeks to
Strengthening The Drake Fund
raise $50–$85 million for the
addresses the most immediate
construction and renovation of
needs of the University. The
these facilities.
Drake Fund provides the
goal to achieve this priority.
Endowing Chairs and Professorships Increasing the number of endowed
University with the necessary
faculty positions at Drake will
agility to keep alive the mission
and to the entire nation, the depth
Developing Interdisciplinary Centers
of Drake, to maintain our
of our commitment to being one of
Enriching our curricular
annual promise to students
the best universities in America. In
offerings through new and
and their families and to build
addition to adding these endowed
expanded interdisciplinary
upon our 130-year legacy of
professorships, we also must
centers will demonstrate to the
offering the best possible
invest in our faculty’s research
world our commitment to
learning experience.
efforts and scholarly pursuits.
academic quality, and enhance
demonstrate to our community,
our ability to prepare students
distinctlyDrake seeks to
distinctlyDrake seeks to raise
for the highest levels of success.
raise $3.5–$4 million a year in
$26–$50 million in order to add
We will achieve this through the
annual operational support of
26 endowed faculty positions.
expansion of the Center for
The Drake Fund.
The time is now. The moment is ours.
Achieving Our Vision We are honored and eager to lead the way forward in seizing the moment that is distinctlyDrake. We believe it represents an unprecedented opportunity for us at Drake to pause as a community, take a breath and look deeply — outward and inward — at everything we need to do in order to be one of the very best institutions of higher education in the United States. While our rich history of achievements provides ample evidence of our ability to graduate leaders who can change the world, what distinctlyDrake seeks are the financial resources we so urgently need to take a transformative leap forward and become a 21st-century university that continues to play a central role in overcoming the unique challenges posed by an increasingly technological, global and interconnected world. It is an extraordinary invitation for all of us who share a deep and enduring love for Drake — to help ensure that this university may more fully realize the promise of its future; to leave behind a better world for generations to come. We urge you to join us in this remarkable effort. Sincerely, Larry Zimpleman BN’73, GR’79 Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Principal Financial Group Peggy A. Fisher FA’70 Chief Strategic and Operating Officer The Stelter Company Jim Hubbell III Chairman Hubbell Realty Company
What does it take to be one of the best institutions of higher education in America?
It takes people like you … successful, loyal,
generous individuals whose accomplishments in life are matched only by a will to empower others to
achieve equally exceptional things. It takes an uncommon sense of purpose ... one which challenges an entire community to never stop moving and growing and looking for answers because, quite simply, it is the right thing to do. It takes a special moment in time … when a crossroad presents itself and the world watches with anticipation of the greatness that this moment may produce. We urge you to help us seize this moment. To meet this challenge. To, once again, add your distinguished voice to the love story that is distinctlyDrake. There are many ways for you to make a gift to Drake and help us achieve our vision.
Ways to Give Endowed Funds. You may permanently invest in Drake University, our students and our faculty through a gift to the endowment. When the market value of the invested principal increases, so does the annual payout — providing the University with an ongoing source of funding that grows over time. Endowed funds, which can recognize the donor or someone the donor wishes to honor, are typically made for endowed positions or a scholarship and provide Drake with a vital, continuous source of support.
Term and Restricted Funds. Gifts to term and restricted funds may be directed to specific people, programs or research of the donor’s choosing and are spent as they come in. While recognizing and acknowledging that a valuable set of activities or programming may not exist in perpetuity, these gifts demonstrate that a significant investment for a period of time can help those activities or programs grow, achieve stability and become successful.
Capital Gifts. Capital gifts provide the support necessary for construction and renovation costs associated with a particular building on the Drake campus.
Planned Giving. Planned giving offers donors — after careful consideration and planning — the ability to make a sizable contribution to Drake in a variety of ways, including a bequest or living trust; by designating Drake as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, IRA or other retirement plan; or through a “life income gift,” which offers immediate and considerable tax savings as well as an income for life.
Annual Support — The Drake Fund. The Drake Fund provides essential support for the University’s operating budget, enabling us to recruit the most sought-after faculty and students, retain our outstanding faculty and staff, provide financial assistance to students in need and increase the professional opportunities available to students through internships. Support of The Drake Fund helps meet the most immediate needs of the University, including scholarships, athletics, the arts, leadership opportunities, the library and each of our individual colleges and schools.