"Drake Blue" magazine

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DRAKE

Winter 2005

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Field of Dreams STUDENTS ARE THRIVING IN THE SCIENCES THANKS TO A WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCH PROJECTS AND HANDS-ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES AVAILABLE IN DRAKE'S COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

From the President. . .

IN EARLY OCTOBER, I was a member of the American delegation to the Transatlantic Dialogue in Barcelona, a four-day forum sponsored by the American Council on Education, the European University Association, and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. With ten university leaders representing each of the three organizations, the theme of the meeting was “access, funding and affordability.”

Much of the discussion was dedicated to funding, an increasingly important issue in an environment of dramatically increased operational costs. There were several presentations on diversifying revenue streams with strategies such as: the development of new degree programs to meet market demand; industry- and government-sponsored research; licensing and commercialization of the products of faculty research; fees for services; and, non-degree professional development and training programs.

When undertaken in a careful and thoughtful manner, all of these revenue-producing strategies can serve as productive and appropriate sources of funds. For American colleges and universities, these revenues can be of great help in controlling costs for students and their parents, in essence subsidizing the educational programs of the university and relieving to varying degrees the reliance on tuition income.

But throughout the four days, there was something very troublesome brewing in my head as I participated in the discussions.

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The Barcelona forum helped bring into stark relief for me a concern that is simultaneously a threat and an opportunity: the role that market forces play in shaping (and perhaps distorting) the contours of the American college and university.

There is no question that we in higher education must be responsive to market needs for an educated work force, and for the innovation and creativity necessary for global economic competitiveness. And we must be equally responsive to our students’ educational and professional goals.

when markets dominate mission?” and Derek Bok argues in Universities in the Marketplace that institutions are “jeopardizing their fundamental mission in their eagerness to make money. . .”.

At the same time, students themselves are increasingly driven in their choices by market forces; nearly 80 percent of college freshmen in an annual survey indicate that their primary reason for going to college is “to get a good job.” As a result, those academic fields that do not represent in students’ minds a clear track to “good jobs” and high salaries are at risk of being under-enrolled, and thus under-funded or eliminated (see Engell and Dangerfield’s Saving Higher Education in the Age of Money).

In the case of colleges and universities, market forces—while reflecting important priorities that we must address—may well threaten the very soul of our institutions, and thus reduce our capacity to serve both our students and the public good. There is no easy solution to this dilemma, but at Drake University we are firmly committed to the

“We have a powerful responsibility as constructive critics of the status quo, as a force to move our society forward.”

However, as I noted in my last essay in Drake Blue, colleges and universities in American society also have a fundamental public purpose: we educate our students for engaged citizenship in a participatory democracy; we serve as the place where the vital issues of the day are argued and clarified; we preserve and enhance our culture; and, in a liberal democracy, as Harold Shapiro pointed out in A Larger Sense of Purpose, we have a powerful responsibility as constructive critics of the status quo, as a force to move our society forward.

The worry is that these core responsibilities of the university are not “revenue-producing,” at least not in a direct manner. And if they are not revenue-producing, what are the chances that we can sustain them over the long term?

I am certainly not the first to raise this question. Robert Zemsky and his colleagues ask in Remaking the American University: MarketSmart and Mission-Driven, “. . . what happens

integrity of our core mission. Needless to say, the resources necessary to address both our students’ personal aspirations and the health of our nation can be meaningfully enhanced by a significant increase in our endowment and in contributions to the Drake Fund, enabling us to reduce our historical reliance on tuition. As alumni and friends of Drake University, I ask that you do everything that you can to support us in meeting critical national needs for an educated and engaged citizenry—needs that are not always manifested in market demand.

Dr. David E. Maxwell, president

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contents

President Dr. David E. Maxwell

Features

Vice President of Institutional Advancement John H. Willey

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Director of Alumni & Parent Programs

FIELD OF DREAMS

Students are thriving in the sciences thanks to a wide range of research projects and hands-on learning experiences available in Drake's College of Arts and Sciences

Barbara Boose, JO’83, GR’90

Director of Marketing & Communications Brooke Benschoter

EDITORIAL STAFF

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Editor/Art Director Casey L. Gradischnig

BALLS TO BRAWLS

Drake celebrates 125 years of traditions, events and action from elegant dances to rough fisticuffs

Graphic Designer Andrew Maahs

Classnotes Editor Tracey L. Kelley

Blue blue blue Contributing Writers

Daniel P. Finney, JO’97 Tracey L. Kelley Lisa Lacher Tim Schmitt

Interns

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Jennifer Bins Bryan Klopack Erin Lain Marisa Roby

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To submit news or update your alumni file, contact Drake’s Office of Alumni and Parent Programs.

A PASSION FOR JUSTICE

Departments CAMPUS

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Best Buddies honored as outstanding chapter • Center for Global Citizenship hosts conference on Islam in America • Drake Phi Delta Chi chapter places 1st in nation • Students and faculty lead summer science camp for elementary school students • 125 years later, a new elm rises in front of Old Main

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Call: 1-800-44-DRAKE, x3152 E-mail: recordsinfo@drake.edu Surf: www.drakealumni.net

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Drake law grad carries on Martin Luther King’s legacy

FACULTY

Faculty elected to Iowa Pharmacist Association’s leadership positions • Music faculty share stage with opera singer Simon Estes

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 Editor Casey L. Gradischnig, Drake University, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311-4505. E-mail: casey.gradischnig@drake.edu.

SPORTS

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Ezra Hendrickson of Chivas USA • Summer sports recap

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ALUMNI

Stop, look, listen: Drake on the Road • Save the date for spring reunions • Art, athletics and amusement: highlights of summer alumni activities

Copyright Drake University 2005

The Magazine of Drake University

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campus buzz DRAKE RETAINS HIGH RANKINGS IN “AMERICA’S BEST COLLEGES” Drake University is still one of the best buys in the country and among the top four universities of its class according to U.S. News & World Report. Of the 142 schools in the “Midwest UniversitiesMaster’s” category, Drake was again ranked fourth overall and remained among the top 10 best values in the region, according to the magazine’s 2006 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.”

Drake ranks eighth in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category with 59 percent of Drake students receiving grants based on financial need. The University also provides tens of millions of dollars in scholarships based on academic merit, which are not calculated in this category.

“Our continued high ranking as a best value demonstrates Drake’s commitment to offer the highest quality in educational opportunity that is more affordable than many students and families realize,” said Drake

University President David Maxwell. “People know that we’re one of the very best; it’s also important for them to know that we’re financially accessible.”

Drake continues to be ranked No. 2 (missing No. 1 by only 2/10ths of a point) in reputation for academic quality, and has the highest ranking in its category of any Iowa college or university.

MAXWELL ELECTED TO BUSINESS-EDUCATION FORUM POST Drake University President David Maxwell was elected to a twoyear term on the executive committee of Business-Higher Education Forum, a non-profit membership organization of chief executives from American businesses, colleges and universities, museums and foundations.

The organization’s members comprise roughly 35 corporate CEOs and an equal number of university presidents and other organizational leaders.

The purpose of the forum is to join together to examine

SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEVEN G. BREYER became the ninth member of the U.S. Supreme Court to deliver the Dwight D. Opperman Lecture in Constitutional Law when he spoke at the Drake Knapp Center on Oct. 6.

In addition to presenting the formal lecture, Breyer interacted directly with students in a question and answer session and in small group meetings. The annual event, well attended this year by Drake students, faculty and staff — as well as the community at large — is recognized nationally as a prestigious event in legal education.

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the HOT list issues of national importance and, when appropriate, to speak with one voice by issuing reports and policy positions. The forum sponsors roundtable discussions with elected public officials, representatives from both the corporate and the academic communities and with the general public.

“Drake University’s participation in the forum is of significant value to us as a constant source of new perspectives and new ideas,” Maxwell said. “At the same time, it enables us to make a contribution on the national level as part of a collective voice on issues of vital national importance.”

Founded in 1978, the forum was hosted by the American Council on Education until it became an independent organization in September, 2004.

Drake theatre kicked off its autumn season at the Harmon Fine Ar ts Center with a production of Steve Tesich’s Ar ts and Leisure, followed by a four-show run of William Inge’s Picnic.

South African sculptor Ledelle Moe’s Collapse (Memorial) was on display, followed by Mitchell Squire’s Still Life with Peaches

exhibit, which remains into December. Law professor and Director of the Agricultural Law Center Neil Hamilton hosted a national conference at Olmsted Center to help small-scale farmers break into the food industry.

Kathleen Richardson, assistant professor of journalism hosted a Freedom of Information summit

on open government issues, and the Drake University Business Link presented a workshop titled “Presenting to Win: A Practical Approach to Business Presentations.” The

BEST BUDDIES HONORED AS OUTSTANDING CHAPTER The Best Buddies chapter at Drake University was chosen from among more than 800 programs around the world and recognized for excellence at the Best Buddies International 16th Annual Student Leadership Conference in Bloomington, IN. Drake’s chapter was given an Outstanding Chapter Award — one of only 27 presented this year — for its dedication to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships.

“Best Buddies International applauds the efforts of our exceptional high school and college chapters, which have pooled the talents of their participants to build and strengthen the Best Buddies mission at their

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Drake Writers and Critics Series began with Dale Bauer, professor of English at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, speaking on “Sex Expression and American Women Writers.” The Drake

Myster y Dinner Theatre, starring Dean of the College of Ar ts and Sciences John Burney and The Die Laughing Mystery Players, per formed “Dinner a la Mor te” at Cowles Librar y, and Drake’s RaySociety for life-long learners offered classes on ever ything from music and economics to women’s histor y and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

school,” said David Quilleon, vice president of programs for Best Buddies. “Each chapter’s creativity, dedication and hard work play an important role in continued on page 6

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Drake MPA student Jason Allen and the CGPS director Danette Kenne in Aliber Hall.

Corporate Class Now in Session DRAKE’S CENTER FOR GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES CREATES CUSTOM-MADE COURSEWORK FOR THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY When administrators from Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, IA, were looking to enhance the skills of their management team, they quickly realized a traditional academic program just wouldn’t work. The hospital’s leaders approached Drake and asked the University’s Center for Graduate and Professional Studies (CGPS) — which is housed in the College of Business and Public Administration — to help them develop a program that was specific to health professionals and provided the convenience of onsite education for non-traditional learners.

“Many of the program’s participants were so pleased with the outcome, they’re now pursuing graduate degrees through Drake on their own,” says Danette Kenne, Drake’s director of the CGPS.

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While Drake’s College of Business’s MBA and MPA programs, along with the newer master’s of accounting and master’s of financial management programs, have come to be known as top-of-the-line by the business community for both their academic excellence and their accessibility, Kenne says Drake is determined to be market-driven in providing comprehensive certificate programs aimed at improving skills in areas such as health care, research methods and management training.

“Drake designs programs to fit the needs of a company or organization, which helps keep organizations progressive,” Kenne says of the center’s practice of developing program content based on requests asking for specific outcomes. “Whether it’s a corporation or nonprofit, our programs enhance the

professional capabilities of the employees.”

The certificate programs incorporate a group learning format in which students attend a series of classes together on an established schedule that are linked topically to the previously offered course. In spring 2005, more than 20 professionals from Des Moines’ nonprofit community celebrated completion of a certificate in the nonprofit leadership and administration program — a comprehensive program that met three days each month for an entire year on Drake’s campus.

“With the layers of education we provide, coupled with Drake’s expert faculty and our flexibility,” she says, “we are a powerful resource for corporations and the community.”

–Tracey L. Kelley

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campus buzz continued from page 4 furthering the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities within their communities and around the world.”

Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,000 middle school, high school and college campuses across the country and internationally.

CENTER FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP HOSTS CONFERENCE ON ISLAM IN AMERICA Hoping to shed some light on a religion and culture that is often misunderstood and misrepresented, the Drake University Center for Global Citizenship brought nationally recognized authorities on Islam and the Muslim experience in America to Des Moines for a two-day campus/community conference in September.

The conference, titled “Islam in America: Finding Common Ground,” took place on Sept. 9 and 10 and was designed to promote a better understanding of Islam as a religion and of the

diverse cultures and experiences of Muslims in American society.

Speakers included Dr. Jane Smith, professor of Islamic studies and co-director of the Duncan Black MacDonald Center for the study of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations at Hartford Seminary, CT., and Dr. Scott Alexander, Catholic Union Center for Christian and Islamic Studies in Chicago, IL. The well-attended breakout sessions included workshops on the experiences of Muslim immigrants, issues that affect women, interfaith dialogue and the cultural contributions of Islam.

DRAKE PHI DELTA CHI CHAPTER PLACES 1ST IN NATION After several years of secondplace finishes, Drake University’s Psi Chapter of Phi Delta Chi, a pharmacy professional fraternity, took home first-place honors in the national 2005 Thurston Cup competition at the Phi Delta Chi Grand Council in August. In addition to this prestigious award, the chapter also was honored with a

admission update

JANE GOODALL, FAMED CONSERVATIONIST, AUTHOR and Dame of the British Empire presented “Reasons for Hope,” to a full house at the Drake Knapp Center on Sept. 22 as part of the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series. Goodall, whose study of chimpanzees and 40 years of work as a tireless advocate for environmental stewardship sparked the evolution of humanity’s understanding of wildlife, entertained guests at a reception and book signing following the lecture.

first-place award for publications, a second place award for leadership and scholarship, a fourth place award for professionalism and service, and received a 100 percent achievement award.

The Emory W. Thurston Grand President’s Award

IOWA PRIVATE COLLEGE WEEK OUTCOMES

Drake once again brought prospective students to campus in droves during Iowa Private College week, an annual event that allows 2004 (Entering 2005 class) prospective students and their families to explore Iowa’s private col496 prospective students leges and universities and discuss the benefits of each with current visited Drake University students, faculty and staff.

241 students admitted A total of 472 prospective students visited Drake during the 100 enrolled in classes this fall -----------------------------August 1–5 event, a number second only to last year’s record-setting 2005 (Entering 2006 class) attendance of 496.

472 visitors “Visiting college campuses is an essential step in a student’s college search,” says Deneen Dygert, associate director of admission.

“Students who visit Drake enroll at a higher rate than those who do not visit.”

Last year, 45 percent of the admitted students who visited campus enrolled in classes. By comparison, only 12 percent of admitted students who did not visit campus enrolled.

Drake President David Maxwell addressed visitors in each of the 10 sessions held and faculty members met with smaller groups of students who expressed an interest in specific areas of study. In addition, prospective students learned what Drake life is about through a student panel and campus tours.

“This feature makes our visit program highly unique,” says Dygert. “The willingness of faculty and staff to participate in the visit program is a testament to the student-centered philosophy at Drake.”

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(Thurston Cup) is presented every two years to the chapter that has promoted the profession of pharmacy and Phi Delta Chi to the fullest extent during the preceding year.

“The success of winning the Thurston award was a long time coming,” says pharmacy major Laura Granger. “We have been awarded second place the last few years and eagerly wanted to reclaim the title of number one Phi Delta Chi chapter in the nation. It was good to be noticed for our hard work and dedication. It felt like winning the Superbowl, but at a professional fraternity convention.”

STUDENTS AND FACULTY LEAD SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS With the aid of Drake University students and faculty, Des Moines elementary students created flying machines, made electricity from fruit and communicated using only flashlights during the Des Moines Science Pioneers Camp held Aug. 8-12 at four area elementary schools.

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Drake students developed the weeklong, interactive inquirybased lesson this past spring as part of an elementary science methods class. About 160 Des Moines elementary students and 25 elementary teachers participated in the camp, which was facilitated by 12 exceptional science and education students.

“We’re trying to get the idea across to students that science is as much an inquiry process as it is factual information,” said Jack Gerlovich, Drake professor of science education and director of the Des Moines Science Pioneers Camp.

The Drake University School of Education received a $100,000 grant from the state of Iowa, as well as a $10,000 grant from Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. to fund the camp as part of the Des Moines Science Pioneers project. This is the second year of the camp. Last year, approximately 45 elementary students attended the camp at Cattell Elementary supported by a $20,000 grant from Pioneer.

“Our mutually beneficial relationship with the Des Moines schools is growing and improving each year,” Gerlovich added. “We anticipate expanding the program in future years to include students in grades 3-12.”

LAW SCHOOL CELEBRATES VOTING RIGHTS ACT Today, even 40 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the act of casting a ballot in the United States remains a topic of heated debate. With that in mind, Drake University Law School held a panel discussion and town hall meeting on the anniversary of the Act’s passage on Sept. 15 to discuss the current state of voting affairs in America.

“Removing Barriers, Effecting Change,” a panel discussion held at the Middleton Children’s

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HELPING HANDS NEARLY 600 MEMBER OF THE INCOMING CLASS OF 2005-2006 spent Aug. 20 — the last Saturday before fall semester classes began — learning the importance of getting their hands dirty. Entering first-year students volunteered for community service projects throughout Des Moines ranging from sorting bricks to be used in neighborhood gardens (above) to playing bingo with residents of Ramsey Village. The projects, meant to foster a sense of community between students and the surrounding neighborhood, were part of the University’s Welcome Week program.

Drake University students, faculty and staff handed out free school supplies to 300 area elementary, middle and high school kids at the 2005 Back to School Bash at the John R. Grubb YMCA in Des Moines on Aug. 28 (right). The lucky students were the first ones to show up for the event, which also featured a carnival with field games, a disc jockey, refreshments and a basketball shootout to raise money to sponsor underprivileged students in Des Moines Public Schools.

Rights Center in the Drake Legal Clinic, focused on the legal aspects of ensuring equal access for all to the voting process.

Panelists included Steve Carbo, director of the Democracy Program at Demos, Ed Mansfield, professor of election law and a private practice attorney, and Kimberly Baxter, director for the Iowa Commission on the status of African Americans.

That evening, both Carbo and Mansfield joined Secretary of State Chet Culver at the Polk County Central Senior Center for the town hall meeting portion of the event.

The event was a joint effort between Drake’s Constitutional Law Center and Celebrate Voting,

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a collaborative initiative of Iowa Secretary of State Chet Culver, the Iowa State Historical Foundation, the Iowa Department of Human Rights, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the NAACP State Conference, the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, ID Action and the League of Women Voters of Iowa.

BUSINESS STUDENTS LEAD IN KRAUSE INVESTMENT CHALLENGE Seven years ago, W.A. Krause, chairman of Kum & Go, endowed $100,000 each to Drake University, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa as part of The Krause

Challenge. The purpose was to expose students in select finance classes to investment strategies and portfolio management experience, spotlight Iowa-based companies and encourage students to pursue careers within the state.

Twenty-five percent of each school’s fund equity must be held in Iowa-based companies or companies with a significant presence in Iowa. All annual returns are deposited directly back into each school’s fund.

Drake students continue to lead the pack in the investment competition for overall highest current portfolio value, boasting a portfolio of $188,850.07 – $26,000 more than closest competitor Iowa State University.

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campus buzz

Looking ahead

DRAKE’S MASTER PLAN LAYS OUT A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

THOUGH MUCH HAS CHANGED ON CAMPUS SINCE DRAKE’S FOUNDING 125 YEARS AGO, Drake University President David Maxwell can’t help but notice that many ideas detailed in the several master plans of years past never came to fruition.

Given this fact, it’s little wonder that he was cautious during the development phase of the current Drake University Campus Master Plan, which was finalized in June.

“There’s little trace of these past plans on the Drake campus,” says Maxwell. “Realizing this, I asked if I should be nervous that this is just an intellectual exercise that will have no impact on the future of the campus.”

But thanks to an exhaustive effort to include all interested parties in the planning process — faculty, staff, students, the Board of Trustees, the Drake Neighborhood Association and the city of Des Moines — Maxwell is confident that this plan will move quickly from planning to reality.

“This was a very, very participatory process,” he says. “At each

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stage in the process, the critical stakeholders have had an opportunity to review where we are. The goal was to come up with a plan that allows us to make Drake what it has to become without losing what it already is, and addresses the teaching and learning needs for students while maintaining the wonderful architecture already in place. We really feel there is constituency wide support that this is what we need to do.”

The Drake University Campus Master Plan is ambitious in scope and identifies five key areas in need of immediate attention as well as a number of longer-term projects.

Maxwell says the University has been careful to include the area surrounding Drake in the planning process and to place a strong emphasis on par tnering with local agencies and the surrounding community.

“We recognize the importance of the immediate neighborhood to the long-term health and vitality of Drake,” he says, adding that discussions are already taking place with

the Drake Neighborhood Association and the Greater Des Moines Partnership to further develop relationships that will make the process of moving from planning to action as simple as possible.

“Given the history of past master planning efforts,” says Maxwell, “it’s exciting to realize that these things are actually going to happen.”

Beyond the five short-term goals, other projects varying in size and scope are laid out in detail for completion over the next 20 years,

though the order in which these projects will be tackled has been purposefully left unspecified.

“They are all important,” says Maxwell. “So we have deliberately not prioritized them.

“This is all entirely resource dependent,” he adds. “The pace at which we proceed depends on how fast our alumni and friends step forward to make it happen.

The single biggest factor is identifying and securing the resources to do this.”

–Tim Schmitt

A five year time frame has been established to complete the high-priority projects, which include: u Updating classrooms and laboratories to create state-of-the-art spaces that accommodate current and emerging teaching and learning goals u Renovating the residence halls

u Relocating “Spike’s,” a popular snack bar and convenience store, to Hubbell North to create a larger, late-night drop-in space for students u Restoring Cole Hall (Office of Admission) to make it a more attractive gateway to Drake for prospective students, bring out the historic character of the building and enhance both accessibility and technology u Enhancing the campus with a variety of improvements that include the beautification of the Painted Street area and the conversion of 28th Street into a pedestrian mall,a campus sign and directory system, the creation of entry gardens at the corners of the campus and installing smart card access on campus buildings

The entire plan can be viewed at www.drake.edu/busfin.

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Jerry Wilson listens to student Jake Klinkhammer performed at the Francis Marion Drake Society Dinner on Oct. 8.

Celebrating a Great Birthday and the Promise of a Greater University ALUMNI AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE DRAKE’S 125 AT FRANCIS MARION DRAKE SOCIETY GALA SEVERAL HUNDRED ALUMNI AND FRIENDS GATHERED OVER HOMECOMING WEEKEND for the

annual Francis Marion Drake Society Dinner at which supporters were recognized for their vital role in building Drake into one of the country’s most distinctive institutions.

“This is a marvelous opportunity to recall the people throughout history who have shaped Drake with their forward thinking and generosity,” says President David Maxwell. “Their example should inspire us to engage the challenges of our times with the same boldness and intelligence that they brought to theirs.”

This year’s theme — “Turning 125” — underscored not only the celebration of the University’s heritage, but Drake’s strategic focus aimed at making the University a key player in the unfolding global era of higher education.

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“The Francis Marion Drake Society Dinner was the perfect setting to express Drake’s thanks to all those whose commitment has brought the University to a point of celebration,” says Vice President for Institutional Advancement John Willey. “It was also a time to encourage alumni and friends that the coming months will be a perfect occasion for birthday presents — gifts reflecting the affection that thousands of people have for Drake University and their Drake experience.”

Taken together, gifts supporting these priorities will provide the springboard for launching Drake into a new era of change and educational strength, in the process, validating the dedication and faith of generations of alumni and friends who have loved Drake University.

Top photo: Board of Trustes member Ambassador Johnnie Carson, LA’65, Joy Holmquist, Larry Crist, LA’67, and first lady Madeleine Maxwell. Bottom photo: Jim, JO’74, and Anne Von der Heydt, Dean, BN’62, and Judith Baarda.

During the Drake 125 celebration period stretching into 2007, several goals will be at the top of the “birthday list”: DRAKE FUND ANNUAL GIVING $6,500,000 (2 Yrs.) RESTRICTED FUNDS FOR SPECIAL INITIATIVES 500,000 SCIENCE CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY RENEWAL 5,000,000 COLE HALL-ADMISSION CENTER RENEWAL 1,500,000 CAMPUS ENTRANCE, LANDSCAPING & IMAGE ENHANCEMENTS 1,000,000 ENDOWMENT FOR PROFESSORSHIPS 4,500,000 ENDOWMENT FOR SCHOLARSHIPS 2,000,000 ENDOWMENT FOR FACULTY/STAFF DEVELOPMENT 1,000,000 ENDOWMENT FOR STUDENT/FACULTY RESEARCH 1,000,000 ENDOWMENT FOR A CENTER FOR SPEAKING & WRITING 1,500,000 ENDOWMENT FOR THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP 1,500,000 ENDOWMENT FOR A CENTER FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY 1,500,000

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faculty focus FACULTY ELECTED TO IOWA PHARMACIST ASSOCIATION’S LEADERSHIP POSITIONS Lon Larson, PH’72, the Windsor professor of pharmacy administration at Drake University, and DeeAnn Wedemyer Oleson, PH’99, were elected to the Iowa Pharmacist Association’s Board of Trustees during the IPA Annual Meeting on June 11, 2005 in West Des Moines, IA. Larson and Oleson will serve two-year terms on the board.

Larson currently serves as the director of the Drake curriculum (the University-wide general education curriculum), has been named Drake’s Mentor of the Year and twice received Drake’s Pharmacy Teacher of the Year award. He was recently named a fellow of the APhA’s Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science.

Wedemeyer Oleson is currently the director of pharmacy at Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center, IA, where she is also a primary instructor on the diabetes education team. She offers a geriatrics specialty rotation for pharmacy students, is a member of Drake University’s College of Pharmacy’s Experiential Review Council

and was named adjunct faculty preceptor of the year by Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2002.

MUSIC FACULTY SHARE STAGE WITH OPERA SINGER SIMON ESTES Two Drake faculty members were given the opportunity to share a stage with opera singer and Des Moines’ favorite son Simon Estes at a Mid-Summer’s Eve Gala Musical held Aug. 19 at the First Christian Church in Des Moines.

Besides Estes and several other local performers, the evening included performances by Nicholas Roth, assistant professor of piano, and Carl Staplin, professor of organ and church music.

The program, which was open to the public, included a gourmet meal before the musical performances. Proceeds from the dinner and from free-will offerings will benefit the Friends of Music at First, the music program sponsored by First Christian Church.

Staplin, in addition to teaching, is also the academic coordinator for the church music and music business programs at Drake University and a minister of music and organist at the First Christian Church, which hosted the event.

JUNE F. JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF FACULTY AND SITE DEVELOPMENT in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, was presented the Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award for her tireless work on behalf of individuals with diabetes. Additionally, staff members Shawn Madsen and Sofia Turnbull were each honored with the Levitt Employee Excellence Awards.

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MYRON “MIKE” MARTY, PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF HISTORY, was presented the Drake Medal of Service by President David Maxwell at the Fall Convocation on Sept. 20. The medal honors significant service that has been sustained over time to the Drake University community, as well as personal commitment to the University’s heritage and aspirations. Marty joined the Drake faculty in 1984 as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and held the title of Ann G. and Sigurd E. Anderson University professor from 1994-2002.

CHASING BUTTERFLIES FOR SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT Drake’s environmental science faculty members have been busy leading a group butterfly hunt as part of a joint research project sponsored by the Iowa Academy of Science, the National Geographic Society and Drake University.

David Courard-Hauri and Keith Summerville, assistant professors of environmental science, organized a team of student researchers to catch and mark butterflies at the Kuehn Conservation Area in Dallas County. The tracking will allow the team to learn more about butterfly movement patterns and whether they take to newly restored or managed habitats.

“This research will allow us to know if native insects and animals need to be reintroduced in these areas or if they can make it there themselves,” Courard-Hauri said.

“There is little known about the grassland butterflies in this area, so this type of work is important for conservation.”

The researchers spent three days a week at Kuehn capturing butterflies with nets, in particular the small, brown-spotted Little

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Wood Satyr. Using special wax paper envelopes, tweezers and black permanent markers, the team marked the butterflies with the hope of recapturing them later in different areas to track their movements.

“I don’t want my grandchildren to ask me what a butterfly was and what it looked like,” said Ashley Wick, a Drake senior environmental science major. “I want them to know for themselves.”

BEGLEITER, MERIDETH APPOINTED TO LEVITT PROFESSORSHIPS The Drake Board of Trustees has appointed Martin Begleiter, professor of law, and Eunice Merideth, professor of education, to Levitt professorships in recognition of their superior performance as faculty members.

Provost Ron Troyer and a committee of at least five faculty members who currently hold special University or distinguished professorships recommended them for the appointments. The criteria included teaching effectiveness, professional contributions through scholarly activity, holding leadership roles and consulting activities as well as contributions to the mission of the University.

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Over the Counter and into the Class PHARMACIST TURNED PROFESSOR TEACHES STUDENTS TO GO BEYOND “JUST THE FACTS” WHEN HELPING PATIENTS

DOZENS OF VARIOUS OVER-THE-COUNTER PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS line the shelves and

windowsills of Linda Krypel’s office. Krypel, PH’74, GR’94, associate professor of pharmacy practice, uses the products to teach practical lessons in her class.

“Students can better understand the obstruction effects of fiber, for example, when they mix it with water in a glass beaker, then stand a stick up in it,” Krypel says. “Learning how an over-the-counter product works and how it will affect the patient is one of literally hundreds of elements a pharmacist needs to work on daily.”

Krypel was a retail pharmacist for nearly 10 years before she began teaching at Drake, long enough for her to recognize the everchanging nature of the field.

“I’m the last one to say I’m an expert,”

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Krypel says, “but I work hard to communicate the need for students to follow the constant changes in over-the-counter products.

Their patients’ lives are at stake.”

To further aid those interested in nonprescription medications, Krypel secured a $100,000 Procter and Gamble grant to develop and edit a Web site dedicated to providing such information.

KRYPEL LOVES WORDS. A contributing editor to the Dictionary of Pharmacy, she peppers her speech and office with motivational quotes she feels “take us out of the mundane day-to-day and help us laugh.” To improve students’ understanding of “health literacy,” Krypel uses terms from various industries like “kerning,” “nonforfeiture

benefits” and “clerisy” to illustrate the unique language of a pharmacist. “If a student doesn’t know those words, they have to think about how many patients really don’t understand health information. It’s our responsibility to relate to patients on their ‘health literacy’ level.”

“EVEN IF YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK, YOU’LL GET RUN OVER IF YOU JUST SIT THERE!” is the

Will Rogers quote with which Krypel signs her e-mail, and one sentiment this 20032004 Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Teacher of the Year passes along to her students. “It’s not enough to teach facts. Students need to understand how to learn, because they’ll be doing it for the rest of their lives.”

–Tracey L. Kelley

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sports sideline LAURA INGALLS’ RIVAL LEADS DRAKE VOLLEYBALL If Drake volleyball players ever think Head Coach Amy Farber Knowles is tough on them, you ought to see how she treated poor Laura Ingalls when she was growing up in Walnut Grove, MN. Of course, Farber Knowles isn’t old enough to have known the real Laura Ingalls, the author of the beloved Little House on the Prairie novels. She did, however, grow up in the same town in which they were set. Farber Knowles also, on occasion, played Nellie Olsen, Laura’s bitter rival growing up, at the town playhouse.

“They used to do my hair with big curlers so it looked just like the girl who played her on the TV show,” Farber Knowles says.

“It was so fun because the character got to be so mean and I’m not that way at all.”

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Faber Knowles is gentler with her Bulldogs, who came off a disastrous 3-30 mark in 2004.

“I’m so impressed with our team’s willingness to learn and improve,” the coach says. “I’m very much about focusing on the positives and building for the future. We will be winners.”

STAR HURLER MAKES COMEBACK AT DRAKE Nothing can keep Libby Hysell away from softball.

As a star pitcher at ColfaxMingo High School, she underwent major back surgery. She went on to become an all-state player.

Before her senior season at Central College, she had serious surgery on her pitching shoulder.

She came back with a perfect 170 record with a 0.41 ERA. She pitched the final three innings of Central’s 2003 NCAA Division III championship, earning the save

JUNIOR HITTER AND BLOCKER BETSY FUNK, of Urbandale, Iowa, rears for a kill in a recent volleyball game. The Bulldogs are growing and improving under new coach Amy Faber Knowles' leadership.

and propelling her to the Honda Award Division III Female Athlete of the Year award.

Now, two years removed from playing, Hysell’s making another comeback as the new assistant softball coach at Drake.

“It’s a dream come true,” Hysell said of her appointment. “Since I’ve been out of college, I haven’t been associated with softball other than individual pitching lessons and I’m so happy to take this position at Drake. I feel my passion

BULLDOG FOOTBALLERS FACED LONG, WINDING ROAD The renovation of Drake Stadium forced the 2005 Bulldog football team to be wandering warriors.

Knowing the $13-million project would make it impossible for Drake to play in the stadium this season, the team purposely scheduled six road games this season and only four home games.

Three of those games were played at nearby Valley High School in West Des Moines and, ironically, Drake’s homecoming game, was played at Waukee High School in Des Moines’ northwestern suburbs.

Though closer than a road trip to San Diego, the Bulldogs prepared for every game in 2005 as if they were traversing the country.

“You think that it’s only a few miles out to West Des Moines or Waukee, but just the sheer

amount of equipment that you have to move for a football team is incredible,” Drake Head Football Coach Rob Ash says. “We needed busses for the whole squad, two or three trucks for all the equipment.

It’s a lot of planning.”

Ash sympathized with Bulldog seniors who had to spend their final season on a long and winding road, but says the sacrifice will be worth it.

“When this is all over, we will be playing in one of the best facilities in the country for a school of our size,” Ash says of the renovated Drake Stadium that will include an artificial FieldTurf surface designed to prevent injuries and be ultraresistant to inclement weather.

“That’s going to be something to get really excited about.”

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The Magazine of Drake University

champions and enthusiasm for the game will be one of my strengths.”

Hysell will work with Drake’s pitchers including junior Kristin Birocci, a former Des Moines Lincoln High School standout.

“We are extremely excited to have Libby on board,” said Drake head coach Rich Calvert.

the Missouri Valley Conference.

“I look forward to the challenge of establishing Drake as a contender on the national scene,” Hodges says. “Our goal will be to win MVC Championships and earn berths to the NCAA Tournament.”

Hodges comes to Drake from

Junior Sergi Vila, of Barcelona, Spain, takes his swings during an indoor practice.

“She brings great energy and passion for the game that should rub off on the rest of us.”

Hysell brings a star-studded player’s resume to Drake. She earned Division III first-team All-American and 2003 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Year honors, was Central’s leading pitcher from 1999-2003, taking the Dutch to the 2003 NCAA National Championship where she was named to the all-tournament team. She was named the Iowa Conference Most Valuable Player and earned national recognition as the NFCA Pitcher of the Week during the season. She was a three-time AllAmerican, earning third team honors as a sophomore, second team honors as a junior and first-team honors as a senior.

NEW MEN’S TENNIS COACH ‘CHASES’ MVC REPEAT Head Coach Chase Hodges enters his first season as the head men's tennis coach at Drake University with plans of taking the program to the top of

The Magazine of Drake University

the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he served as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach for three years. While at UNC Asheville, Hodges guided both tennis programs to their first Division I national rankings in UNC Asheville athletics history. Hodges also led both programs to their most wins and best records in school history.

“Chase did a remarkable job in rebuilding the tennis programs at North CarolinaAsheville and we look forward to having him continue to build upon the strong tradition the Drake men’s tennis team has enjoyed over the years," said Drake athletics director Dave Blank. “He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to our program and he will be a welcomed addition at Drake.”

Coach Hodges holds the highest level of professional certification through the United State Professional Tennis Registry.

Chase and his wife, Ashley, reside in Ankeny.

-- Daniel P. Finney, JO’97 and Mike Mahon

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Two-time winner THIS JOURNALISM GRAD PUTS HIS EXPERIENCE ON THE DRAKE SOCCER FIELD TO WORK, EARNING HIS SECOND MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP RING IN THREE YEARS. Ezra Hendrickson, JO’94, stood near midfield at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The heat index was more than 100 on a steamy summer afternoon, and in a few minutes his team would play in a nationally-televised match on ESPN2. Never mind that his team, Chivas USA, would see its record fall to 3-17-3, or that the former Drake star would miss his first game of the season due to a minor injury.

On this day, before a sun-baked crowd in Washington on August 13, veteran pro soccer player Hendrickson was presented with a title ring for his role as a defender for Major League Soccer (MLS) champs D.C. United in 2004. So what happened to the ring, which was given to him by top officials of D.C. United?

“I gave it to the (Chivas) equipment manager. I guess I will put it up on my shelf at home,” says Hendrickson, standing in the Chivas USA locker room after the game.

“Individually, personally, it was a good day for me. I was more concerned with how we would play today,” said Thomas Rongen, director of sport for Chivas USA, who coached United to a title in 1999: “I know what (the title) represents. It is something you carry with you the rest of your life. He is very deserving of this ring.”

Hendrickson, who now lives in southern California, started the 2004 season in the minor leagues. He was picked up by D.C. United and played in 12 regular-season games. After the season, in November, 2004, he was chosen by first-year club Chivas USA in the MLS expansion draft.

But the ring is not the first for Hendrickson, who has been playing in the MLS since 1997. He played in 23 games (all starts) for L.A. Galaxy in 2002, and had two goals and eight assists as the team won the MLS title. “I just feel privileged to be a professional athlete. Not too many people have that opportunity,” he says. "I want to make the most of it."

Hendrickson, 33, played four years at Drake from 1990-93, and was third-team all-America as a senior. He was a three-time Missouri Valley Conference player, a two-time academic MVC honoree and won the Jerry Howlett Award as the school’s top student athlete. For several years after college he was also the captain for his home country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Ironically, another Drake product in MLS was on hand Aug. 13 when Hendrickson picked up his ring. Matt Nickell, a star for Drake in 2004, was a rookie in 2005 for D.C. United and played the last nine minutes Aug. 13 against Chivas in a 3-0 win.

– David Drive 13

FIELD of DREAMS [ BY TRACEY L. KELLEY ]

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Students are thriving in the sciences thanks to a wide range of research projects and hands-on learning experiences available in Drake's College of Arts and Sciences

MANY OF DR. KEITH SUMMERVILLE’S STUDENTS

are out standing in the field. Literally.

An assistant professor of environmental science and policy, Summerville has taken to heart the College of Arts and Sciences’ dedication to undergraduate research. His students are as likely to find themselves knee-deep in prairie grass monitoring restoration efforts in the field as they are studying the results in a traditional classroom. This hands-on experience, explains Summerville, is a vital part of any education, and the resulting combination of practical research and classroom study offered by the College of Arts and Sciences is what sets Drake apart from its peers.

“Here, undergrads have the choice to invest in practical research for a semester, a year or whatever, and be primed with critical thinking skills that assist with any graduate program or field of work,” says Sumerville.

These skills, Summerville says, help instill a sense of independence in students that will

serve them well — not just during their undergraduate years, but also throughout their lives.

“They can’t be in the middle of a tall grass prairie restoration calling me every five minutes,” he says. “Achieving the independence to make decisions in the field, utilizing the right equipment, identification techniques, the writing: all these things build character.”

LAYERS OF LEARNING The interactive contact between undergraduate students and full-time faculty is a hallmark of the Drake College of Arts and Sciences experience.

The traditional classroom, while an important tool for providing a base of knowledge, does not allow most students the opportunity to embrace independent thinking and experiential learning. Recognizing this, faculty members strive to flip the traditional classroom upside-down through broad uses of technology and integrative course and experiment design.

Courses like Nutrition and Wellness and The Iowa Environment are team-built. Many faculty-student collaborative experiments in chemistry, mathematics and environmental science and policy were recently selected as models by the American Association of Colleges and Universities for progressive use of bridging scientific knowledge to public policy. One First Year Seminar even has students sharing a residence hall as they examine rhetoric and politics.

And much of Drake’s research involves layers of students, faculty and outside experts in the field. One Drake astronomy project includes researchers from other universities and the National Observatory of Athens, Greece.

When a student’s natural curiosity is combined with this collaborative effort, explains Dean John Burney, it increases confidence, expands critical thinking skills and encourages professional development — all of which provide students with the tools they need to recognize their own interests and shape their futures.

CURIOSITY DRIVEN Jared Bottcher entered Drake to study biology but not for the reason that many students choose the major.

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“I didn’t want to go to med school,” he says. “I wanted to work with marine life and in conservation.”

Now, after a variety of self-directed experiments and a five-month study abroad program in Australia and along the Great Barrier Reef, Bottcher is a double major in biology and environmental science and actively researching fish habitats.

“Because of the experiences extended to me at Drake, I’m one up on many other students from other liberal arts colleges,” Bottcher says. “I’ve actually had time to work

Yale, he credits Sanders and Drake with crafting not only his progressive research techniques, but also the inquisitive, interdisciplinary mind of a scientist.

So does he now know what it is that makes us tick?

“No,” laughs Sanders. “It’s a philosophical question. But results we’ve discovered in our experiments may, in time, explain human behavior.”

Dr. Maria Clapham, professor of psychology, recently traveled with two students to the Midwest Academy of Management in St. Louis,

“Through Drake’s format, students understand the context, collect and analyze data through standards and statistical

measures, then write it up,” says Clapham.

“It’s not planned for them — they are leading the process.” in my field, which prepares me for the workplace and involves more of my interests.”

Arts and Sciences faculty members encourage action-oriented inquisitiveness at any level. As a first-year student at Drake, Serge Kobsa, AS’03, wanted to know more than how fast to run across University Avenue or where the stairwell is to the dining hall in Olmstead’s basement — he wanted to know what makes us human.

He approached Dr. Brian Sanders, associate professor of psychology, about tackling an advanced upper level research-based course, Biological Basis of Behavior, to aid in his pursuit of the answer to this age-old question.

“Dr. Sanders and my advisor, Dr. Faux, believed in me and gave me a chance as a freshman — something that wouldn’t necessarily have happened at other institutions,” says Kobsa.

Over the next four years, Kobsa and Sanders studied neurobiological mechanisms and the behavior they determine. Kobsa spent a summer at Yale and the University of Connecticut learning new methods to further the joint research effort and presented results at international conferences.

Now in the combined MD/PhD program at

MO, to present a survey of creativity practices.

These students — undergraduates majoring in industrial and organizational psychology — participated in the presentation by highlighting innovative training techniques to executives.

“Members of that institution were asking our students what graduate program they were in,” Clapham recalls. “The faculty was stunned to discover undergrads doing this level of detailed research.”

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS For off-campus opportunities like these, the college often draws support from the Student Travel and Research (STAR) Fund. The Arts and Sciences National Advisory Board created STAR grants last year to provide partial funding for students to make presentations at academic conferences or to take advantage of significant research ventures.

How loud is opportunity knocking? Physics major Mallory Knodel analyzed a solenoid magnet while summering at Stanford. With the help of a STAR grant, she presented her research at a superconductivity conference in Florida. Of the 1,500 attendees, Knodel was one of only 10 undergraduates.

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Drake students also realize vital academic publishing goals. Some of Clapham’s undergrads are developing a formalized research paper on validity results of divergent thinking using the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale.

“Through Drake’s format, students understand the context, collect and analyze data through standards and statistical measures, then write it up,” says Clapham. “It’s not planned for them — they are leading the process.”

These research opportunities also serve as an enticing recruitment tool. Student Elizabeth Corcoran Hill spent time abroad, studied for two years at Evergreen State College in Washington and authored an Iowa hiking guide.

But when she worked on a bird-binding project with Dr. Thomas Rosburg, associate professor of biology, she became interested in Drake’s educational approach.

“I was impressed with his (Rosburg’s) dedication to conservation and the incredible work he and Dr. Summerville are doing,” she recalls.

As a result, Hill transferred to Drake this fall to work on an ecology degree and to focus on more Drake-led fieldwork in prairie restoration and conservation.

REVAMPING AND RENOVATING Even if the entire world is a scientific playground, there is still a need for class to settle down indoors. Drake is embarking on an ambitious 10-year, multi-million dollar renovation project for the College of Arts and Sciences. New learning spaces, influenced

by National Science Foundation designs, stimulate immediate experimentation.

Versatile classroom formations allow for mini-lectures, group work or independent computer modules. A facilities overhaul begins in Olin Hall on biology and psychology laboratories in May 2006.

Upgraded facilities will greatly enhance a strong network of like minds that share in the wonder of the natural world, the humanities and a literal universe of unlimited possibilities.

“Even if some students choose not to pursue a career in the sciences,” Burney says, “it is crucial that the we help them participate in their development of knowledge through analytical thinking and engagement. These are abilities for life.”

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Butterflies, riboflavin and galaxies, oh my!

OUT OF THE CLASSROOM AND INTO THE WORLD THE COLLABORATION OF STUDENTS AND FACULTY in Drake undergraduate research is a primary component of a successful Drake experience. Even more important is to broadcast that research. In the College of Arts and Sciences, both of these endeavors are strongly supported. Within the past couple of years: u Approximately 300 mathematics and science students have par ticipated in research with faculty. u

Faculty obtained 32 external grants to support this research.

u

More than 32 students worked with faculty to publish 95 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

u An average of 100 students are involved in regional or national science conferences each year.

The college also conducts the Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences (DUCURS) each April. During this full-day conference, students from biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics and astronomy, psychology and pharmacy collaborate on paper and poster presentations detailing their research.

Students hone their professional presentation skills and “realize they’ve become experts in their research area. It’s a great confidence builder,” says Dean John Burney. Featured research at the 2005 event included the efficiency of herbal therapy during cancer; luminosity profiles of galaxies; the human body’s uptake and clearance of riboflavin (vitamin B2); variables and applications in fluid flow dynamics; movement behavior of grassland butterflies; ways to improve angiogenesis (the formation of blood vessels); and the effects of certain illicit drugs on rats’ performance in mazes.

A university-wide showcase is an innovative concept not widely used for the sciences in the post secondary environment, especially for liberal arts institutions comparable to Drake. While currently a venue for the Drake community to view students’ progress, the college hopes to encourage more members from science-related industries to attend DUCURS in the future.

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DRAKE CELEBRATES 125 YEARS OF TRADITIONS, EVENTS AND ACTION FROM ELEGANT DANCES TO ROUGH FISTICUFFS

By Daniel P. Finney, JO’97

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125 years of Drake History, Part 2: Campus Traditions

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n the Drake annuals at the dawn of the 20th century, seniors assigned

Shakespearian quotes to their friends and rivals in the junior class — sort of a classy precursor to modern day yearbook jargon such as “Most Likely To Succeed.”

For example, a senior tagged Julias Bacon, a junior in 1901, with the line “My thoughts are ripe with mischief.”

Shakespeare’s line from “Twelfth Night” might well be the headline for many traditions both past and present throughout Drake’s 125-year history.

To be sure, early Drake students were serious about their studies — despite the early tradition of making freshman students wear blue and white-striped beanies. A university education was an expensive luxury at the end of the 19th century — a whopping $30 per semester at Drake, no less! — but between twice-daily visits to chapel and vigorous studies, students of then as now managed to work in a smidge of fun and frivolity.

From elegant ballroom dances to epic brawls at fraternity houses, Drake students have built fun, proud and just plain odd traditions that cause alumni’s lips to curl into knowing smirks and motivate current students to start their own lasting legacies.

CLASS WARFARE Drake students took their academic standing — sophomore, junior and so fourth — a lot more seriously in the 1880s and 1890s. At the beginning of the fall semester, Drake hosted Class Day, during which members from each class on campus would present flags in a grand parade.

In 1889, when the seniors hoisted their flag, a group of raucous freshman scaled the flag pole, tore it down and ran into the basement of the Students Home, where they saturated the flag with coal oil, the 1890 Ekard annual reported. While the freshmen were busy sullying the flag, the sophomores stormed into the boiler room and promptly got into a fistfight with the first-year students because they felt it was their right to deface the senior flag.

The apathetic juniors, the Ekard said, hung back saying, “Let ’em fight it out.”

MAY DAYS One of the most elegant bygone traditions at Drake was the annual May Festival. In the early 1900s, Drake hosted a grand ball on May 1 to celebrate the arrival of spring. Students dressed in Victorian garb, elected a Queen of May and marched a long parade into old Haskins Field — the first Drake football stadium.

Each year, the students would sing, “Now set free from old Winter’s fetters of ice and cold, bright joyousness and gaiety, love of trees and flowers, and the spirit of the glorious day all shone forth in the dances on the green, which did homage to her Majesty the Queen.”

A “Drake Beauty”

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Campus Dance

CALLING CARDS Courtship — what the young folk would call dating — used to be an elaborate affair at Drake. Each fall, students put on the Drake Grind in the the women’s gymnasium, which stood where the Bell Center rests today. The gig was essentially a giant mixer.

Young men were given cards on which they were to obtain the signatures of as many women as possible.

This signature, under the rules of etiquette of the day, gave the men de facto permission to “go calling” on the campus women later in the fall. Students hired singers and piano players to serenade the event while “students new and old feverishly signed names, threw confetti and ate popcorn balls,” according to 1927 Quax.

FRATERNAL DISORDER A long-lasting Greek tradition involved fraternity and sorority house pledges taking control of their houses and hosting a wild party – breaking all the house rules and showing up the active members of their houses.

The Pledge Mutiny, as it was called, would infuriate active house members who would “devise dastardly punishments for their pledges,” a Quax writer described the tradition.

In 1929, the Quax described one mutiny that got out of control: “Their rebellion was quite triumphant when suddenly the peaceful atmosphere was charged with squawking and yelling.

Paddles! Fists! Pledges threw punches irrespective of whether a doubled fist landed on a Sig Alpha or Chi Delt … many actives, after pushing their way valiantly up stairs, discovered themselves once more at the bottom, tossed there indiscriminately by the solid phalanx of pledges.”

However, the writer concluded, “It was a

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quite vigorous party for all concerned.”

Pledge rebellion lasted into the 1940s.

NEWS NUGGETS The Drake Delphic, the precursor to the current Times-Delphic, was once a daily newspaper.

The publication began as a literary magazine in 1884 —making it the oldest continuous student organization on campus.

The Delphic became a daily newspaper in 1904 and ran daily until 1916 when it was scaled back to its current twice-a-week format.

In 1929, the Delphic ceased publication during the academic year due to the severe financial crisis brought on by the Great Depression.

In 1930, the journalism school launched the Des Moines Times, one of the nation’s first local news magazines. Published in tabloid form, it covered the entire city of Des Moines as well as cobbled together reports from more than a hundred magazines and 50 city newspapers from all over the country. By 1934, the paper was calling itself The Times-Delphic.

Even those serious, ethical journalism majors had a touch of mischief in them.

They printed the annual homecoming issue in blue and white ink and the April Fools Day issue was printed on yellow paper with red ink and made-up stories.

The motto that currently appears on the T-D, “To Seek and Publish Truth,” however, is not as timeless as it seems. That didn’t appear below the paper’s flag until a student editor-in-chief added it in the fall of 1995.

QUAX QUESTIONS The origin of the Drake yearbook’s name, The Quax, is a mystery. The first annual appeared on campus in 1890. It was called Ekard. (That’s Drake spelled backwards.)

The book disappeared for a few years, remerging as Caps in Bells in 1896. The

Sir Lancelot

annual went dormant again until 1901, when the Quax appeared.

The name most likely came from Drake’s original mascot, a duck, as the name Drake is also a breed of mallard.

Though it missed a few years here and there, the Quax remained the definitive annual chronicle of Drake life until 1994, when publication ended because of increasing costs and declining sales and student interest in a college annual.

VA-VA-VOOM One of the Quax’s longest-running traditions was the Drake Beauties competition.

In the 1930s through the 1950s, single Drake women would submit their glamour pictures to a competition. Editors would find a celebrity judge — in 1941, it was filmmaker Cecil B. de Mille — to pick the top dozen most beautiful women on campus.

DOGGONE DUCK Perhaps one of the strangest “students” to ever walk campus came to Drake in 1978-79.

The psychology department trained Sir Lancelot, a drake mallard duck, to read.

Lance, as he was affectionately known, responded to the words “peck,” “turn” and “talk” on cards. Drake’s original mascot, of course, was a drake mallard duck.

Lance received honorary library cards from St. Paul, MN, and Des Moines. Paul Harvey mentioned him in his syndicated radio show and he earned press coverage from Los Angeles to New York. He traveled on behalf of the University to events in St. Louis, MO, and Durango, CO. There is, however, no record of Sir Lancelot making any appearances in the most well known of campus traditions: Peggy’s.

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TEACHING&LEARNING

Tech torrent

By Daniel P. Finney, JO’97

DRAKE FACULTY INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY INTO CLASSROOMS TO MEET THE TEACHING AND LEARNING DEMANDS OF 21ST CENTURY STUDENTS THE STUDENTS OF THE INFORMATION AGE come

to Drake with their own computers and years of manipulating technology for everything from dating to job searching.

When they arrive on campus, they expect their classes to be as tech savvy as they are.

Their future alma mater is up to the challenge.

All academic buildings on campus are now on a wireless Internet network, giving students and teachers access to the Web any time and almost anywhere. The University also uses Blackboard software — which creates virtual classrooms for Web-based learning.

Nearly every faculty member in every department is finding new ways to integrate technology as a seamless part of teaching and learning.

David Wright, associate professor of journalism, uses his introductory journalism class to discuss the ethics of blogs and how broadcasting over the Web has shifted the flow of information from traditional TV, radio and print sources to anyone with a Web camera and desire.

Pharmacy students are using personal digital assistants and specially designed database software to track the side effects of medicines and how often patients take their prescriptions.

In the music department, students use software and computerized keyboards to compose music. Marching band routines are

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mapped out using specialized software. The Drake Jazz Band’s latest CD, “Latenight at the Mainstay,” was produced completely at Drake.

“Nobody writes music on paper anymore,” says Andrew Classen, professor of trumpet.

Paper and pencil are disappearing from art classrooms — especially in graphic design. John Fender, associate professor of art and design, says nearly every project his students create is designed using computers. Students are mastering software to make online advertising and Web sites along with traditional print campaigns.

The School of Education helps students develop an online database of resumes and other job-finding techniques to assist future teachers in securing jobs. Jim Romig, professor of education, uses Blackboard to set up forums for his students to discuss course work, post course materials and do online testing.

“We teach hybrid courses that involve both traditional classroom work and the Webbased classroom,” Romig says. “It’s another tool to reach students of all different levels.

The student that might sit at the back of the room and say nothing can really come alive in a Web-based environment.”

Andrea Charlow, professor of law, uses an online forum for her students to negotiate legal disputes.

“Practicing lawyers negotiate a lot by email in today’s world,” Charlow says. “This shows students what they miss by not doing face-to-face meetings and it also gives them a transcript to see where they could have done things differently. You can look at that and say, ‘You missed the opportunity to close the deal here’ or ‘You gave up too much here.’”

Librarians at Cowles Library host sessions on copyright law in the digital age to help faculty avoid costly mistakes when posting material on the Web or distributing it to their classes. Cowles, of course, is a 24-hour resource for students with online search databases that allows students to look for scholarly journal articles or use Lexis to search legal documents and major news publications.

Peggy Steinbronn, instructional technology specialist, hosted a series of workshops for faculty members to brainstorm new ways to use technology in classrooms.

“The vast majority of our students come to school with a computer of some kind,” Steinbronn says. “Students know how to use technology for recreation. Our job is to teach them other, meaningful skills. What we’re all learning together is that the students not only expect to be taught those skills, they demand it.”

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alumni update STOP, LOOK, LISTEN: DRAKE 125 ON THE ROAD Drake on the Road celebrates 125 years of teaching and learning at the University. Events around the country will feature President David and Madeleine Maxwell, Provost Ron Troyer and assorted faculty members and students. Alumni can rekindle memories, mix and mingle and celebrate the rich traditions of Drake while learning about the University’s goals for the future.

The first Drake on the Road event took place in Chicago on Nov. 11. After the holidays, alumni in other cities across the nation will receive invitations to this exciting event.

NOMINATE ALUMNI ACHIEVERS Cast a ballot for the 2006 alumni awards. The awards honor individuals for outstanding achievement in a career or profession and reflect the pride of Drake University in those achievements. Nominations can be in the following categories: Alumni Loyalty, Young Alumni Achievement, Young Alumni Loyalty, Alumni Achievement and the Distinguished Service award, the top honor given to Drake alumni. Contact Barb Dietrich Boose, director of alumni and parent programs, with the name of your nominee and reason for nomination by Dec. 15: barbara.boose@drake.edu SAVE THE DATE FOR SPRING REUNIONS Reunite with old friends and celebrate Drake at a variety of alumni reunions scheduled for spring 2006 in Des Moines.

April 29 is the 10-year cluster reunion for the classes of 1995, 1996 and 1997 and the 40-year cluster reunion, which includes continued on page 24

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Super Mario RETIRED PROFESSOR AND HIS FAMILY HAVE MADE A LIFETIME OF CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY IN IOWA AND BEYOND FORMER DRAKE PRESIDENT PAUL SHARP LURED MARIO SORIA and his wife,

Simone, to Drake in 1969 with a simple hook: help us make Drake the gateway to the globe.

Sharp was expanding international-based classes, study abroad programs and the foreign language programs. And he wanted Mario Soria, who had taught Spanish at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH and Hiram College in Hiram, OH. Soria was so impressed by Sharp’s dedication to diversity that he moved his budding family to Des Moines and took up work at Drake in the fall of 1969.

“He wanted Drake students to understand how the world works,” Soria says of Sharpe. “He wanted Drake graduates to think beyond their own experiences to how they could affect the world.”

Thus began a successful 35-year relationship between the Soria family and Drake University. Soria became one of the most popular scholars in his department. His love of learning was infectious to his students — and his own family.

The late Simone Soria, who died in 2001, earned her bachelor’s degree in foreign language in 1973 from Drake and her master’s degree in education in 1975. She taught in Des Moines schools and later at Drake until the early 1990s.

The Soria’s daughter, Michele, earned her bachelor’s degree in

The Soria family: from left, Simone, Rick, Mireille, Monique, Michele and Mario.

Spanish — taking a few of her father’s courses — in 1977 and her master’s in education in 1980.

Today she is executive director of the Iowa Council for International Understanding, a group that has promoted cultural exchanges and growth since 1937.

“My family believes that understanding how others live helps you understand yourself better,” Michele Soria says. “We traveled all the time when we were young.

We learned so much and those experiences made me passionate about what I do now.”

And the diversity efforts of the Sorias don’t stop with Michele.

Brother Rick Soria is director of the Institute for Italian Studies, an affiliate of Drake University, which organizes exchange programs for students in Italy.

Monique Soria, who earned her bachelor’s degree in general studies from Drake in 1989, is a communications director for Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson, AZ. The district is in a richly diverse region of the Southwest where a great number of students speak English as a second language.

“This is the kind of work my parents always talked about,” Monique says.

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The lone “black sheep” of the clan is Mireille Soria. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1975. She went on to earn a master’s degree in dance from the University of Iowa in 1978. But soon after she went off to Los Angeles, she was in an automobile accident that ended her dancing career.

She responded in true Soria fashion: she made herself into something else. Soria got a temp job working at ABC-TV and eventually got a gig in the film business. She produced Ever After, Cool Runnings and The Mighty Ducks.

Then she took on the animation world, churning out Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Soria’s big hit was Madagascar, a computer-animated feature about escaped Central Park Zoo animals who make it into the jungle. The film grossed $427 million dollars combined domestically and internationally.

“I am so proud of my family,” says Mario Soria, who still does volunteer work for a variety of diversity causes around Iowa.

“They honor our beliefs very well and they honor Drake University very well.”

–Daniel P. Finney, JO’97

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A Passion for Justice DRAKE LAW GRAD CARRIES ON MARTIN LUTHER KING’S LEGACY ASSISTING LOW-INCOME CLIENTS at the Drake Legal Clinic during his

third year of law school showed Dexter Wimbish, LW’94, GR’94, the impact that quality legal representation can make in a person’s life.

“Our legal system guarantees representation for everyone,” Wimbish says. “But that doesn’t always mean good representation.

At the legal clinic we got to really spend time with people and help them, even when they didn’t have the money for a lawyer.”

BELOVED COMMUNITY: A decade later, back in his native Georgia, Wimbish is still fighting for social justice representing low-income clients and working as general counsel of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an international organization started by his hero Martin Luther King, Jr. Among his diverse responsibilities at the SCLC, Wimbish heads a national campaign against police brutality, gives free legal advice on civil rights issues to people across the country and spearheads the organization’s initiative to open conflict-resolution centers throughout the world, two of which recently opened in Dayton, OH, and Dimona, Israel.

“I love having a job that allows me to keep my legal skills sharp without having to be in the courtroom every day,” he says. “And I’m doing important, meaningful work. The tenets I’m teaching are the ones Dr. King established that won him the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m helping to create the ‘beloved community’ that he dreamed of.”

LUST FOR LIFE. Traveling frequently both for work (he’ll soon open

new conflict resolution centers in Beijing and Mexico City) and on family vacations, Wimbish has taken up reading romance novels by African American authors as a distraction from the intensity of his work-life. With several dozens of these reads under his belt, Wimbish has decided to write a novel of his own. “When you’re in college you think you know exactly where your life will take you, but out in the real world, I don’t know for sure what’s next,” he says. “Maybe soon I’ll be a published author and you can read it for yourself.”

–Missy Peterson, JO’92

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calendar

alumni update November FRIDAY, NOV. 25 – SATURDAY, NOV. 26 Drake Men’s Basketball Tournament • Las Vegas

January

Drake alumni, family and friends attended a Schaumburg Flyers minor league baseball game on July 19 in Schaumburg Il.

continued from page 22 the classes of 1965, 1966 and 1967. Drake’s 50-year cluster reunion will bring together the classes of 1956, 1946 and 1936 during commencement weekend May 13.

Drake Law School will host a large cluster reunion and numerous activities during the 97th annual Drake Relays weekend April 28-30. Classes include 1955, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1985, 1986, 1995, 1996, 2000 and 2001.

ART, ATHLETICS AND AMUSEMENT: HIGHLIGHTS OF SUMMER ALUMNI ACTIVITIES Drake alumni had hot fun this summer on the links, riding through the hills of Iowa, cooling off art patrons and savoring enchanting music.

Chicago alums gathered for the 11th annual Windy City Golf Tournament in June, the proceeds of which benefit first-year Drake students from the Chicago area.

Baseball fans took to the stands for a night of America’s favorite pastime at a Drake get-together in Chicago during the Schaumburg Flyers game in July.

More than 200 alumni, their families and friends volunteered at Drake beverage stands at the Des Moines Arts Festival in June.

The Central Iowa Drake Alumni Chapter receives a portion of the proceeds to use for computer scholarships for first-year and

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sophomore students.

Some Iowa alumni may remember wheeling by the Drake staff handing out drinks from a farmer’s yard during the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) in years past. But this July, alumni received cool water bottles, stickers and updates from Drake’s booth in downtown Lake Mills, IA. Alums who couldn’t stop yelled out their degree and year as they pedaled by to complete the nearly 400-mile event.

Drake alumni from the Los Angeles area communed under the stars with Tony Bennett at the Hollywood Bowl in August. Drake friends enjoyed a picnic prior to Bennett’s stunning performance.

Also in August, Drake kicked off the University’s 125th anniversary celebration at the 151st annual Iowa State Fair. Party guests, volunteers and their families enjoyed a meet and greet with Drake’s women’s volleyball and soccer teams with cupcakes, pictures and mixing with other alums.

Next time you attend an alumni event or visit campus, you can meet the new members of Drake’s Office of Alumni and Parent Programs: Barb Dietrich Boose, JO’83, GR’90, director of alumni and parent programs; and assistant directors John Brown and Kelli Turner. They’re eager to hear about your Drake experiences and your ideas. Contact them at 1-800-44-DRAKE, x2500.

SATURDAY, JAN. 28 Alumni Board Meeting Des Moines

February WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1 Let’s DU Lunch “The Plex” • Des Moines THURSDAY, FEB. 16 School of Education Alumni Awards • Des Moines

March WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1 Let’s DU Lunch “The Plex” • Des Moines

April WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5 Let’s DU Lunch “The Plex” • Des Moines WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26 College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Weaver Medal of Honor Lecture & Reception Des Moines FRIDAY, APRIL 28 Parent Board Meeting Des Moines FRIDAY, APRIL 28 Alumni Relays Tent Luncheon Des Moines

FRIDAY, APRIL 28 – SUNDAY, APRIL 30 Drake Law School Alumni Cluster Reunion Classes of 1955, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1985, 1986, 1995, 1996, 2000 & 2001 • Des Moines SATURDAY, APRIL 29 40-Year Cluster Reunion Classes of 1965, 1966 & 1967 Des Moines SATURDAY, APRIL 29 10-Year Cluster Reunion Classes of 1995, 1996 & 1997 Des Moines

May FRIDAY, MAY 12 Alumni Awards Dinner Des Moines SATURDAY, MAY 13 Alumni Board Meeting Des Moines SATURDAY, MAY 13 50-Year Reunion Dinner Classes of 1956, 1946 & 1936 Glen Oaks Golf & Country Club Des Moines SUNDAY, MAY 14 125th Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Des Moines Log on to www.drake.edu/alumni for information about ongoing events such as the Young Alumni Association and the Bulldog Breakfast Club, as well as specific events in your area.

☛ For more information and a full listing of all Drake events — including athletics and fine arts events — visit: www.drake.edu/newsevents/calendar

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reunions

Laboratory on Location DETERMINED AND INSPIRED, THIS SCHOOL OF EDUCATION GRAD FOSTERS INQUISITIVENESS IN HIS STUDENTS WHILE GIVING THE CONCEPT OF “FIELD TRIP” A REFRESHING NEW MEANING

FLASHLIGHTS SCAN THE TOPS OF TOMBSTONES

as W. Dean Eastman’s high school students troll the graveyard in Beverly, MA. It’s nearly dawn on a school day and this is a scheduled field trip to compare lichens found on stone walls to dates etched on the monuments.

“They don’t get extra credit and I don’t take attendance, but still everyone shows up,” says Eastman, ED’70, who teaches history and social studies. “It’s research they’re in control of and because of that, it’s important to them.”

record halls in search of scientific clues. He isn’t afraid to be unorthodox as he develops projects blending every discipline from English and social studies. On a recent project, Eastman used New England’s historic stone walls along with the poetry of Robert Frost to help students understand the importance of regional attitudes regarding the changing landscape including agricultural, manufacturing and urban development.

A HISTORY PRACTITIONER is what Eastman calls

EASTMAN USES THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AS A LABORATORY. “All history is layers. There’s

himself, rather than a teacher. Winner of the prestigious Disney American Teacher Award and a Preserve America Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, Eastman’s work takes students through cemeteries and dusty

only so much to memorize from a book. I’m a research cheerleader. Through primary research, students become involved in their own lives and their community.” His boundless curiosity is contagious. After a field trip

The Magazine of Drake University

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covering African American culture, student inquisitiveness spawned a two-year, studentled research project about the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad.

The collaboration included research visits to local museums and libraries. “We did graduate level research. I truly believe anytime you tell students ‘you can do this,’ they will.”

A former Drake track star, college track coach and surf cast fisherman, Eastman challenges all teachers to be “intellectual decathletes.” His lesson plan is a fluid document based on research discoveries and he never reuses tests. “In the pursuit of critical thinking, it’s our job to connect the dots, sure, but I learn from my students’ questions. They test me, and that’s why I don’t burn out. They feed my enthusiasm.”

–Tracey L. Kelley

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alumni update

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David L. Brown, LW’75, and Richard A. Davidson, LW’84, at the Leland Forrest Society Dinner on Sept. 24, 2005. Members of the Leland Forrest Society contribute $2,500 or more to the Law School on an annual basis and are a vital part of the Law School’s plans and aspirations. Picture 2: Alumni gather for one of the six annual Let’s DU Lunch speaker events in Des Moines. Picture 3: Members of the Central Iowa Alumni Chapter staffed a beverage booth at the Des Moines Arts Festival. Hundreds of alumni and their families volunteer for this threeday festival each year to help raise scholarship funds for new Drake students. Picture 4: (front left) Steve Jacobs BN’77, surprised his Drake Phi Delt brothers with baseball caps featuring the new Drake logo. Kit Williams, BS’77, Kris Milligan, JO’77, Doug Krieger, BN’77,GR’77, (back row) Milford Schulhof, BN’77, Dave Ziegler, BN’76, Russ Dircks, LA’76, LW’79, John Jansonius, LA’77, and Scott McKay. Picture 5: Dozens of alumni in Los Angeles picnic before enjoying a performance by Tony Bennett at the Hollywood Bowl.

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— Lois and Joe Hoffert

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Personalized gift annuity illustrations are available free with no obligation. To receive your own confidential illustration, contact Drake’s Office of Planned giving at 1-800-44-DRAKE, x3171 or surf: www.drake.edu/alumni and click on “Support Drake.”

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Drake day at the fair BULLDOG BIRTHDAY BOUNTY

HUNDREDS OF DRAKE FRIENDS, FANS AND ALUMNI gathered at the Drake tent to cele-

brate their University's 125th anniversary on Aug. 13 at the Iowa State Fair. Volunteers handed out 3,000 cupcakes and thousands more Drake knickknacks (top). Mascot Spike greeted fans young and old (bottom right) and Paul Morrison (JO'39) got into the act with a temporary tattoo on the back of his head, much to the delight of Don Adams, Drake's 125th anniversary fellow (bottom left).

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