Drake Blue winter 2008

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DRAKE

Winter 2006

Making it

work THROUGH INNOVATION AND COMMITMENT, PHARMACY OFFERS THIS DRAKE GRAD UNLIMITED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.

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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The Magazine of Drake University

contents Features

President Dr. David E. Maxwell

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BEYOND PRESCRIPTIONS AND PILLS

Director of Marketing & Communications Brooke A. Benschoter

Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Instills the Concepts of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Director of Alumni & Parent Programs Barbara Dietrich Boose, JO’83, GR’90

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Casey L. Gradischnig

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Art Director Travis J. Ludwig

ALL RISE

Drake Law Alumna Makes History in the Courts as Iowa’s First Female Chief Justice

Graphic Designers Amber Baker Courtney Hartman

Contributing Writers Daniel P. Finney, JO’97 Abbie Hansen, JO’01 Lisa Lacher Tim Schmitt

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Interns Aaron Jaco Jeremy Holtan Katie Shaw

TOP DOG Young Alum Stakes His Claim on the Trading Floor

Publication Support Jaquie Summers Andrea McDonough

Departments

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CAMPUS

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Drake Announces $34-million Housing, Retail Plan • Drake Student Finds Rare Turtle Population • “Eco House” Plants Seeds of Environmentalism on Drake Campus • Rave Review for Drake FM Radio Station • Pharmacy Chapter Places Second in National Competition • Drake Senior Wins Top Prize in Bill Riley Talent Search • Nationwide Foundation Funds New Career Seminar Series • Student Newspaper Finishes Above the Fold in National Contest • Drake’s Student Bar Association Receives National Award

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

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FACULTY

Language and Art Topics of Annual Stalnaker Lecture • Pulliam Joins Iowa African American Hall of Fame • College of Pharmacy Faculty Earn Grant from Community Pharmacy Foundation • Center for Global Citizenship Sends Faculty Members to Nicaragua

Call: 1-800-44-DRAKE, x3152 E-mail: recordsinfo@drake.edu Surf: www.drake.edu/alumni Drake blue is published as a service to Drake alumni,

parents and friends by the Drake University Office of Marketing and Communications. Views expressed in Drake blue do not necessarily reflect opinions of the editors or the University. We welcome articles by and story ideas from and about Drake alumni. Send correspondence to Editor Casey L. Gradischnig, Drake University, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311-4505. E-mail: casey.gradischnig@drake.edu.

Copyright Drake University 2006

The Magazine of Drake University

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SPORTS

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Bright(ening) Up • Books and Bulldogs • PGA Scores Hole in One for DU • Running Man • Running Women

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ALUMNI

New Alumni Directory in the Works • Reunion Classes to Hit Campus • Friends of Drake Arts Present The Bard in Brief • Law Grad Takes First in National Writing Competition • Drake Grad Writes Band History • Calling All Alumni Triathletes

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campus buzz

An architectural rendering of Drake’s new housing and retail space project.

DRAKE ANNOUNCES $34-MILLION HOUSING, RETAIL PLAN A new development to be built just west of the Drake campus will create 7,000 feet of retail space for street-level neighborhood businesses and upper floors for state-of-the-art student suites that will house up to 500 students.

Drake University and Hubbell Realty leaders recently announced plans for the $34million housing and retail development to be built at 30th Street and Carpenter Avenue.

The development design calls for a mix of one-, twoand four-bedroom units, where each student has a private bedroom and shares a common living and kitchen space. The housing will be targeted primarily at junior and senior undergraduate students and graduate students in the pharmacy program and the Drake Law School.

“The project will not only bring upperclass and graduate students into the heart of the Drake experience, but add considerably to the economic and social vibrancy of the Drake neighborhood — connecting our students to the community in ways that are mutually enriching,” said Drake

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President David Maxwell.

The central community area will be formed by three fivestory buildings between 30th and 31st streets, adjacent to Carpenter Avenue, the main east-west pedestrian corridor between 34th Street — home of Drake's Greek houses — other off-campus housing and Drake’s main campus. This path will be enhanced with streetscape improvements to create an energetic and safe pedestrian mall at the edge of the village.

Work on the development will begin during winter 20062007 with occupancy expected in fall 2008.

DRAKE STUDENT FINDS RARE TURTLE POPULATION Hank Vogel, a student in the Drake University Undergraduate Science Institute’s summer research program, discovered a new population of rare Blanding’s turtles during a recent survey of reptiles and

the HOT list amphibians at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt in northeast Polk County. Blanding’s are classified as threatened in the state of Iowa, meaning they are at risk of becoming extinct. It is illegal to collect or kill them.

“I reached into the trap for the turtle and right away I saw it was a Blanding’s. It had a bright yellow neck with a lot of yellow spots on its head,” Vogel said. “It was a real surprise. I would never have guessed it would have been there.”

“There was just the one, but because it was a yearling and Blanding’s turtles are pretty sedentary you can bet that there’s an older male and female and perhaps other nestlings nearby,” said Keith Summerville, assistant professor of environmental science at Drake, soon after the find. He was right — the next week, Vogel found another young Blanding’s.

“Finding a population of Blanding's at Chichaqua Bottoms tells us that the large restored landscape is really working to provide habitat for declining species,” Summerville said.

Vogel measured the age and size of each turtle (yearlings, the first 6 inches and the second 4.5 inches) and quickly released it.

The DUSCI summer research program enabled 30 Drake students and a high school student from Ames to conduct research projects alongside Drake faculty.

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The Anderson Gallery welcomed artist Yoji Matsumura, whose Lost and Found exhibit — described as making new art out of the world’s old news — was exhibited. The video art of Jeremy Drummond moved into the Anderson Gallery during the second half of the semester and remains on display until Dec. 13. The Writers and Critics Series kicked off its season with Kass Fleisher, a writer of fiction and nonfiction. Other guests of the series included Timothy Corrigan, director of cinema studies and professor of English, German and art history at the University of Pennsylvania; National Poetry Series Award winner Juliana Spahr; and filmmaker, performer and writer Lee Ann Brown. The Drake Law School hosted a wide variety of speakers, including Assistant Federal Public Defender Angela Campbell, Deputy Polk County Attorney Nan Horvat and Judge J.D. Stovall, as part of the Public Service Speaker Series, while Jack Balkin, Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment and director of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School kicked off the Law School’s Distinguished Lecture Series. Music on campus included

performances by the Drake Symphony Orchestra, the Drake Choir and the jazz ensembles.

Friends of Drake Arts hosted a behind-the-scenes open house.

Drake Theatre presented productions of Nickel and Dimed and The Boyfriend. The Drake John Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurial Studies welcomed John Jackovin from Ontuet.com, who gave the keynote address on law and ethics at the College of Business and Public Administration’s annual Entrepreneurship Day.

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spotlight

Life Lessons SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR TEACHES THE VALUE OF PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE

From left to right: Erin Mitchell, Darcie Vandegrift and Phillip Williams.

STUDENTS IN DARCIE VANDEGRIFT’S Social Stratification class learn that the study of society can, and should be, a hands-on endeavor. Each of her students work eight hours every week with an organization, learning its culture while focusing on a specific project tied directly to their classroom lessons.

“My students work and explore how communities adapt and grow and keep a focus on human dignity at an individual level,” says Vandegrift, an assistant professor of sociology in the Department of Culture and Society. “It’s very different from volunteer work. They are there to learn as well as give.”

These students have studied re-entry programs for ex prisoners, planted trees in lowincome neighborhoods over Relays weekend, raised awareness about sweatshops and worked to pass legislation outlawing human trafficking in Iowa.

“My job,” explains Vandegrift, “is to give students a sense of power and the information

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that enables them to be agents of change. My goal is to teach them that the instincts they have are good and they should follow them.”

FOLLOWING HER LEAD: Vandegrift recognized early in her own education that the detached life of an academic carefully monitoring the world as an outsider was not for her.

And it’s this philosophy on life that she carries into her classroom and shares with students.

“I was always interested in social justice and how to bring change to the world,” she says.

“Sociology is often a largely academic study, which is important, but I needed to be active in making a contribution and offer that opportunity to my students.”

So while Vandegrift has actively pursued academic knowledge, she has dedicated at least as much energy into putting that knowledge to work in the real world. She’s worked in Costa Rica with indigenous women and with non-governmental organizations and

monitored the effect of tourism on rural communities. She’s spent time in Russia researching the effect that globalization has had on post-Communist Russia and last summer spent time with several other Drake faculty members in Nicaragua visiting farming cooperatives and meeting with representatives from each of the country’s political parties.

But more important, says Vandegrift, is teaching students the value of putting their studies to practical use — a concept she implements within the framework of Drake’s efforts to encourage global citizenship.

“Along the way, these students develop skills in research, marketing, publicity and collaborating with different groups. I see them applying talents that they sometimes didn’t even know they had,” she explains. “It’s very important to make a contribution to the common good. It makes you feel like a whole person.”

— Tim Schmitt

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campus buzz “ECO HOUSE” PLANTS SEEDS OF ENVIRONMENTALISM ON DRAKE CAMPUS Drake University’s “eco house” opened its doors to six students who will live in a setting that aids in making environmentally sound choices such as recycling, conserving water and electricity as well as composting and carpooling. Residents of the “eco house,” located at 1161 26th St., will also organize an environmental project involving Drake’s campus and neighborhood.

“I am looking forward to living in this house,” said Elizabeth Bales, a senior pharmacy major. “I am passionate about living smart and this

house will help teach me new ways of doing that.”

Students were selected to live in the house based on a variety of qualifications, including grades and campus involvement.

“Students don’t have to be environmental science majors to live in the house,” said David Courard-Hauri, Drake associate professor of environmental science and faculty adviser for the house.

The eco house was once home to the Drake ROTC program and was most recently used as office space. The residence has been completely renovated and furnished with a water-efficient dishwasher as well as other energy-efficient appliances.

ALUMNI AND STAFF GATHERED IN BLUE to welcome Drake Day at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 12. Volunteers staffed Drake’s booth that saluted the University’s 125th anniversar y with a history display. Visitors received athletics schedule cards and a 10-pack of postcards featuring historical Drake photographs. The Drake booth also featured computer-generated historical Drake scenes with which visitors could be photographed free of charge.

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RAVE REVIEW FOR DRAKE FM RADIO STATION Alumni from across the country are praising the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for launching Drake’s FM radio station — KDRA- LP — in late August.

The station, also known as “94.1 The Dog,” broadcasts from Meredith Hall weekdays from 4 p.m. until 4 a.m. and all day on Saturday. The rock-based top-40 radio station is programmed and staffed by students in the SJMC. Programming consists primarily of music, but also features playby-play sports along with drivetime news and information.

“This is a radio station designed for Drake students, by Drake students,” said Morgan Brigman, operations manager.

KDRA-LP broadcasts 80 watts, allowing coverage extending about four miles from campus.

Listeners outside the area can sample the station’s programming at www.941thedog.com.

PHARMACY CHAPTER PLACES SECOND IN NATIONAL COMPETITION Hard work and dedication of students in the Drake University Psi Chapter of Phi Delta Chi once again led to accolades in the national competition for the Thurston Cup. Following a firstplace overall national award last year, the Drake chapter of Phi Delta Chi, a professional pharmacy fraternity, placed second overall nationally in the 2006 competition.

The Emory W. Thurston Grand President’s Award (Thurston Cup) is presented to the chapter that has promoted the profession of pharmacy and Phi Delta Chi to the fullest extent during the preceding year.

In addition to this prestigious award, the Drake chapter was also honored with a first place

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award for scholarship, a second place award for professionalism and service and a fifth place award for publications. Drake students were also recognized with a 100 percent achievement award for the second consecutive year.

DRAKE SENIOR WINS TOP PRIZE IN BILL RILEY TALENT SEARCH Amanda Hardy, a senior oboe performance major at Drake, won the senior division of the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair, excelling over more than 130 other contestants, ages 13 to 21, for the top prize of $7,500, provided by Iowa Farm Bureau.

Hardy performed Pasculi’s “Grand Concerto for Oboe” during the final round of competition. Hardy has studied with Jennifer Wohlenhaus, double reed teaching artist at Drake, for three years.

“It’s unusual for an oboist to win the Bill Riley Talent Search,” Wohlenhaus said. “The winner is usually a violinist, pianist or dancer.

The oboe isn’t a virtuoso instrument but Amanda has excellent skills. She’s a great student and this is a well-deserved award.”

“I think Drake has a fabulous music department that provides many performance opportunities for students like myself,” Hardy said.

NATIONWIDE FOUNDATION FUNDS NEW CAREER SEMINAR SERIES Nationwide Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Nationwide Insurance, recently donated $15,000 to Drake University to support and fund a new Career Seminar Series for business and journalism students. This donation will help fund Drake’s Career Seminar Series.

“Nationwide’s gift complements our mission of bringing

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the real world into the classroom.

Our students look forward to the professional expertise Nationwide representatives will share in the upcoming year,” said Charles Edwards, dean of the College of Business and Public Administration and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In the Nationwide Career Seminar Series, students will gain hands-on experience by writing resumes and cover letters, developing their interview skills and more. Students also will learn the importance of getting professionally launched into the business world.

STUDENT NEWSPAPER FINISHES ABOVE THE FOLD IN NATIONAL CONTEST The Associated Collegiate Press recently recognized Drake University’s student newspaper, The Times-Delphic, as one of the nation’s top college publications.

The paper’s 2006 Drake Relays edition received a second place award in the Convention Best of Show category at the National College Publications Workshops, sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press, in Washington, D.C. in August.

“We were in with a pretty big group of heavy competitors,” said Erin Delahanty, who served as The Times-Delphic’s editor in chief when the Relays issue was written.

Baylor University’s newspaper took first place in the ACP’s contest, while New York University came in third. The Times-Delphic, which consistently receives top honors in nationwide college newspaper contests, received first place in the contest in 2004.

Delahanty said the 86-page Relays edition was the culmination of many months of hard work and planning. More than 30 writers contributed content to the publication, which included a special six-page pullout section in celebration of Drake’s 125th anniversary.

Kathleen Richardson, faculty adviser for the paper, said the Relays issue was “the crowning achievement of the school year for The Times-Delphic staff,” and that she was “proud of all the people who spent a tremendous amount of time and effort into producing a publication that people enjoyed looking at.”

BEN COHEN AND JERRY GREENFIELD OF BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM hosted “An Evening of Social Responsibility, Radical Business Philosophy and Free Dessert for All” at the Knapp Center on Oct. 3 as part of the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series.

The duo discussed the creation of their $160-million ice cream empire with social responsibility and creative management as cornerstones of the business. The entire crowd was then treated to free ice cream. The spring Bucksbaum Lecture will feature Bob Costas on April 19, 2007.

DRAKE’S STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD The Student Bar Association at Drake University earned national recognition from the American Bar Association/Law Student Division, placing second in the Best Student Bar Association

admission update DRAKE UNIVERSITY RANKED FOURTH in the overall rankings

of 143 Midwest Universities, Master’s category, published by U.S.News & World Report magazine in the 2007 edition of “America's Best Colleges.”

Drake also advanced to seventh place in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” ranking, up from eighth place last year.

This year’s rankings show 61 percent of Drake students receiving grants based on

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financial need. Drake students also receive tens of millions of dollars in scholarships based on academic merit, which are not calculated in this category.

“We are delighted that we continue to be ranked by U.S.News & World Report — and by our peers — as one of the very best in the Midwest,” said Drake University President David Maxwell.

Drake also continues to be ranked No. 2 in reputation for

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academic quality — the highest ranking in its category of any Iowa college or university.

Category of the ABA’s annual awards. All ABA-accredited schools were eligible for the national award and 25 schools applied. George Washington University placed first.

“It’s a huge honor for us since only two schools were recognized,” said Brooke Timmer, LW’06, president of Drake’s SBA in 2005- 06.

The officers of Drake’s SBA fill many roles in the representation of the Law School’s student body. SBA members also serve on committees organized for the purpose of making the law school a better place for students, faculty, alumni and supporters.

“We do a lot of philanthropy,” Timmer said. “And we touch every single part of the student experience at Drake, from making sure the fridges in the Law School work to helping hire a new Career Services director.”

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faculty focus LANGUAGE AND ART TOPICS OF ANNUAL STALNAKER LECTURE Phillip Chen, associate professor of art and design, discussed the relationship between verbal and visual language when he presented the Luther W. Stalnaker Lecture in September.

The lecture, titled “Thinking in Images,” addressed the “visual and verbal languages” that Chen says are essential to his prints and paintings.

An associate professor in the Department of Art and Design since 1995, Chen teaches courses in drawing and printmaking and researches most actively in the area of printmaking, with an emphasis on intaglio, lithography and relief techniques. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and his work is included in numerous museum collections that include The San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts, The Des Moines Art Center, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Carnegie Institute Museum of Art and The Brooklyn Museum.

Chen’s research in this area has been supported by the Illinois Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts and, most recently, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, which awarded him the Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award last year from among more than 400 nominees.

PULLIAM JOINS IOWA AFRICAN AMERICAN HALL OF FAME Dolph Pulliam, FA’69, director of community outreach and development at Drake University, was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame in an August ceremony at Pioneer HiBred International Inc.’s Carver Center in Johnston. Pulliam was lauded for his work in the broadcast industry and social services.

“I’ve never experienced any-

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Gutierres, Matthew Cantrell and Sally Haack.

Dolph Pulliam

thing like this and I've had a number of honors over the years, including being honored as a member of an NCAA Final Four team,” Pulliam said. “It was an evening I will never forget.”

Nine members of Pulliam’s family, many of whom were visiting Iowa for the first time, attended the ceremony.

“They were truly amazed at this community,” Pulliam said. “My older brother, Roger, who is vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, said, ‘Now I see why you like Iowa so much.

It’s because Iowans like you.’”

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY FACULTY EARN GRANT FROM COMMUNITY PHARMACY FOUNDATION Faculty in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have been awarded a $46,978 grant from the Community Pharmacy Foundation for a project titled “Assessment of a Tool to Prepare Pharmacists to Provide Medication Therapy Management Services.”

Primary investigators are John Rovers, associate professor of pharmacy practice and Michael Miller, assistant professor of pharmacy administration. Coinvestigators are Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Carrie Koenigsfeld and assistant professors of pharmacy practice Angela Tice, Karly Hegge, Sheryl

CENTER FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP SENDS FACULTY MEMBERS TO NICARAGUA The Drake University Center for Global Citizenship provided a grant to support sending five faculty members from a diverse cross-section of the campus community to Nicaragua for an educational exchange sponsored by Augsburg College’s Center for Global Education.

Kathy Fejes, professor of education; Eric Johnson, assistant professor of education; Jan Marston, director of the Drake University Language Acquisition Program; Darcie Vandegrift, assistant professor of sociology, and Judith Allen, associate professor of psycholo-

gy all participated in the program from June 24 through July 2.

The Drake group was part of a 19-person contingent that attended a training session entitled “Educating for Global Citizenship” in the capital city of Managua as part of the Center for Global Education’s effort to provide cross-cultural education opportunities.

After attending the conference in Managua, Drake faculty members also traveled extensively throughout the country, including trips into rural areas to visit farming cooperatives.

Because this was an election year for the country, the faculty members were fortunate to meet with a representative from each of the nation’s political parties as well.

DRAKE MEDALS OF SERVICE were presented to Don Moon, associate professor emeritus of education, and Robert Woodward, professor emeritus of journalism. Melissa Weresh, associate professor of legal writing, was honored with the Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award, and the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award was presented to staff members Paul Kline and Tom Tronick.

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Changing Lives COMMITMENT TO STUDENTS, COMMUNITY AND CRAFT DEFINES THIS JOURNALISM PROFESSOR

KATHLEEN RICHARDSON, JO’76, GR’01, LW’02, STANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF HER OFFICE WITH ARMS OUTSTRETCHED,

her fingertips only a couple feet from opposite walls.

“This is the headquarters of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, right here in Meredith 114,” she says with an ironic grin.

Since 2000, the small office has served as a repository of information for reporters, publishers and anyone interested in protecting the free flow of information.

“A lot of citizens call as a last resort when they have nowhere else to turn,” she says. “I primarily deal with people concerned with local government who want to know how their money is being spent and want to have an active voice in government. I’d like to think that people are more knowledgeable about the importance of open public meetings and access to information because of what we do.”

COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS HAVE LONG BEEN A PART OF RICHARDSON’S LIFE AND WORK. She credits the professors she had as a Drake student with helping her understand the importance of involvement with the community.

“Studying with professors like Bob Woodward, who had us go out and interview farmers and retired miners, gave us a real sense of place and knowing where we belong,” she explains. “I try to instill that in my students as well.”

A St. Louis native, Richardson moved to Des Moines in the 1970s to attend Drake. Since then, her relationship with the University and the city has continued to evolve.

She met her husband, Doug Wells, JO’76, a staff photographer for The Des Moines Register, while they were both at Drake. And, after a Register internship that led to a job at the paper as an editor covering national and international news stories for more than 20 years, Richardson returned to Drake to pursue a graduate degree and law degree. She began teaching and in 2001 turned her attention to the profession full-time back where she started her education in journalism.

“Drake gave me my first career and my second as well,” she says. “The University changed my life in a lot of ways and I try to keep in mind that I can have that same impact on people I deal with.”

— Tim Schmitt

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Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Instills the Concepts of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Peering through goggles smeared with Vaseline and Corn Flakes, or removing foil wrappers from HersheyÕs Kisses while wearing oven mitts may seem like exercises in futility, but for students in the Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences these are learning opportunities.

Such exercises are commonly used to teach pharmacy students empathy for patients with cataracts and arthritis.

But with its focus on developing an entrepreneurial spirit among students, Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences also uses these activities to demonstrate that opportunities exist for new products that may help make life better for the students’ future patients.

“The pharmacy profession has a strong history of entrepreneurship that has helped society,” says Bradley Tice, associate professor of pharmacy.

“We want to introduce the skills necessary to bring new products and ideas to market.”

In the past, pharmacists have identified, developed and brought to market products from life-saving medications to materials completely unrelated to health care. Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Dr. Pepper and Wrigley’s chewing gum, for example, were all developed by, or with the assistance of, pharmacists.

Examples of this innovative spirit within the profession are apparent across the Drake campus as well. Fitch Hall is named after Fred W. Fitch, an eccentric local businessman who responded to a need and created dandruff shampoo.

The Morgan E. Cline Hall of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is named after the 1953 Drake pharmacy graduate who introduced health care advertising, an idea that now permeates society and popular culture.

Innovators such as these were once the norm in the profession rather than the exception. Looking back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Norman Rockwell image of a pharmacist was that of a highly knowledgeable person who used his information to identify, assess and solve problems and then develop solutions, often in the form of

new products or medicines.

At the same time, most pharmacies were owned and operated by the pharmacist, which instilled a drive to succeed as the business owner’s livelihood was at stake. This combination of professional characteristics instilled an entrepreneurial spirit that drove change and innovation and built the image of pharmacists as a valuable contributor to society.

The most recognized form of entrepreneurship within the profession is the independent ownership of a pharmacy. And while this is one form, entrepreneurship in its entirety is a much broader concept. It is the process of creating value by bringing together a unique package of resources to solve a problem and take advantage of an opportunity. It is an attitude of “I can effect change,” “opportunity is everywhere” and “there are better ways.”

“In this profession, entrepreneurship comes down to the level of helping

individual patients,” says Tice. “We see pockets of the entrepreneurial spirit in the profession now, but as a whole the profession has been trying to move to a model of service orientation.”

“Pharmacy has, as a profession overall, changed in the eyes of consumers and also in the eyes of students,” says Renae Chesnut, associate dean for academic and student affairs. “The thing that concerns many in the profession is the number of pharmacists who think of their work as a job, not as a profession and don’t become engaged with their careers.”

REKINDLING THE INNOVATIVE SPIRIT This landscape creates an opportunity for the development of entrepreneurial training in the profession and academic institutions to rekindle the innovative spirit for which the profession was once known.

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is taking full advantage of this continued on page 12

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continued from page 11 opportunity, embarking on a strategic initiative to become nationally known for developing entrepreneurial leaders in the pharmacy profession. The college has launched several undertakings with the goal of instilling a spirit of change and innovation in tomorrow’s pharmacy leaders One aspect of this commitment to the concepts of leadership and innovation and advancing the community of pharmacy is the development of the DELTA Rx Institute within the college.

The goals of the institute, first conceived in 2005, are to encourage individual entrepreneurship and make the profession more accepting of new concepts and ideas that help advance the profession and improve patient care.

Faculty worked to develop the program, which offers access to a variety of online tools, articles by industry experts, and profiles of entrepreneurs in the field through a comprehensive Web site.

“Most pharmacists are professional and care about patients and with additional knowledge and inspiration provided by the DELTA Rx Institute, they can put their care into action,” says Chesnut. “It doesn’t matter what practice setting pharmacists are in, they need refueling of their entrepreneurial spirit to stay engaged, advance the profession and provide better care for their patients.”

EMBRACING COLLABORATION Most importantly, perhaps, is the reshaping of the pharmacy curriculum to include an emphasis on entrepreneurship. The goal is to encourage students to think of the field in a new way by learning to identify problems and opportunities and take action. Through the program, students write business plans, participate in financial management simulations and make recommendations for increased efficiency in community practice settings.

A collaboration between the COPHS and the College of Business and Public Administration has resulted in the development of a minor in entrepreneurship targeted specifically for pharmacy students, available in the fall of 2007.

These new efforts complement programs within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences that have existed for some time that offer students the opportunity to expand their education. Thanks to a collaborative effort with the College of Business and Public Administration, students can pursue a master’s level business or public administration degree in

LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE Through these efforts by Drake and the College of Pharmacy and Health

“It doesn’t matter what practice setting pharmacists are in, they need refueling of their entrepreneurial spirit to stay engaged, advance the profession and provide better care for their patients.” tandem with their pharmacy degree that can be completed in six years.

Additionally, students in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences are encouraged to work with the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center within the College of Business and Public Administration to help achieve entrepreneurial goals and develop leadership skills.

One such student, Lindsey Stephens, secured a grant in her final year of study through the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center that helped her fund a business that provides osteoporosis screening.

This business venture led to changes within the profession and created opportunities for personal and professional growth that even Stephens did not fore-

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see (see accompanying story on page 13).

Furthermore, faculty members and Drake alumni have already embraced the entrepreneurial spirit. For example, Richard Hartig, PH’73, has continually grown his family’s chain of pharmacies, Hartig Drug Stores, which has now achieved a 100-year history. Recognizing the importance of entrepreneurship in the profession, Hartig recently endowed the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a gift to support faculty members in developing community pharmacy entrepreneurship.

This entrepreneurial spirit among faculty is exemplified by Tice, whose software company, RXInterventions, L.L.C., is dedicated to giving pharmacists the ability to document the patient care they provide and integrate and analyze the data to improve patient care and quantify the value they bring to the health care system.

Sciences, and through the examples of faculty and alumni, students are learning about the opportunities that entrepreneurialism holds for the profession.

“They are excited by the possibilities, but overwhelmed at the same time,” explains Tice. “That’s what these efforts are for, to provide support to them, provide examples of how others have succeeded and provide them with the tools to do so as well.”

Chesnut agrees, and adds that the time is right for such an effort.

“As we talk to practitioners, faculty and students, there is a lot of excitement about the DELTA Rx Institute and what it might do for the profession of pharmacy,” she says. “The profession is ready for a movement of this nature.”

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Making it work THROUGH INNOVATION AND COMMITMENT, PHARMACY OFFERS THIS DRAKE GRAD UNLIMITED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.

LINDSEY STEPHENS DIDN’T WANT TO BECOME A PHARMACIST. In fact, it wasn’t even her

second choice. But for someone who only entered the profession for lack of other ideas, this Centerville, IA, native and 1998 grad has excelled in the field and adapted the profession to suit her own interests.

“I was on vacation the summer before my senior year of high school and my parents asked me what I wanted to study in college and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Stephens says. “So when my mom suggested pharmacy as a profession that is good for women, I said, ‘OK, I’ll be a pharmacist.’”

ADVANCING POSSIBILITIES: After entering Drake’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Stephens learned there was

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more to her newly chosen profession than she imagined.

“I discovered that I could truly help patients in other ways, and that there was room for creativity and new ideas that allowed me to advance the profession as well as my career,” she explains.

INITIATIVE PAYS OFF: While still in her final

year of study, Stephens secured a grant through Drake’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center to help fund a business that provided Osteoporosis screening.

After graduating, Stephens and a partner established a wellness center that conducted screenings for osteoporosis as well as cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure and other things. The business took off faster than she anticipated.

“It just started to snowball,” she says.

“As more and more people saw the opportunities — both in revenue and patient education — more and more people became involved.”

Within a short time, the CEO of Medicap Pharmacies contacted Stephens and asked her to establish and lead the osteoporosis-screening program for the company. She joined Medicap in 1999 — less than a year after graduating from college.

“A lot of students focus on the potential for huge salaries in pharmacy,” says Stephens. “But pharmacists need to treat this as a profession rather than a wellpaying job or there won’t be any wellpaying jobs. Basically, we have to show our worth.”

— Tim Schmitt

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Approximately 450 first-year Drake students spent their first weekend on campus performing community service work at various sites on and near the Drake campus as part of welcome weekend activities. The projects ranged from picking up litter in Drake Park to assembling boxes of educational materials for elementary school teachers and interacting with residents of the Brookdale Ramsey Village Retirement Center.

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Family members of Drake’s greatest football player, Johnny Bright, were on hand as the playing field at the newly renovated Drake Stadium was dedicated in his name.

BRIGHT(ENING) UP Drake formally dedicated the field at the newly renovated Drake Stadium in honor of the University’s greatest athlete, Johnny Bright, with a special pregame ceremony before the

Bulldog’s homecoming game Sept. 30.

The Field Turf football field at the stadium will be known as “Johnny Bright Field.” Bright, who finished fifth in balloting for the 1951 Heisman Trophy, is

the only Drake player inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

Members of Johnny Bright’s family were on hand and ceremonies included a special video tribute.

Bright’s running and passing wizardry enabled him to lead the NCAA in total offense in 1949 and 1950, setting an NCAA record of 2,400 yards in 1950 for a per game average of 266.7 yards, which also was an NCAA record. He also set the NCAA career total offense record of 5,983 yards. Bright concluded his collegiate career playing in the East-West Shrine All-Star game and the Hula Bowl.

Bright set 20 Drake records in football, basketball and track from 1949-51.

BOOKS AND BULLDOGS The Drake men’s basketball coaching staff, along with the players, are helping support reading with the Bulldog Basketball Reading Program.

Under the supervision of assistant coach Chris Davis, the program is off to a fast start with more than 38,000 students participating from more than 80 Des Moines and central Iowa area schools.

The Drake basketball program works with the principal’s office, classroom teachers and the reading specialist at each school to help students reach their reading goals.

“The kids get motivated for reading and we also expose them to a college basketball game as a reward for hard work. In the spring our players get invited to assemblies at several schools,”

EARLY HOMECOMING Drake footballers got an early homecoming when they returned to Drake Stadium after a full year away. The building was renovated just in time for the 2006 Drake Relays last April.

A crowd of 10,107 turned out to see the Bulldogs host Northern Iowa — the most for a Drake football game in the 20-year history of Division I-AA at the school.

UNI proved an unruly guest, spoiling Drake’s return to the stadium with a 48-7 rout.

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champions said assistant coach Davis.

“Drake works hard to provide an exceptional learning environment to achieve quality and value in education,” said Drake head basketball coach Tom Davis.

The Bulldog Basketball Reading Program is an excellent opportunity to motivate students in achieving their reading goals.

Each student who participates in the program will receive one complimentary ticket to a Drake men’s basketball game for the 2006-07 season, which began Oct. 31.

PGA SCORES HOLE IN ONE FOR DU The PGA of America is donating $100,000 to Drake on behalf of Iowan and U.S. Ryder Cup player Zach Johnson, BN’98, the PGA of America announced this fall.

The donation is to help fund a “Golf: For Business & Life” program at the universities of American team members.

Johnson, 30, was born in Iowa City, grew up in Cedar Rapids and played golf at Drake. He led the Bulldogs to the 1997 and 1998 Missouri Valley Conference team championship, along with berths in the 1996, 1997 and 1998 NCAA Regionals. He received a degree in business management from Drake in 1998.

“Drake University is ecstatic about Zach’s accomplishments as a professional golfer and we are honored to accept this contribution on his behalf.” said Drake Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb.

RUNNING MAN Former Drake distance running star Jason Lehmkuhle finished seventh in the 25th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, host of the USA Marathon

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Championship in late September.

Lehmkuhle ran the event in 2:19:03, clocking a 5:18 pace.

Lehmkuhle, 28, of Minneapolis, was ninth at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and has a best of 2:16 in the distance.

He has run three marathons (Chicago, Olympic Trials, World Championships). In September, Lehmkuhle placed fifth at the USA 20K Championships in a time of 59:55, and he was second at the Cow Harbor 10K in 29:05.

As a senior at Drake, Lehmkuhle set the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor 10,000 meter record of 28:44.91 in 2000, while winning the MVC individual cross country title in 1999.

He has been a member of Team USA Minnesota since 2001.

Lehmkuhle finished ninth at the 2004 U.S. Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials. In 2005, he was a member of three U.S. World teams including the U.S. World Cross Country 12K team, the U.S. World Marathon team and the U.S. World Half Marathon team.

RUNNING WOMEN Paced by three runners finishing among the top five, the Drake women’s cross country team won the team title in the Simpson College Buxton Open in Indianola this fall.

The Bulldogs scored 28 points with host Simpson placing second with 29 followed by Grand View at 96. Iowa Central Community College failed to field a complete team.

Sophomore Nicole Braunsdorf led Drake by placing second in the 5,000-meter race in 20:21. Senior teammate Amy Garrett was third in 20:44 followed by Drake first-year student Katie Phelan who was fourth in 20:48.

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Back in Blue THOUGH IT’S BEEN A QUARTER CENTURY SINCE MOST OF THEM STRAPPED ON PADS, THE MEN OF THE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL 1981 DRAKE FOOTBALL TEAM LOOKED AS IF THEY COULD TAKE THE FIELD.

Perhaps none fit that billing more than Jim Markert, BN’85, GR’87, who wore his vintage pale blue Bulldog jersey, his name fading and peeling between his massive shoulders.

“Oh yeah, I could go,” he says, sitting next to his wife and children during the Drake homecoming game on the last day of September, “for maybe three plays.”

Markert’s recognition of limits imposed by age did not dampen his or his fellow ’81 teammates’ enjoyment of their 25th anniversary reunion weekend.

The 1981 squad posted a 10-1 record under Chuck Shelton, sealed a Missouri Valley Conference Championship and provided a generation of Bulldog fans with memories for the ages. Seven members of the team went on to play professional football.

“There are so many memories — and most of them you can’t print,” jokes Bryan Gordan,’83. “It was just so much fun.

It was a real special time and it has been great seeing these guys again.”

A few of the Bulldog legends could not attend. Sadly, four members of the squad have died, including Amero Wear, ’81, the gifted running back who broke Johnny Bright’s single-season rushing record as a member of the ’81 Bulldogs.

“We decided it was time for us to get together again,” Mike Williams,’82, says. “We’re not that old, but we’ve lost some guys. We graduated before e-mail and all that. We wanted to get back in touch. It’s been a blast.”

— Daniel P. Finney, JO’97

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alumni update Alumni and Parent Programs at 1-800-44-DRAKE, x2500.

J-SCHOOL HONORS SORIA AND RIPSON Journalism grads Sandra Soria and Sheldon Ripson were named the 2006 alumni of the year at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual event. Soria, who graduated with a major in magazine journalism in 1982, is executive editor of Country Home magazine. Under her leadership Country Home has reached a circulation of more than 1.2 million and was a finalist for the prestigious National Magazine Award in 2005.

Ripson, who graduated in 1983 with a broadcast news emphasis, has been a television reporter, anchor and news director in six cities. He has served as news director of KPLR-TV in St. Louis since 1998. KPLR received Regional Emmys for Best Newscast in both 2004 and 2005.

NEW ALUMNI DIRECTORY IN THE WORKS The Drake University National Alumni Association is collaborating with PCI: the data company, to create a special 125th anniversary edition Drake alumni directory. Made available only to alumni, the directory will be a bound book that will include class year, home and business addresses, phone/fax numbers and e-mail addresses.

The directory will be organized in four sections: alphabetical, class year, geographical and occupational listings.

PCI representatives are currently contacting alumni to verify and update the information for listings and to give grads the opportunity to purchase a copy of the directory. The finished piece is scheduled for completion in May 2007.

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REUNION CLASSES TO HIT CAMPUS The classes of 2001-2003 will use the Relays weekend festivities as a backdrop to gather for their first cluster reunion. Committee members are busy planning events for the five year reunion as well as a 20-year cluster for the classes of 1986–1988, both to be held April 27–29.

Drake will induct the class of 1957 into the 50-Year Club during the May 11 commencement weekend as well as honoring members of the classes of 1947 and 1937. Law School members of the classes of 1957, 1967, 1977, 1987, 1997 and 2002 will reunite on campus June 8–10. More details for all of Drake’s class reunions will be mailed in 2007.

Any grads interested in joining the reunion planning fun should contact the Office of

FRIENDS OF DRAKE ARTS PRESENT THE BARD IN BRIEF A trio of Drake faculty and alumni recently presented all 37 of William Shakespeare’s plays — in less than two hours — to a packed Sheslow Auditorium as a fundraiser for Friends of Drake Arts.

Led by John Burney, dean of the Drake College of Arts and Sciences, the group of ambitious thespians presented modernized, summarized and abridged scripts in the production The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

Burney, who has performed in the play twice before, recruited a duo of Drake alumni to help him execute the fast-paced and sometimes slapstick performance.

Tom Geraty, AS’84, who serves on the executive committee of Friends of Drake Arts, has acted in numerous plays in Chicago and Des Moines.

Joseph Leonardi, who studied theatre at Drake in the ’90s and worked as an actor for many years in San Francisco, recently returned to Des Moines and founded the Repertory Theatre of Iowa.

LAW GRAD TAKES FIRST IN NATIONAL WRITING COMPETITION Amanda Knief, LW’06, recently received the top prize in the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence 2006 Law Student Writing Contest for the submission of her paper titled, “Gender Bias in Asylum Law: Recognizing Persecution Against Women and Girls.”

The writing competition was established to encourage and equip law school students to work on cases involving domestic violence. The competition is open to

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all students at ABA-accredited law schools who have written a paper that furthers the legal needs of domestic violence victims and their children.

“I originally wrote the paper for the International Human Rights seminar taught by professor Hunter Clark in fall 2005,” Knief said. “I am especially proud of this paper because it combines two legal areas that are important to me: international human rights and women’s rights. I hoped the competition would give me the opportunity to share my passion for advocating human rights with others. I am honored to have my paper chosen to contribute to the national discussion about the needs of victims of domestic violence.”

Knief’s winning article was published in the fall 2006 issue of the Women Lawyers Journal. In addition, she received a cash prize and a commendation from the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence. Knief is a judicial law clerk for the Fifth District Court in Des Moines.

DRAKE GRAD WRITES BAND HISTORY “When the University opened in 1881, the catalog described a curriculum in voice and piano … Still, no written account of Drake’s band can be traced until The Delphic announced: ‘the band boys are learning to play some fine pieces,’” writes Thompson Brandt, FA’75, in the introduction of Drake University Bands, 125 Years

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All Rise DRAKE LAW ALUMNA MAKES HISTORY IN THE COURTS AS IOWA’S FIRST FEMALE CHIEF JUSTICE.

Marsha Ternus, LW’77, leads an ordinary life. Or so she says even after being appointed the first female chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.

MAKING HISTORY: Although Ternus is making history by succeeding outgoing Justice Louis Lavorato, LW’62, to her, she’s just doing her job. “It’s really not something that’s paramount in my mind. For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m the first (female) or the fiftieth,” she says. “In terms of the public, I am happy that my appointment can serve as inspiration for young girls in that they might see me as a role model. I appreciate what this says to young women.” And she appreciates what it says to her two daughters, even what it says to her son.

TAKING LIFE AS IT COMES: But Ternus didn’t have a grand plan. In fact, she was so undecided in terms of a career path that she majored in home economics simply because clothing and textiles were familiar to her.

“Growing up I made a lot of my own clothes. I liked the creativeness of clothing design and I enjoyed the

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science and chemistry aspects of textiles,” she says.

After graduating Ternus gave up clothing and textiles and instead accepted a position at a bank. But there she was bored. “I wanted a career that was intellectually stimulating, a career that was intellectually challenging,” she says. That’s when she decided to become a lawyer.

She earned her law degree with honors, Order of the Coif, and worked in private law practice. Later, in 1993, she was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court.

“I thought I would be well-suited to the work of a judge,” Ternus says. “I very much enjoy research and writing. I enjoy problem solving.”

AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT: Although modest, she is honored to have been offered such an opportunity.

“I was kind of amazed,” Ternus says. “(Becoming Chief Justice) wasn’t something I ever anticipated growing up or even while in law school. I never had that ambition. I just wanted to do well, and this, to me, is a by-product of that.”

— Abbie Hansen, JO’01

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calendar

alumni update January

April

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 Drake’s 125th Birthday Party Dallas, TX

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 Let’s DU Lunch Des Moines

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 Drake National Alumni Association Board Meeting Des Moines

FRIDAY, APRIL 27 Drake Parents Association Board Meeting Des Moines

February

FRIDAY, APRIL 27 — SATURDAY, APRIL 28 Drake Relays Five-year cluster reunion, classes of 2001, 2002, 2003 Des Moines

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Let’s DU Lunch

Des Moines THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Drake University 125th Birthday Party Naples, FL

LAW SCHOOL ALUMNI AND FRIENDS gathered Sept. 23 for the Leland S. Forrest Society held each fall to recognize donors making leadership contributions of $2,500 or more to the Law School.

Pictured is Sara Walker, LW'83, and Bill, LW'79, and Lauri Bates.

SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH 20-year cluster reunion, classes of 1986, 1987, 1988 Des Moines

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28 — SUNDAY, MARCH 4 Drake University 125th Birthday Party

May FRIDAY, MAY 11 Drake National Alumni Association Board Meeting Des Moines

Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament St.Louis, MO

continued from page 18 of Excellence. Brandt’s rich piece is the basis of a featured exhibit on display through the end of the fall semester in Cowles Library’s James M. Collier Heritage Room.

The band history, also accessible on the Heritage Collection Web site, includes numerous archival photographs and sound files to accompany Brandt’s article.

Brandt, currently dean of humanities and social sciences at Highland College in Freeport, IL, played principal clarinet for three years in the concert band and wind ensemble while at Drake.

He has written numerous other historical articles including “Sousa in North Dakota” (North Dakota History: Journal of the Northern Plains, 2000) and “Harry S. Truman’s Musical Letters” (New York: Edwin Mellen, 2001).

CALLING ALL ALUMNI TRIATHLETES Drake alumni Bryan Ptak, JO’96, and Nolan Mitchell, AS’95, want to encourage fellow alumni to

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participate in the International Triathlon Union/ Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon in Des Moines, June 17, 2007. Des Moines is the fourth U.S. city to host a World Cup triathlon since the competition began. It will include an elite competition with a total professional purse of $700,000 and an amateur competition with age group and team events offering more than $40,000 in prizes and gifts.

Ptak, director of national accounts for TEKsystems, has competed in 13 triathlons.

Nolan, the U.S. sales manager for Canadian furniture manufacturer Amisco, has competed in 11. Both were lured into the sport by fellow Drake grad and triathlete Tom Phillips, JO’96.

Ptak and Nolan both plan to participate in the spring amateur competition and would like to encourage as many alumni as possible to join them as “Team Drake” either in the competition or as spectators.

FRIDAY, MAY 11 Drake 50-Year Club Dinner Des Moines

March THURSDAY, MARCH 8 Drake School of Education Alumni Awards Dinner Des Moines THURSDAY, MARCH 8 — SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Drake Supreme Court Weekend

Des Moines THURSDAY, MARCH 8 — SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Drake Campus • Des Moines

SATURDAY, MAY 12 Drake Annual Alumni Awards Dinner Des Moines Visit www.drake.edu/alumni for details regarding alumni events and services, to update your contact information, to share news and more.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 Let’s DU Lunch with Mike Tousley, CEO of Weitz Company

Des Moines

☛ 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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Top Dog YOUNG ALUM STAKES HIS CLAIM ON THE TRADING FLOOR For Cliff Larson III there’s no place like work. The commodity trader is on the Minneapolis trading floor for four hours a day, five days a week. And when he’s not in the pit, Larson, BN’02, is managing his father’s firm, The Cliff Larson Company, which handles orders of locals trading on their own behalf. At 26, he trades the second largest number of contracts on the floor. “My father was the alpha male in the pit in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Now I’m almost there,” he says. “I don’t want anyone to be more in control of a situation than I am, so I find a way to make each trade work.”

Larson grew up in the business and has been in the pit since he was 18. If he had to choose his dream job, he’s doing it.

THE RUSH OF RISK: “Everything is settled up at the end of the day. It’s a rush. It’s like playing poker with guys 10 years older than you. It’s a thrill every time,” says Larson who recently landed on Trader Monthly’s “30 Under 30” list, which recognizes traders in their 20s who’ve earned outsize returns based on peer respect, stature within the business and trading accomplishments.

Larson’s experience on the floor coupled with his seat on the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange more than qualified him for inclusion.

“What we do is serious. You have to believe in yourself enough to take big risks, yet have enough temperance to hold back; there’s a fine line between being cocky and being averse to risk.”

DEFINING SUCCESS: His biggest fear is that people will judge him based on whether he has a profitable day, week, month or year. To Larson, success is a subjective term. “Success is beyond the realm of how much money you make. I’m probably average — averagely successful because I love my work. But if life is about balance, I’m likely not successful; I struggle to find things that make me as happy as work does.”

— Abbie Hansen, JO’01

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Picture 1: Drake alumni and friends gathered at the Hollywood Bowl for a picnic and concert. Picture 2: Stephanie Petersen, BN’01, Erik Johnson, BN’00, Margit Johnson, BN’98, Betsy Doonan, BN’01, Joy McAdams, BN’99, at the Drake 125 alumni event in Minneapolis, MN. Picture 3: Alumni, family, and friends enjoy a picnic before Drake’s homecoming game Sept. 30. Picture 4: Joan Middleton, ED’63, GR’67, (center) visits with Robert Manheimer and professor Eric Anderson at a reception celebrating the fifth anniversary of Drake’s Middleton Center for Children’s Rights. Picture 5: Linda Grandquist, Drake first lady Madeleine Maxwell, and Diane Schroeder, ED’84, GR’85, at the Let’s DU Lunch event in Des Moines. Picture 6: Gearing up for the game against the Panthers at the UNI tailgate party on Drake campus.

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ONE PERSON really can make a dif ference

especially when your gift is matched by

THE COLLIER CHALLENGE James Collier, ED’70, loves Drake and the newest way this generous Drake grad has chosen to show his appreciation for the University is by offering a $125,000 challenge to inspire others who care about Drake to make a meaningful contribution to Drake. Through his gift, The Collier Challenge will match dollar-for-dollar: • All new $1,000 gifts to the President’s Circle.

• All current members of the President’s Circle who increase their previous year’s support will have the amount of their increase matched.

Individuals who make unrestricted gifts totaling $1,000 or more to The Drake Fund between June 1 and May 31 are members of the President’s Circle.

An active and passionate philanthropist, James Collier, ED’70, puts Drake at the top of his charitable endeavors, particularly in the fine arts and education. Collier makes leadership level gifts to The Drake Fund including gifts to the Friends of Drake Arts. He received Drake’s Alumni Loyalty Award in 2006.

For more information or to make a contribution, contact Director of Annual Fund Programs Pam Pepper at 1-800-44-Drake, x4558 or go to www.drake.edu/alumni and click “Support Drake.”

pictorial CELEBRATING EXTRAORDINARY HERITAGE, GREATER ASPIRATIONS

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MEMBERS OF THE PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE, Drake’s leadership level giving society, honored Drake’s past while welcoming a group of singing, smiling young prospective students during the annual Francis Marion Drake Society Dinner held Sept. 30 on campus. Picture 1: Former and current Drake presidents, their spouses and family members (from left) Robert Ray, BN’52, LW’54, and Billie Hornberger Ray, ED’50; David and Madeleine Maxwell; Michael and Jan Ferrari; Wilbur Miller; Muffy Harmon and Henry A. Harmon, LA’62, son of former Drake President Henry Harmon. Picture 2: Russell Samson; Carla and Bryan Moon, ED’84, GR’94; and Jean Samson, GR’92. Picture 3: President Maxwell and a group of “future Drake alumni” with an Old Main birthday cake presented the evening’s finale.

Next year’s dinner will be held during homecoming weekend which will take place Oct. 6-7.

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