Drake Blue fall 2007

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DRAKE

Fall 2007

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ing Face of Education

ution is underway in America’s classrooms — and ducation is leading the charge.

A REVOLUTION IS UNDER WAY in America’s classrooms — and Drake’s School of Education is leading the charge.

The Changing Face of

EDUCATION

From the President. . .

DRAKE UNIVERSITY in 2007 is healthy, vital and exciting, with powerful indicators that we are keeping the promise of the University’s mission to our students and their parents, our alumni and friends and to the community. Needless to say, the University’s present vitality did not happen by accident. It is the direct and intentional result of a collective vision of the University’s future and a detailed plan identifying the steps necessary to realize that vision, carried out through the dedicated efforts of hundreds of faculty, staff, students, members of the board of trustees, alumni and other friends.

This past year, the campus was deeply involved in the preparatory stages of our next round of planning. In the fall, all departments (academic and administrative) undertook environmental scans that identified the trends, challenges and opportunities that confront them in the next five to six years.

In the spring semester, each unit prepared a “white paper” that outlined their aspirations and proposed goals for the next five years.

All of these efforts culminated in late June at the first-ever Drake University Summer Futures Conference attended by nearly 200 faculty, staff, students and members of the board of trustees. At the conference, the plans of each unit were subjected to extensive small-group discussion. For all of us, it was one of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences of our careers: a large crosssection of the University community coming together to discuss, in a highly focused, collaborative and creative manner, the future of Drake University.

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This fall, the Planning Council (chaired by the president and comprising faculty, staff and students) begins the creation of the next iteration of the Drake University Strategic Plan.

The discussions from the Futures Conference will play an important role in the Planning Council’s deliberations. At various stages of the plan’s development, it will be shared for feedback and guidance with the campus community, the board of trustees and the external advisory groups that provide such important guidance to the University (including

experience for our tens of thousands of alumni and our current students.

At the same time, we must keep moving forward to meet the challenges, needs and opportunities of the future. Our aspiration for Drake in the next five years is ambitious, but realistic and vital to the ongoing fulfillment of our promise. We believe that Drake’s approach to higher education — the deliberate integration of the best of liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation carried out in an intensely interactive and collaborative environment — is a very powerful and very effective model. We have already been recognized by U.S.News & World Report as the top Master’s Large University in the Midwest and

by Kiplinger’s as one of the top 50 universities in the country. But our goal, as stated in Drake University 2012, simply put, is to become — within five to six years — a national model for excellence, effectiveness, innovation, accessibility and accountability in higher education.

Our purpose is not recognition for its own sake, of course, although recognition is an important factor in admissions and fundraising.

Recognition is a consequence of fulfilling our

“We have to ensure that everything we do as we go forward is faithful to the promise of the University’s mission.” the Alumni Board, the Parents Board and the National Advisory Councils connected to the schools and colleges and to Cowles Library).

There are two vitally important considerations that frame the strategic planning process: Drake University’s mission statement and our collective vision for the University’s future. To put it in simple terms, the planning process is pushed by the mission and pulled by the vision.

We have to ensure that everything we do as we go forward is faithful to the promise of the University’s mission to provide an exceptional learning environment and prepare students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishment and responsible global citizenship. We have to ensure as well that we remain faithful to the core values and core sensibilities embodied in that mission that have informed a Drake education for more than 125 years — that we preserve and enrich that sense of community, the opportunities for personal development and those vibrant personal relationships that define the Drake

promise, of ensuring that Drake continues to be an exceptional learning environment. The articulation of our aspirations in these terms raises many questions about what it means to be a national model for the best in higher education, and our planning discussions this year will focus at the outset on the answers to those questions that reflect Drake’s traditions and values. I look forward to sharing our progress — and our excitement — with you as we move forward.

Dr. David E. Maxwell, president

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The Magazine of Drake University

Art

contents Features

President Dr. David E. Maxwell

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Director of Marketing & Communications Brooke A. Benschoter

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

GREATER THAN THEIR NUMBERS

Drake’s Black Student Law Association Proves That Size Doesn’t Always Matter.

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Casey L. Gradischnig

Art Director

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Courtney Hartman

Graphic Designer Amber Baker

Contributing Writers

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THE REEL WORLD

Drake Entrepreneurial Management Major Launches Nation’s First StudentRun Traveling Film Festival

Tim Schmitt • Abbie Hansen, JO’01 Lisa Lacher

Drake Class Notes Editor Abbie Hansen, JO’01

Interns

Aaron Jaco, JO’07 • Jeremy Holtan Katie Shaw • Michelle Thilges

Publication Support

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Jaquie Summers • Andrea McDonough

DRAKE’S MISSION is to provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship.

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The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.

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

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 2007

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FOR THE LOVE OF RELAYS

Drake Students find Fellows, Raise Future Generations of Relays Attendance Record Breakers.

Departments CAMPUS

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Drake Initiates New Exchange with South African University • Drake To Play Key Role in Transforming Language Instruction • Students Win Top Honors at Model EU Simulation • First-Year Student Speaks to Legislators in Washington, D.C. Conference • Drake Named Best Value by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance • Journalism Students Score Six SPJ Awards • Drake Student Leader Awarded Fulbright Scholarship • Faculty, Students Travel to Uganda for Inaugural Travel Seminar • Students Lead Bone Marrow Registry in Support of Professor • Journalism Students Launch New “Green” Magazine • Recent Grads Selected to Teach For America

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FACULTY

CBPA Faculty Member Receives Fulbright Award • Drake Law School Names First Intellectual Property Law Professor • Krypel Honored by American Pharmacists Association • CBPA Honors Faculty at Business Day Banquet and Awards Ceremony

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

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SPORTS

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Relays Records Routed • Century Marks • Loney’s Legion • A New Season, a New Davis • Softballers Chosen • Tennis Ace • For the Love of Relays

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ALUMNI

Broadway Actor Speaks to Theatre Students • Law Alumni Honored • Cowles Library Launches Digital Oral History Project • Swim, Bike, Run

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campus buzz CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE With summer come cranes and construction crews. Several projects began on campus in recent months, including the renovation of Crawford, Stalnaker and Morehouse residence halls; renovation of Cole Hall; the creation of new parking spaces on the west side of Drake Stadium; relocation of the entrance to the Olmsted parking lot; updating of the Medbury Honors lounge and completion of the HVAC project in Cartwright Hall.

The space at 30th Street and Carpenter Avenue will soon be transformed as construction is well underway on the $37 million mixed-use housing and retail complex that will officially be called “Drake West Village.”

The development consists of three buildings totaling 226,000 square feet that will provide housing for up to 500 students, primarily juniors and seniors as well as graduate students in the pharmacy program and Drake Law School.

The buildings will provide a village atmosphere on the west side of the campus where students can live, work, study and socialize, while the community can patronize businesses in The Shops at Drake West Village.

Additionally, a 34-foot-long decorative steel archway placed atop two brick pillars now serves as the entrance to the plaza at Drake Stadium. The archway, with the words “Drake Plaza” incorporated into the design, provides access to the new red brick walkway that serves as the entrance to the facility that has been home to the Drake Relays since 1926. The project was made possible by a $500,000 gift from Peggy Fisher, FA’70, and her husband, Larry Stelter.

DRAKE INITIATES NEW EXCHANGE WITH SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY Three representatives from Drake University spent last spring break formalizing a partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, to

CULVER SIGNS BILL CHAMPIONED BY DRAKE LAW STUDENTS Iowa Governor Chet Culver, GR’94, recently signed legislation drafted and championed by Drake University law students that mandates visitation rights for siblings split up through foster care and adoptive placement in Iowa. Before signing the bill, which took effect July 1, Culver praised the work of the Drake Legal Clinic and the students who worked to get the legislation passed.

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the HOT list establish Drake’s first study abroad exchange program in the southern hemisphere.

Gretchen Olson, director of international programs and services, Rahul Parsa, professor of actuarial science, and John Rovers, associate professor of pharmacy and health sciences, met with UKZN officials and arranged for undergraduates from the two universities to exchange places for one semester or academic year, effective spring 2008.

In addition, sixth-year pharmacy students will have the option of completing a portion of their clinical training in Durban at King Edward Hospital, McCord Hospital or The Center for AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.

“This exchange will be an eye-opening experience for our students — the kind that can change lives,” said Olson.

“And we are equally excited about having South African students at Drake.”

Sixth-year pharmacy student Natalie Bainbridge completed the debut South African rotation last fall and provided feedback to Drake faculty that was used to develop the program.

“I had an amazing experience,” Bainbridge said. “It’s a completely different world.

Here, people hear a lot about HIV/AIDS, but it’s a distant problem — not up close and personal like it is in Africa.

It really provided me with a perspective on what the HIV/AIDS epidemic means in other places.”

The Drake campus was overflowing with politics, music and art in the early part of 2007. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee spoke on campus at a luncheon sponsored by IowaPolitics.com. U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D, Conn.) spoke to a national audience from Olmsted Center. Australian rock group Jet performed at the Knapp Center for students who volunteered through the 10,000 Hours Program. Drake Opera Theatre presented the English version of the comic opera Die Fledermaus (The Bat) by Johann Strauss. The Anderson Gallery hosted the department of Art and Design’s 36th Annual Juried Student Art Show.

Drake Law School hosted a symposium on the topic of renewable energy and alternative fuels.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Svetlana Belsky taught a piano master class in Sheslow Auditorium. More than 300 Drake musicians joined forces to perform Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem)

by Johannes Brahms. Faculty and students participated in the fourth annual Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences. Neenah Ellis, JO’77, best-selling author and reporter for National Public Radio, spoke to a packed house for the Live! at Cowles Library lecture. U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D, Del.) lectured at the Law School on civil liberties in the United States. And Craig Armstrong, vice president and general manager of Iowa Speedway, concluded Drake’s spring 2007 “Let’s DU Lunch” lecture series.

STUDENT WINS REGIONAL ART AWARD Tara Lange, a junior drawing and environmental policy student,

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was recently awarded second place in the National Society of Arts and Letters National Career Awards Regional Competition in the Visual Arts. continued on page 6

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spotlight

Greater Than Their Numbers DRAKE’S BLACK LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION PROVES THAT SIZE DOESN’T ALWAYS MATTER.

FORTY YEARS, SIX REGIONS, 168 CHAPTERS AND MORE THAN 6,000 MEMBERS. The numbers

are impressive and more than enough to make the National Black Law Student Association the largest student-run organization in the country. But the numbers tell only part of the story.

Founded in 1968 at New York University Law School, the organization has since grown to include chapters at almost every accredited law school in the country. And among the 42 chapters in the Midwest, Drake University’s Black Law Student Association is one of the smaller groups with only about 25 members last year — even fewer actively participate.

A MIGHTY SPIRIT “A lot of schools have double the size organization that we do,” explains Nekima Hill, the outgoing president of the Drake BLSA. “We

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just don’t have the same number of students at Drake as the larger schools.”

Though smaller in number, the Drake chapter has proven larger in spirit than its counterparts elsewhere, a fact acknowledged when the organization was named last year’s top chapter in the Midwest.

COMMUNITY ACTION In addition to actively working with Drake law and undergraduate students to promote the professional needs and goals of black law students, Drake’s BLSA has also been involved in the larger Des Moines community.

Not only did the organization raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina, they also adopted a family of seven from the area that relocated to Des Moines, taking them to dinner, shopping and providing them with resources to get on their feet in central Iowa.

“Bonding with the family made the entire

experience very personal,” says Hill. “It made the effort we put in that much more real and meaningful.”

Additionally, the Drake students presented a “4-11 on the Five-O” street forum in the Des Moines area last year to provide information on law enforcement procedures to community residents, working in coalition with the National Bar Association, Urban Dreams, area high schools, the Hispanic and Asian law school student groups as well Drake undergraduate organizations.

“We did a lot of work preparing undergraduate students at Drake to apply to law school and help them succeed in the process,” says Hill. “We live in an America that is all colors and I think Drake should look the same way.”

— Tim Schmitt

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campus buzz continued from page 4 Lange received $300 from the regional competition for her gouache drawing titled, “Culture #2,” which depicts humans interacting with insects. The twopiece drawing also received the Provost Purchase Award in Drake’s 36th Annual Juried Student Art Show in March.

“Both pieces are about taking a closer look at organisms in nature, insects in particular, and the way they live and how our lives intersect and parallel theirs,” Lange said.

NSAL, which is dedicated to providing resources to establish young artists, helped Lange receive recognition for her art.

Three of her water-based media works were showcased throughout April at the Opie Gallery in the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City.

“I feel honored to be able to display my art in another city and in a real gallery,” Lange said.

NSAL is a nonprofit volunteer society that encourages artistic success by providing scholarships and career opportunities through competitions.

DRAKE TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN TRANSFORMING LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION The W.M. Keck Foundation recently awarded the Council of Independent Colleges a grant of $360,000 to implement the Network for Effective Language Learning in cooperation with Drake University. The program will assist small and midsize private colleges and universities in transforming their offerings in language instruction to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. Jan Marston, founding director of the Drake University Language Acquisition Program, will serve as project director.

Twenty-four liberal arts colleges will be selected to participate in NELL over three years. Each year,

four-person teams from eight institutions will attend a summer meeting that will introduce them to the core features of DULAP. “Drake University’s role as an innovator in the development and application of alternative methods to enable students to acquire foreign languages is well established,” said Drake President David Maxwell. “We look forward to sharing what we have learned with colleges and universities and to learning ourselves from the successes of others. Together, CIC and Drake will work toward reversing a serious decline in our national capacity to understand other cultures through the functional use of their languages.”

STUDENTS WIN TOP HONORS AT MODEL EU SIMULATION Student teams from Drake earned three first-place awards at the recent Midwest Model European Union Simulation in Indianapolis. Accompanied by

admission update DRAKE NAMED BEST VALUE BY KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE Drake is the only private university in Iowa to earn a listing in “The Kiplinger 100: the best values in private institutions across the country.” The rankings, based on academic quality and affordability, appeared in the April 2007 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.

The Kiplinger 100 ranks the top 50 universities and the top 50 liberal arts colleges in two separate tables.

Drake ranks 40th among private universities nationwide and offers an average financial aid package of $18,860, which includes grants, scholarships, need-based loans and work study.

“Our high ranking demonstrates Drake’s commitment to maintain a high-quality education that is more affordable than many students and families realize,” said Tom Delahunt, Drake’s vice president for admission and financial aid. “Approximately 98 percent of Drake students receive financial assistance, including merit- and need-based assistance. Each year more than $50 million in financial assistance is provided to Drake undergraduate students.”

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Eleanor Zeff, Drake associate professor of politics and international relations, 13 Drake students participated in the event, which involved three days of discussions and negotiations with more than 150 students from 11 universities. Drake also received the Best Delegation Award and brought home the winning plaque to display on campus for the year.

First-place winners were junior Maria Cosma, who participated as the prime minister of Hungary; junior John Flowers, who acted as the environmental minister of Hungary; and junior Charval Moltzan, who participated as foreign minister of Hungary.

“The experience was a great way to practically apply the theories that we are learning about in our study of the European Union,” Moltzan said. “Winning was definitely unexpected. I think it came down to expressing ideas, while at the same time uniting people.”

The EU-Midwest is one of only four events of its kind in the United States. Founded in 1993 and hosted by Indiana University, it is designed to help college and university students learn about the workings of the European Union through a hands-on simulation.

FIRST-YEAR STUDENT SPEAKS TO LEGISLATORS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. CONFERENCE Business major Robert James Johnson is used to speaking about his pet issues to an audience. As a first-year student, he did so every Friday and Saturday morning on his campus radio show on KDRA, “The Dog.” On one issue, however, Johnson is particularly well versed, and he was recently given the opportunity to discuss it with a much more powerful audience.

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In March, Johnson participated in a forum titled “Promote Permanent Families: Reform Foster Care Now” in Washington, D.C. Johnson spoke as an advocate for the national availability of subsidized guardianship and met with U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D, Ill.) and other political figures in an effort to convince them that children who have been removed from their homes should have the opportunity to be reunited with family members.

As a child, Johnson and two of his sisters were removed from their mother’s custody and eventually placed in the permanent legal custody of their aunt in what was one of Illinois’ first cases of subsidized guardianship.

“Every child is different,” Johnson said, “but the subsidized guardianship program should be available to every kid who wants to go into a family situation.”

JOURNALISM STUDENTS SCORE SIX SPJ AWARDS Drake University journalism students earned two first-place honors and a total of six Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for work in the 2006 calendar year.

“I am especially proud of the breadth of our awards this year.

We won for print and online publications and for photography, news reporting and feature writing,” said Patricia Prijatel, GR’79, director of Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “This demonstrates the diverse nature of a Drake journalism education and, of course, it once again shows the talent of our students.”

Drake winners were: Alex Harkness, JO’06, first place, feature photography; the Drake Magazine Online staff, first place, best affiliated Web site; junior Piotr Jakubowski, second place,

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photo illustration; junior Sheena Gebhardt, second place, online news reporting; Nic Young, JO’06, third place, magazine nonfiction article; and junior Tim Laehn, third place, online feature reporting.

SPJ is the nation’s most broadbased journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

20TH ANNUAL PHARMACY DAY PRESCRIBES CHANGE The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ 20th annual student-organized Pharmacy Day centered on the theme “Prescription for Change” and examined issues of the changing pharmacy world and developments to come in the profession.

“We’re trying to make this day about breaking out of the shell that keeps pharmacists working as only dispensers and about changing the pharmacy world to be more patient-oriented,” said second-year student Mallory Heath, co-chair of Pharmacy Day. Keynote speaker Michael C. Pucci, vice president of external advocacy for GlaxoSmithKline, spoke on “The Value of Medicine: The Triple Solution to Improving Health and Lowering Health Care Costs” at the event. The lecture focused on recent national health care statistics, key drivers of health care costs and an analysis of three case studies demonstrating the role of compliance and pharmacists in improving health and lowering the cost of treating chronic disease.

Dean Raylene Rospond presented alumni achievement awards to several Drake alumni in recognition of their contributions to the pharmacy profession.

The 2007 Alumni Achievement Awards went to Suzanne Sietsema Blackburn, PH’73, and

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Emmy Award winner Bob Costas (left) shared stories from his 27-year career as the leading sportscaster for NBC during the annual Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden (D. Del.) paid two visits to Drake, speaking to Law School students in April and at the “cookies and conversation” event in July.

Mary Walbridge, PH’74. The 2007 Young Alumni Achievement Award was presented to DeeAnn Wedemeyer-Oleson, PH’99.

MCCORMICK TRIBUNE GRANT FUNDS POLITICAL REPORTING INSTITUTE The McCormick Tribune Foundation recently awarded Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication $50,000 for a specialized reporting institute. The workshop titled “McCormick Tribune Specialized Reporting Institute: Covering the Presidential Nominating Process,” was offered to 16 midcareer journalists from around the nation and was held on Drake’s campus June 3-5. Drake partnered with the Poynter Institute to present the program.

Led by Journalism Program Director Clark Bell, JO’73, the McCormick Tribune Foundation has launched a new grant initiative to sponsor specialized reporting institutes on covering timely niche issues.

“I’m fortunate enough to be able to put good people together with good programs to create win-win situations,” said Bell, past member of Drake’s Chicago Advisory Board. “This is a good example of what I hope to accomplish with the McCormick Tribune Foundation, and the

fact that I’m able to include my alma mater shows my great respect for Drake.”

The specialized reporting institute at Drake began with a “community conversation” — a moderated town hall meeting — about how media organizations can help the public make better decisions during the presidential nominating process.

“Drake and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication value partnering with media leaders such as the McCormick Tribune Foundation and the Poynter Institute to help journalists better understand the Iowa Caucuses and how to better report about the presidential nominating process,” said Charlie Edwards, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “The caucuses provide a unique opportunity for our students to learn and interact with national news media outlets.”

DRAKE STUDENT LEADER AWARDED FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP Lauren Smith, Drake University student body president for the 2006-07 year, was the recent recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, which is funding a 13-month English teaching assistantship in South Korea. continued on page 8

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campus buzz continued from page 7 Smith left in July for South Korea, where she underwent six weeks of intensive training to learn about Korean values and language before being assigned to a school. Following this training, Smith will teach English language courses to middle school or high school students and help them develop an understanding of American culture and society.

“I’m honored to receive a Fulbright Scholarship and am grateful to the Drake community for all the support I’ve received over the years,” Smith said. “I’m confident my coursework and preparation at Drake will help me achieve success in whatever challenges and adventures may come my way.”

Drake has been ranked as one of the top producers of Fulbright Awards for students among the nation’s masters universities in recent years. Smith is

the seventh Drake student to receive a Fulbright teaching assistantship or research grant in the last four years.

FACULTY, STUDENTS TRAVEL TO UGANDA FOR INAUGURAL TRAVEL SEMINAR Jimmy Senteza, associate professor of finance, recently led several faculty members and more than 20 students on Drake’s first travel seminar to Kampala, Uganda. Senteza, a Uganda native, and Glenn McKnight, associate professor of history, drew on their personal connections in Uganda to help develop the seminar. McKnight studied in Uganda for a year while completing his doctoral dissertation on development policy in colonial Uganda.

“It is a very unique and exciting opportunity for students,” said Senteza. “It undoubtedly will be an invaluable eye-opener

STUDENTS FOLD 1,000 CRANES FOR VIRGINIA TECH VICTIMS Drake students carefully folded 1,000 paper cranes and sent them to the Virginia Tech campus in a show of support for the victims of the tragedy there earlier this year. Creation of the origami cranes, an international symbol of peace, gave students an opportunity to reflect on the tragedy and remind the survivors that someone cares. “This will show that people across the country are thinking about them,” said Ben Olson, a first-year biochemistry and microbiology major.

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for anyone with limited working knowledge of sub-Saharan Africa.”

Participants in the seminar visited the source of the Nile River, a peasant shamba in rural Uganda, Kasubi tombs, Queen Elizabeth National Park, urban markets and various nongovernmental organizations, government offices and small businesses. In addition, participants attended lectures by Ugandan experts, engaged in directed readings, research and discussions, and kept reflective journals and a blog posted on the Drake recruitment Web site www.choose.drake.edu.

The faculty and student participants also worked in partnership with colleagues at Makerere University Business School in Kampala. During the 22-day trip, the group explored a wide variety of subjects related to sustainable development, including the legacy of colonialism, HIV/AIDS in Africa, availability and constraints of micro-finance, tourism as a sustainable industry, tribalism and democratization. Drake recently hosted delegates from MUBS for 10 days to further fortify the two institutions’ budding exchange program.

LEGAL SCHOLARS DEBATE WHETHER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION THWARTS DEMOCRACY The Drake University Law School Constitutional Law Symposium presented a bold topic for debate: “Does the U.S. Constitution Thwart Democracy?”

The annual event, this year titled “Our ‘Undemocratic’ American Constitution,” brought legal scholars from across the nation to address ideas aimed at reinvigorating democracy in the nation, including the prospect of altering the Constitution.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Drake visiting distinguished pro-

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fessor of law, delivered the keynote address, titled “Reflections of a Participant on American Democracy and the Constitution.”

The topic was chosen based on the premise that American democracy is at a crossroads.

After all, the Electoral College allows a candidate who failed to earn a majority vote to become president; the representative system distributes an equal number of senators to Wyoming and California; and the president’s veto can halt the will of the majority. In an era when scandals in Washington and faulty voting procedures are the norm, many citizens have become increasingly disillusioned — and some say little can be done to change the gridlock facing the government.

STUDENTS LEAD BONE MARROW REGISTRY IN SUPPORT OF PROFESSOR Pharmacy students, staff and faculty have rallied behind Lon Larson, PH’71, professor of pharmacy administration, with an outpouring of support since he was diagnosed last fall with a rare, aggressive type of cancer called mantle cell lymphoma.

In addition to the deluge of kind words, cards, balloons and baked goods sent from alumni, faculty, staff and students to Larson and his wife, Linda Krypel, PH’74, associate professor of pharmacy, students have set their Drake pharmacy education in motion.

Pharmacy honor society Rho Chi recently conducted a bone marrow registry drive in honor of Larson. The drive prompted 124 members of the campus community to get their cheeks swabbed to join the national bone marrow registry.

“It’s a testament, not only to Larson, but to the students and

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MORE THAN 1,300 STUDENTS JOINED THE RANKS OF DRAKE ALUMNI during three commencement ceremonies in May. Picture 1: Jenna Wilcox, winner of the Oreon E. Scott Award, Drake’s highest award for undergraduate students, spoke at the 126th undergraduate ceremony.

Picture 2: Herb Strentz, professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication, gave the address at the graduate ceremony Picture 3: Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Marsha Ternus, LW’77, was the featured speaker at the Law School commencement ceremony.

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what they gain here at Drake,” said Raylene Rospond, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Students also participated in Drake’s Relay for Life, a 12-hour walk that drew 700 participants and generated approximately $30,000 for cancer research and treatment. Third-year pharmacy students organized and filled two teams, “P3s for Larson” and “P3s for Larson Continued,” and sold lime green T-shirts bearing Larson’s photo.

“Teaching extends beyond the classroom,” Larson says on his Drake faculty Web page. A stronger testament to his success would be difficult to find.

JOURNALISM STUDENTS LAUNCH NEW “GREEN” MAGAZINE Senior magazine and news/Internet majors in Drake University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication joined forces last spring to create THiNK magazine, an environmentally friendly news publication focusing on topics aimed at socially con-

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scious Iowans. Articles examine subjects such as the use of technology in war, stem cell research and the ethanol debate, which are intended to inspire interest and action in the political process.

The inaugural issue celebrates the collaboration of both journalism disciplines and the first student-led initiative for an environmentally sound publication. Hannah Hacker, THiNK production manager and dual news/Internet and environmental policy major, headed up the effort to keep THiNK magazine eco-friendly.

“The chance to add green to THiNK furthered my passion to increase awareness among the public that small changes are effective,” Hacker said.

With support from THiNK publishers and SJMC professors Patricia Prijatel, GR’79, and Jill Van Wyke, JO’85, Hacker conducted research to discover environmentally conscious production techniques that can be used without sacrificing quality.

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The magazine’s staff is proud of the publication’s small environmental footprint — from the origins of paper stock and chemicals released into the air to different types of ink and cover varnish.

Copies of the free publication have been distributed to Des Moines area businesses and organizations.

RECENT GRADS SELECTED TO TEACH FOR AMERICA Recent Drake University graduates Taylor Corley, ED’07, and Jeremy Holtan, JO’07, were selected from among 19,000 applicants to join Teach For America along with other outstanding college graduates nationwide.

Teach For America corps members are placed in struggling low-income schools for two-year teaching commitments, and both Corley and Holtan will teach in Denver Public Schools.

“At Drake, they made sure we were in the classroom a lot, which gave me a wide range of

experiences,” Corley said. “I’ve had the chance to see several management styles and different methods of teaching.”

The biggest teaching challenge she expects to encounter in her Denver classroom will be language barriers, considering the high percentage of Hispanic students enrolled in Denver Public Schools. Luckily, she comes equipped with valuable experience gained from completing her student teaching semester at Willard Elementary, a Des Moines school with a large Hispanic population.

Holtan, who studied public relations at Drake, is determined to influence the future of education. “I look forward to working with students and believe that becoming a part of Teach For America gives me an excellent opportunity to help others achieve their goals as I strive to achieve my own,” Holtan said.

Holtan is also keeping a blog about his experience in the program on the Drake recruitment Web site www.choose.drake.edu.

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faculty focus CBPA FACULTY MEMBER RECEIVES FULBRIGHT AWARD Chip Miller, professor of marketing, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines, from November 2007 to April 2008. Miller will teach global marketing to executive MBA and PhD students and will work with the business school on local outreach projects and curriculum development.

“I’m elated for the chance to make a significant impact in a third-world country,” Miller said.

“Getting a Fulbright is a great recognition for a professor and succeeding on my first attempt was especially exciting. I hope to help my students make better contributions to the local economy so that the Philippines can better compete in world markets.”

Miller is one of approximately 800 faculty members and professionals in the United States who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

DRAKE LAW SCHOOL NAMES FIRST INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW PROFESSOR Peter Yu, associate professor of law and the founding director of the nationally ranked Intellectual Property and Communications Law Program at Michigan State University College of Law, has been named the inaugural Kern Family chair of intellectual property law and director of the Intellectual Property Law Center at Drake University Law School.

“Peter has built two nationally ranked intellectual property law programs, and he shares our vision for a program at Drake,” said David Walker, dean of Drake Law School.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Yu is a leading expert in

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international intellectual property and communications law. He writes and lectures extensively on international trade, international and comparative law, and the transition of the legal systems in China and Hong Kong.

“Intellectual property is one of the most fascinating areas in today’s legal field,” Yu said. “I cannot think of a better place to launch a new global interdisciplinary center for intellectual property law.”

Yu’s position was made possible by an endowment gift of $1.5 million from Wayne, LW’72, and Donna Kern of Dallas. The Intellectual Property Law Center is also being supported by a $750,000 commitment from Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. KRYPEL HONORED BY AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION Linda Krypel, PH’74, associate professor of pharmacy practice, is one of four individuals selected nationwide as a 2007 Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association by the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science.

The appointment recognizes Krypel’s service to APhA and her scholarly pursuit as an expert on nonprescription medications.

She has been an active participant in the Nonprescription Medicines Academy since its inception, serving as coordinator of its steering committee for seven years. In addition, she is the author of a chapter in the APhA’s Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs and has given numerous presentations at the APhA’s annual meetings and Self-Care Institute.

“I have always embraced the concept that faculty and students must work together to ensure positive educational outcomes just as pharmacists work together with their patients to ensure positive therapeutic outcomes,” she said. “As the profession is trying to move pharmacists beyond the

STUART KLUGMAN (LEFT), BN’70, the Principal Financial Group distinguished professor of actuarial science, was presented Drake University’s highest teaching honor, the Madelyn M. Levitt Teacher of the Year Award, at Drake’s 126th Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony. The award is given annually in recognition of outstanding teaching, service and scholarship. Students and co-workers nominated Klugman for the award based on his support of students in and out of the classroom, dedication to improving Drake’s actuarial science program and exceptional knowledge in the field of actuarial science.

LON LARSON (FAR RIGHT), PH’71, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of pharmacy administration, was presented Drake’s highest mentorship award — the 2007 Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor of the Year Award. The only faculty member to have received the award twice, Larson was honored at Drake’s Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies where he served as University marshal and master of ceremonies.

dispensing role, educators must act as role models and move beyond merely being dispensers of education.”

Krypel joined the Drake faculty in 1991 and was named the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Teacher of the Year in 2003–04.

CBPA HONORS FACULTY AT BUSINESS DAY BANQUET AND AWARDS CEREMONY The College of Business and Public Administration honored faculty members at the annual Business Day Banquet held April 11 and welcomed back a successful alumnus to share his experience with those in attendance.

Mark Ernst, BN’80, chairman, president and CEO of H&R Block Inc., was the keynote speaker at the banquet. Ernst

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joined H&R Block in 1998 and was responsible for developing and implementing a long-term marketing and strategic plan for the company. Over the past five years, the organization’s annual results have achieved rankings in the top 10 percent of all companies in the S&P 500 for financial performance.

Among faculty members honored at the annual event: Paul Judd, assistant professor of statistics, was named the David Lawrence Undergraduate Teacher of the Year; Andrew Norman, assistant professor of marketing, was named the Graduate Teacher of the Year; and Troy Strader, associate professor of information systems, was presented with the Harry Wolk Research Award.

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’Zine Master AFTER FINE-TUNING DRAKE’S MAGAZINE PROGRAM, RETIRING PROFESSOR FOCUSES ENERGY ON A BALANCED PERSONAL LIFE

HER REPUTATION IN THE MAGAZINE INDUSTRY precedes her.

Not because Patricia Prijatel, GR’79, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and E.T. Meredith distinguished professor, seeks the spotlight, but because of all she has accomplished during her 23-year career at Drake University.

Under Prijatel’s leadership, Drake’s magazine sequence has become an award-winning program of national prominence — a significant accomplishment considering there was talk of eliminating the program altogether before her arrival. “I was given a lot of latitude and encouragement to do what I wanted to do, but at the same time, I was given a lot of support, direction and mentoring,” she says.

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT In 1984, Prijatel’s first year at Drake, the magazine program had dwindled to only four students. But through her efforts, that number increased sevenfold to nearly 30 in 2007. Students and alumni alike are reaping the rewards of the mentorship she has provided. Her former students work for some of the most prominent publications in the business including InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour and Country Home.

Prijatel also cultivated the University’s relationship with Meredith Corporation, one of the industry’s publishing giants, to establish the E. T. Meredith Center for Magazine Studies. Currently 34

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Drake magazine grads work as editors for the company. And, with Prijatel’s supervision, student publications such as Drake Magazine and 515 have achieved national acclaim. In fact, Drake has swept the national award competitions for student magazines for several consecutive years FINDING PERSPECTIVE With an exhausting list of career accomplishments behind her, Prijatel plans to define herself beyond Meredith Hall as she retires from Drake this fall. “I’m a writer. I want to do more of that,” she says. “Now I can be — I am — a health writer.”

A breast cancer survivor, Prijatel recently had articles about her experience published in Meredith’s Beyond: Live & Thrive After Breast Cancer. “Once a woman is diagnosed, quite often she changes direction in life. Maybe that’s caused a change in my direction — to retire and write,” she says. “I didn’t realize how important it is for other women to know that someone else with breast cancer is doing well or that she is a survivor.”

She’s left a lasting legacy at Drake. Her emphasis now is on herself, on taking responsibility and acknowledging all aspects of life.

For Prijatel, it’s about maintaining perspective and balance with a sense of vitality.

— Abbie Hansen, JO’01

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MISSIONinMOTION

Living the Mission IT ISN’T THE WORDS OF THE MISSION STATEMENT THAT MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IT.

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

When Beth Younger visited Drake to interview for a faculty position she was overcome by a sense of community. Through her interaction with various people on campus she knew this was where she wanted to teach.

And since she was hired as an assistant professor of English, she has been determined to make a difference.

“My role is trying to challenge students to learn and to challenge students to listen,” says Younger. “It’s my job to help students recognize that they’re part of a larger structure that has value and meaning,” she says. “They are not just an individual; they are part of something bigger.”

That type of determination isn’t unique to Younger. And that exceptional learning environment isn’t limited to the classroom.

“Whether it’s sitting down with a student and talking with them about a resume or talking about a class they are in — any of those things are about our students and helps create that mission and helps a student move on past Drake,” says Melissa SturmSmith, assistant dean of students. “I feel like those individual conversations that happen in my office often times are real learning experiences, those kind of ‘aha’ moments.”

That sense of exploration is evident across campus — in the types of extraordinary experiences Drake offers students both in and out of the classroom. “[My junior year] I was encouraged by some of my professors and my adviser to go ahead and take six months off and study abroad. It really opened my eyes to the fact that the world is not just Des Moines, and the world is not just the United States,” says Lain.

“I’ve gained valuable experience not just through that particular opportunity, but through the different activities I’ve been involved in on campus, from participating in different forums to listening to different speakers. There are so many people from all over the world here at Drake. And I think that the diversity at Drake is well represented. Just meeting different people — having a place where you can experience that type of diversity — helps foster responsible global citizenship,” adds Lain.

“Meaningful personal lives don’t simply begin or end here at Drake University,” says Wanda Everage, vice provost for student affairs and academic excellence. “Students really can determine the quality of their meaningful personal lives beginning now by the ways in which they engage themselves.”

EXPLORING DIFFERENT PATHS

“There are opportunities at Drake to get involved in all sorts of things academically, socially and philanthropically,” says Erin Lain, JO’96, a current Drake Law School student.

“That has encouraged me not to just take one path, but to explore many different paths. By having those different experiences I’m able to relate to different people and ultimately that’s what life is about — being able to form relationships. I’m going to be much more successful if I’m able to take the different experiences I’ve had and use them to create a well-connected, well-rounded life.”

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CHANGING LIVES

“Drake changes lives by caring about students and caring about each individual student’s success,” says Sturm-Smith. “It’s not about a general formula for ‘the Drake student’ but it’s about that individual’s success and what [Student Life] can do in coordination with all those other departments that make success possible.”

And helping students achieve success is the true meaning and purpose behind Drake’s mission.

“I love to take all six tenets of the mission statement and, beginning with orientation

and Welcome Weekend, introduce students to what we mean when we talk about an exceptional learning environment, meaningful personal lives and responsible global citizenship; when we emphasize professional accomplishments, collaboration between faculty, staff, and students, and the integration of liberal arts and sciences and professional preparation,” says Everage.

“We want students to practice it and see it in their daily lives. [The mission statement] is not just something we have on a piece of paper, but it’s something [students] use to make what they are experiencing meaningful.”

— Abbie Hansen, JO’01

DRAKE SEEKS REACCREDITATION, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS INVITED TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK Drake is currently seeking comments from the public about the University in preparation for its evaluation by its regional accrediting agency. The University will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit February 3 – 6, 2008 by a team representing the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Drake University has been accredited by the Commission since it was established in 1913. The team will review the institution’s ongoing ability to meet the Commission’s criteria for accreditation.

If Drake has touched you, submit comments to: Public Comment on Drake University, The Higher Learning Commission, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602.

Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs and must be in writing and signed; comments cannot be treated as confidential and must be received by January 6, 2008.

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THE REEL WORLD DRAKE ENTREPRENEURIAL MANAGEMENT MAJOR LAUNCHES NATION’S FIRST STUDENT-RUN TRAVELING FILM FESTIVAL DRAKE JUNIOR STEVEN AMOS HAS A NEW CURE FOR THE SUMMERTIME BLUES. Amos cruised the country

this past summer with his brother, Brian, a graduate of Cornell University, showing off the winners of their first national film festival, Student Films Across America. The student-run, studentproduced festival received submissions from college and high school students representing 44 states and 15 countries.

A FESTIVAL IS BORN In winter 2006, Steven and Brian made a national call for short film submissions. By the following spring they had received nearly 600 entries from aspiring student filmmakers all hoping for a future beyond YouTube.

The brothers then recruited a panel of eight professional judges from the entertainment industry including Drake graduates John August, JO’92, screenwriter for Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Michael Emerson, FA’76, an Emmy Award winning actor currently starring in ABC’s “LOST.”

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Before beginning their 40-city trek in their official Student Films Across America tour bus, the festival premiered in the Amos brothers’ hometown of Sturgeon Bay, WI. BIG PAY-OFF “There are a lot of festivals out there, probably thousands,” Brian recently told a reporter from one of the dozens of newspapers that have covered the festival. “Most of them will have just a student category, but very few of them are only for students. We wanted to have that venue where it was just students. We’re going to end up showing 55 to 60 films total, and very few film festivals are that heavy on student films.”

In addition to silver screen exposure to audiences around the country, the entrants vied for $35,000 in prizes.

As for how the Drake entrepreneurial management major spent his summer vacation, Steven is quick to answer, “We would have loved to hit more cities,” but he had to get back in time for fall classes.

— Aaron W. Jaco, JO’07

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(SUBHEAD) A revolution is underway in America’s classrooms — and Drake’s School of Education is leading the charge.

A REVOLUTION IS UNDER WAY in America’s classrooms — and Drake’s School of Education is leading the charge.

The Changing Face of

EDUCATION – By Tim Schmitt

E The Changing Face of rin Tonne, GR’07, has taught in New Orleans and Chicago. She has worked with the Drake Legal Clinic, conducted independent research and taught in Des Moines Public Schools for four years. She studied in the Urban Education program in the School of Education and graduated with a master’s degree in effective teaching. Still, she proudly admits to having many questions that remain unanswered.

“I came out of the program with more questions than answers,” she says.

In other words, explains Eric Johnson, director of the SOE’s Urban Education program in which Tonne studied, her education was a success.

“I didn’t design this program to come up with answers,” he explains. “Answers are illusions. All we can do is learn to ask better questions.”

And the two most important questions Johnson hopes students learn from the Urban Education program are: “How do we live in a world with people who are different from us?” and “How do we make ourselves better because of these differences?”

“You spend your whole life answering these questions,” Johnson explains.

EDUCATION LAYING THE FOUNDATION Johnson came to Drake in 2003 to create a program that prepares teachers for the challenges in urban school districts and provides students with real-world experience teaching in these areas. He spent two years developing relationships with community organizations and local school districts, and Urban Education coursework was added to the curriculum by 2005.

Today, the program has graduate and undergraduate components and students work collaboratively with public schools, community groups, Drake’s legal clinic and other organizations. Students also have the opportunity to participate in service learning and action research components.

“People wanted to see a program, but I don’t think they envisioned what we have now,” says Johnson. “This is much more comprehensive than initially imagined.”

The Changing Face of Education EDUCATION Clockwise from left Jessica Hart, Erin Tonne, GR’07, Ella Cowherd, Deborahanne Daleiden, ED’05 and Sonal Khokhari.

A CHANGING LANDSCAPE Since 1990, when the U.S. Census indicated that for the first time more Americans were living in urban areas than elsewhere, the question of how education needs to evolve has been a burning issue.

“It’s not just about educating children, it’s about dealing with a new reality in our country,” says Johnson. “Urban education has less to do with the students themselves than the context within which they are educated.”

But the concept of urban education, adds Johnson, is often misunderstood.

“We connect ‘urban’ with ‘poor’ and that’s incredibly inaccurate,” he says. “And ‘urban’ is often associated with poor black and Latino children.”

The reality is that only one-third of students in urban settings are black or Hispanic, and the population in urban areas runs across the socioeconomic spectrum.

“Simply put,” says Johnson, “Urban Education is teaching across differences.”

As a teacher in the Bridges special education program in the Des Moines Public Schools, Deborahanne Daleiden, ED’05, knows about differences.

“If you’re going to be a good teacher you have to relate to your students,” she says. “If you want to build a relationship with students you do that by learning something about their environment, and the Urban Education program provides that opportunity.”

As a graduate student in the Urban Education program, Daleiden found collaborative research work on Children in Need of Assistance cases with students at the Middleton Center for Children’s Rights in the Drake Legal Clinic especially helpful.

“That was an eye opener, realizing how important it is to have that educational component in the legal system,” she says. “A lot of times that educational bridge gets broken for kids in foster care and it needs to be mended. Without educators involved it just doesn’t happen. It’s phenomenal to find a university here in the middle of America that is so ahead of the curve.”

But this was not always the case.

AN EARLY ARCHITECT About eight years ago, Joan, ED’63, GR’77, and Lyle, AS’61, LW’64, Middleton brought some middle schoolers to Drake to get a feel for college. They visited dorms and participated in an educational program taught by students about to graduate from the SOE. “It became very apparent, even on the first day, that some Drake students were not prepared to deal with those kids who’ve seen the seamier side of life,” recalls Joan.

One even told her that her decision to become a teacher was a mistake.

“That particular Drake student wasn’t confident at all,” says Joan. “Faculty within the SOE saw this happening and said, ‘We have a hole in our program.’”

Recognizing this, the Middletons generously provided a substantial donation to Drake to fund a faculty position dedicated to creating an Urban Education program — the position filled by Johnson today.

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“How do we live in a world with people who are different from us?” and “How do we make ourselves better because of these differences?”

“We knew that some of those students were not going to make it in the profession,” says Joan. “That’s why the Urban Education program exists today. When I was in school I didn’t have any help dealing with students who were different from me.”

That is no longer the case.

PROMOTING QUALITY AND DIVERSITY The Urban Education program is not only attracting a more diverse student body to Drake, but through working collaboratively with Teacher Quality Program, it is ensuring diversity among future teachers. The TQP is a result of a multimillion-dollar grant from the federal government meant to increase diversity among teachers in urban areas. In Des Moines, nearly 30 percent of students are minorities, yet fewer than 2 percent of teachers have minority status.

“The goal is to educate more than 40 area residents to become teachers in the Des Moines Schools,” says Janet McMahill, dean of the School of Education. “It’s a collaborative effort among Drake, DMACC and the Des Moines Public Schools.” The grant provides funding for four years of certification coursework.

Students in the program are provided tuition, books, a laptop computer and child care. In exchange, they agree to teach in Des Moines Public Schools one year for each year they are in the program. In fact, students are hired by the DMPS before they even enter the program.

“Having a workforce in our local schools that is qualified to serve the population we now have is crucial,” says McMahill. “We need to help students become skillful and productive in any educational setting in a rapidly changing world. Instead of having all the answers, we’re asking more questions.”

PREPARING TEACHERS FOR SUCCESS An incoming senior in the SOE, Sonal Khokhari was recently accepted to the TQP and will spend at least a year teaching in Des Moines when she completes her education.

She was hired by the Des Moines Public Schools as a teacher before she began her final year of school. As a participant in the program, Khokhari will meet with a mentor who will continue to offer her guidance as she enters the workforce as an educator next year.

“While in school the mentor provides encouragement and career advice. Once employed, the mentor will provide structure and guidance,” explains McMahill. This is important, she says, because of the huge fallout of teachers in their first five years on the job. National statistics indicate that 20 to 30 percent of certified teachers leave the profession early in their careers.

“Because our TQP advisor selects a mentor and we have access to so many resources, I feel like I’ll have a head start when I begin teaching,” says Khokhari. “This will provide me with more experience and a better chance at success than my peers.”

Ella Cowherd has worked for the Des Moines Public Schools for several years, but after a year in the TQP as a graduate student, she realizes she still has much to learn.

“When I started the program, I did not understand the difference in urban and suburban education,” she says. “I did not realize the many cultural and socio-economic issues affecting students. In a way it’s like being an intern in a company — I work with my mentor and instead of just learning to become a teacher, I learn what it takes to become an exceptional classroom manager.”

This is exactly what Middleton loves to hear.

“I see the potential for great growth on Drake’s part with this.”

Johnson agrees 100 percent.

“I think we should be the premiere institution in dealing with issues relevant to urban education,” he says. “We can become the nation’s leading university for urban study and preparation.”

Cowherd is working to make this a reality.

“Through the program and my Drake experience, I want to be able to say that I have become one of the best teachers in the nation,” she says.

That possibility seems more likely every day.

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Myth busting SOME STORIES JUST WON’T DIE. (AND THE GOOD ONES DON’T DESERVE TO.)

Mb Many tales passed along to generations of Drake students are simply too good to go away — and sometimes too good to be true. Facts, it’s been said, are secondary to a good story. And though this is true of some of the tales that abound on campus, many have at least some truth behind them.

✯✯ Tim Schmitt ✯✯

LEGEND:

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The remains of former Drake President Daniel Morehouse and his wife are interred in the Drake Observatory.

G

VERDICT: TRUE

In his graduate studies at Drake, Daniel Morehouse discovered a comet and as president of the University he raised funds to create the Drake Observatory, which became his final resting place after his passing in 1941.

“As far as I know and as far as the family is concerned, it’s true,” says Charles Nelson, professor of astronomy. “Unless it’s an elaborate hoax, it’s absolutely true.” There is a plaque inside the main rotunda of the observatory and Nelson confirms that family members often come to the room to hold memorial services for the couple.

LEGEND: Students pilfered trays from Hubbell and used them for sledding in the quad, an activity known as “Hubbelling.”

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Q

Olmsted Center was designed and built to look like a bulldog.

VERDICT: FALSE

Built in 1974 at a cost of more than $4 million, Olmsted was never designed to look like a bulldog.

The fact that it does is sheer happenstance. Paul Johnson, director of the physical plant at the time Olmsted was conceived and constructed, said the round windows, often thought to represent the eyes of the bulldog, are merely concessions to the fire code — an access route for firefighters to get into the building in an emergency. “There was never any conversation with the architect about designing it to look like a bulldog,” says Johnson.

VERDICT: TRUE

“Quad tray sledding has always been a rumor but in all the years I’ve been at Drake, I’ve never actually seen it occur,” says one current student. “I think it’s more of a myth.” But dozens of alums have confirmed the practice, including Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Academic Excellence Wanda Everage, LA’72, who sheepishly admits to participating.

“Unfortunately, I did use a Hubbell tray for sledding. Of course I was much younger then.” Linda Burke, BN’80, adds: “We certainly went sledding on Hubbell trays. Not only did we use them on campus, we used to go to Waveland Golf Course for the really big hills.”

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LEGEND:

Political radicals

LEGEND: bombed a building

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on campus.

VERDICT: TRUE

On June 29, 1970, a bomb was detonated inside Harvey Ingham Hall, causing extensive damage and shattering windows in Meredith, Fitch and Herriott halls.

Don Adams, vice president of student life at the time, recalled to The TimesDelphic recently that police had a suspect in the incident, but the individual was killed in a bombing gone awry in Minneapolis before he could be arrested or prosecuted.

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LEGEND:

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The “Paul is dead” rumor began because of an article that ran in The Times-Delphic.

VERDICT: FALSE Y) CALL HNI

(TEC

Tim Harper, JO’72, wrote an article titled “Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?” for the September 17, 1969, issue of The TimesDelphic. This is the first known written report of the rumor and conspiracy about McCartney’s alleged demise, but the account merely fanned the flames of a myth already in place. The rumor originated with a car crash in 1967 involving McCartney’s Mini Cooper. Bystanders on the scene assumed McCartney had been injured, which ultimately led to the “Paul is dead” rumor and cover-up conspiracy to which Harper’s story helped give national prominence.

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LEGEND:

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Comedian Steve Allen was expelled from Drake because he somehow got a cow on the roof of Morehouse Resident Hall.

VERDICT: FALSE ABLY) OB

LEGEND:

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(PR

Steve Allen, creator of “The Tonight Show,” did attend Drake in the ’40s but did not graduate, according to Nancy Geiger, GR’92, student records analyst. Like writer Bill Bryson, LA’77, the bug got hold of him and he left Drake early. At the time, records weren’t kept to indicate why a student left school, so there is no indication if the cow on the roof story has any truth to it. Drake presented Allen an honorary doctor of fine arts degree in 1993, and, adds Geiger, “I doubt we would have done that for someone so mischievous.”

The Harmon Fine Arts Center LEGEND: was built around the property of “a little old lady” who refused to sell her home to the University.

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VERDICT: TRUE

VERDICT: FALSE

This rumor, though widespread at Drake, is not specific to the University but is a common urban legend on campuses nationwide. Drake’s policy is clear and simple: “It’s not true,” says Tom Delahunt, vice president for admission and financial aid.

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The rooms in Goodwin-Kirk — rumored to be the LEGEND: same size as prison cells — were illegal because they were too small, so Drake added bay windows to each room to make them legally habitable.

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The “U” shape on the eastern side of the FAC exists because the building was erected in 1972 around the property of, yes, a little old lady who would not sell her home. “She lived there and she just didn’t want to move,” recalls Johnson. “She had no interest in even discussing it. She passed away and we worked with one of her relatives and purchased it at that point.” However, the addendum to this legend — that the red sculpture on the west side of the building is located where the home once sat — is false.

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VERDICT: FALSE

F

Though admittedly small, the rooms in Goodwin-Kirk were not illegal when the building was constructed in 1965 or at any time thereafter.“The rooms were reasonably small,” says Johnson. “Drake was growing by leaps and bounds in those days and we were trying to maximize the amount of people we could get in there.” The bay windows, he says, were added to make the rooms look and feel bigger and to add architectural detail to the outside of the building.

sports sideline RELAYS RECORDS ROUTED The newly renovated Drake Stadium moved closer to the center of the track and field universe this spring. First off was the 98th running of the Drake Relays. The 2007 Relays marked the 42nd consecutive sellout crowd for the Saturday session and the 14,000 fans in attendance got quite a show. Athletes of every level set a combined 16 records, the most since 18 marks fell at the 1985 Relays.

On a breezy and pleasant weekend, the Jim Duncan Track proved fast for elite competitors.

At the Saturday session, Alan Webb ran the fastest outdoor mile in the world at 3:51.71, University of Minnesota ran the fastest women’s outdoor 4x1,600 relay time in the world this year in 19:07.75 and South Alabama’s Mulzat Ajoke Odomusu, a native of Nigeria, ran the fastest women’s outdoor 400-meter hurdles in the world at 55.37. For a complete list of records, visit www.GoDrakeBulldogs.org and click on Drake Relays.

RACES RUMBLE ON Drake Stadium got no rest after the Relays. Drake hosted the Missouri Valley Conference track

championships and the Iowa boys’ and girls’ combined state track meet before welcoming the NCAA Division I Midwestern Regional track and field championship on May 25-26, which drew more than 9,000 fans across the two days.

Bulldog track fans got a special treat. Junior hurdler Derek Johnson qualified for the national championships by taking fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles. The regional sets the stage for Drake to host the 2008 NCAA track and field championships June 11-14.

CENTURY MARKS Missouri Valley Conference fans paid homage to the long-standing tradition of excellent studentathletes on Drake women’s basketball team by adding six Bulldogs to the All-Time Team.

Wanda Ford, ED’86, the NCAA’s all-time leading rebounder, and her mid-1980s teammate, Lorri Bauman Record, ED’84, Drake’s all-time leading scorer, made the list along with standout All-American Jan Jensen, JO’91. Drake’s legacy of powerful centers in the mid1990s through the early 2000s also won praise. Tricia Wakely Watts, PH’96, who played from

DRAKE ATHLETICS RECOGNIZED FOUR OUTSTANDING ALUMNI with the Drake Double D Award in February. The award, the highest honor bestowed on Drake student-athletes, is presented annually to Drake letter winners for achievements in their chosen fields of endeavor and/or community service since leaving the University.

From left: Spike; Jack Stapleton, LA’78; Mike Murphy, JO’75; Jim Stalnaker, JO’79; Jan Jensen, JO’91, GR’96; and Sandy Hatfield Clubb, Drake athletic director.

1992–96, Tammi Blackstone, AS’00, who followed Watts from 1996 –99 and Carla Bennett, JO’05, 1999–03, led Drake to a combined six NCAA Tournament appearances.

LONEY’S LEGION Drake named Steve Loney, a veteran coach with 30 years of experience, as interim head football coach in June. Loney

RACKET RUCKUS The Drake men’s tennis team defended its Missouri Valley Conference championship in April and earned a berth in the NCAA championships for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs posted a 23-2 record and earned a No. 52 national ranking — the highest in school history. Freshman Bokang Setshgo, who enrolled in Drake in January, earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors for helping the Bulldogs reach their fourth overall NCAA Tournament appearance.

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succeeds Rob Ash, who served as head football coach at Drake for 18 years before being named head coach at Montana State.

“It is humbling and a great honor to accept this position at Drake,” said Loney. “Spending as many years in the state of Iowa as I have, I have a lot of familiarity with the program and the great tradition of Drake football dating back to Chuck Shelton (Drake coach 1977-85). I look forward to being able to continue the excellence that has marked the program over the years.”

A Marshalltown, IA, native, Loney has coached in the National Football League and at NCAA Division I schools Iowa State and Minnesota. He most recently served as an offensive line coach with the Arizona Cardinals.

A NEW SEASON, A NEW DAVIS Keno Davis succeeded his father, Tom Davis, as the Bulldog’s 24th head men’s basketball coach in April.

Keno Davis served six years as an assistant coach under former

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champions Drake head coach Gary Garner at Southeast Missouri State before being named the first assistant to join the men’s basketball coaching staff at Drake under Tom Davis in 2003. He also served as an assistant coach at Southern Indiana from 1995 to 1997 under coach Bruce Pearl who is now the highly successful coach at the University of Tennessee. Keno won’t be the only Davis on the bench next season. He named Rodell Davis, no relation, as an assistant coach, and promoted Chris Davis, also no relation, to associate head coach.

SOFTBALLERS CHOSEN Missouri Valley Conference softball fans named six Bulldog players to the conference’s AllTime Team. The team was chosen through an online ballot to mark the MVC’s 100th anniversary.

Leading the list was standout shortstop Dani Tyler, BN’97, who knocked in a school record 115 RBI from 1993–95. Her .395 career batting average is tops in school history. Tyler made the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team, which won a gold medal during the Atlanta games. Also notching their marks in history are current assistant softball coach Katie Shimon, BN’03, who is the Bulldogs’ all-time home run leader with 25, Aimee DeKeyser Hamilton, AS’98, who recorded 218 career hits as a Bulldog, Pam Schaffrath, AS’93, who swatted 193 hits and 15 homers from 1990 to 1993, Kris Cox, ED’93, Drake’s hits leader with 221, and Laurie Bowden Mardis, BN’93, who won 66 games — 31 of them shut outs — and struck out a school record 670 from 1990-93.

TENNIS ACE In her finest season, sophomore Veronika Leszayova was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Tennis All-Select team.

The Magazine of Drake University

Playing No. 1 singles for the Bulldogs, Leszayova entered action at the State Farm MVC Women’s Tennis Championships with a 13-8 singles ledger in the dual season. In league competition, she finished with a 4-4 mark.

SPEED READER Graduating Drake senior Ashley Anklam has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 7 Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country team.

Anklam, who owned a 3.73 GPA with a degree in biochemistry cell and molecular biology, was on the national ballot for the Academic All-America award, which was disclosed June 27.

Anklam was a nine-time AllMissouri Valley Conference performer, having won the individual title at the 2006 MVC Cross Country Championships. She was third in the 10,000 and fourth in the 5,000 at the 2007 MVC Outdoor Championships.

She was third in the 5,000 and fourth in the 3,000 at the 2007 MVC Indoor Championships.

Anklam ran the 5,000 at the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional and was third in the 10,000 at the 2006 MVC Outdoor Championships.

To be nominated, studentathletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for their career. Athletes are eligible when they reach sophomore athletic and academic standing at their current institution.

NEW FACES Erin Hirsch, a volleyball star at Northern Iowa, has joined the Drake women’s volleyball team as an assistant coach. Former Northern Iowa assistant women’s basketball coach Allison Pohlman has joined the Bulldogs as an assistant women’s coach.

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For the Love of Relays DRAKE STUDENTS FIND FELLOWS, RAISE FUTURE GENERATIONS OF RELAYS ATTENDANCE RECORD BREAKERS. It’s not that she didn’t like track. It’s probably more that Evelyn Zirbel, FA’36, didn’t have a vested interest in it until she and classmate Dorothy Posten, FA’36, met the Gallagher brothers, Leonard (Len), BN’33, and Rolland (Rollie), BN’36.

Then, it seems, the sport took on a whole new meaning.

As Drake runners, it’s likely Len, a sprinter, won over Dorothy with his speed, while Rollie, a distance man, earned Evelyn’s affection with his endurance. Both women cheered on their beaux as they competed in the Drake Relays. Rollie was the 1936 Drake track captain, who, according to Evelyn, “died with cinder in his knees.”

Evelyn attended the Drake Relays for the first time as a student in 1932. And she’s attended every year since except for the two years she missed during World War II when she was stationed as an army hostess at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis.

Relays became a family tradition in 1938 when the Gallagher brothers’ wives first hosted a gathering for college friends who returned to campus for the event; tables were set at Rollie and Evelyn’s house a few blocks north of the stadium.

Most years, some 50 to 60 guests are served at the annual picnic.

Rollie and Evelyn’s daughter, Mindy Neumann, ED’72, was born in 1950 and attended her first Relays when she was just nine months old. And her record is even more astonishing than her mother’s; Mindy hasn’t missed the event in 57 consecutive years.

Once her sons were born, Mindy would be seen in the stadium with them in tow, while her husband, John, would be on the field officiating.

“Dad used to have the boys bet nickels on who would win each race so they would pay attention,” says Mindy.

The boys, Andy now 27 and Scott 24, no longer leave the stadium with pockets full of change. John has retired from officiating. And Evelyn no longer hosts the noontime picnic — she’s passed that on to the third generation. But one thing remains the same: The Gallagher-Neumanns will be found in the same seats across from the finish line where they have been sitting for more than 70 years.

— Abbie Hansen, JO’01

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alumni update

ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS The Drake University National Alumni Association celebrated the achievements of outstanding graduates at the annual awards dinner.

Madeleine and President David Maxwell (center) congratulate the recipients (from left): Betty Grandquist, LA’74, former executive director of the Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging and secretary and program chair of the RaySociety at Drake, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Award; Charla Lawhon, JO’78, managing editor of InStyle magazine, who was presented the Alumni Achievement Award; Jonathan Azu, BN’99, vice president, strategic music partnerships, CBS Radio, Infinity Broadcasting, New York, who won the Young Alumni Achievement Award; Vinaya Sharma, BN’93, credit analyst and actuary with Quantitative Risk Management in Chicago who was presented the Young Alumni Loyalty Award; and William “Bill” Buchanan, BN’57, member of the College of Business and Public Administration National Advisory Council and innovator in the insurance industry and Fellow in the Society of Actuaries who was presented with the Alumni Loyalty Award.

NOMINATE ACCOMPLISHED ALUMNI Make your choice known for the 2008 alumni awards. The alumni awards honor individuals for outstanding achievement in a career or profession and reflect the pride of Drake University in those achievements. When making a nomination, consider the following categories: Alumni Loyalty, Young Alumni Achievement, Young Alumni Loyalty, Alumni Achievement and the Distinguished Service Award. Contact Barb Dietrich Boose, director of alumni and parent programs, with the name

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of your nominee and reason for recommendation by December 14: barbara.boose@drake.edu.

BROADWAY ACTOR SPEAKS TO THEATRE STUDENTS Just a few hours before his StageWest performance of I Am My Own Wife in which he played 42 characters, Philip Lehl, FA’86, reflected on his lengthy career and offered valuable advice to Drake theatre students. Lehl showed a mix of humor and serious reflection as he recalled his years at The Juilliard School, where he earned his graduate degree, and his various acting

gigs in New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Des Moines.

Lehl grew up in Des Moines and beamed about the city and his time at Drake. “Drake offered me a broad education — I learned acting, sets, lights, everything a young actor should,” he said. “And I love this town, although I think there should be a professional theatre here.”

In search of further lessons and a larger professional community, Lehl left for New York.

He appreciated the ordered atmosphere that The Juilliard School offered, helping him transition smoothly into the bustling New York acting community. He picked up an agent before graduating, worked in regional theater for a few years and scored a lead role in the Broadway production Blood Brothers, which opened in 1993.

In 1997, he appeared in the first national tour of the Broadway musical Titanic.

Since then, Lehl has continued to work in live theatre and currently resides in Houston where he regularly appears in productions at the Alley Theatre.

He says he loves the variety — and more importantly, he just plain loves acting.

LAW ALUMNI HONORED FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, DEDICATION TO DRAKE Bonnie Campbell, LA’82, LW’84, and Wayne Kern, LW’72, were named Alumni of the Year at the 2007 spring Supreme Court Celebration. Each year, the Law School honors alumni who exemplify outstanding character, exceptional achievement and distinguished service to Drake, the legal profession and the community.

Campbell, a native of South Plymouth, NY, is the only woman to have served as attorney general

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of Iowa, a position she held from 1990–94. She then joined the Clinton administration as one of its key officials on crime and gender-equity issues. Appointed head of the Justice Department’s newly created Violence Against Women Office in 1995, Campbell emerged as a national leader for her work to bring victim-rights reform to the country’s criminal justice system. Time magazine named her one of the 25 most influential people in America in 1997. She now works in private practice, was co-chair of the successful Culver-Judge Election Campaign in Iowa, is an advisor to the governor and in many ways is vitally and prominently engaged in public service.

Kern, of Dallas, attended Drake Law School as a nontraditional student after a career as high school teacher and banker in Macomb, IL. He went on to an outstanding career in business and law, the majority of it in the cable television and communications area. He has long been involved with Drake Law School, including team-teaching a mergers and acquisitions course. Kern and his wife, Donna, have endowed a Drake scholarship and most recently contributed generously to establish the Kern Family chair in intellectual property law.

COWLES LIBRARY LAUNCHES DIGITAL ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Just in time for the influx of alumni and visitors on campus for the 2007 Drake Relays, Cowles Library launched a new digital collection, called “What a Time We Had … Women Remember Drake,” as part of the Drake Digital Heritage Collection.

Nearly 25 women gathered for tea at Cowles Library on April 24 to celebrate the completion of the oral history project, which continued on page 24

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The Magazine of Drake University

spotlight

Cold Cases No More

Photo by Mary Chind, Copyright 2005, The Des Moines Register and Tribune Company. Reprinted with permission.

AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF WORK, THIS DRAKE GRAD IS STILL BRINGING JUSTICE TO DECADES-OLD CIVIL RIGHTS CASES. While a student at Waukee High School, Donald Burger, AS’62, read about Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy who was tortured and killed in Mississippi in 1955 for whistling at a white woman. The image of Till’s face, swollen and distorted from torture and drowning, has haunted Burger since. So much so that a half-century later, he was still working to bring justice to the case, which many credit with mobilizing the Civil Rights movement.

“I read in the Kansas City Call in 2002 about Mamie Till-Mobley seeking to get this case pursued by the Department of Justice,” recalls Burger.

“It was about 48 years since Emmett’s death and she’d worked her entire life trying to get justice for her son. I was so impressed with her and her efforts that I committed myself to her personally to get the Civil Rights Commission to reopen the case.”

Till-Mobley died just seven days after he made this promise to her, but Burger, now retired from the Department of Justice, kept his word. The case was reopened in 2005, and though no further indictments were issued, his work led to the creation of a cold case department within the DOJ that will reopen other civil rights cases for further investigation.

FOUNDATIONS OF BELIEF: While studying political science at Drake, Burger

served as leader and booking agent of the Drake dance band.

“I became interested in civil rights as a result of my studies at Drake,” Burger recalls. “But the band, which included several Black and Jewish members, experienced firsthand a lot of discrimination around Des Moines and that really opened my eyes.”

He put this interest and experience to work as the first director of the Iowa Commission on Civil Rights in 1965 and later as director of the Kentucky Commission on Civil Rights where he led desegregation efforts in the Louisville metro area.

Burger is pleased that his work has led to the reopening of other Civil Rights cases, including the 1964 kidnapping and murder of two Black teenagers in Mississippi. James Seale, a 71-year-old former Klansman was convicted of kidnapping in the case earlier this year.

Though retired, Burger continues as a volunteer with several civil rights organizations.

“There’s still work to do,” he says. “We’re still having many problems.”

— Tim Schmitt

The Magazine of Drake University

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alumni update continued from page 22 features interviews that reflect on a collective history spanning more than 65 years — from Jane Alexander, a 1933 Drake graduate, to Lisa Brinkmeyer, a 1998 Drake graduate and former women’s basketball player.

“This was an incredible undertaking,” said Tracy Codel, a 1986 Drake graduate. “The project will be something to bring alumni to the Web site to make a connection with the stories of other alumni.”

In addition, memorabilia and vintage photos of women at Drake are on display in the James M. Collier Heritage Room and various display cases throughout Cowles Library.

“The outcome of this project has surpassed all of our seven expectations,” said project coordinator Claudia Frazer. “It was a

special experience of sharing I will never forget.”

The digital collection is available at www.lib.drake.edu/heritage.

SWIM, BIKE, RUN A group of Drake alumni demonstrated their athleticism while participating in the amateur division of the Hy-Vee Triathlon held in Des Moines in June. The event hosted athletes from around the world who gathered in the heart of the Midwest to compete in the inaugural event. Members of the Drake group included Rob Fornoff, AS’97, Tom Hamilton, JO’87, Trisha Haszel, AS’03, Heather Martindill, ED’98, Nolan Mitchell, AS’95, Bryan Ptak, JO’96, Doug Schaefer, AS’99, Tyler Schwiesow, AS’99, and Chad Westberg, AS’98.

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A special celebration of Drake athletic historian Paul Morrison’s 90th birthday

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Let’s DU Lunch Drake men’s basketball coach Keno Davis Des Moines

1957 Sun Bowl team reunion Francis Marion Drake Society Dinner Des Moines

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Twin Cities Drake Law Alumni Event Dakota Jazz Club Minneapolis

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 Drake vs. University of San Diego Pre-game football party San Diego

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Drake Alumni at the Hollywood Bowl Picnic and concert Los Angeles

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 Law Alumni Event Washington, D.C.

November SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Drake vs. University of Northern Iowa Football Game pre-game and tailgate party Des Moines

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7 Let’s DU Lunch Marsha Ternus, LW’77, Chief Justice, Iowa Supreme Court Des Moines

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 Bucksbaum Lecture Nicholas Kristof, New York Times op-ed columnist Des Moines

February

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 African-American Alumni Reunion Des Moines

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 Let’s DU Lunch J. Scott Johnson, GR’90, president and COO, Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Des Moines

Parents and Family Weekend

October WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 Let’s DU Lunch Nancy Sebring, superintendent, Des Moines Public Schools Des Moines

DATE TO BE DETERMINED Naples Alumni Event Naples, FL

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28 – SUNDAY, MARCH 2 Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament St. Louis

March THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4 College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Day Des Moines

DRAKE GRAD RECEIVES LONG-OVERDUE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL More than 60 years following his service as a Tuskegee Airman, James Bowman, ED’47, GR’49,’75, finally received a long-overdue token of thanks. Bowman was one of nearly 400 African-American World War II pilots to receive a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the federal legislative branch. The Tuskegee Airmen were the nation’s first African-American military airmen.

THURSDAY, MARCH 6 – SUNDAY, MARCH 9 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament

Visit www.drake.edu/alumni for details regarding alumni events and services, to update your contact information, to share news and more.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 Homecoming Weekend

☛ 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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The Magazine of Drake University

spotlight

Jailhouse Rock A CRIME-FIGHTER BY DAY, THIS ALUM ROCKS THE HOUSE AT NIGHT ON ANY GIVEN WEEK, Erik Peterson’s schedule might look

like this: Monday: Battle terrorism. Tuesday: Fight violent crime.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Do away with narcotics, child pornography and corporate corruption. Saturday: Play some rock ’n’ roll.

By day, 1992 speech communications grad Erik Peterson supervises 22 federal crime-fighting lawyers as a U.S. Attorney for the state of Wisconsin. By night and on weekends, he finds time to beat the skins for a rock band called Alibi.

A PASSION FOR RHETORIC: “I learned more from professor Jon

Ericson and the speech department than I ever thought possible,” Peterson says. “I learned a respect for procedure from Ericson’s parliamentary procedure class, and I learned how to speak and write collectively from all my professors — to speak effectively, to communicate a message.”

As a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, a first-year student orientation counselor, community advisor at Goodwin-Kirk residence hall, and dormitory resident assistant, Peterson also began acquiring the much-needed people skills he uses today. “I learned to work with many other individuals as an orientation counselor, and as an RA I had to deal with every personal problem you can imagine,” he says.

Prior to being nominated by President Bush for the U.S. Attorney position — and unanimously confirmed by the senate — Peterson was elected as a district attorney four times. He beat out a 13-year incumbent his first time out.

BUSTING BAD GUYS AND ROCKING THE HOUSE: His bandmates are legally oriented, too: Guitarist Randy Schneider was named Wisconsin’s Homicide Investigator of the Year in 2005; Brad Schimel, bassist, is an assistant district attorney; and vocalist Heather Zander is a former community development director.

On stage, Peterson replaces his crime-fighter suit with a “Simpsons” T-shirt and dark sunglasses. And while they don’t cover Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law,” — they play a mix of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s hits. Mellencamp, Springsteen, The Goo Goo Dolls — Peterson and his bandmates aren’t going to let the criminals stand in their way.

“We’re just a band full of guys who graduated from college and got real jobs,” Peterson says, “but never left the garage.”

— Aaron W. Jaco, JO’07

The Magazine of Drake University

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alumni update

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Picture 1: John Garcia, JO’86, Mark Owsley, and Henry Hamilton,

JO’88, LW’92, reunited with other ’Dogs during the 20-year cluster reunion. Picture 2: Art Cady, LA’74, LW’77, and Barb Cady attend the Drake Law School reunion. Picture 3: Erin Schnobrich Swartz, Elizabeth Soike, Kelly Vander Pol Kaminskas, and Sandy Bretzlauf, of the Class of 2002, at the five-year cluster reunion. Picture 4: Pat O’Brien, GR’99, John Jennett, ED’53, GR’59, and Jim Pilkington, ED’54, accepted an SOE alumni award in honor of Jim Heslop, ED’54. Other award recipients were Connie Cohen, ED’72, GR’77, LW’87, and Tom Andersen, GR’72,’88. Picture 5: Drake Trustee Anne Delger Hilton, BN’78, David Novick, JO’86, and William Dillon, JO’87, celebrate Drake’s 125th birthday at Gallery 1261 in Denver on February 20. Picture 6: Marcella Washington Hill, GR’49, (center) and granddaughters Eshe (left) and Safiya Hill celebrate following the acceptance of the Weaver Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to Wendell T. Hill Jr., PH’50.

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The Magazine of Drake University

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We hope the creation of this endowed faculty research fund will assist in some small way in the enhancement of faculty knowledge and continued excellence of the law school.

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ROBERT, LW’62, AND NANCY LANDESS THANKED DRAKE FOR THE ROLE THE UNIVERSITY HAS HAD IN THEIR SUCCESS BY GIVING BACK. The couple recently bequeathed a gift to the Drake Law School providing funding for the Landess Endowed Faculty Research Fund.

You, too, can make a difference in the lives of future Drake grads through a bequest. A bequest is a gift you pass to a person or entity through your will.

You can bequeath money, property or a share of your estate’s residue.

Of all the gifts you can offer to Drake University, one of the most meaningful — and one of the easiest to make — is a bequest.

For more information or to make a contribution, contact Director of Planned Giving Amy Peters at 1-800-44-Drake, x4069 or go to www.drake.edu/alumni and click “Support Drake.”

pictorial DESPITE EARNING COVETED GREEN MASTERS JACKET, GOLF CHAMP REMAINS DRAKE BLUE AT HEART “IT’S THE IOWA SUPPORT AND DRAKE SUPPORT THAT KEEPS ME GOING. I loved my four years

here at Drake,” said Zach Johnson, BN’98, to a Drake campus crowd. Still walking on clouds after winning the Masters and the AT&T Classic, Johnson returned to Des Moines in May for a celebration where Gov. Chet Culver proclaimed May 24 “Zach Johnson Day” in Iowa. “I am beyond proud to be a Drake Bulldog,” said Johnson, as Drake President David Maxwell(above left) presented him with the framed original artwork from Brian Duffy’s editorial cartoon about the Masters that appeared in The Des Moines Register featuring a putting green labeled “Field of Dreams.” Johnson then donned a blue jacket sporting the Drake logo that was presented to him by Drake Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb (left), turned to his wife, Kim, and said, “We’ve got one more jacket, honey. This is awesome.”

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DRAKE’S MISSION is to provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship.

The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.