Free screening of The Fault in Our Stars to take place at Varsity Cinema on April 1 Drake University is honored to welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author John Green for the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lectureship. The event, “An Evening with John Green,” will take place on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the Knapp Center on Drake’s campus. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be moderated by Assistant Professor, Dr. Lindsay Woodward. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for John Green here. John Green is a bestselling author whose novels include...
Drake University Announces Upcoming Retirement of Beloved Live Mascot, Griff II
Celebrations to continue through the spring, Griff III to be revealed later this week Drake University announced today that Griff II, the cherished English Bulldog who has served as the University’s official live mascot for the past six years, is retiring in May 2026 at the end of the current academic year. Drake has prepared a variety of celebrations to recognize Griff II’s tenure and his dedicated service before he settles into a well-deserved retirement full of snoozing, snacks, and snuggles. “Griff II is an extraordinary ambassador for Drake University and the City of Des Moines,” said Drake President Marty...
Drake Leads in 2025 U.S. News & World Report National University Rankings
Drake named a top 200 school, and #1 in Iowa for “Best Value School” Drake University was once again ranked among the top 200 best colleges in the nation — this time in the U.S. News and World Report national university rankings, competing against the largest universities in the country. The news comes just weeks after receiving similar accolades from The Wall Street Journal’s 2025 College Pulse Ranking. U.S. News also ranked Drake as the #1 private school in Iowa within its national university rankings. According to the U.S. News national university ranking methodology*, Drake also secured high marks in several...
CPHS Student, Faculty, Staff and Experiential Awards Announced at Health Professions Day 2026
Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS) held its annual Health Professions Day on February 19, 2026. The event is organized by a student-led committee and engages members of the College in a series of activities that foster professional development. In addition, several awards were presented to students, faculty, staff, and experiential educators. CPHS would like to congratulate these individuals on their achievements and thank them for their dedication to their professions. Student Awards Faculty and program directors announced the recipients of several prestigious student awards. Health Sciences student awards were presented by Dr. Jon Hurdelbrink, Associate Professor of Health Sciences. Occupational Therapy student awards were presented by Dr. Leslie Jackson, OT Department Chair/Program Director and...
Network Issues, March 5
ITS staff are aware of and investigating reports of wireless network issues in Howard, Meredith, and the Dial Center; some people are unable to connect to eduroam and DUGuest but are able to connect to the wired network. We’ll provide updates as we work to resolve this issue. If you’re experiencing this issue, contact the ITS Support Center by submitting a Network Issue ticket, calling 515-271-3001, or visiting the lower level of Carnegie Hall with your device. To receive ITS news posts via email, opt in by completing this form. To receive SMS outage notifications, opt in by texting DrakeITSALERTS to phone 226787. Make sure you’re signed up to receive text Bulldog Alerts; check your...
Official News Releases
POSTPONED: All In 24-Hour Giving Challenge
All In: Drake’s 24-Hour Giving Challenge scheduled for March 4–5 from noon-to-noon has been postponed due to the passing of Drake University student, Sgt. Declan Coady, who was confirmed to be among the six U.S. service members killed in Kuwait on Sunday. Please join us as we come together as a community to honor the loss of a beloved student and to extend our love and support to the Coady family during this difficult time. All In will be rescheduled for later this spring. A new date will be communicated soon.
Official News Releases
Statement From Drake University Honoring Sgt. Declan Coady
We are heartbroken to learn that Declan Coady—a well-loved and highly dedicated Drake University student studying information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science—was confirmed to be among the six U.S. service members killed in Kuwait on Sunday. He has bravely served in the U.S. Army Reserves since 2023 as an Information Technologies Specialist and had an incredibly bright future ahead of him. In moments like these, we must all come together to show much-needed love and compassion for the Coady family through this incredibly difficult time.
Voices of Drake: Tiya (Ty) Walls
This Q&A is part of the story series Voices of Drake that highlights the diversity, ambition, and passion of the incredible people who make up our campus community. In recognition and celebration of Black History Month, we will be sharing a collection of interviews to spotlight Black voices in our community. This week’s story highlights Student Body President Tiya (Ty) Walls, who is studying Information Systems and soon-to-be graduate student in Drake’s Master of Science in Business Analytics. Tell us about yourself.My name is Tiya (Ty) Walls. I am a senior studying Information Systems with minors in Cybersecurity and Spatial and Information...
Drake Health Sciences Students Reflect on Hands-On Senior Internship Experiences
In the final year of Drake University’s undergraduate Health Sciences program within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, each student completes a Senior Internship Experience designed to integrate and apply classroom knowledge within a professional setting. Students are placed in a variety of environments; including clinical care, pharmaceuticals, hospital and healthcare administration, rehabilitation services, and nonprofit organizations. These placements provide valuable exposure to prospective career paths such as dental care, optometry, pathology, public health, and long-term care. Three Health Sciences seniors, Ella Bloom, Isabella Ansani, and Rose Lee shared more about their internship experiences from the Fall 2025 semester. Ella Bloom’s Internship at Can Play, West Des Moines, IA For her senior...
Planned ProcessMaker Maintenance: Feb. 24
ITS vendor partner ProcessMaker will be performing routine maintenance on the system starting this evening, Tuesday, February 24, at 5:45 p.m. and lasting approximately 8 hours. During this time, brief disruptions of a few minutes at a time may happen sporadically. Additionally, automated processes may be interrupted but will be queued to run after the work is completed. If you experience issues after the maintenance is complete, contact the ITS Support Center for help by visiting service.drake.edu/its, calling 515-271-3001, or visiting the lower level of Carnegie Hall with your device. To receive ITS news posts via email, opt in by completing this form. To see the full 2026 maintenance schedule, visit drake.edu/its/maintenanceschedule. To...
Voices of Drake: Kenton Ausmer
This Q&A is part of the story series Voices of Drake that highlights the diversity, ambition, and passion of the incredible people who make up our campus community. In recognition and celebration of Black History Month, we will be sharing a collection of interviews to spotlight Black voices in our community. This week’s story highlights Kenton Ausmer, Drake University junior, who is studying biochemistry, cellular, molecular, biology (BCMB) and Chinese. Tell us about yourselfMy name is Kenton Ausmer. I am a junior from St. Louis, Missouri, studying biochemistry, cellular, molecular, biology (BCMB) with a minor in Chinese. What does Black History Month...
Drake Nursing Program Receives Iowa Board of Nursing Approval
The Iowa Board of Nursing approved Drake University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, marking a major milestone toward accreditation. Drake accepted its first cohort of nursing students in the fall of 2024. Those 19 students completed the one-year program in August 2025, and just a few weeks later, a second cohort of students began their nursing journey. “Our program is small but mighty,” said Abby Rail, Assistant Professor of Nursing. “As faculty, we love the one-on-one attention we can give each student to adapt to their individual needs.” Drake student nurses complete 600 hours of hands-on, clinical work during their program. Students hone their skills...