Author: Carl Olsen (Carl Olsen)

Drake alumna Marguerite Purcell, who graduated in 1929 at 18 with a degree in education, is profiled. By the 1930s, she was a kindergarten pioneer in rural Iowa, where early childhood education was just catching on.

Two of the three newly appointed Iowa Supreme Court Justices have Drake connections. Judge Edward Mansfield is an adjunct professor and Judge Bruce Zager is a graduate of the Drake Law School.

Clive Elliott, Drake's Daniel B. Goldberg Artist in Residence of Theatre Arts, is profiled in a TV segment in advance of "The Cherry Orchard," his final production before retirement.

Drake University law professor David Walker is quoted on the choice of the new justices, saying he thinks some members of the Supreme Court probably remain upset about the ouster of their colleagues but would quickly accept the new members. Newly selected justice Ed Mansfield, who is also an adjunct Drake Law professor, said his sense is that everyone is eager to get working.

Peter Yu, the Kern family chair in intellectual property law at Drake University Law School, will teach diplomats and United Nations personnel about the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, focusing on the basic principles of copyright.

Assistant Professor Ian Bartrum of Drake University Law School appears as a guest on Iowa Public Radio program "The Exchange," joining a discussion of two abortion bills currently under consideration in the Iowa House.

The academic accrediting team that visited Drake University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication last week apparently left with a good impression about the program, students and the school's cleaning crew.

Jason Lehmkuhle, a 2000 Drake graduate, won a tight sprint finish at the 2011 Ome 30 km Road Race to become the first American to win the prestigious race since Greg Meyer's 1983 victory.