Category: eBlue Newsletter

The spring issue of Drake Blue magazine is scheduled to hit mailboxes in early April. Consider becoming a mentor for students in a rewarding way to give back. Plus, mark your calendars for the 2007 alumni awards dinner.

This spring, the annual Drake Law School Constitutional Law Symposium will tackle a bold topic for debate: Does the U.S. Constitution thwart democracy? The event, titled "Our 'Undemocratic' American Constitution," is set for Saturday, April 7, with activities beginning at 8 a.m. in Cartwright Hall.

The Los Angeles-based W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded the Council of Independent Colleges a grant of $360,000 to implement the Network for Effective Language Learning (NELL) in cooperation with Drake.

Among the most loyal Bulldog fans are David Thompson, PH’63, and Nancy Thompson, who began getting season tickets three years ago when David sold his business, Granville Drugs in Granville, Ill., and became semi-retired.

Nationally renowned journalist and author Neenah Ellis, FA'81, will be the featured speaker at the Live! @ the Drake Library Series on Tuesday, March 27. Ellis will share highlights of her career at 7 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room.

The McCormick Tribune Foundation has awarded Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication $50,000 for a Specialized Reporting Institute called "McCormick Tribune Specialized Reporting Institute: Covering the Presidential Nominating Process." Drake will be teaming up with the Poynter Institute, a news media training organization, to present the institute on Drake’s campus June 3-5.

The Scholarship Committee of the Drake Alumnae Association of Des Moines plans to award six scholarships of $1,000 each. The scholarships will be awarded to current Drake students, and awards will be applied toward tuition for the fall 2007 semester.

Drake Head Start continues its 30th anniversary, and the program has plenty to celebrate. In 2006, Drake Head Start received a few especially nice birthday presents, racking up literary achievements with awards and grants both locally and nationally.

Drake's School of Fine Arts and Friends of Drake Arts have received an $8,000 grant from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino through its 2006 Community Betterment Grant Program.

Bryan Ptak, JO'96; Nolan Mitchell, AS'95; and more than 20 other Drake alumni plan to participate as Team Drake in the International Triathlon Union / Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon to be held in Des Moines on June 17. Des Moines is only the fourth U.S. city -- in addition to Honolulu, New York and St. Petersburg, Fla. -- to host a World Cup elite triathlon since the competition began.