Transformational...

The winds in higher education are

shifting. As the world becomes more

interconnected, more interdisciplinary

in nature and more reliant upon

emerging technologies, it is crucial that

the exceptional learning experience we

provide be just as interconnected …

just as interdisciplinary … just as

technologically driven.

We must empower the best and brightest students to come to Drake to realize their dreams.

We must attract and retain the finest scholars, academicians and teachers this country has to offer.

We must improve and enhance the physical facilities, technology and resources across our campus.

We must broaden perspectives through exciting and innovative new interdisciplinary centers and institutes.

We must build upon our collective financial strength.

Office of Alumni & Development

2507 University AvenueDes Moines, IA 503111.515.271.2500www.distinctly.drake.edu

Visions of a Brighter Future

Can a love story really change the world?

Sometimes, there comes a rare moment when love ... of new ideas, common

purpose and life-changing discovery … can power a revolution.

It is the kind of moment when a university arrives at a crossroads,

pauses to catch its breath, and looks around. For passion, the

kind that creates a 21st-century place of learning so students

may successfully compete in an increasingly complex and

interconnected world. For excellence that shakes the status quo

to illuminate entire disciplines. For opportunity that empowers

dreams to overcome the gravest odds in realizing their potential.

For new connections — among people, professions and more

sustainable ways of learning, living and being. For innovative

ways to deliver the kind of leadership the world needs.

This is the moment that is distinctlyDrake. A moment in our

history when, together, we can do what it takes to be one of the

very best institutions of higher education in the United States.

We invite you to join us as we seize this moment. Because it’s

our moment ... to transcend our individual aspirations, to

enable future generations to achieve their goals in life, and to

create history by proving, yet again, that some love stories ...

really can change the world.-

“At Drake, our commitment to providing an exceptional learning

environment and boundless opportunities for our students

is a passion that is shared by every member of the Drake

community and infused into everything that we do on a daily

basis. That passionate commitment defines who we are as

the Drake family and provides the context for every decision

that we make. Already recognized by our colleagues in higher

education for academic excellence, in five years we aspire to

be a national model for the very best in higher education.”

Dr. David Maxwell President, Drake University

Pass

ion

for

Wha

t’s P

ossib

le

For learning. For living.

For blazing new trails

of thought and breathing

new life into every facet

of human knowledge.

Passion is what it takes. The

kind of passion that comes alive

in the eyes of a student on the

verge of a new discovery. Or in

the heart of a professor who

collaborates with a student, and

together they present their

findings at a national conference.

Or in the mind of the graduate

who carries the Drake legacy

out into the world with every

new accomplishment.

Passion is what drives us. It has

since our founding in 1881. Our

people. Our places. Our purpose.

Whether it is the way we invest

in new knowledge through our

interdisciplinary centers and

institutes, or endow the

professorships necessary to be

one of the best institutions of

higher education in the country,

it all starts with passion. It is

what drives you and your love for

Drake. And it is what creates new

possibilities, empowers

achievement and transforms

bright young minds into the

leaders of tomorrow.

Passion for What’s Possible

Passion for community … whether it’s

creating new endowed professorships to

attract the nation’s best scholars or enabling

the professional development of our faculty

and staff, we have ranked in the top 10

among the nation’s midsized universities in

the Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great

Schools to Work For” survey.

Passion for Drake … in the fall of 2009

we achieved a record retention rate of 89.4

percent, placing Drake in the top 10 percent of

all four-year institutions in the United States.

“Excellence is a habit, and it doesn’t

come easily. Talking about it is one

thing, but it’s another thing entirely

to actually back it up the way Drake

does. Whether it’s groundbreaking

legal research, a renovated Drake

Stadium, or beautifying the Drake

Plaza, you see the excellence

everywhere. It’s in our blood.”

Peggy A. Fisher, FA’70distinctlyDrake Campaign Co-Chair; Member, Drake University Board of Trustees; and Chief Strategic and Operating Officer, The Stelter Company

Larry P. StelterPresident and Chief Executive Officer, The Stelter Company

It is relentless.

It is enduring.

It is the foundation of

everything we do.

Our quest for excellence

transcends time and discipline

and takes us beyond the

boundaries of imagination.

It is explored in all of its forms …

excellence in teaching, in learning,

in leading, in pioneering new

ideas and constantly evolving old

ones. It carries with it the

responsibility, and the honor,

of making life better for people

down the street, across the

country and around the world.

Excellence is an innate value at

Drake. It can be seen at every

turn, in the tens-of-millions of

dollars dedicated to the

improvement of our buildings

and facilities; in the increased

emphasis on providing new

scholarships in order to open

doors of opportunity for the very

best students this nation has to

offer; or in the strides we take to

enhance our outstanding

curriculum. Excellence is rooted

in the fabric of our rich history. It

is what brings us all together in

spirit. And it is the reason we are

viewed as one of the finest

master’s universities in America.

Excellence that Endures

Excellence in teaching … from providing cutting-edge

learning environments to encouraging collaborative

scholarship through new interdisciplinary centers, our

tireless pursuit of excellence continues to define us. In

the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Drake had

the third highest score for reputation for academic

quality among 572 masters institutions in the nation.

Excellence in learning … our mock trial team

recently won first place at the Harvard Crimson Classic,

and the Associated Collegiate Press awarded our

student-produced Drake Magazine the ACP Pacemaker

Award for Magazine Excellence.

Exce

llenc

e th

at E

ndur

es

Nearly 18,000 Drake alumni

have chosen to live and work in

Des Moines — Iowa’s capital,

largest city and center of

business, industry,

entertainment and culture.

Des Moines has been named

one of the top 10 cities for the

next decade by Kiplinger’s

Personal Finance magazine.

Forbes magazine ranked

Des Moines No. 1 on its list of

“Best Places for Business

and Careers.”

“Drake is an excellent institution in a

wonderfully surprising city. Des Moines is

a city where big things happen. Business,

industry, politics, media, the arts, law, medicine,

it’s all here. The recognition and rankings

Des Moines receives are wonderful, but you

have to be here and a part of this community

to truly experience the amazing sense of

energy and opportunity this place affords.”

Steve LacyMember, National Campaign Committee and Chairman and CEO, Meredith Corporation

Opp

ortu

nitie

s th

at O

pen

Doo

rs

To realize potential. To shine a

light on the hopes and dreams

of today and transform them

into the realities of tomorrow.

Opportunity. It is — in its purest

form — the starting point for any

human endeavor. To learn from

the best. To take one’s curiosity

out into the world. To engage

with the finest programs,

resources and technology. To

prepare for, and thrive within,

today’s interconnected world.

It all begins with an opportunity.

It may be the high school senior

who has always dreamed of

attending Drake seeing that

dream realized thanks to a

scholarship. Or the biology

professor who will be able to take

her research to new heights

thanks to new, state-of-the-art

facilities and laboratories. Or

the junior traveling the world

thanks to the Center for Global

Citizenship. Opportunity. It is a

door propped open by you. By

your love for Drake. And by the

goal we all share of positioning

Drake to be one of the country’s

best universities.

Opportunities that Open Doors

Opportunities to excel … an exceptional

learning environment is a key factor in

fostering academic excellence. In recent

years we’ve invested nearly $70 million in

renovations to classrooms and residence

halls, upgrades to laboratories and

technology, and new construction.

Opportunities to achieve … we spent

more than $47 million in financial

assistance for students in the 2009-2010

academic year alone, with 98 percent of

undergraduates receiving some form of aid.

Opportunities to grow … demand for the

Drake experience continues to expand

significantly as we attract more of the

nation’s best young minds every year. After

several years of double-digit increases, our

applications for fall 2010 were almost 20

percent ahead of the previous year.

“When we talk about

fostering connections that

change lives, it’s because we

see these connections

happening at Drake and

know how powerful the

changes can be for students.

So it’s paramount that we

enhance our ability to

connect students with

world-class teachers, with

new and emerging fields of

study, and with opportunities

to travel the world.”

Eleanor ZeffAssociate Professor of Politics and International Relations and Drake University Coordinator for Post-Graduate Student International Scholarships

Con

nect

ions

that

Cha

nge

Live

s

Connections that inspire … are critical to Drake’s future as

one of the nation’s very best universities, whether it is connecting

students to faculty or rewarding faculty and staff achievement in

more tangible ways. In fact, we’ve added more than $12 million in

new funds to the faculty and staff compensation budget over the

past six years to ensure students will have greater access to the

best minds in their fields.

Connections that empower … not surprisingly, we also

continue to be one of the top producers of Fulbright Scholars among

master’s universities nationwide, with four students and two

faculty members receiving Fulbright Scholarships in recent years.

They can be seen around

every corner. In every building.

At any point in the day.

Their simplicity is matched only

by their brilliance and power to

illuminate everything they touch.

Connections. It might be a

moment between a student and

teacher that will forever impact

them both. Or an idea that will

lead someone down a new path

in life. Or an opportunity to link

fields of study, which had never

previously intersected, in an

innovative and imaginative way.

Since our founding and

throughout our history, we have

helped forge these life-changing

connections. Connections that

empower individuals — through

expertise, resources and

technology — to do, and to be,

their very best. Connections that

enrich learning through

world-class teaching, enhanced

curricular and cocurricular

offerings, new interdisciplinary

centers and institutes, and

unparalleled facilities. And

connections that ignite the

brightest futures one can

imagine — in business,

medicine, the arts, law,

education and countless other

professional fields — in a way

that truly is distinctlyDrake.

Connections that Change Lives

It is not easily defined.

You know it when you see it.

Leadership. True leadership.

For some, it comes naturally.

For others, it is a part of their

character that may need a bit

of coaxing to bring out into

the world. But no matter what,

to see it in action is a thing

of beauty. It inspires. It

collaborates. It is applied with

a sense of values, ethics and

social responsibility that is

beyond question.

Our brand of leadership is

something special. It harkens

back to the day we were

founded by a Civil War general

and continues to shape us now,

as Iowa’s largest private college.

It can be seen in the glint of our

eyes … the student who won a

leadership award at a national

conference, the professor

leading a conversation about

the economy on National Public

Radio, the alumnus who has

led one of the nation’s great

states as Governor or the

institution itself, as a leader in

the world of sports through

a century of hosting the

renowned Drake Relays.

Leadership for Life

Leaders in knowledge …

endowed professorships are

a strong indicator of academic

excellence and leadership. In

recent years, Drake has

added four new endowed

professorships (Baum, Turner,

Fisher/Stelter and Johnson) in

addition to other achievements,

like establishing the

Buchanan Center for

Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Leaders in spirit …

every year, more than 300

students take advantage of

the programs, opportunities

and interactions with alumni

and community leaders offered

by our Donald V. Adams

Leadership Institute, which

exemplifies Drake’s tireless

commitment to preparing

students for leadership

within their communities

and professions.

Leaders in achievement …

more than 90 percent of

Drake students find career

employment or enter graduate

school within six months after

receiving their degree. A

sampling of our many alums

making positive change in the

world includes three governors,

the CEO of Chicago Mercantile

Exchange Group, the CEO of

Principal Financial Group, the

retired CEO of Walgreens, the

Assistant Secretary of State

for African Affairs, an Emmy

Award-winning actor, a

Pulitzer Prize-winning

journalist and the former

Chairman of McDonald’s.

“True leadership isn’t something that can be quantified. It’s about listening, inspiring action, moving ahead in a confident and thoughtful way. It instills an energy and belief in those around you. Leadership is something that is taken very seriously at Drake. It’s the type of people we bring in — faculty, administration, staff and students. And it’s the type of person our experience produces.”

Donald V. AdamsProfessor Emeritus of Education and retired Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Life

Lead

ersh

ip fo

r Li

fe

“This campaign is intended to

support a vision for Drake that is

far reaching in its scope and

supported by plans to create an

environment that is conducive to

the changing needs of higher

education and staffed by the

highest caliber people who believe

in the vision of the University and

are prepared to deliver it.”

Don Fletcher, BN’67 Chair, Drake University Board of Trustees and retired President of Hallmark Cards Personal Expressions Group

Creating Access to OpportunitiesInvesting in scholarships will

ensure that we remain

financially accessible to

America’s best students and

competitive with other top

universities. It is also critical that

we do everything we can to

reduce the debt burden placed

on students and their families.

distinctlyDrake seeks to

raise at least $50 million in

scholarship funding as an initial

goal to achieve this priority.

Endowing Chairs and ProfessorshipsIncreasing the number of endowed

faculty positions at Drake will

demonstrate to our community,

and to the entire nation, the depth

of our commitment to being one of

the best universities in America. In

addition to adding these endowed

professorships, we also must

invest in our faculty’s research

efforts and scholarly pursuits.

distinctlyDrake seeks to raise

$26–$50 million in order to add

26 endowed faculty positions.

Funding Capital ProjectsInvesting in our campus and

facilities is essential in order

to create the kind of

exceptional learning experience

that will continue to attract

the nation’s best and brightest

students. The construction of

a new School of Education

building, new and renovated

science facilities, and the

renovation and expansion of

Cartwright Hall, Cowles

Library and Drake Fieldhouse

will do just that.

distinctlyDrake seeks to

raise $50–$85 million for the

construction and renovation of

these facilities.

Developing Interdisciplinary CentersEnriching our curricular

offerings through new and

expanded interdisciplinary

centers will demonstrate to the

world our commitment to

academic quality, and enhance

our ability to prepare students

for the highest levels of success.

We will achieve this through the

expansion of the Center for

Leadership, the Center for

Global Citizenship and the

Intellectual Property Law Center,

as well as the creation of the

Center for Speaking and Writing

and the Institute for Creative

Learning and Teaching.

distinctlyDrake seeks to

raise $15–$18 million for the

support and development of

interdisciplinary centers.

Building Our Collective StrengthStrengthening The Drake Fund

addresses the most immediate

needs of the University. The

Drake Fund provides the

University with the necessary

agility to keep alive the mission

of Drake, to maintain our

annual promise to students

and their families and to build

upon our 130-year legacy of

offering the best possible

learning experience.

distinctlyDrake seeks to

raise $3.5–$4 million a year in

annual operational support of

The Drake Fund.

Vision is a powerful thing. It has the ability to fuel passion, to foster excellence, to unleash opportunity, to create lasting connections and to strengthen one’s ability to lead at the most crucial points in history. But vision alone isn’t enough. Even the most ambitious vision needs one thing in order to power it into action — resources.

Our vision is simple, yet bold … to be one of the very best institutions of higher education in the United States. In order to generate the necessary resources to transform that vision into reality, we have established the following priorities as the foundation for distinctlyDrake:

Our Priorities

AchievingThe time is now.

The moment is ours.

We are honored and eager to lead the way forward in seizing the moment that is distinctlyDrake. We believe it represents an unprecedented opportunity for us at Drake to pause as a community, take a breath and look deeply — outward and inward — at everything we need to do in order to be one of the very best institutions of higher education in the United States. While our rich history of achievements provides ample evidence of our ability to graduate leaders who can change the world, what distinctlyDrake seeks are the financial resources we so urgently need to take a transformative leap forward and become a 21st-century university that continues to play a central role in overcoming the unique challenges posed by an increasingly technological, global and interconnected world. It is an extraordinary invitation for all of us who share a deep and enduring love for Drake — to help ensure that this university may more fully realize the promise of its future; to leave behind a better world for generations to come. We urge you to join us in this remarkable effort.

Sincerely,

Larry Zimpleman BN’73, GR’79 Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Principal Financial Group

Peggy A. Fisher FA’70 Chief Strategic and Operating Officer The Stelter Company

Jim Hubbell III Chairman Hubbell Realty Company

Our Vision

What does it take to be one of the best institutions of higher education in America? It takes people like you … successful, loyal,

generous individuals whose accomplishments in life are matched only by a will to empower others to

achieve equally exceptional things. It takes an uncommon sense of purpose ... one which challenges

an entire community to never stop moving and growing and looking for answers because, quite

simply, it is the right thing to do. It takes a special moment in time … when a crossroad presents itself

and the world watches with anticipation of the greatness that this moment may produce.

We urge you to help us seize this moment. To meet this challenge. To, once again, add your

distinguished voice to the love story that is distinctlyDrake. There are many ways for you to

make a gift to Drake and help us achieve our vision.

Ways to GiveEndowed Funds. You may permanently invest in Drake University, our students and our faculty through a gift to the endowment. When the market value of the invested principal increases, so does the annual payout — providing the University with an ongoing source of funding that grows over time. Endowed funds, which can recognize the donor or someone the donor wishes to honor, are typically made for endowed positions or a scholarship and provide Drake with a vital, continuous source of support.

Term and Restricted Funds. Gifts to term and restricted funds may be directed to specific people, programs or research of the donor’s choosing and are spent as they come in. While recognizing and acknowledging that a valuable set of activities or programming may not exist in perpetuity, these gifts demonstrate that a significant investment for a period of time can help those activities or programs grow, achieve stability and become successful.

Capital Gifts. Capital gifts provide the support necessary for construction and renovation costs associated with a particular building on the Drake campus.

Planned Giving. Planned giving offers donors — after careful consideration and planning — the ability to make a sizable contribution to Drake in a variety of ways, including a bequest or living trust; by designating Drake as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, IRA or other retirement plan; or through a “life income gift,” which offers immediate and considerable tax savings as well as an income for life.

Annual Support — The Drake Fund. The Drake Fund provides essential support for the University’s operating budget, enabling us to recruit the most sought-after faculty and students, retain our outstanding faculty and staff, provide financial assistance to students in need and increase the professional opportunities available to students through internships. Support of The Drake Fund helps meet the most immediate needs of the University, including scholarships, athletics, the arts, leadership opportunities, the library and each of our individual colleges and schools.