Jerry Parker will take on a hybrid role beginning this summer as he relocates to Panama to help launch Drake University’s first international campus in Ciudad del Saber, while continuing to serve as vice president and dean of students for Drake University’s primary campus.
The nearly yearlong move marks a significant step in Drake’s global expansion and is prompting questions about how campus leadership and student support services will operate in his absence.
Parker said his role in Panama will be centered on supporting the campus before the first cohort of students arrives.
“I’m there to help launch this, get it off the ground,” Parker said. “Whether that’s the facility, continuing our partnerships for internships, [or] looking at the recruitment [side] of it.”
Parker will work alongside the campus’ director of recruitment and oversee efforts ranging from student recruitment to internship partnerships and co-curricular programming. He said one of his main goals is to ensure students in Panama receive the same experience as students in Des Moines.
“We want to make sure that that first cohort is getting the very best Drake experience,” Parker said. “They may not be here on the main campus, but we want to have deliverables there for them.”
The Panama campus will offer an accelerated three-year degree in data analytics with a minor in artificial intelligence, as well as a two-plus-two pathway in which students complete their first two years in Panama before coming to Des Moines to finish their degree.
“It’s exciting to see how President [Marty] Martin and our Chief Global Affairs Officer Annique Kiel have really latched on and have moved transnational education forward,” Parker said. “Looking at this as another opportunity to bring global education, not just to students here in Des Moines, but students around the world.”
While Parker will be based in Panama, he said he will continue serving in his current role at Drake. He plans to work remotely and return to campus every two to three months to stay connected.
Parker said he is not concerned about balancing the responsibilities because of the support system already in place.
Even with Parker remaining involved, some responsibilities will shift while he is away. Associate Dean of Students Lynne Cornelius will take on additional duties, particularly in areas that require more day-to-day attention on campus.
“She’ll be the direct supervisor over Residence Life,” Parker said. “She’ll probably do more events than I typically would do. She’ll help oversee more of the conduct, Timely Care-type situations.”
Cornelius said she and Parker will remain in close communication while he is in Panama, allowing for shared decision-making despite the distance.
“[I am] thankful he will still be in the same time zone and plans to be available as needed,” Cornelius said in an email. “I will also be working with campus partners to make many of these decisions.”
Cornelius emphasized that students should expect continued support and accessibility during the transition.
“I am here and committed to being as accessible as Jerry has always been,” Cornelius said. “My door is open, and I want to be a place students know they can come for needs, resources and support.”
Parker said the arrangement is part of a broader conversation about how the division can better support students in the future.
The new campus will be located in Ciudad del Saber, or City of Knowledge, a former military base outside downtown Panama City that has been transformed into an educational and business hub. Parker described it as a lively environment with everything students might need within walking distance.
The campus includes residence halls, recreational spaces, restaurants, coffee shops and a central plaza surrounded by businesses and organizations. Parker said the location, about 15 minutes from downtown Panama City, will give students both convenience and access to the city.
“It’s lively,” Parker said. “You’ve got everything you need right there.”
As Drake prepares for the campus to open, Parker said the project has already gained support from alumni, businesses and government leaders in Panama. For him, he said, the move is about more than temporarily relocating — it is about helping create new opportunities for students.
“A lot of schools don’t have the ability to do this,” Parker said. “Drake does, and we’re doing it.”
