Officials will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for Mercy Medical Center – West Lakes on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. Mercy CEO David Vellinga will be joined by West Des Moines elected officials and Mercy board members for the ribbon cutting at noon, followed by a public open house and self-guided tours of the new hospital at 1601 60th St., which is scheduled to open Sept. 8. Construction of the 230,000-square-foot facility began in 2007.

Drake University Law School ranked as one of the top private schools in the country in The National Jurist magazine’s Best Value Law Schools ranking in its September 2009 issue. The law school was ranked sixth among 13 private schools in the rankings, which also included 52 public universities, with all of the schools identified as carrying a relatively low price tag and the ability to “prepare their students incredibly well for today’s competitive job market.” To assess value, the rankings included public schools with an in-state tuition less than $25,000 and private schools with an annual tuition below $30,000. Click here to read the current article.

Debra Lukehart, assistant vice president of communication and marketing at Augustana College in the Quad Cities, has been named executive director of marketing and communications at Drake University, effective Oct. 1. A Des Moines native and graduate of Lincoln High School, Lukehart earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in marketing from Drake in 1989. She began her career as an admission counselor at Drake and was promoted to assistant director of admission in 1991. In her new position at Drake, Lukehart will be responsible for leading the efforts of the Office of Marketing and Communications in achieving the university’s strategic goals, focusing on advertising, publications, Web communications, public relations, community relations, marketing and market research.

The Iowa Army National Guard will receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver rating by the U.S. Green Building Council for its construction of the Camp Dodge Freedom Center, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Freedom Center. The presentation will be featured as part of Camp Dodge’s Alumni Day festivities.