The Crow’s Nest — August 5, 2025
Parkville, Gilbert Athletic Programs Earn NAIA Champions of Character Honors
Park University’s Parkville (Mo.) Campus and Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus athletic departments were both recognized on July 28 as 2024-25 NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star institutions. The Parkville Campus was honored at the gold level, and was among 112 NAIA programs across the country that earned a perfect 100 score. It was the second straight year for the Pirates to receive a perfect score. The Gilbert Campus was honored at the silver level.
The NAIA’s Champions of Character program represents five core character values — respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership and sportsmanship. Institutions earn points based on character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion, as well as exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and minimal to no ejections during competition through the course of the academic year.
Brown, Parkville Athletics Staff Recognized by Heart Conference
Jordan Brown, Park University Parkville (Mo.) Campus sports information director, was announced as the 2024-25 Heart of America Athletic Conference Dave Fillmore Sports Information Director of the Year, while the Parkville Campus sports information team was selected as the 2024-25 Heart SID Staff of the Year. Brown’s honor qualifies him for consideration for the 2024-25 NAIA National SID of the Year Award, which will be announced on Sept. 15.
Under his leadership, multi-camera setups are now a mainstay at Parkville Campus athletic events, including a dedicated outfield camera for baseball and softball, and incorporating a roaming camera into live broadcasts. Also, Park successfully streamed three broadcasts simultaneously for the first time. Read more, including profiles of those instrumental to the Parkville Campus sports information team, at parkathletics.com/news/2025/7/3/PARK070325.aspx.
Parkville Campus Student-Athletes Earn Honors
Twenty-seven Park University Parkville (Mo.) Campus student-athletes in spring sports earned 2025 NAIA Academic All-District honors, as announced by College Sports Communicators during the summer. Five of the 27 were named CSC Academic All-America finalists and advanced to the national ballot; however, none were selected (All-America finalists are marked with *). Receiving NAIA Academic All-District recognition:
• Baseball — INF Alex Rodriguez, senior; P Jake Beckmann, P Sebastian Del Olmo, INF Evan Johnson, juniors
• Softball — P Lauren Fiene, OF Dani-Quinn Klein McAlister, OF Caroline Riffer, seniors; OF Gracie Ramsey, junior; C Chloe Gilbert, sophomore
• Men’s Track and Field — Men: Ethan Willmann, senior; Alexander Caines*, Ahmad Evans, juniors; Tom Kuehnel, Lukas Mehl, sophomores
• Women’s Track and Field — McKenzie Carty, Faith Klamm, Hope Klamm, Shanai Sweeting, juniors; Hannah Mand, sophomore
• Men’s At-Large (sports other than baseball, track and field, and tennis) — Golf: Colin Pasitney, junior; Volleyball: MB Mihailo Ivanovic*, junior
• Women’s At-Large (sports other than softball, track and field, and tennis) — Beach Volleyball: Mafalda Bras* Carla Pons Sales, Patricia Carrio Ubeda, seniors, Luna Martins*, junior; Golf: Kim Albertus, Micaela Suhl*, sophomores
In addition, women’s golfers Albertus and Suhl, along with teammates Anna Korsen, sophomore, and Grace Rogers, freshman, were named to the 2024-25 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team. Requirements include a 3.5 or higher GPA, be an amateur and on the team roster for the entire season, and played in 50 percent or more of the team’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year.
The Parkville Campus women’s volleyball and women’s beach volleyball teams were recognized in July by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as both squads earned a 2025 AVCA Team Academic Award. Teams are honored by maintaining a yearlong grade point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. This was the 13th time in the indoor team’s program history and the fourth straight year for the beach squad to be recognized with the award.
Staff Updates: Biles Promoted; Bright, Peace Appointed to Roles
Brad Biles has been promoted to the role of senior director of communications and public relations, while Kristina Bright has been appointed as senior director of enrollment marketing and Bradford Peace has been appointed as director of residence life and education for Park University’s flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus.
As senior director of communications and public relations, Biles leads the execution of Park University’s communications, media relations, public relations and brand marketing strategies. He also serves as the primary point of contact for news media and oversees day-to-day communications operations. In addition, Biles manages the University’s creative and digital content team, ensuring that print, digital and public-facing materials align with Park University’s brand standards and strategic goals. Biles, who has been with Park University since July 2007, most recently served as director of communications and public relations for the past nine years. Read more at park.edu/news/biles-promoted.
Bright, as senior director of enrollment marketing, will lead a unified marketing effort that emphasizes student recruitment and coordinates all aspects of strategic marketing across all of Park’s student population — traditional, online, graduate and military. Bright also develops institutional messaging and strategies to champion integrated marketing to enhance enrollment at the University. Bright most recently served at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., since January 2018, holding various roles as executive director and director of admissions marketing and communications (September 2018 to June 2025), after beginning her time at Westminster as director of annual giving. Read more at park.edu/news/kristina-bright.
As director of residence life and education, Peace will manage all Parkville Campus residential buildings, including overseeing live-in paraprofessional and student staff, housing assignments, student housing accounts, maintenance/facility needs, summer conferences/events and related budgets. Peace will also work with faculty and staff to develop and administer high-impact programs and services for Parkville residential students. In addition, Peace will provide oversight of Residence Hall Council operations and graduate advisors and supervise resident directors and resident assistants. Most recently, Peace served as residential area coordinator at Ball State University (Muncie, Ind.) since July 2023. Read more about Peace at park.edu/news/bradford-peace.
Park University Adopts Barnes and Noble College’s “First Day Access” Program
Park University has partnered with Barnes and Noble College to offer the “First Day Access” initiative, which will reduce the cost of textbooks for students in undergraduate courses. The program eliminates the need for students in undergraduate classes to purchase their own textbooks and courseware. Rather, the University provides required materials as part of students’ course fees at a savings of up to 50 percent. In addition to the savings, similar programs such as “First Day Access” have shown to impact student learning and persistence by ensuring that students are prepared on the first day. For more information, including a list of frequently asked questions, visit my.park.edu/ICS/Student/Textbook (you must be logged in to MyPark). Questions? Contact the Faculty Administrative Support Team at FAST@park.edu.
Park Launches Career Mentor Collective Program
Park University has commenced the Career Mentor Collective, an initiative that builds on the research showing that flexible, accessible career mentoring makes students more likely to persist to graduation. A part of Park’s Student Success and Enrollment Growth plan, for the 2025-26 academic year, the focus of the program will be on new and targeted continuing Parkville (Mo.) Campus students and a select cohort of graduate students. The program will expand to other student audiences based on assessment of the program.
The University needs your help in identifying mentors, including those who wish to connect with students through this program. Sign up or submit names. Nominees will be contacted and provided details about the program, including the flexible commitment, the large resource guide library, including those to help structure conversations, and the personalized matching process to connect mentors with a student with shared interests. While focus this academic year is on the Kansas City region, professionals across the country who might wish to meet with students virtually are also encouraged to sign up. For more information or questions, contact Monica Brannon, Ph.D., interim assistant provost for academic success and associate professor of sociology, at mbrannon@park.edu.
International Center for Music Announces 2025-26 Concert Season
A series of 11 concerts, featuring world-renowned special guests and Park University faculty, students and alumni, will highlight the International Center for Music’s 2025-26 season. The 23rd year of Park ICM concerts begins in September and ends in May 2026. The showcase of classical music kicks off on Friday, Sept. 5, with violist Molly Carr and pianist Anna Petrova in concert at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan., and concludes on Friday, May 1, 2026, also at the 1900 Building, with pianist and Park ICM artist-in-residence Behzod Abduraimov.
In between, an immense depth of musicality will include concerts featuring violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi, the husband-and-wife duo of violinist Ben Sayevich and pianist Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich (both members of the Park ICM faculty/staff), Park ICM piano and strings students at the 1900 Building, as well as concerts with the ICM Orchestra in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the University’s flagship campus in Parkville. In addition, the 7th annual and much-anticipated Stanislav and Friends gala, featuring the concert’s namesake, Park ICM founder and artistic director, pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch (supported in part by Paul and Linda DeBruce), will be held on Saturday, March 21, in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo. View the complete schedule and more information at park.edu/news/icm-2025-26-season.
Park University Senior Art Students Exhibit Rescheduled
An art exhibit featuring Park University senior art students that was originally set to take place earlier this summer has been rescheduled and is currently on display in the Campanella Gallery, located inside Norrington Center on Park’s flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus. The exhibit, which is open to the public, continues through Friday, Sept. 19, and features the works of Sofia McCroskie, senior K-12 education/art major, Cameron McMeekin, senior fine art major, and Cheri Regis, senior fine art major. McCroskie’s colorful artwork includes ceramics and mixed media sculptures; McMeekin examines themes of nature and the changing seasons through photography; Regis is a multimedia artist whose work ranges from reinterpreting cubist paintings to traditional doll making and fibers. Read more at park.edu/news/rescheduled-art-exhibit-2025.
Park University Golf Scramble Set for October 6
The 2025 Park University Golf Scramble, a four-person tournament that benefits the University’s Parkville (Mo.) Campus athletics programs, is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6, at The National Golf Club of Kansas City. Golfers get on the course with a shotgun start at 10 a.m., with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration fees are $1,500 per four-person team, and a variety of sponsorship packages are available, ranging in price from $3,000 to $7,000. Entries include 18 holes of golf with a cart, box lunch on the course, driving range access prior to the event, on-course games and contests, refreshments, flight prizes. In addition, golf sponsorships include season tickets to home athletics events and admission to the Park University International Center for Music’s 2026 Stanislav and Friends concert. Non-golf sponsorships are also available, ranging in price from $400 to $600. To register for the tournament or for more information, visit park.edu/golf. For questions about the tournament or sponsorship levels, contact Celeste Lupercio, director of corporate and foundation relations, at celeste.lupercio@park.edu / (816) 584-6399.
FIFA Looking for World Cup Volunteers
The FIFA World Cup is coming to Kansas City and 15 other cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer, June 11 through July 19, 2026! Volunteers are needed to serve as ambassadors to welcome the world to help create a memorable experience for fans and visitors. For Kansas City, which will host four group stage matches, a round of 32 match and a quarterfinal match, hundreds of volunteers are needed to ensure a successful event as the city is showcased to the world.
If you are interested in volunteering for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you can register your interest at volunteer.fifa.com/register. The official application window will open in mid-August and run through Monday, Sept. 15. Requirements include being 18 years of age or older before Sept. 15, committing to at least nine 8-hour shifts between June and July 2026, comply with entry requirements of the host country and agree to and passing a background review. In addition, volunteers must speak English, but if you speak more than one language, it is a plus.
Note that those selected as volunteers will be required to attend in-person interviews and in-person training in the city you are volunteering. If selected, volunteer roles are offered in January/February 2026, with background reviews conducted upon acceptance of a conditional offer. Training occurs from April to June 2026. For more information about volunteering, visit fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/volunteers. For volunteer opportunities host cities, visit fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/host-cities. For more information about the World Cup in Kansas City, visit kansascityfwc26.com/.
Faculty, Staff, Student News
Park University’s Ellen Finley Earhart Department of Nursing received word that all eight graduates from May 2025 in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program passed the National Council Licensure Examination on their first attempt. According to Jennine Wilson, Ed.D., chair and assistant professor of nursing, this marks the fifth consecutive graduating cohort (from Spring 2023 to Spring 2025) — totaling 56 graduates — to achieve a 100 percent first-time NCLEX pass rate. “This remarkable accomplishment reflects the commitment of our students and the excellence of Park’s faculty and curriculum,” Wilson said. “For our students, this milestone means more than just a strong start — it enables them to enter the workforce without delay, often with job offers already secured. It also speaks to their preparedness and the rigorous standards of Park’s nursing program, which are designed to ensure long-term success in the field.”
Nikita Korzukhin, graduate cello student in the International Center for Music, was announced as a shared first prize winner at the Chicago International Music Competition on July 19. Not only did Korzukhin share the first prize as an individual, but he also shared as the cellist of a piano trio.
Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D., who served as Park University’s 14th and first female president from 2001-09, has been posthumously recognized by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education with a 2025 Sustained Achievement Award, specifically, the Harvey Young Award for Academic Leadership. The award honors ATHE members who have contributed to the profession through academic leadership positions in higher education, including in institutions and organizations. Byers-Pevitts, who passed away in November 2022, was the founding president of the ATHE.
Dmitry Gimon, Ph.D., associate professor of information systems and business analytics, presented a virtual research seminar on “Game Theoretical Model of Altruism and Reciprocity, and the New Quantitative Measure of Conflict in Repetitive Buyer-Supplier Relationship” for the KEDGE Business School in France on July 3. The talk presented the results of two interrelated studies — a proposal to model altruism and reciprocity in repetitive relationships in a Cobb-Douglas form and a new way to measure conflict in 2×2 non-cooperative games.
Wen Hsin, Ph.D. (right), professor of computer science, along with Gabriel Ayasse, senior cybersecurity major, Ana Mojica Mendoza, senior information and computer science major, and Ali Sabree, ’25, presented a paper on “Golden Ratio in Everyday Life” for the International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies held in Palma, Spain, in early July. The session presented the assignment and its grading rubric, as well as feedback from students after completing the assignment. The paper appears in the EDULEARN25 Proceedings.
Park in the News
A column about Pam Abramson, ’65, appeared in the Kansas City Star on July 2. The article talked about Abramson’s distinct high-pitched “woo-hoo” during Kansas City Royals baseball games.
A story about Ethan Bevan, senior information and computer science major, being promoted to director of information technology at Seneca Healthcare District, based in Chester, Calif., appeared in the Sierra Daily News (Susanville, Calif.) on July 8.
Alex Silvius, Ph.D., associate professor of physics, was interviewed for stories that aired on KSHB-TV in Kansas City on July 9 related to how seating changes at Arrowhead Stadium — the addition of removable aluminum bleachers due to hosting World Cup matches in 2026 — could make Kansas City Chiefs home games louder.
The use of VO2 Master, a piece of metabolic testing equipment in use at Park University’s Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus as part of the Bachelor of Science degree in sport and exercise science, was highlighted on the company’s blog earlier this summer.
Park University’s 150th anniversary celebration held on the flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus on May 12 was the focus of a story that appeared in the Platte County (Mo.) Citizen on July 10.
Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was interviewed for stories that aired on WDAF-TV in Kansas City on July 10 related to a potential election to recall Jackson County (Mo.) Executive Frank White.
Harris provided comments for stories that aired on KMBZ-FM in Kansas City on July 29 related to the wide-open race for Kansas governor.
On July 31, Harris was interviewed for stories that aired on KMBC-TV in Kansas City related to two Missouri state lawmakers and a state resident who filed a lawsuit against the State of Missouri over a funding bill for the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals. Soundbites from Harris also aired on KMBZ-FM the following morning.
Alyssa Acuna, associate director of student engagement and inclusion, provided comments about Park University’s partnership with the Parkville (Mo.) Living Center for a story about the PLC that appeared in the Kansas City Star on July 20.
Dora Agbas, adjunct instructor of art/fibers, was featured in the July/August issue of KC Studio magazine (pages 78-85). Agbas is among more than 270 visual artists and designers showcasing work in the Flatfile and Digitalfile exhibit at the Kansas City Art Institute’s Voth Artspace through Sept. 27.
Mitch Woolery, adjunct instructor of philosophy, authored an essay titled “Knowledge and Justice” that was published on the Aeon website on July 22. The article opined that any legal system that fails to compensate people for epistemic harm is unjust and that the damage must be named and remedied.
Melissa Ferrer Civil, ME ’20, who was appointed as the first poet laureate in Kansas City, Mo., in February 2024, was highlighted in a “Voices of Kansas City” feature in the Kansas City Star on July 30.
Upcoming Events
(All events are Central time and on the flagship Parkville [Mo.] Campus unless noted)
• Through Sept. 19 — Senior Art Exhibit: Sofia McCroskie, Cameron McMeekin and Cheri Regis, Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
• August 8 — Parkville (Mo.) Campus Residence Halls Open
• August 11 — Fall Semester / Fall I Term Begins
• August 15 — Opening Convocation, 11 a.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel and Virtual
• August 15 — All University Lunch and Student Activities Fair, noon, University Front Lawn
• August 23 — El Paso (Texas) Campus / Fort Bliss (Texas) Campus / Holloman Air Force Base (N.M.) Campus Commencement Ceremony, 2 p.m., Starlight Event Center, El Paso, Texas
• August 28 — International Center for Music Concert: Ali Mammadoff Piano Recital, 7 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
• September 1 — Labor Day Holiday (all University offices nationwide closed; Parkville [Mo.] Campus and Gilbert [Ariz.] Campus daytime classes cancelled; Fall I classes held as scheduled)
• September 5 — Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base (Calif.) Campus Commencement Ceremony, Noon, Camp Pendleton Theater and Training Center
• September 5 — Ellen Finley Earhart Department of Nursing White Coat Ceremony, 2 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
• September 5 — International Center for Music Concert: Violist Molly Carr and Pianist Anna Petrova, 7:30 p.m., 1900 Building, Mission Woods, Kan.
• September 19 — International Talk Like a Pirate Day
• September 19 — Beaufort (S.C.) Marine Corps Air Station Campus Commencement Ceremony, 1 p.m., Parris Island Depot Theater
• September 25-27 — Homecoming Weekend, Parkville Campus
• September 26 — Alumni Awards and Athletics Wall of Honor Ceremony, 3 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
To view a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics and student life, visit park.edu/calendars/park-events-calendar.