The Crow’s Nest — January 7, 2026

Parkville Campus Women’s Volleyball Program Coach, Players Honored

On Dec. 5, the American Volleyball Coaches Association recognized Izabella Ceratti (right), Park University Parkville (Mo.) Campus volleyball associate head coach as the Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year. The AVCA also named freshman OPP/OH Indi Zetic as an honorable mention Midwest Region selection.

In addition, the College Sports Communicators honored four Parkville Campus women’s volleyball players on its Academic All-District Team on Dec. 16. Recognized were Luna Martins, senior, Elisa Dalla Pozza and Isadora Dias, juniors, and Silvia Albani, sophomore. The program recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

International Center for Music Resumes Season with Concert on Jan. 23

Park University International Center for Music’s award-winning husband-and-wife duo of violinist Ben Sayevich (professor of violin) and pianist Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich (director of collaborative piano) will present a performance as part of the Park ICM’s 2025-26 concert season on Friday, Jan. 23, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan. Tickets for the concert are $30 for the general public and $10 for students (not including fees), and are available to purchase in advance through Eventbrite. For more information and the program for the evening, visit park.edu/news/icm-concert-feb-23-2026.

The Park ICM Orchestra will perform its annual Valentine’s concert, highlighting the many moods of dance music, on Friday, Feb. 6, with Filippo Ciabatti as the guest conductor. The concert will be held at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the University’s flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus starting at 7:30 p.m. While admission to the concert is free, registration is suggested at park.libcal.com/calendar/ICM/ValentinesConcert26. Ciabatti holds multiple appointments, including as assistant conductor of Boston Baroque, founding artistic director of Upper Valley Baroque (based in Hanover, N.H.), music director of the Opera Company of Middlebury (Vt.) and director of orchestral and choral programs at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College. For more information about Ciabatti and the concert, visit icm.park.edu/icm-orchestra-valentines-ciabatti-2026.

Interior Design Students Exhibiting Furniture Made of Reused Materials

Park University is hosting “Reduce / Reuse / Redesign,” an exhibit of furniture created by interior design students that demonstrates creativity, craftsmanship and thoughtful reuse of materials. The exhibit is on display through Friday, Feb. 13, in the Campanella Gallery located inside Norrington Center on the University’s flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus. Admission to the Gallery is free and open to the public. A reception for the students is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30, from 2-4 p.m. in the Gallery.

Students showcasing their furniture: Dominique Cannova, Giulia Colombo, Lorena Farr, Rori Hornung, Jules Martinez, Jillian McDaniel, Faith Romano, Mary Kathryn Schreck and Alyssa Sink, seniors; and Emily Cox, Austin Dubberley and Micaela Suhl, juniors. For more information about the exhibit, visit park.edu/news/interior-design-exhibit-2026.

Faculty, Staff, Student News

Jack MacLennan, Ph.D., senior director for strategic initiatives and communications, and special assistant to the president for governance (also holds the title of associate professor of political science), moderated an International Relations Council and World Trade Center – Kansas City panel session on “A Global Economy Update: And What it Means for Kansas City” on Dec. 10 in Kansas City, Mo. The discussion focused on the evolving state of the global economy and what lies ahead in 2026, including exploring key economic trends, the forces shaping global markets and how these shifts impact businesses and communities in the Kansas City region.

Martha Linscott, Parkville (Mo.) Campus men’s and women’s golf head coach, was presented with a certificate of recognition on Dec. 3 from Missouri State Senator Tony Luetkemeyer (R-District 34) in honor of her qualifying for a fourth consecutive U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2025 and for celebrated distinguished golf career. The certificate was presented to Linscott by Kathrine Swanson, Ed.D., Park University interim president.

Park in the News

Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was interviewed for stories that aired on KMBC-TV and WDAF-TV in Kansas City on Dec. 9. Both stories were related to 300,000 petition signatures being delivered to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office in hopes of allowing the public to vote on new congressional maps in the state.

Capt. Tyler Mohr, ’08 (and son of June Mohr, director of the Columbus [Ohio] and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base [Ohio] campuses), was appointed commander of the 434th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., during a ceremony on Dec. 7. A story appeared on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website the same day.

Sarah Hopkins-Chery, ’07, MA ’09, was appointed as the head coach of England’s 3×3 women’s basketball team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, July 23 to Aug. 2. A story about Hopkins-Chery, who also serves as the head coach of the women’s basketball team at California State University, Monterey Bay, appeared on the Basketball England website on Dec. 11.

A story about Lori Lazure, Ed.S. ’25, being appointed as the director of the Duenweg Education Center and Beacon Autism Center in the Joplin (Mo.) School District, appeared in the Joplin Globe on Dec. 18. The appointment is effective in July upon the current director’s retirement.

Sarah Stout, ’15, who also served as an adjunct instructor of exercise science in Fall 2025, was featured on the Bold Journey website on Dec. 29 as part of an article on “From Self-Doubt to Self-Assurance: Saying Goodbye to Imposter Syndrome.”

Park University was ranked No. 6 by Research.com on its “2026 Most Valuable MBA Degree Programs in the Midwest” list in December.

Upcoming Events

(All events are Central time and on the flagship Parkville [Mo.] Campus unless noted)
           •  Through Feb. 13 — Interior Design Student Exhibit – “Reduce / Reuse / Redesign,” Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center); Reception: Jan. 30, 2-4 p.m.
           •  January 12 — Spring Semester / Spring I Term Begins
           •  January 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday (all Park University offices nationwide closed; Parkville [Mo.] and Gilbert [Ariz.] campuses daytime classes cancelled; Spring I term classes held as scheduled)
           •  January 23 — International Center for Music Concert: Violinist Ben Sayevich and Pianist Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, 7:30 p.m., 1900 Building, Mission Woods, Kan.
           •  February 6 — International Center for Music Concert: ICM Orchestra with Guest Conductor Filippo Ciabatti, 7:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
           •  February 16 — President’s Day Holiday (all Park University offices nationwide closed; Parkville [Mo.] and Gilbert [Ariz.] campuses daytime classes cancelled; Spring I term classes held as scheduled)
           •  February 21 — Arrr & Arrr, 3 p.m., Breckon Sports Center (held in conjunction with the Parkville [Mo.] Campus women’s and men’s basketball games that day)
           •  March 8 — Spring I Term Ends
           •  March 9-15 — Spring Recess (all Park University offices nationwide open normal business hours; no classes are scheduled)
           •  March 16 — Spring II Term Classes Begin

To view a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics and student life, visit park.edu/calendars/park-events-calendar.