The Crow’s Nest — September 18, 2019

Homecoming and Family Weekend Set for Sept. 19-21

Park University alumni, family and friends from across the country will converge on the University’s Parkville Campus for Homecoming and Family Weekend 2019. Events begin on Thursday, Sept. 19 (which is also International Talk Like a Pirate Day), and continue through Saturday, Sept. 21. While a number of activities during the weekend are reserved for Park alumni and their families, many events are open to students, faculty, staff and the general public. These include (events with ticketed admission are noted):
Thursday, Sept. 19
          •  Park University Alumni Association Awards Program, 6 p.m., The Park Place, Parkville, Mo. Tickets are $10 per person. Five Park alumni will be honored:
                 o  Robert, ’04, and Brenda Dandridge, ’07, Torchlighter Award, given to honor individuals who have made significant longstanding contributions and commitment to Park University, whether alumni, faculty or friend.
                 o  Carolyn McHenry Elwess, ’71, Distinguished Alumna Award, which recognizes Park alumni who have distinguished themselves through career service or community achievements. Elwess currently serves as the University’s archivist.
                 o  Marcus Gladdis, MBA ’11, MHA ’18, Park Promising Young Professional Award, which recognizes a Park alumnus/alumna who shows exceptional promise of leadership and contribution to their profession and/or community.
                 o  Lillian Madeje, ’10, Marlowe Sherwood Memorial Service Award, which recognizes Park alumni for volunteer services to community and civic organizations.
Friday, Sept. 20
          •  Park University Emeriti/Retired Faculty and Friends Tea, Park Distance Learning Center Conference Center, 10:30 a.m.
          •  International Center for Music Concert: Stanislav and Friends: An Intimate Evening, 6:30 p.m., Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $75 (plus applicable fees) and can be purchased at tickets.kauffmancenter.org/stanislav.
Saturday, Sept. 21
          •  Athletics Wall of Honor Induction Breakfast, 9 a.m., Park Distance Learning Conference Center. Tickets are $20 per person. Those being honored:
                 o  Pat Fayard, current assistant to the athletic director, for meritorious service.
                 o  Jon Meriweather, ’11, MBA ’14, men’s basketball player.
                 o  Ben Popoola, men’s soccer head coach from 1983-95, women’s soccer head coach from 1988-95 and director of athletics from 1984-96.
                 o  Wendy Romero, ’17 and currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree in public accounting, women’s volleyball player. Family Fun Day Event, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 6th Street entrance
          •  Park House Celebration, 1:30 p.m., McCoy Meetin’ House
          •  Women’s soccer and men’s soccer matches vs. Freed-Hardeman University, Julian Field. Free admission.
                 o  Women’s match, noon; Presentation of Athletics Wall of Honor Class of 2019 at halftime
                 o  Men’s match, 2:15 p.m.; Crowning of Homecoming Royalty at halftime

Throughout the weekend, food and toiletries for Park University’s Pirate Pantry, which was established last year to help alleviate food insecurity among the University’s students, will be accepted. For more information about the public events, visit park.edu/news/homecoming-weekend-2019. To purchase tickets for the Alumni Association Alumni Awards program or Wall of Honor breakfast, visit park.edu/homecoming or contact the University’s Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@park.edu / (816) 584-6209.

Park Campuses Hold Commencement Ceremonies

Park University campuses across the country are holding commencement ceremonies for 2019 graduates. As these ceremonies continue through the year, we’ll include the link to the news releases announcing the list of graduates at each campus.
          •  Camp Pendleton (Calif.) Campus
          •  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (Ariz.) Campus
          •  Fort Irwin (Calif.) Campus
          •  Minot (N.D.) Air Force Base Campus

Pirate logoPark Athletics Receives Honors from NAIA

Park University’s Department of Athletics was recently recognized as a Champions of Character Five-Star NAIA institution at the gold level for the fourth time in the past five years. 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.

Park’s athletics programs participated in various community service projects including projects with Harvesters, KC Pet Project, Northland Christmas Store, Platte Senior Citizens Clean-up Days in the spring and fall. Student-athletes totaled 2,426 community service hours in the 2018-19 school year, and held three food drives, collecting 2,314 pounds of food. Read more about the honor at parkathletics.com/article/2877.

In addition, Park’s softball team has been recognized with the inaugural NAIA Conference Commissioners Association Champions of Character Team Award. This award honors one men’s team and one women’s team from across the country for exemplary character on the field, on campus and in the community. During the 2018-19 academic year, the softball program completed 278 hours of community service in the Kansas City area and displayed the NAIA’s core values through its various activities. In addition, the squad excelled in the classroom with a 3.39 cumulative grade point average. Read more at parkathletics.com/article/2881.

Park Website Honored with Design Award

Park University’s redesigned website has been recognized with a 2019 Award of Excellence in the website – entire site category by the University and College Designers Association. Read about the award via mStoner’s blog, the University’s partner on the website redesign.

Park University Historical Memorabilia Featured in Exhibit

Rarely seen items from Park University’s Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections, featuring a variety of memorabilia and photographs representing key elements from the University’s 144-year history, are currently on display in the Fishburn Archives exhibit space on the Parkville Campus. Carolyn Elwess, university archivist, and Ashlyn Weber, senior public history major and Fishburn Archives intern, arranged the “Park Through the Years” exhibit which showcases aspects of the University that have been important to generations of Park alumni, faculty, staff and the Parkville community. Objects on display include items related to athletics, music, religion, literature/publications, science, clubs and buildings, and, as a bow to the University’s humble beginnings, seldom-seen photos and documents representing the labor that not only built the school, but also kept everyone fed.

In addition, memorabilia of special interest and meaning to Park’s Class of 1969, many of whom will return for their 50th reunion as part of the University’s Homecoming and Family Weekend, Sept. 19-21, will be on display. Some of these items are on loan from Jay Flaherty, ’71, Kansas City, Mo. The exhibit is on display in the Fishburn Archives exhibit space through Saturday, Nov. 30. The Fishburn Archives space is located in the University’s Academic Underground near the 6th Street entrance (adjacent to Breckon Sports Center). The space is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Read more about park.edu/news/park-history-exhibit.

“Park Stories” Initiative Showcases Park Family

The heart and soul of Park University lies within the spirit of the people who represent the institution in the classroom and community. The Office of University Engagement’s new “Park Stories” initiative showcases fun and inspiring features highlighting Park University students, faculty, staff and alumni. These stories will be shared periodically in The Crow’s Nest. This edition’s installment highlights Wakisha Briggs, director of continuing education. Read about Briggs at advancing.park.edu/born-leader/.

Faculty, Staff, Student News

An article authored by Jolene Lampton, Ph.D., associate professor of management/accounting, was published Sept. 1 on the Strategic Finance magazine (publication for the Institute of Management Accountants) website. The title of the article is “Transparency is the Bedrock of Ethics.”

Dong Hwa (Donna) Choi, Ph.D., professor of education, authored a chapter titled “Digital Citizenship Education for K-12” for the book, Discovering New Educational Trends (V3). The chapter discusses cases of state legislation, curriculum and implications in digital citizenship education.

Brad Biles, director of communications and public relations, was a panelist on “Transitioning from a Journalist to Public Relations” at the Public Relations Society of America’s Midwest District Conference on Sept. 13 in Columbia, Mo.

Park in the News

Nicolas Koudou, Ph.D., professor of business administration, appeared on “World Sound Radio” on KKFI-FM in Kansas City on Aug. 25 to discuss the American University of Cote d’Ivoire that he founded (interview segment begins at about 58:00 mark).

Park University’s Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus, which welcomed its first group of full-time students at the start of the fall semester, was featured in the East Valley Tribune on Aug. 26. The article included comments from Jeff Ehrlich, Ed.D., Gilbert Campus executive director. In addition, a story about the Gilbert Campus baseball program also appeared in the newspaper the same day.

Park University’s esports program was highlighted in a story that aired on WDAF-TV in Kansas City on Aug. 26. The story was related to how esports injuries are becoming more common. Ashley Jones, esports head coach, and Caleb Kramer, esports student-athlete, were interviewed for the story.

Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who spoke at Park University on Aug. 26, appeared on “Central Standard” on KCUR-FM in Kansas City on Aug. 27 as part of his visit to the area.

Nicholas Miceli, Ph.D., associate professor of human resources management and healthcare management, provided comments for a story that aired on KSHB-TV in Kansas City on Aug. 28 related to workers at the General Motor’s Kansas City Assembly plant voting to strike if a new deal isn’t reached. On Sept. 15, KSHB used more of Miceli’s comments when the United Auto Workers announced they would go on strike.

Two members of Park University’s Civic Advisory Council were honored by the Kansas City Business Journal in the publication’s Aug. 23 edition. Co-Chair Charlotte Barksdale, president of LaserCycle Inc., and Karen Fenaroli, founder and chief executive officer of Fenaroli and Associates, were recognized as part of the “Women Who Mean Business” class of 2019.

Park University’s Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus was featured in the Gilbert Community Impact newspaper on Aug. 29. The story was related to how athletics has driven enrollment at the campus. Jeff Ehrlich, Ed.D., Gilbert Campus executive director, and Steve Wilson, Gilbert Campus director of athletics, provided comments for the article, as did student-athletes Layni Rodriguez and Bree-Lynn Taylor, both freshmen on the women’s volleyball squad.

Park University’s esports program was again highlighted as KSHB-TV in Kansas City featured the squad on Sept. 6 related to how esports has gain in popularity at colleges and universities across the country. Ashley Jones, esports head coach, and Nicholas Gresham, a senior esports student-athlete, were interviewed for the story.

ECCO Select, led by Jeanette Prenger, ’09, founder and chief executive officer, and chair of Park University’s Board of Trustees, was ranked No. 14 on the Kansas City Business Journal’s list of “Top Area Women-Owned Businesses” based on 2018 revenue. In addition, ECCO Select was ranked No. 7 in the Kansas City Business Journal’s list of “Top Area Minority-Owned Businesses,” based on 2018 revenue. ECCO Select is an information technology services, solutions and staffing firm based in Kansas City, Mo.

An article published on Sept. 9 in the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal featured the work being conducted by Park University’s George S. Robb Centre for the Study of the Great War. Tim Westcott, Ph.D., director of the Robb Centre and associate professor of history, was interviewed for story that focused on research related to Lt. Robert Campbell. On Sept. 12, the newspaper did a follow-up article, focusing on the Robb Centre, a look at the university and the previous media coverage the valor medals review research has garnered.

James Isom, a member of Park University’s Civic Advisory Council, was named to Building Design + Construction magazine’s “40 Under 40 Class of 2019.” Isom is a commercial construction group manager at Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City, Mo.

A story about Lee Salem, ’68, who passed away on Sept. 2, appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Sept. 11. Salem, who had served as editor and president of Universal Press Syndicate (now Andrews McMeel Universal) in Kansas City, Mo., edited and developed some of the best comic strips in American history, such as “Doonesbury,” “Calvin and Hobbes,” “Cathy,” “The Far Side,” “For Better or For Worse” and “FoxTrot.” Salem was a recipient of Park University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2008 and he was among those listed in the book, 120 Outstanding Alumni of Park College, published in 1996 (and compiled and edited by Carolyn Elwess, university archivist).

Park University’s Night at the Helm event, held June 12 at the National World War One Museum and Memorial, was highlighted in the Sept. 14 edition of The Independent, Kansas City’s journal of society, with a series of photographs from the event.

Siabhan May-Washington, M.E. ’06, Ed.D., who began her duties as president of St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Mo., in July, was featured in an article that appeared in The Catholic Key on Sept. 13. STA is a Catholic, college preparatory high school for young women.

A story about a Park University graduate who passed away in June was featured on WDAF-TV in Kansas City on Sept. 13. The mother of Keisha Clay, MPA ’12, is opening Keisha’s Closet, a boutique to help low-income clients build a business wardrobe when going on job interviews.

Park University was recognized by U.S. News and World Report on Sept. 9 as having one of the most ethnic diverse colleges/universities in the Midwest. Park is ranked No. 8 in the “2020 USN&WR Campus Ethnic Diversity / Regional Universities – Midwest” list.

Park University’s online Master of Arts degree in national security studies was ranked No. 22 by SecurityDegreeHub.com on its “Top 25 Online Security Master’s Degree Programs for 2020” list.

Upcoming Events

(All events are Central time)
          •  Through September 27 — Laurel DeFreece Mixed Media Art Exhibit, Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
          •  Through November 30 — Park Through the Years Exhibit, Fishburn Archives Exhibit Space
          •  September 18 — International Center for Music Concert: ICM Orchestra Mini Concert, 4 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
          •  September 19 — International Talk Like a Pirate Day
          •  September 19-21 — Homecoming and Family Weekend, Parkville Campus
          •  September 20 — International Center for Music Concert: Stanislav and Friends: An Intimate Evening, 6:30 p.m., Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Mo.
          •  September 21 — Park House Celebration, 1:30 p.m., Park House
          •  September 27 — International Center for Music Concert: ICM Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
          •  October 4 — Fort Leonard Wood (Mo.) Campus Commencement, 10 a.m., Nutter Field House
          •  October 7-November 22 — Student Military Art Exhibit – “Darkest Hour,” Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
          •  October 13 — Fall I Term Ends
          •  October 14 — Park University Golf Scramble, 10 a.m., The National Golf Club of Kansas City
          •  October 14-20 — Fall Recess
          •  October 15 — River Read Children’s Literature Festival, Parkville Campus
          •  October 21 — Fall II Term Begins
          •  October 23 — “Banishing Bullying Behavior: A Call to Action from Early Childhood Through Senior Adulthood” presentation by Blanche Sosland, 3 p.m., David Theater (Alumni Hall)
          •  October 23 — International Center for Music Orchestra Mini Concert, 4 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
          •  October 25 — Board of Trustees Meeting, Parkville Campus
          •  October 30 — “Very Secret, Very Cool, but Not Aliens: The U-2, the A-12 and Area 51” presentation by Dr. Brent Geary, 1:30 p.m., David Theater (Alumni Hall)
          •  October 30 — International Center for Music Concert: Pianist Behzod Abduraimov, 7:30 p.m., 1900 Building, Mission Woods, Kan.
          •  November 1 — Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference (Day 2), 1-4 p.m., Park Distance Learning Conference Center
          •  November 2 — Defense Supply Center Columbus (Ohio) Campus Commencement, 9 a.m., Ohio History Connection
          •  November 3 — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Ohio) Campus Commencement, 2 p.m., Hope Hotel and Richard C. Holbrooke Conference Center
          •  November 8 — International Center for Music Concert: ICM Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel

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

Park University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Park University is a private, non-profit, institution of higher learning since 1875.