PARK UNIVERSITY E-NEWS
News from December 2008 / January 2009
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Park ranked top "military-friendly" university by magazine
Park University received international recognition when Military Advanced Education magazine announced its "Top 20 Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities." Military Advanced Education cited Park's "innovative academic degree programs steeped in excellence."
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001089.shtml
University to pay tribute to Kansas City leaders at Founders Day event
Park University will honor three individuals who embody not only Park's mission, but are also outstanding partners in strengthening the community and business ties that advance the University's vision of being an international leader in innovative education. During its Founders Day 2009 celebration on April 20, Park will honor Kay Barnes, former mayor of Kansas City, Mo., and founding director of the University's Center for Leadership; Peter S. Levi, president, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce; and Robert J. Marcusse, president, Kansas City Area Development Council. For more information on the honorees and the event, as well as sponsorship and ticket information, visit www.park.edu/foundersday.
Park offering new Online degree programs
Park University introduced five new undergraduate Online degree programs which further enhance Park's comprehensive and flexible curriculum offerings. The new degree programs are: associate of science in criminal justice, associate of science in management, associate of science in management/logistics, associate of science in social psychology and bachelor of science in management/logistics.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001105.shtml
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| Fareed Zakaria |
Tickets available for Fareed Zakaria Xerox lecture
Tickets for Park's Xerox Global Business Lecture Series event featuring CNN host and Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria, are now on sale. The lecture will be held March 31 at Kansas City's Folly Theater.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001114.shtml
University recognized by Parkville, Mo., chamber
The Parkville (Mo.) Chamber of Commerce honored Park University by presenting it with the "Best Community Partner Award" at the Chamber's annual Denim and Diamonds Gala on Jan. 15. The event recognized businesses that contribute to professionalism and customer focus within the Parkville business community. Park also received honorable mention in two categories, "Most Attractive Business" and "Going the Extra Mile."
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| Mary Jean Eisenhower |
Park holds December Commencement ceremony
Park University's December 2008 Kansas City area Commencement on Dec. 13 in Independence, Mo., featured Mary Jean Eisenhower, president and CEO of People to People International (and granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower). She delivered the keynote address and was bestowed with an honorary degree in humane letters from the University.
Eisenhower told the graduates, "If you are climbing corporate ladders, doing charity work or walking political fields, don't forget to extend your personal hand and heart to others, even those you don't personally know. And, if you are the one who is struggling in the quicksand, don't forget to open your own heart and arms, and reach for help."
View a slide show of photos from the ceremony and a list of 350 undergraduate and graduate degree recipients at www.park.edu/grads/.
University receives grant for recycling program
The Mid-America Regional Council Solid Waste Management District and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources awarded Park University a $30,330 grant to begin a comprehensive recycling program at Park's Parkville and Downtown Kansas City campus centers.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001097.shtml
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| Dr. Virginia Brackett |
Brackett wins award for British poetry companion book
Virginia Brackett, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and director of the Honors Program, received the Booklist/Research Book Bulletin's "Editor's Choice, Reference Sources, 2008" award. The award was for her book, The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry, 17th & 18th Centuries. The book also earned a "star" highly recommended rating from the library journal Choice.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001121.shtml
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| Erik Bergrud |
Bergrud elected national vice president of public administration organization
Erik Bergrud, director of the International Center for Civic Engagement and special assistant to the president for University projects on civic engagement at Park University, was elected national vice president of the American Society for Public Administration. Bergrud will be formally installed in March and will ascend to the association's presidency in spring 2011.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001110.shtml
Goodfellow AFB Campus Center collects "Cell Phones for Soldiers"
Park's Goodfellow AFB Campus Center in San Angelo, Texas, supported the University's Telecommunications Office "Cell Phones for Soldiers" campaign.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001124.shtml
School for Education receives continuing accreditation
The Missouri State Board of Education announced a seven-year continuing accreditation for Park University's School for Education and all 22 of its certification programs.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001116.shtml
Park club begins pen pal program with elementary students
Park University's People to People International chapter took on a new endeavor, the International Pen Pal Program, with students and instructors from the North Kansas City (Mo.) School District's Students in Academically Gifted Education program.
http://news.park.edu/pub/news_001102.shtml
Park to host guest speaker for Black History Month event
Thomas DeWolf, author and descendant of a slave-trading family, will be the honored lecturer for Park's Spencer Cave Black History Month Lecture Series on Feb. 23.
www.park.edu/blackhistory
Women's History Month lecture to feature Sinke
The University announced that Suzanne M. Sinke, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Florida State University, will be the keynote speaker at the Dr. Jessie Bell Woodside Holt Women's History Month Lecture Series on March 2.
www.park.edu/whm
ALUMNI NEWS
Office of Alumni Relations hosting Montana dinosaur dig trip
Reserve your spot for "Park University's Montana Dinosaur Dig," July 7-11, in the Hell Creek Formation of eastern Montana. The dig will be led by two Park faculty members: Scott Hageman, associate professor of geology, and Brian Hoffman, Ph.D., professor of biology and mathematics. For more information on the trip, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@park.edu.
Alumni Weekend '09 dates set
Save the date! Park University's Alumni Weekend '09 will be held Thursday, June 25, through Sunday, June 28, on the Parkville Campus. The event will include class reunions, golf, picnics and more, and there will be special activities for first-time visitors to the Parkville Campus. Details will be posted at www.parkalumni.org soon. For more information, including information on joining a reunion committee, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@park.edu.
Alumni Association offering Mediterranean cruise
The Park University Alumni Association is hosting a "best of the Mediterranean and Greek Isles" luxury cruise Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Tuesday, Nov. 3. For more information about this two-week voyage, which is open to Park alumni, family and friends, visit www.parkalumni.org/cruise09.
Alumni encouraged to participate in Alumni Association programs
Graduates of Park University are reminded that they automatically become members of the Park University Alumni Association. Members receive the Park University magazine, notification of events, including the annual Alumni Weekend and Harvest Fest, invitations to regional receptions/reunions, access to the Online alumni directory and representation on the Alumni Council. Alumni are encouraged to participate in the many programs and committees available to Alumni Association members.
To keep your membership in the Alumni Association active, you must keep your contact information up-to-date with the Office of Alumni Relations. For more information, visit www.parkalumni.org or e-mail alumnioffice@park.edu.
ATHLETICS
Park athletes honored for excelling in classroom
Nine Park athletes in women's volleyball and men's and women's soccer were named 2008 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
• Women's volleyball: www.parkathletics.com/wvolleyball/park_002337.shtml
• Women's soccer: www.parkathletics.com/wsoccer/park_002336.shtml
• Men's soccer: www.parkathletics.com/msoccer/park_002332.shtml
Park soccer players selected to NAIA All-America teams
• Women's soccer All-Americans: www.parkathletics.com/wsoccer/park_002345.shtml
• Men's soccer All-Americans: www.parkathletics.com/msoccer/park_002347.shtml
University recognizes Pirate Club lifetime members
The Park University Pirate Club honored its two lifetime members -- Benny Lee and Ed Bradley -- during Park's basketball "Senior Day" activities.
www.parkathletics.com/news/park_002438.shtml
Men's volleyball team begins defense of national title
The top-ranked Park men's volleyball team, the defending NAIA national champions, opened its season with six consecutive victories.
www.parkathletics.com/news/cat_index_53.shtml
Meriweather joins elite basketball club with milestones
In a 10-day span in December, Park men's basketball player Jon Meriweather surpassed the 1,000-career point barrier and collected his 500th career rebound.
www.parkathletics.com/news/cat_index_38.shtml
Men's basketball team on roll
Park's men's basketball team is peaking at just the right time. Dating back to Nov. 24, the Pirates are 11-3, including eight wins against teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA top 25, or NCAA Division II opponents.
www.parkathletics.com/news/cat_index_38.shtml
IN THE NEWS
• Park University was highlighted in a feature story focusing on the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The story appeared on WDAF-TV (Kansas City) on Jan. 20, and included interviews with James F. Pasley, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, and Sam Pennington Jr., Park freshman, along with video from a watch party in the McCoy Meetin' House.
www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-obama-inauguration-local-reax-012009,0,371573.story
• Park University's Copley Quad residential hall was featured in a story in the December 2008 issue of University Business magazine.
www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1172
• Erica Zahibi, '08, was highlighted in a KMBC-TV (Kansas City) story on Dec. 19, 2008. Zahibi, a kindergarten teacher, along with her family, adopted her entire class for Christmas.
www.kmbc.com/news/18320832/detail.html
• Airman 1st Class Taj V. Preciado, a sophomore majoring in computer science at Park's Tinker AFB Campus Center, was featured in the Dec. 12 issue of the Tinker Take Off, the official newspaper of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. The story highlighted Preciado's winning "Democracy Day" essay sponsored by Park's International Center for Civic Engagement.
www.tinker.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123127666
• Tom Holcom, president of Pioneer Services (a division of MidCountry Bank) and a member of Park's Board of Trustees, included Park University in an advertisement that ran in Ingram's, a Kansas City business magazine. The ad highlighted Pioneer Services commitment to military families and its desire to make a difference by supporting organizations, such as Park, also committed to those that serve our country.
• Park University men's basketball players Deron Cherry II and Jon Meriweather were highlighted in a five-minute long feature story on the Dec. 2 late night edition of "Metro Sports Zone." The piece also included interviews with their fathers, former Kansas City Chiefs safety Deron Cherry and Park women's basketball head coach Joe C. Meriweather. "Metro Sports Zone" is a production of Time Warner Cable in Kansas City.
UPCOMING EVENTS
View a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics, at www.park.edu/calendar/parkville.html.
