IN THIS ISSUE
University ranked among nation's top 100 for degrees conferred to minorities
Student to participate in Summer Olympics tryouts
Sanders, Mason appointed to faculty positions
Potthast delivers lecture on Cleopatra
Burk delivers paper on computer science
Soccer teams help with walk/run
Hamilton participating in art display
Park In The News--Dorla Watkins, Taylor Whipple, Diana McElroy
Green tip of the day
Upcoming events
University ranked among nation's top 100 for degrees conferred to minorities
Park University is once again ranked among the top 100 colleges and universities in the United States for conferring bachelor's degrees to students of color, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine. In its June 7 issue, DIHE ranked Park No. 98 in the nation in the "Total Minority -- All Disciplines Combined" category. Park is the only institution based in Missouri or Kansas to earn a top 100 ranking, and the University is ranked second among schools within the West North Central states of the Midwest region (among Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota).
Park also ranked No. 63 in the nation for bachelor's degrees conferred to African-Americans and No. 76 nationally for bachelor's degrees conferred to Hispanics. In both categories, Park was the highest-ranked college/university in Missouri or Kansas to be ranked, and the University was the second-ranked school within the West North Central states of the Midwest region. For more about the rankings, visit http://news.park.edu/pub/news_002150.shtml.
Student to participate in Summer Olympics tryouts
Jessica Gonzalez, a senior athletic training major, will join the U.S. Olympics organization this summer. As part of an internship, she will be on the massage therapy team in Eugene, Ore., June 26 through July 6. Gonzalez will provide massage therapy services to athletes competing in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. The U.S. Track and Field Trials is the largest national championship meet in the world, which determine the athletes who will represent the U.S. team at the London Olympic Games later this summer.
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| Dr. Teresa Mason |
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| Dr. Carol Sanders |
Sanders, Mason appointed to faculty positions
Park Distance Learning has announced that Carol Sanders, Ph.D., associate professor and program coordinator of biology, has been appointed to join Park University's Faculty Online Observation Team. Sanders replaces Teresa Mason, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, who has been appointed as interim chair of the Department of Psychology and Sociology. Sanders joins five other faculty members on the Faculty Online Observation Team: Marthann Schulte, Ph.D., associate professor of education and coordinator of online faculty evaluation; Kay Dennis, Ed.D., assistant professor of adult education; Michael Eskey, Ph.D., associate professor and program coordinator of criminal justice; Henry Roehrich, Ph.D., assistant professor and program coordinator of marketing/management; and Cathy Taylor, J.D., assistant professor of management.
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| Dr. Adam Potthast |
Potthast delivers lecture on Cleopatra
Adam Potthast, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, delivered the lecture, "Cleopatra and Ethics: Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make Shakespeare," on June 4 at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City, Mo. The lecture was the first in a series, serving as an introduction to the lesser-performed Shakespeare play, as well as an investigation of the ethical themes therein. Potthast contended that Shakespeare's main point in constructing Cleopatra's character was not to show a Juliet-like character who gave up her life for love but instead to show a powerful woman claim her place in history under oppressive norms of conquest in the period. In doing so, Cleopatra showcased Shakespeare's early foreshadowing of existentialist and even feminist themes.
Burk delivers paper on computer science
Erlan Burk, assistant professor and program coordinator of information and computer science, presented the paper, "Measuring e-Learning Technology," at the International Conference on Advances in Computer Science in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 7-8. The paper included four methods of measuring e-learning technology, along with a proposal for a new paradigm to measure capacity of e-learning support technology.
Soccer teams help with walk/run
Park University's men's and women's soccer teams volunteered at a walk/run for Together as One, a not-for-profit organization that provides sports scholarships to children of low-income families, on April 21 in English Landing Park in Parkville, Mo. The teams helped with set up, registered participants, passed out food and beverages, served as race moderators and helped with clean up. In the adjacent photo, event organizer Dan Morton (far right) is pictured with Kimberly Connelly, assistant director of international student services, and the teams.
Hamilton participating in art display
Frank P. Hamilton, adjunct instructor of communication arts, is participating in the 2012 Kansas City Flatfile show at the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Mo. The show, an interactive, biennial exhibition, runs through Saturday, Sept. 29, and features two-dimensional and time-based artworks by more than 150 Kansas City visual artists.
Park In The News
Dorla Watkins, Park University vice president for finance and administration, has been selected as a finalist for the Kansas City Business Journal's 2012 CFO of the Year. Watkins is one of four finalists in the nonprofit division. Winners will be revealed on Friday, June 22, at an awards luncheon in Overland Park, Kan. The finalists were announced in the KCBJ on May 29.
Taylor Whipple, a Park University junior psychology major and Degree with Honors student who was named a Campus Connect 2012 Newman Civic Fellow earlier this spring, was featured in a story that appeared on WDAF-TV in Kansas City on May 27. Whipple was interviewed and shown working with a group of disabled children. Virginia Brackett, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of Park's Department of English and Modern Languages and director of the Degree with Honors Program, was also interviewed for the story.
Diana McElroy, Ph.D., dean of student life, was interviewed for a Kansas City Star cover story on changes to health care laws, which are affecting college health care plans. McElroy's comments appeared in the June 14 issue of the Star.
Green tip of the day
This tip is about how to cut down on paper use -- there are many reasons to, perhaps the foremost of which is that much of climate change is caused by deforestation. Also, paper production consumes energy, and thrown-away sheets clog landfills. Here's one thing that you can do:
--- Choose Tree-Free Materials -- It's Hemp History Week (in early June) and while hemp has a controversial history in the U.S., buying paper made of hemp instead of trees isn't illegal. And it's certainly a lot more environmental, considering that as a crop, hemp needs no pesticides, grows back quickly and preserves the soil it's in better than most commercially grown plants do. Plus, no trees need to be killed for a hemp-paper product.
For more information and additional tips to lead a "green life," visit http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife.
Upcoming Events
--- Through July 31 -- Titanic Centennial Exhibit, McAfee Memorial Library
--- June 21 -- Tinker Air Force Base Campus Center Commencement, 3 p.m., Tinker AFB Combined Club
--- June 22 -- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Campus Center Commencement, 2 p.m., Doubletree Hotel at Reid Park, Tucson, Ariz.
--- June 22 -- Scott Air Force Base Campus Center Commencement, 7 p.m., The Regency Conference Center, O’Fallon, Ill.
--- June 23 -- Luke Air Force Base Campus Center Commencement, 10:30 a.m., Club Five Six
--- June 23 -- Charleston Air Force Base Campus Center Commencement, 11 a.m., Charleston Club
--- June 23 -- Lackland Air Force Base Campus Center / Randolph Air Force Base Campus Center Commencement, 1 p.m., Lackland AFB Bob Hope Theater
--- July 1 -- Junemester ends (Kansas City area)
--- July 4 -- Independence Day (Kansas City area offices closed and no Parkville Daytime classes)
--- July 9 -- Julymester classes begin (Kansas City area)
--- July 16-August 31 -- Nancy Marshall Art Exhibit, Campanella Gallery
--- July 29 -- Summer Session ends (Kansas City area and campus centers across the country)
--- August 5 -- Julymester ends (Kansas City area)
--- August 9-10 -- New Faculty Orientation, Parkville Campus
--- August 10-12 -- Park Distance Learning Academic Directors Conference, Parkville Campus
--- August 13-14 -- Fall Faculty Conference, Parkville Campus
Note: To view a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics, visit www.park.edu/calendar/parkville.html.
