University ranked high by Department of Education for net price
Watkins recognized by Kansas City business newspaper
Student article published in honors journal
Brackett, Ockerstrom, present research on Virginia Woolf
Park faculty present on cyberbullying
Park volunteers provide assistance to homeless veterans
Park In The News--Taylor Hall, Brooke Murphy, International Center for Music, Ashleigh Alvarado, Jamie Tanno, Rodrigo Neri
Green tip of the day
Upcoming events
University ranked high by Department of Education for net price
Park University has the second-lowest net price of any private, not-for-profit college/university in the United States and its territories that is not a Bible college or has a religious affiliation, according to rankings released by the U.S. Department of Education. Park's net price (after scholarship and grant aid) is $8,328, while the national average for private not-for-profit four-year or above schools is $18,770. Park is the only private, nonprofit four-year school based in Missouri or Kansas ranked in the top 125 at No. 100. In addition, Park is the highest ranked non-Bible/religious college/university in the West North Central states of the Midwest region (among Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota).
The average net price is generated by subtracting the average amount of federal, state/local government, or institutional grant or scholarship aid from the total cost of attendance. Total cost of attendance is the sum of published tuition and required fees (lower of in-district or in-state, where applicable), books and supplies, and the weighted average for room, board and other expenses. The average net price is for full-time beginning undergraduate students who received grant or scholarship aid from federal, state or local governments, or the institution. The rankings come from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and encompass the Fall 2010 institutional characteristics component and Spring 2011 student financial aid component. To view the list of rankings, visit http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx.
Watkins recognized by Kansas City business newspaper
Dorla Watkins, vice president for finance and administration, was honored on June 22 by the Kansas City Business Journal during its 2012 CFO of the Year awards luncheon. Watkins was one of 13 honorees at the luncheon who were judged for their contributions to their companies' growth and financial success, their roles in corporate management and strategic planning and their community involvement. Watkins was recognized in the nonprofit category. She is shown in the adjacent photo with Park University Board of Trustees members Rick Thode (left) and Peter deSilva.
Student article published in honors journal
An article written by Daniel Pfeiffer, sophomore English literature major and a member of the Degree with Honors Program, was published in the spring edition of the honors journal, Aisthesis. The article, "Book Banning, a Fireless Revolution," was written for the Honors EN 106 (First Year Writing Seminar II: Academic Research and Writing) class. The work examined book banning in Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, and argues that while some believe book bans function as a means of protection, they restrain intellectual freedom and foster a society in which ideas perish. Read Pfeiffer's article at www.park.edu/honors/PfeifferAisthesisSubmission.htm.
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| Dr. Lolly Ockerstrom |
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| Dr. Virginia Brackett |
Brackett, Ockerstrom, present research on Virginia Woolf
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, and Lolly Ockerstrom, Ph.D., associate professor of English, presented research on modernist author Virginia Woolf at the 22nd International Conference on Virginia Woolf in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, June 5-7. Brackett's paper, "Flush and the Hero's Journey: Woolf, the Monomyth and Literary Archetypes," applied theories from critic Northrup Frye and philosopher Joseph Campbell to Woolf's nontraditional novelistic approach to a biography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Flush, told from the point of view of her dog, a figure featured in several of her poems. Ockerstrom's paper, "Photography, History and Memoir of the Spanish Civil War: Interdisciplinary Views by Virginia Woolf, Gerald Brenan and Gamel Woolsey," examined Woolf's 1938 anti-war polemic, Three Guineas, within the context of work by two additional Bloomsbury writers: The Spanish Labyrinth, a history by Gerald Brenan, and Death's Other Kingdom, a memoir by Gamel Woolsey. Ockerstrom also chaired a panel, "Creative Practices: Woolf as Inspiration," and was appointed to serve as the U.S. representative for the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain.
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| Dr. Cathy Taylor |
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| Dr. Jutta Pegues |
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| Dr. Teresa Mason |
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| Dennis Gresdo |
Park faculty present on cyberbullying
Several Park University faculty collaborated on the paper and presentation of "Examining Cyberbullying in Higher Education from the Perspectives of the Student, the Instructor and the Administrator." Dennis Gresdo, assistant professor of management and marketing and academic director of Park's Washington, D.C., area campus centers, Teresa Mason, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and chair of the Department of Psychology and Sociology; Jutta Pegues, Ph.D., assistant professor of history and online academic director; and Cathy Taylor, J.D., assistant professor of management and online instructor evaluator, presented the paper on June 4 during the Fishbowl Dialogue Session at the Distance Learning Administration Conference in Jekyll Island, Ga. They discussed the legal, ethical, psychological and educational ramifications of actual and perceived instances of cyberbullying in higher education. Appropriate responses to reports of bullying also were addressed. Michael Eskey, Ph.D., associate professor and program coordinator of criminal justice and online instructor evaluator, also contributed to the paper.
Park volunteers provide assistance to homeless veterans
Park University staff volunteered on June 8 at the Heart of America Stand Down in Kansas City, Mo., providing assistance to homeless veterans. The event brought together hundreds of community service groups and organizations from the greater Kansas City area to provide assistance and help rid the barriers that prevent homeless veterans from re-entering society as engaged, productive citizens and live more fulfilling lives. Assistance was offered with medical, substance abuse, legal issues, taxes, housing and utility assistance, family counseling, spiritual, mentorships, educational and employment opportunities, and haircuts. About 760 veterans and dependents participated in the event. The Park group included Ashley ManzaKing, Park Distance Learning information distribution specialist; Rob Callicotte, PDL applications programmer; Deena Schneider, enrollment services training specialist in the Park Student Success Center; Steve Fenske, PSSC enrollment counselor; Sam Gross, resident director of Chesnut Hall and Student Life conference and events specialist; Stephen Terry, director of military and veteran student services; and Jason Dye, a senior social work major and a work-study in the Park Warrior Center.
Park In The News
Taylor Hall, senior criminal justice/law enforcement major, and Brooke Murphy, senior elementary education major, who were married earlier this month, were featured and pictured in a front-page June 25 Kansas City Star article about "millennials" outlook on the economy.
Park University's International Center for Music was mentioned in an article that appeared in the June 24 issue of The Kansas City Star. The article was about the Kansas City region's love for classical music.
Park University's commencement ceremony at its Malmstrom Air Force Base (Mont.) Campus Center were highlighted in a story that appeared on KFBB in Great Falls, Mont. Ashleigh Alvarado, who earned an associate's degree in psychology, was interviewed in the story.
Jamie Tanno, a junior third baseman on Park University's softball team, who recently became the first player in the Pirates' 18-year history to be named to the NAIA All-America squad, was featured in her hometown newspaper, the Smithville (Mo.) Herald, on June 20.
Rodrigo Neri, '09, was profiled in a "20 in their Twenties" article that appeared in the June issue of Ingram's magazine, a Kansas City business publication. Neri was highlighted for a company he co-founded in April 2011 called Instin, which developed an application called "my Homework" which tracks school classes, homework assignments and tests to keep students organized.
Green tip of the day
The days may be long and sweltering, but your meals can still be light on the stomach -- and the Earth. Here are a couple of tips to help make your summer fare a bit greener.
--- Simplify, simplify -- Much of the food we eat looks simple, but isn't. Packaged foods -- from pancake mix to lunch meat to canned soup -- hide ingredients you'd never think of eating by themselves. Quick recipes to avoid additives abound on the Internet, and cooking time isn't much longer than picking up the store-bought versions. This simplification can turn into a learning experience: Consider making a loaf of bread with your kids to show them it doesn't have to come from a plastic bag.
--- Limit your meat intake -- The clean, packaged piece of meat you buy for the grill likely has a dirty history. From immense carbon emissions to inhumane treatment of animals, factory farming is one of the least sustainable industries. And unfortunately, meat that's labeled organic isn't always better. So consider some meatless items the next time you grill. If you can't fully commit to vegetarianism, consider participating in Meatless Mondays -- you'll be surprised at how easy the one-day switch is.
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
--- 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.
