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Park University eNews - March 2007By University Advancement - March 30, 2007 - 11:43 amEmail this article | Printer friendly page | Media Inquiries | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter eNews Featured in this month's edition: University News
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Pledging to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases generated by the campus and to ultimately achieve carbon neutrality, President Beverley Byers-Pevitts recently signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, becoming the first in the Kansas City area and the second institution in Missouri to join in this effort Sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), this initiative seeks to address global warming by solidifying institutional commitments to reduce and ultimately become carbon neutral. ?By signing the Presidents Climate Commitment, Park is embarking on a critical journey in addressing the global climate change and to make U.S. campuses more sustainable,? said President Byers-Pevitts. ?Park commits to developing a plan for the University to achieve climate neutrality, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions at our campus in Parkville, Mo. Park will also serve as a key leader in encouraging the surrounding community to understand and invest in the underlying science and approaches to the these ever-increasing problems.? To read the full story, click here.
Celebrating Park?s 132nd anniversary, Founders Day 2007 will honor Patricia Garney for her servant leadership to the Kansas City community, and pay tribute to students, faculty and staff who continue to fulfill the original dreams of the University's co-founders. The celebration will be Thursday, April 19 at the Westin Crown Center, Century Ballroom. The evening will begin with a reception a 6 p.m., followed by dinner and program at 7 p.m. Park University invites students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community to join in celebrating its scholarly history, its sustained presence in the greater Kansas City community, and its exciting future as an international education leader at its annual Founders Day. The proceeds from the event benefit the Presidential Honors Scholarship Endowment to deliver the promise of access to a quality education for future generations of Park students. When fully funded, the endowment will provide 20 full scholarships annually for academically talented students who do not have the financial means to achieve their educational dreams and goals. Faculty and staff tickets are $75 and community members? tickets are $150 per person. For student and other reservations, please contact Susan Walker at susan.walker@park.edu or call (816) 584-6329. Students Named to National Honor Society The Park University Pinnacle Honor Society, an honorary organization that recognizes the outstanding achievement of adult students, recently named 12 students as its newest members.
Following three intensive days of competition and a dynamic performance of the first movement from Mozart?s Concerto no. 22 K. 482 in E-flat Major, Park University graduate student Lolita Lisovskaya earned the $7,500 top prize at the 2007 Iowa Piano Competition on March 10 in Sioux City, Iowa. The competition, hosted by the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra at the Morningside College's Orpheum Theatre, included a recital, a chamber performance with Kia-Hui Tan and William Conable from Ohio State, and a concerto performance for the three finalists. Following the awards presentation, the judges remarked on the involvement and intricacy of Lisovskaya?s playing and they encouraged her to keep competing. To read the full story, click here. Ft. Bliss Campus to Launch Great Decisions Forum As part of the Park Great Decisions Forum initiative, the international event committee at the Ft. Bliss Campus has developed a Border Issues Forum Series for University students, alumni and faculty in the greater El Paso community. The first series will be April 11 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ft. Bliss Sergeant Major Academy auditorium. It will focus on broad U.S./Mexico border issues, and will serve as a foundation for future annual events in the series. Art Rodriquez, Fort Bliss academic coordinator and sociology instructor, will serve as the panel moderator, and panel members will include a representative from the Mexican Consulate in El Paso, a border patrol official, and an El Paso city/county official. Members of the international event committee include Bruce Strom, Ph.D., associate professor of management and a member of the Park University International Task Force, Robert Theus, Fort Bliss academic director, J. D. Cotham, Park instructor and El Paso police officer, and Art Rodriquez. For more information, please contact Bruce Strom at bruce.strom@park.edu.
Since the publishing of the book ?A Framework for Understanding Poverty? in 1995, millions of readers around the world have changed the way they view social class. Many of these readers in Kansas City joined Park University at a two-day workshop featuring the author, Ruby Payne, Ph.D., on March 1-2 at the KCI Expo Center. The event, hosted by the Professional Development Institute, drew more than 750 participants from Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. On March 1, Laura Lane, executive director of the Professional Development Institute and Jo Agnew-Tally, Ph.D., associate dean of School for Education, welcomed the group and introduced Payne. She addressed educator and administrators from 48 school districts and teacher preparation educators from five higher education institutions. Her lively and thought-provoking presentation held the interests of attendees throughout the day. On March 2, President Beverley Byers-Pevitts and the Honorable Kay Waldo Barnes, mayor of Kansas City, Mo., welcomed the audience and introduced Payne and her co-author of the book ?Bridges out of Poverty: Strategies for Professional and Communities,? Phil DeVol. Payne and DeVol addressed the issues related to generational and situational poverty and the ?Hidden Rules? associated with social class. Their work is designed to improve the lives of people in poverty, and by doing so, form healthy, sustainable communities through improved services. Attendees included public and private sector businesses, government and social service agencies, civic organizations, law enforcement and university professors. Military to Receive Discount for Graduate Programs In support and appreciate of their service, Park University is reducing the graduate tuition cost by 25 percent for active duty military, active duty spouses and retired military personnel to assist with access to graduate education. ?I am pleased that the senior leadership team recommended that the Board of Trustees reduce our graduate tuition for active-duty, active-duty dependents and retired military in order to assist access to graduate education,? said President Beverley Byers-Pevitts. ?I cannot, on behalf of Park, speak to Congress and other citizens in this country about doing something to support military families if we at this University are not doing our part.? The new reduction, offered for both face-to-face and Online graduate classes, will be effective fall 2007.
Warm weather is upon us and that means that Park University will be gearing up for Park Academic Camps 2007. Park will offer an array of residential camps for high school students to spend a week learning about a topic of interest to them. The camps will be from Sunday, June 17 through Friday, June 22. Faculty and staff from the Parkville Campus will provide hands-on experiences and small group work while teaching some of University?s most popular subjects, including:
On the final day, parents, family and friends will be invited to join their students for lunch on campus, followed by the capstone event?seeing the students? work come to life. The cost for each student, including lodging, meals and special outings, is $495. Space is limited and applications and payment are due by May 10. For the detailed schedules for each camp and to download the application form, visit Park University Summer Camp web site at www.park.edu/summercamp/.
In honor and recognition of their ultimate sacrifice, Park University faculty will publicly read aloud the names of the American service personnel who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. The reading will be on Wednesday, April 18 beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the entrance to the Academic Underground at the Parkville Campus. Led by Ronald F. Brecke, Ph.D., professor of political science, each volunteer faculty member will recite the more than 3,200 names in 15 minute intervals. ?This presentation is in keeping with Park?s ?work and faith? tradition as well as with the University?s close association with the United States Military and its operations throughout the world,? said Brecke. ?The reading will not be associated with any kind of protest or demonstration. It will be a recitation of the names of those who have faithfully given their lives in the United States Military.? The community is welcome to attend the reading and donations will be collected for The Veterans Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Park announced on March 28 its partnership with Rave Wireless and Sprint (NYSE: S) to provide a mobile phone program across the University?s diverse learning environments and student populations. The Kansas City Star published an extensive article about the partnership, which included an error that stated ?The phone bills will be included in the fees that students pay to Park.? Rave Wireless is the leading provider of college and university mobile phone programs and will work with Sprint to provide Park University students with the option to purchase mobile phones that come pre-loaded with Rave applications for academics, safety, and community-building, as well as special calling plans. In addition, Sprint will extend its custom network in-building solution by offering additional coverage of the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network at the Parkville Campus, giving students the power of continuous access to information nearly anytime. ?The occasion to employ the latest new media technology, in a classroom and non-classroom environment, enhances the connectivity of life-long learning for all students,? said Timothy Westcott, assistant professor of history. ?The formation and foundation of a liberal arts education is accessibility and the Park/Rave Wireless/Sprint partnership furnishes an opportunity to continue enriching student engagement globally.? Park will also work with Rave to integrate its existing computing systems into a new mobile platform, giving students 24/7, on-the-go access to administrative and class information on their mobile phones. All Park students will have the option to participate in the mobile phone program that will enhance their learning and help them to stay connected with the University nearly anytime and anywhere for academics, communities and necessary information. To view the full release, click here.
For the third consecutive year, Park University?s International Center for Music (ICM) hosted a Grand Piano Festival on March 1-4 at the Parkville Campus. This music project featured guest artist Sequeira Costa, distinguished professor of piano at the University of Kansas, who taught master classes along with Stanislav Ioudenitch, Park?s associate professor of Music. The festival also included dynamic concert performances by Costa, Ioudenitch and ICM students Tatiana Tessman, Lolita Lisovskaya and Ulugbek Palvanov. In a career spanning five decades, Costa has developed his own musical interpretation from the understanding of the German and French schools, acquired through his extensive studies. Besides regular appearances at judge at some of the world?s most prestigious international music competitions, including the Chopin, Leeds, Marguerite Long, Montreal, Rubenstein and Tchaikovsky, Costa teaches extensively in master classes worldwide. Since 1976, Sequeira Costa holds the position of ?Cordelia Brown Murphy Distinguished Professor of Piano? at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Park University introduced the Grand Piano Festival in 2004 to provide a series of master classes and concerts. During the 2004-2005 academic year, Park hosted Dmitri Bashkirov and William Grant Nabor? from the International Piano Academy at Lake Como, Italy. In 2005-2006 academic year, Park hosted Fou Ts?ong, renowned Chinese pianists and faculty at The International Piano Academy in Lake Como. For more information, please visit www.park.edu/icm/gpf.
Emily Hauptmann, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at Western Michigan University and daughter of Professor Emeritus Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D., will be the 15th Annual Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann Distinguished Lecturer. The lecture will be on Wednesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the McCoy Meetin? House at the Parkville Campus. The event is free and open to the public. Hauptmann will present ?Fighting Words: How Political Scientists and the Big Foundations Defined ?Democracy? During the Cold War.? Her primary areas of research are in contemporary democratic theory and the history of academic political science. She is currently working on a book about the influence of big money on political science. The Hauptmann School for Public Affairs and the Distinguished Lecture Series is named in honor of Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Public Administration Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D. His distinguished career spans more than 50 years with Park University and he is a respected international professor, leader and lecturer who has received numerous national and international accolades for his insightful guidance. This year, the Park University Hauptmann School for Public Affairs celebrates its 25th anniversary. For more information about the lecture series, please visit www.park.edu/grad/lecture.aspx or contact the Hauptmann School for Public Affairs at (816) 421-1125, ext. 5516. Alumni News
Plan to join fellow alumni and friends on June 14-17 for four days of reconnecting and making new friends. Included in the activities are a golf scramble, Golden Reunion for the Class of 1957, class reunion luncheons and other events for the classes ending in ?2? and ?7?, a reunion for the ?Early 60s and Friends?, campus tours, a brunch at the President's home for classes prior to 1957, and two new events. On Friday, June 15, the Alumni Association will host an evening at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, the nationally acclaimed historical monument and museum in downtown Kansas City. Tickets for the museum and tower will be free to all Park alumni, faculty, staff and family. Alumni will be ?Dancing Under the Stars? the evening of Saturday, June 16. The dinner-dance will be at the Marriott Pavilion on the lake at the KCI Airport. The event will begin with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and presentation of the Distinguished Alumnus Award to Dr. Jerry Schrader, ?57. The remainder of the evening will be filled with dancing to the music of a DJ and lessons from professional dance instructors. For more information about Alumni Weekend 2007 and to register, click here.
Alumni Travel to Poland Alumni and their friends are invited to travel with Park to Poland, the homeland of Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D., professor emeritus and founder of the Hauptmann School for Public Affairs, on July 26 through Aug. 4. The trip will include Warsaw, Krakow and Dr. Hauptmann's hometown of Lodz.
On the last Thursday of every month throughout 2007, the Alumni Association is sponsoring an informal Park After Hours get-together for alumni to meet old and new friends. Each month the event is hosted by a different Park alumnus/a at a different restaurant in the Kansas City area. The goal is to offer an event in all corners of the city. The first Park After Hours was hosted by Jay Flaherty, ?71, at Harpos in Westport. Chris Hershey, ?03, MPA, ?05, hosted the February get-together at Higher Grounds in Parkville, and Michelle Shoemaker Rodriguez,? 01, MBA, ?05, hosted the March event at Nick and Jake's in Kansas City. The upcoming Park After Hours dates:
Upcoming Events
For the latest alumni news and events, visit www.parkalumni.org. Athletics News
The Park University men's basketball team's magical season came to a heartbreaking end on Friday, March 16 with a 91-88 loss to Azusa Pacific University in the second round of the NAIA Division I National Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Trailing 86-73 with 3:53 remaining in the game, the Pirates used a 15-3 run over the next three minutes to pull within one, 89-88, with 41 seconds left on the clock. After APU's Khalif Ford knocked down a pair of free throws, Park senior Brandon Voorhees (Grandville, Mich.), who scored a game-high 33 points, missed a fade-away three-pointer from the left wing as time expired. Voorhees, who is the NAIA's leading scorer, scored nine of Park's 15 points during the run, while his 33 points marked the 10th time this year he scored 30 points or more. Despite the loss, the 2006-07 season was a record-breaking campaign for the Pirates. Park's 25 wins ranks third on the school's single-season chart, while the seven losses ties lowest single-season total in school history. In addition, second-year head coach Jason Kline and the Pirates posted a 15-win improvement over last season's 10-22 record, which is the best turnaround in the history of the program. This was Park?s third appearance in the NAIA National Tournament and the first since the 1997-98 season. The Pirates finished the year ranked ninth nationally and earned a school-record No. 6 national rating earlier in the year. Against Azusa Pacific, Park trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half following an 11-0 Cougar run that put APU up 38-19. The Pirates managed to climb back into the game and pull within 49-40 at the half. In the second half, Azusa Pacific increased its lead to as many as 14 points, and Park continued to battle back as a 7-0 spurt put the score at 68-65 at the 8:08 mark. The Cougars built their lead back up to 13 before the Pirates' final run. ?I give our guys all the credit in the world,? Kline said. ?We could have rolled over and (Azusa Pacific) could have beaten us by 30, but we fought back and gave ourselves a chance. That is all I can ask for.? Park senior Kevin Nelson (Detroit, Mich.) added 24 points and four rebounds. Junior Nick Burton (Kansas City, Mo.) had nine points and six rebounds, while sophomore Michael Zimmerman (Ft. Wright, Ky.) tied a season high with eight assists to go along with eight points. Azusa Pacific held a 48-30 advantage in rebounding, which included 19 offensive boards. The Cougars had 23 second-chance points to Park's nine. Stay tuned to the latest Pirate Athletics news at www.parkathletics.com. In the News Iowa Paper Reports Lolita?s Win The Sioux City Journal writer Alicia Ebaugh featured a story about Park graduate student Lolita Lisovskaya?s win at the Iowa Piano Competition on March 10. To view the article, click here. News Highlights Park?s Partnership with Sprint, Rave The Kansas City Star newspaper recently featured an article, titled ?Sprint, Rave Wireless to offer new service to Park University? in its March 29 issue. The story was also published in the Academic Impressions daily newsletter and in University Business Magazine Online newsletter. Pirate Basketball Coach, Player Featured in New York Times The New York Times published a sidebar article, titled ?A Family Reunion,? about Park University women?s coach Joe Meriweather and his son, Jon, who is a sophomore playing on the men?s basketball team. To view the article, click here. Sports Illustrated Mentions Pirate Baseball Player The March 3 issue of Sports Illustrated featured an article about Kansas City Royals player Alex Gordon, who is the brother of Park?s starting second baseman Brett Gordon. The Pirate player is also mentioned in the story. To view the article, click here. The KC Star Covers River Read Festival at Park The Kansas City Star?s March 24 issue featured the River Read Children?s Literature Festival at Park University with a full story and two photos from the event. Upcoming events
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