Tech. Sgt. Robert Keough

Davis-Monthan student wins Air Force chess tournament

Park University student Tech. Sgt. Robert Keough, from the 563rd Operations Support Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz. won the annual 2008 Air Force Chess Tournament at the Davis-Monthan Community Center on May 9.

Keough, a junior pursing a bachelor's degree in management at Park's Davis-Monthan Campus Center, competed against 13 other active duty Air Force members from around the globe. Keough, along with five other top Air Force players and players from each military branch, will now compete in an inter-service tournament held in June at Davis-Monthan AFB.

"Watching a beautiful chess game or even a move is like art to me," said Keough. "I look at chess the way an art concierge would look at Starry Night or Mona Lisa."

Keough started playing chess when he was a young boy, and then realized he was good at it. He has won the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) championship three times. Aside from just enjoying the game, Keough travels around the world to compete. He has been to England, France, Germany and Poland, and has competed in many stateside tournaments as well.

Dave Hullinger and Stuart Smith of Ellerbe Becket, left, talk with Park's Roger Hershey, vice president and general counsel, Rita Weighill, vice president for communication, and Paul Gault, special assistant for administration, during a tour on May 28.

Construction of Copley Quad continues on time and under budget

A brisk pace continues at the Copley Quad student housing project construction site. According to Paul Gault, special assistant for administration and Park University's owner representative for the project, masons and drywall installers have doubled their crews recently, and in the past couple of weeks, framers had completed installation of all windows in both buildings. In addition, the City of Parkville (Mo.) and the fire marshal have been on the job site for inspections, helping keep the project on schedule.

The $18 million project is slated to be ready for students when the residence halls open on Aug. 14. More information about the project, as well as a photo timeline of the construction progress can be viewed at

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Derek Mueller

Mueller presents at national rhetoric conference

Derek Mueller, adjunct instructor of English, presented two pieces at the 13th biennial conference of the Rhetoric Society of America, May 22-25, in Seattle. Mueller presented a paper titled "Automata for the Archive: A Machinery for Distant Reading," making a case for the blending of agency and automation in certain research methods. In addition, he presented an experimental Flash installation, "Everywhere Drafting: A Thick Map." This is part of a gallery exploring the ethics of amateurism in academic work.

Elissa Eggen presents on her topic.

Connie Tyler, right, speaks with a student on her work

Zeng, students attend psychology conference

Heather Zeng, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and Online instructor evaluator for the College of Distance Learning, was the faculty sponsor for Park University social psychology students Elissa Eggen and Connie Tyler at their presentations during the eighth annual Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Conference, in Palo Alto, Calif., May 17.

A talk and poster presentation in the developmental topic area on a content analysis applying an advocacy model toward further identifying levels of enfranchisement of the developmentally disabled in the U.S. was presented by Eggen. Tyler presented a poster on peer, family and media influences on adolescent self identity development through an appreciative inquiry lens.

Mary Siedlik

Lisa Gundy

Faculty, students present research at science meeting

A number of Park University faculty and students presented results of their ongoing research projects at the Missouri Academy of Science annual meeting, April 18-19, at Missouri Southern State University, Joplin.

Psychology major Mary Siedlik took third place in the collegiate poster session with her research poster, "Personal Keys: Effects of Gender, Location and Composition on Microbial Load," co-authored by Tim Gabor, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, Brian Hoffman, Ph.D., professor of biology and mathematics, and Doug Burns, Ph.D., associate professor of biology. Biology major Lisa Gundy presented a poster, "Lead Deposition Due to Mourning Dove Hunting at Two Conservation Areas in Platte County, Mo.," co-authored by Gabor, and Darina Durlova, biology major, presented a poster, "Olfactory Recognition of Gender and Reproductive State of Females by Male Guinea Pigs."

In addition, chemistry major Aaron Boorem gave an oral presentation co-authored by Patricia A. Chernovitz, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, and Robert E. Smith, Ph.D., adjunct professor of chemistry, titled "Synthesis of Dehydrodi-2-Hydroxy-4-Methoxyacetophenone." Burns also judged two sessions of collegiate biology oral presentations and Hoffman judged high school science presentations.

The mission of the Missouri Colleges Fund, a nonprofit formed in 1952, is to acquire resources to help educate students at its member private liberal arts colleges and universities. In addition to Park, member schools include Avila University, Central Methodist University, Columbia College, Culver-Stockton College, Drury University, Evangel University, Fontbonne University, Hannibal-LaGrange College, Maryville University, Missouri Baptist University, Rockhurst University, Southwest Baptist University, Westminster College, William Jewell College and William Woods University.


Park In The News

• Pat Kitchens, a 1994 criminal justice graduate from Park, was recently appointed chief of police in Leavenworth, Kan. Read the article at www.leavenworthtimes.com/articles/2008/05/03/news/news01.prt.
• Carolyn Elwess, Park University archivist, was featured in a photo in the May 3 edition of The Kansas City Star, alongside Parkville, Mo., dignitaries during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Parkville Railroad Museum. Photos from the event can be viewed at http://communityfaces.kcstar.com and searching for "Parkville Depot Railroad Museum."