UNIVERSITY NEWS Graduate student recognized by Library of Congress for radio series
Jill Biden visits with military families on the Parkville Campus Jill Biden, Ed.D., wife of vice president Joe Biden, visited Park University’s Parkville Campus in July to talk to members of the Missouri National Guard and their families regarding “Partners in Care,” a faith-based program that assists military families in need. Partners in Care finds faith-based organizations in the same area as military families and connects them with support services such as counseling, transportation and household needs. Biden heard from a handful of participants in the program and said she understood the emotional needs of the families and military members. “When my son was deployed to Iraq, my church put my son’s name in the bulletin, and complete strangers came up to me every week and said, ‘I’m praying for your son,’” Biden said.
University offers Kansas City Leadership Academy Park University announced its new Kansas City Leadership Academy this fall, a program designed to groom young professionals for greater leadership roles in organizations, the community and beyond. The Academy is led by Kay Barnes, distinguished professor for public leadership in Park’s Hauptmann School for Public Affairs and former mayor of Kansas City, Mo., and Don Wise, coordinator of nonprofit and community services and instructor of public administration at the Hauptmann School. The Academy provides attendees with a combination of the latest scholarship in leadership studies, plus practical hands-on guidance in achieving executive excellence. Fall 2012 - 24
Rex Temple, who is pursuing a Master of Public Affairs degree, was recognized by having his radio series, “My Last Tour,” preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress as part of the Veteran’s History Project. Now retired, Temple, an Air Force senior master sergeant, was deployed to Afghanistan from 2009-10 as part of an embedded training team with the Afghan National Army. He was responsible for teaching combat logistics to ANA soldiers, along with mentoring the religious cleric. Temple, a Bronze Star recipient, provided weekly updates and interviews of his combat and humanitarian missions to WUSF radio, a National Public Radio affiliate. He also wrote an award-winning blog complete with daily entries and pictures of his deployment. During his tour, Temple traveled through seven provinces, endured 183 combat logistic patrol missions and was exposed to the perils of ambushes, rocket attacks, IEDs and fire fights. His interviews included discussions with former Mujahedeen soldiers, female ANA soldiers and village civilians. Visit http://bit.ly/NAoxTE to listen to his collection of radio articles.