Park University Magazine, Summer 2014

MAGAZINE Summer 2014

Vol. 6, No. 1

Applauding Park’s

Rock Stars

— Park University’s Dedicated Faculty — Page 2

Contents

Features

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Applauding Park’s rock stars Antarctica to Park Finding strength in the struggle Riding for heroes Kicking it up a notch Knowing the rules to break The privilege to teach University news Leading the way In academia Alumniad Greetings from Austin Alumni benefits Honoring Park University co-founder George S. Park Lifelong links Class notes Park mourns Alumni Weekend 2014

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Park University Magazine is published for Park alumni and friends by the Office of University Advancement and the Office of University Marketing and Communications. Send address corrections to the Office of University Advancement, Park University, 8700 NW River Park Drive, Box 65, Parkville, MO 64152, call (816) 584-6200 or e-mail advancement@park.edu. Visit www.park.edu for more information.

The mission of Park University is to provide access to a quality higher education experience that prepares a diverse community of learners to think critically, communicate effectively, demonstrate a global perspective, and engage in lifelong learning and service to others.

Core values that guide our actions Accountability, Civility and Respect, Excellence, Global Citizenship, Inclusivity and Integrity Go green with Park Park University Magazine is available online. To opt out of receiving a printed version of the magazine, please e-mail the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@park.edu. If you receive more than one copy in the mail, please let us know.

Thank you for supporting Park’s efforts to be more eco-friendly.

Park University Magazine is created by: Kathy Winklhofer, Wink Creative Communications, winkcreative@mac.com Vanessa Bonavia, V Communications, vmbonavia@gmail.com

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Message from President David Fowler I am thrilled to have my first "official" communication going to Park's alumni and friends in the Park University Magazine. I arrived at Park on July 2 and, even during the short time I have been here as interim president, I am most impressed with the gracious and welcoming culture that is Park.

As a Kansas City native, I was already aware of Park's dynamic leadership on many fronts in the Kansas City area. I have also heard much about the significant way Park is leading higher education on a global level through its connections with the U.S. military and online. Needless to say, when the prospect was presented for me to assume responsibility as Park's chief executive officer, it was an opportunity and a challenge I didn't want to pass up. My professional background is grounded in corporate business leadership and community involvement, and I look forward to applying my experiences to this new opportunity at Park.

In the months ahead, my role as interim president will be to lead the executive staff team and to work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees. I hope to continue to build on the solid foundation I have inherited from Dr. Michael Droge as he assumes his newly appointed role of chancellor. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Dr. Droge and what he accomplished during his tenure as president of Park over the last five years, as well as his contributions to Park over his entire career with the University.

I am looking forward to meeting many of you at Park's Alumni Weekend '14 celebration being hosted at the Parkville Campus on Sept. 19-20. I am proud to be a Park Pirate!

David Fowler

President Park University

Message from the Chancellor Having now transitioned from the role of president and the day-to-day role functioning as chief executive officer that goes with that, I am very excited to assume the role of chancellor and engage with Park’s many external constituents, and cultivate and develop new partnerships to provide Park programs. In some cases, that will include the creation of additional teaching facilities and/ or campus centers. In other cases, it may be expanding existing partnerships to offer more or different Park programs to better serve the needs of our students. Thus, I am envisioning an exciting, remarkable year for Park University and me.

I welcome the chance to work with the highly-respected Kansas City community leader David Fowler in his role as interim president. He and the Board of Trustees will provide a powerful platform on which to significantly advance this University.

I am so appreciative of the opportunity to work with such an outstanding team of Park staff and faculty over the years, as well as maintain relationships with our Park alumni throughout the nation. It is an experience I will cherish forever.

Michael H. Droge, Ph.D. Chancellor Park University

Park University Magazine Summer 2014 Vol. 6 No. 1

Laurie McCormack Vice President for University Advancement (816) 584-6210 laurie.mccormack@park.edu Rita Weighill, ’90 Vice President for University Marketing and Communications (816) 584-6212 rita.weighill@park.edu Brad Biles Associate Director for University Communications (816) 584-6888 brad.biles@park.edu Julie McCollum Director of Alumni Relations (816) 584-6206 julie.mccollum@park.edu

Let us hear from you

Contact the Office of University Marketing and Communications with your comments about the Park University Magazine.

(816) 584-6212 communication@park.edu Office of University Marketing and Communications 8700 NW River Park Drive, Box 57 Parkville, MO 64152

Summer 2014 - 1

Applauding Park’s

Rock Stars

Graduation is a red carpet event. Students are celebrated as they cross brightly lit stages while being showered in the flashing lights of cameras and deserving applause from family, friends and their most admiring fans: dedicated faculty.

Every day, Park University students are cheered and challenged by Park’s 136 full-time and 1,360 adjunct faculty members. They are the solid foundation upon which academic excellence at Park is built — and endures.

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In this issue of Park University Magazine, we give a standing ovation to these campus rock stars deserving of celebrity status. Park faculty members spend countless hours behind the scenes preparing to take center stage for their most important role in classrooms across the University’s 40 campus centers in 21 states and in virtual classrooms online around the globe.

We’ll shine the spotlight on just a few of Park’s faculty who represent the University’s high bar of academic excellence. Outside the classroom, we’ll introduce you to Park faculty who rock the worlds of science, business, military, literature and public affairs while traveling the globe from Africa to Antarctica to research, learn and extend their expertise in service to their communities and country.

Park’s Five-Star Faculty By the Numbers • • • •

Full-time faculty: 136 Adjunct faculty: 1,360 Student-to-faculty ratio: 12 to 1 Fulbright Scholars: 7

(Five Park faculty members have collectively earned seven prestigious J. William Fulbright Scholarship Awards to research and teach around the globe.)

who is your pick?

It’s hard to pick a favorite. Through the years, Park professors have taken center stage in the diverse lives of their admiring students, leaving lasting impressions.

Park University Magazine reached out to students and alumni on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to ask about some of their most memorable Park professors. Visit www.park.edu/fans to read a few of the fun and heartfelt comments we received — and then — leave your own!

Tell us about your favorite professor, visit:

www.park.edu/fans Summer 2014 - 3

“I wanted to be outdoors, traveling the world to research what no one has ever seen in the existence of humanity.”

— Patricia Ryberg, Ph.D.

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Antarctica to Park Until her last semester as an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Patricia Ryberg, Ph.D., declared her major as "pre-med."

She excelled in science and her mother is a surgeon, so she thought it made sense. It was during a biology class field trip — while searching for shark teeth — when Ryberg had a change of heart.

Shark teeth in Nebraska? “Yes, many marine fossils can be found in Nebraska (and the Midwest) because millions of years ago, the area was under water,” said Ryberg, assistant professor of biology at Park University since 2012. “That’s where I also found plant fossils. They were much cooler to me than shark teeth. Plant fossils leave impressions on rocks, like a handprint.”

Pursuing graduate school to become a paleobotanist was more about a way of life than a field of study. “I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life inside a hospital,” Ryberg said. “I wanted be outdoors, traveling the world to research what no one has ever seen in the existence of humanity.”

Assistant professor of biology and paleobotanist Patricia Ryberg studies the handprints of plants that lived millions of years ago in the coldest place on earth.

Ryberg specializes in researching Glossopteris, a 260-million-year-old extinct plant group. She studies their reproductive structures to identify which leaves were attached to which plants. But her research is much more than match-making.

“I’m interested in understanding ecology and the evolution of plant life — and what it can signal about the future,” Ryberg said. Her research has taken her around the world to compare fossil specimens — from Australia to South Africa — and most recently, to the coldest place on Earth: Antarctica.

Yes. Antarctica. Where — believe it or not — it was once lush and green.

“Having been on two research trips to Antarctica, I can assure you there are no plants at the South Pole today,” Ryberg said. “But we know there were forests and river beds there millions of years ago. It’s dark in Antarctica for half the year. So how in the world did plants ever grow at the South Pole?”

In 2012, Ryberg joined other researchers to pursue the mystery, camping in Antarctica’s frozen terrain for six weeks to conduct plant fossil research funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

“In Antarctica, the plants are anatomically preserved. This enables us to research plant fossils at the cellular level to identify and compare their reproductive structures.”

Rock Star

Antarctica research is an adventure, but far from glamorous. “We pack our tents and supplies at McMurdo Station, a U.S. Antarctic research center, and are flown out to the rocky field where the average temperature is minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit,” Ryberg said. “If you’re lucky, it’s not windy.”

Ryberg is often asked why she doesn’t study dinosaur fossils. “Without plants, there would be no dinosaurs,” Ryberg said. “When people ask me what I do, I tell them I study what the dinosaurs ate.”

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“When people ask me what I do, I tell them I study what the dinosaurs ate.”

— Patricia Ryberg, Ph.D.

Wading Through Campus More than 300 million years ago, Park University’s flagship campus in Parkville, Mo., was located near the equator and was part of the West Coast of North America. During this Carboniferous Period, the sea level rose and fell, so at times, the campus was a shallow ocean with marine coral reef and at others it was similar to the habitat of today’s Florida Everglades. All the limestone quarried from the Parkville Commercial Underground was produced by coral reefs. If you look at the outside of some of the buildings on campus, you can still see some fossil sea shells.

Ryberg awarded National Science Foundation Grant Soon after joining Park University in 2012, Patricia Ryberg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, wanted to actively engage students in scientific research. To make it happen, she wrote a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation — a highly competitive endeavor. "Less than 10 percent of grant proposals to the NSF are awarded," Ryberg said.

This spring, she received the news that the University had been awarded a $168,091 research grant from the NSF, the first NSF grant awarded to Park since 1993.

Under Ryberg’s leadership, the NSF grant will establish a paleobotanical research program at Park with a focus on Antarctic fossil plants. Students will study the critical role plants play in the Earth’s environment and changing ecosystem.

The NSF grant will fund new microscopes with high-resolution magnification, and it will include a stipend for 12 Park undergraduate students to participate in research.

Students will have access to thousands of Antarctic fossil plants housed at the University of Kansas in Lawrence where Ryberg maintains a research partnership following her post-doctoral fellowship.

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Finding Strength in the Struggle Nicolas Koudou, Ph.D., left the Republic of Ivory Coast in 1983 for the United States with one objective: a college education.

With the $2,000 he had saved in his pocket, he had no clear plan other than to “get there” — to Indianapolis, Ind., where a friend from his home country said he could stay.

Unlike many international students, there was no university awaiting his arrival. So he mapped out a strategy. “I remember taking out a piece of paper to make lists with headers,” said Koudou, professor of business administration at Park University.

“What are my strengths? What challenges do I face? What can I do to help myself get into school and succeed?”

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Dr. Nicolas Koudou is surrounded by students at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration in Accra during his Fulbright Fellowship in 2011.

He soon learned his list was a technique used by top business executives embarking on new ventures. “I had no idea I was conducting a SWOT analysis, or that one day, I would teach it to my students.”

A SWOT analysis evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in decision-making. It was a personal SWOT analysis that helped Koudou achieve the highest level of education, become a twotime J. William Fulbright Award Scholar (2003 and 2011), and exponentially expand Park’s Master of Business Administration program.

Strength: “I speak French, my native language. Knowing a second language in the U.S. is a competitive advantage,” Koudou said. Weakness: “I could barely speak English when I arrived.” He returned to his list and mapped a plan. “I couldn’t afford a tutor, so I created a table to help me memorize 20 English words a day.”

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Strength: “I was good at soccer,” he said.

Weakness: “Nobody in America knew this.”

Koudou didn’t exactly know how soccer could help him achieve his education until he was playing a pick-up soccer game in a park and was approached by a soccer coach from the University of Indianapolis.

With a soccer scholarship, Koudou started English courses at the University of Indianapolis before taking on a full course load with his well-worn, French-English dictionary. “When the professor said something as simple as ‘open chapter six,’ I'd have to check my dictionary to see what he was saying.”

Koudou earned his bachelor’s degree in three years — despite his struggle to learn English.

But struggle was nothing new to Koudou.

Koudou was born in an African village where there were no roads, no hospitals — and no schools. While selling his coffee and cocoa crops to businessmen, his father noticed something about them. “My father hoped

that his children would one day wear a tie, a symbol of a better life — one he knew could only be achieved through what he never had: an education.”

For Koudou, an education meant leaving his family at 6 years old to attend the nearest school 50 miles away from his village. “I learned to take care of myself at an early age, to rely on my own strength,” he said.

Sometimes he’d visit home and didn’t want to return to school. “My father would say, ‘You have a choice. You can spend your life working on the farm — with the biting flies, snakes and rains — or you can return to school.’”

Koudou began to understand his father’s wisdom. At 25 years old, he set out to pursue advanced education in what he believed was the greatest country in the world: America.

“When I earned my bachelor’s degree, I knew the door to my future was open and decided

to go for the highest level and earn a doctorate degree,” Koudou said. But it wasn’t easy. There were the loans that overwhelmed him, not to mention the endless hours of research and study. But it wasn’t until he taught marketing courses while in graduate school that he discovered his desire to teach.

Today, Koudou takes every opportunity to share his hard-earned wisdom with students. His mantra? “Value your education. Do it with pride, gratitude and confidence. Despite the challenges you face, focus on your strengths to create the opportunities to achieve your dreams. If I can make it, you can too.”

Dr. Nicolas Koudou takes a "selfie" with some Park University Master of Business Administration students."

“Value your education. Do it with pride, gratitude and confidence.

Despite the challenges you face, focus on your strengths to create the opportunities to achieve your dreams.”

— Nicolas Koudou, Ph.D.

Teaching around the world Nicolas Koudou, Ph.D., has been twice named a J. William Fulbright Scholar, in 2003 and 2011, to teach and conduct research in Benin and the Republic of Ivory Coast, respectively. At international conferences, Koudou shares his research on economic challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa, including HIV/AIDS and sustainable resource management.

Legacy of success Koudou joined Park University in 1998 when he was tapped to be the director of Park’s Master of Business Administration program, then with just seven students. Under his leadership as director until May 2013, the MBA program has grown to serve thousands of students, both on campus and online around the globe. Last spring, Koudou helped Park’s School of Business achieve national accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. ACBSP accreditation involves an intensive review to demonstrate commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

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Riding For heroes If you’ve ever witnessed their roaring arrival, you know their power. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of motorcycle riders will thunder down the highway in solidarity, American flags flying high. No words are needed to send their heart-pounding message of gratitude for the supreme sacrifices of our nation’s heroes.

Behind the scenes is Mark Clark, a dedicated veteran who helps orchestrate hundreds of memorial and charitable motorcycle rides in 11 states for the American Legion Riders. After 30 years of active duty service — retiring in 2009 as a command chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force — Clark is devoted to serving the needs of veterans, whether on the nation’s freeways or in the classrooms at Park University.

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Rock Star

Photo by Lana Dillner

“We want everyone who sees us to know a hero is passing and that you owe your freedom to that person’s sacrifice.” — Mark Clark

Greater good The director at Park University's Wentworth Military Academy and College Campus Center in Lexington, Mo., Clark also teaches business administration and criminal justice courses. No matter the subject, Clark challenges students to achieve their educational goals with an eye on the greater good. “I want students to recognize an obligation to more than themselves — both in their careers and in their communities.”

For his students grounded in military training, Clark has little doubt this message resonates. But there’s another message about

their future Clark finds many students need reassuring.

A majority of Clark’s students are veterans working toward a college degree to transition to the civilian workforce. “It can be a scary thing for veterans because the military is all they think they know,” Clark said. “They perceive a vast difference between the two worlds. I assure them there is not.”

Clark is constantly building their confidence by helping them recognize that the leadership skills they’ve honed in the military are in high demand by employers. “Veterans

can walk into any organization and quickly assimilate to its policies and procedures and lead successful teams,” Clark said. “It’s what they’re trained to do.”

Keeping promises Beyond the classroom, Clark is a popular guest speaker who takes every opportunity to advocate on behalf of those who served their country, particularly prisoners of war or missing in action veterans. “If we’re not committed to making sure that everyone we send to fight our nation’s wars is accounted for, what does that say about the character of our country? Our military members need to

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know we are as committed to them as a nation as they are committed to their country.”

Clark survived combat deployments, including Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. “I saw many men wounded and killed. Somehow, I escaped that fate and I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “That’s why I’m passionate about making sure the nation keeps good on its promises.”

When he’s not in the classroom or studying for a doctorate in business administration, Clark is a leader in veteran affairs, including service as the director of the American Legion Riders of Missouri, and the Midwest representative on the American Legion Riders National Advisory Committee.

children’s hospitals, schools, veteran homes, wounded service members and scholarships.

“Give the American Legion Riders a meaningful cause and a chance to ride on a beautiful day and you’ll make money,” he said.

A hero is passing Clark organizes events often in collaboration with the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization that shares a common mission: an unwavering respect for those who risk their lives for America’s freedom. Both the American Legion Riders and Patriot Guard Riders are known for providing memorial escorts for fallen military heroes.

“There’s not a more giving and patriotic group of people in America than those who love to ride,” Clark said. “Riding a motorcycle personifies American freedom.”

Last year, for example, Clark coordinated a funeral procession for an Army Ranger killed in Afghanistan. “More than 400 motorcycles escorted that young man’s body from his hometown in Chillicothe, Mo., to Leavenworth (Kan.) National Cemetery. It was an honor to be a part of it,” Clark said.

American Legion Riders are known for their charitable work raising funds for local

When a family is saying goodbye to a loved one who gave his/her life in service to the

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country, Clark said that day should matter.

“When grieving families see our motorcycles in the funeral procession, it sends a powerful message,” Clark said. “We want everyone who sees us to know a hero is passing and that you owe your freedom to that person’s sacrifice.”

Rock Star

Kicking it up a notch In the classroom, Sylvia Quigley has a reputation for academic rigor. In karate competitions, she’s known for her powerful roundhouse kick. In both places, Quigley practices discipline, focus and respect.

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“Karate has taught me greater patience, focus and respect — qualities I try to bring into my classroom.”

— Sylvia Quigley, '92

Sylvia Quigley, ’92, expects as much of herself as she does of her students. As academic director at Park University’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Campus Center in Tucson, Ariz., Quigley is also a student herself, working toward a second master’s degree. And she’s a karate competitor in her spare time.

military veterans, so I have the utmost respect for their service and perseverance,” Quigley said. “I can’t attend graduation without getting emotional. I know the sacrifices Park students have made and what graduation means to them, their families and their futures.”

Whether it’s a lecture or a karate kick, discipline drives Quigley to pursue excellence. In the classroom, she’s known as a “tough” teacher who expects the best. The mental discipline from five years of karate training and international competitions — and the pursuit of her black belt this year — translates naturally to the academic world.

Quigley assumed her role as academic director in 2011, but her association with the University goes back much further. She graduated from Park’s Cherry Point (N.C.) Marine Corps Air Station Campus Center in 1992, and she has served as an adjunct instructor of management at the Davis-Monthan AFB Campus Center.

“Karate has taught me greater patience, focus and respect — qualities I strive to bring into the classroom,” Quigley said. She’s heard about her reputation as a demanding teacher, and she agrees with it.

Today, Quigley balances work, personal studies and family while making time for her karate pursuits.

She started practicing martial arts in 2008, in a class called “Ninja Moms.” Quigley quickly learned it wasn’t as easy as it looked, but she says she loves the intensive physical and mental challenge.

“I’m tough because I have high expectations of Park students. Teaching is more than just the course material. It’s about developing critical thinking and strong communication skills. In business, there’s nothing more important,” Quigley said. She also emphasizes the value of continuous learning and improvement, which she sees in both the karate studio and in the classroom.

“The higher you go, the more complex karate is, with a greater focus on refining your movements,” she said, adding that a college degree follows a similar trajectory — requiring more effort and determination as students advance through their coursework. She can relate to their challenges in more ways than one.

Quigley grew up in a Navy family and married a Marine, so she understands what it takes to juggle work, school, family responsibilities and military life.

She pushes her students to meet the demands with focus and self-discipline, often drawing on her own experiences.

During the past six years, Quigley and her 18-yearold son, Chris, have been traveling to compete. She’s medaled twice in the U.S. Open Karate Championships, competing against women from around the world. She’s currently a first-level brown belt, with plans to test for her black belt this year.

“For me, it’s not all about winning,” Quigley said.

“Karate is pushing myself to higher levels of excellence, the same way I push my students.” One of her signature “katas” in karate competitions is a 360-degree jump. “When I first started practicing it, I couldn’t imagine both of my feet leaving the ground at the same time. But I love challenges that take me outside my comfort zone,” she said. “Will I ever jump as high as my son? Never. But that’s not the point.

Karate is about conquering fear, building confidence and continuously striving for excellence.”

Quigley inspires Park students to do the same.

“I know the plight of the adult student, and particularly our military students. I’m from a long line of

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Knowing the rules to break

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Rather than reach for a red pen, Brian Shawver is more likely to hand aspiring fiction writers a creative license.

Shawver, associate professor of English at Park University since 2010 and a published novelist, teaches creative writing students that creative freedom springs from mastering the nuts and bolts of language. His guidance extends beyond the Park classroom to universities throughout the country that have adopted his nonfiction book, The Language of Fiction: A Writer’s Stylebook.

This is not your grandfather’s dusty guide to grammar do’s and don’ts. “This is the book I wish I had in my creative writing classes,” said Shawver, who earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and was recently appointed chair of Park’s Department of English and Modern Languages.

“Many books for writers talk about the importance of plot and character development but don’t show writers how to use grammar and language to do it well,” Shawver said. “Aspiring writers are often told to rely on grammar manuals like The Elements of Style. The implication is that people writing novels and stories don’t use language any differently from people writing vacuum cleaner manuals, social science essays or opinion pieces for The Washington Post. Suffice it to say, I think that’s a huge mistake.”

The need for a better resource for creative writers prompted Shawver to write The Language of Fiction, published in January 2013, a refreshing resource that explores the tools of the fiction writer’s trade. Regarded as funny, readable and wise, the book asserts that creative writers have different stylistic concerns about language — from tense shifting to dialog portrayal to the dreaded fear of clichés (which Shawver suggests need not always be avoided like the plague) — and other language dilemmas not addressed in traditional grammar guides.

As a two-time published novelist and recipient of Park’s 2013 Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award, Shawver knows well the challenges of his students. “It’s natural for creative writing students to want to express big themes and intricate plots,” he said. Yet Shawver encourages students to focus on the fundamentals of language and prose mechanics that are as essential to their creativity as character and plot development. “For a fiction writer, the use of past or present tense in telling a story, for example, isn’t a grammar choice,” Shawver said. “It’s a creative decision.”

fiction writers have a choice. “Many traditional rules of grammar don’t necessarily apply to fiction writers. It’s the great writers who know well the rules they intentionally break,” Shawver said. As he does throughout his book, Shawver points to the work of great writers from today and yesterday. “American novelist Cormac McCarthy completely abandoned quotation marks in his work. To say he was wrong is ridiculous,” Shawver said.

Shawver admits to having strong opinions about a few grammar particulars, like commas, and can’t help but notice a missing apostrophe in an e-mail. But he has a healthy perspective on his role as an English professor.

“My mechanic thinks I should change my oil a lot more than I do. My dentist thinks I should floss more than I do. I’m sure my students feel the same way about me and commas,” he said.

Language rules aside, what Shawver considers most important about creative writing and literature is their ability to offer new perspectives. “Creating stories is a pathway to critical thinking about the world around us,” Shawver said.

“One of the greatest challenges in life is that we’re stuck in our subjective experiences. Creative writing and literature invite us to imagine what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes; to experience life from another perspective.”

PUBLISHED AUTHOR Brian Shawver, associate professor of English and chair of Park University’s Department of English and Modern Languages, has published two novels — Aftermath and The Cuban Prospect — and a work of nonfiction — The Language of Fiction: A Writer's Stylebook — which investigates how fiction writers use grammar and language differently than writers in other genres. The stylebook is used in writing programs across the country, including American University in Washington, D.C., and Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. Have a story to tell?

Park University has implemented a new Graduate Certificate in Creative and Life Writing, which will be offered beginning this fall. This fully online program involves a year-long study of creative writing in fiction and nonfiction. “The new certificate program is for those who want to write — who have a story to tell — but don’t have the time, interest or resources to pursue a master’s degree,” said Shawver. “It gives aspiring writers the benefit of a formal relationship with Park professors in the context of a supportive, writing community.”

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The privilege to teach

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Rock Star

“Students are always informing my understanding.

I strive to give them as much as they give me.”

— Rebekkah Stuteville, Ph.D.

After 16 years of professional work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Rebekkah Stuteville, Ph.D., decided to follow her true calling.

“I absolutely love teaching and preparing students for public service,” said Stuteville, associate professor and department chair of public administration and director of Park University’s Master of Public Affairs program.

Stuteville entered her first Park classroom in 2008, bringing her years of federal service experience to students. Despite her wealth of professional knowledge, Stuteville said the greatest assets in the classroom are her students. “Park students bring wonderfully diverse insights from around the globe to class; many are mid-career professionals with their own valuable experiences,” Stuteville said. “Students are always informing my understanding. I strive to give them as much as they give me.”

Stuteville’s love of teaching hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In 2012, she received the Park President’s Award for Teaching Excellence for full-time faculty, and this spring, Stuteville received the Excellence in Higher Education Award from the Northland (Kansas City, Mo.) Regional Chamber of Commerce.

As with all honors, her accolades are the result of daily dedication. Stuteville spends hours scouring the latest research and orchestrating real-life learning opportunities for her students. “I feel a profound obligation to give everything I can to prepare students for the future,” she said. “Every time I step into the classroom, it’s a privilege.”

In the trenches

While fully prepared to enter the classroom, Stuteville is always seeking ways to take students outside of it. She takes advantage of the Downtown Kansas City, Mo., Campus Center's proximity to the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Mo., where students dive into the political trenches to role play at the White House Decision Center. As members of Truman’s Cabinet, students examine historical documents about a crisis President Truman faced and recommend their strategy.

Stuteville also has forged partnerships for students to collaborate on civic projects, including work with the Parkville (Mo.) Economic Development Council. In addition to tours with business owners and city officials, students have researched comparable communities and presented their findings on issues such as beautification, traffic and parking.

“Students need exposure to the real work of public service: wrestling with issues,” Stuteville said. “Nothing compares to getting out there to just do it to understand the challenges — and rewards — of public service.”

Be our virtual guest

Stuteville’s online students are also treated to special opportunities, including guest lecturers. For example, Stuteville invited a top executive at Black and Veatch working in Beijing, China, to discuss globalization and maintain a weeklong discussion thread with students taking the class from various countries around the globe.

“Many online students are living in places where there is unrest,” Stuteville said. “I had a student living in Egypt during the Arab Spring who shared his experiences as they happened. You can imagine how globalization quickly became more than a textbook topic.”

Healthy skepticism

Stuteville is often asked about the skepticism surrounding government. “Our country was born by skeptics who proclaimed independence from a monarchy. Distrust in government is America’s proud heritage,” she said.

Yet she views the governmental glass as more than half full. “Many professionals working in public service are extremely dedicated. At HUD, I worked with the best and brightest who were committed to the highest values of public service.”

It’s the highest of values that drew Stuteville to Park’s Hauptmann School of Public Affairs. “The program’s values — democracy, common good, moral courage, human dignity and leadership — are brilliantly integrated into the curriculum.” The HSPA was founded by the late Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D., professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Park. As a young man and native of Poland, Hauptman served as a key participant in the Polish resistance to the Nazi army in World War II. “I didn’t have the good fortune to meet Dr. Hauptmann, but his beloved spirit is here at Park. When I travel to conferences, I find goodwill for him — and for Park — around the world,” Stuteville said. “It’s an honor to live his legacy at Park every day.”

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UNIVERSITY NEWS Park’s Master of Social Work program earns candidacy accreditation Park University’s Master of Social Work program, which began this summer, reached a critical milestone in February as it was granted full candidacy accreditation status through the Council on Social Work Education. The status indicates that accreditation commissioners have thoroughly reviewed benchmark documents and have concluded that the resources, curriculum and plan to assess the 10 competencies taught in Park's MSW program sufficiently address the compliance standards.

Park social work faculty have processed the review of more than 50 applications to the MSW program for either advanced standing (students who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work) or regular study (students who have earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited university). Full accreditation is expected in February 2016 following the submission of additional documents this summer and a site visit in the fall. Students who graduate from the program prior to this date will be grandfathered in and will be viewed as having graduated from an accredited program.

The advanced practice concentration is behavioral health as it intersects with three practice areas of emphasis: military social work, gerontological social work and social work with children and families.

Park University television commercial wins Telly Award A Park University television commercial was selected for a Silver Award as part of the 35th annual Telly Awards. The 60-second spot, “Park University Global Executive MBA,” was among 13,000 national entries and earned honors in the highest award category.

“With business executives needing a global perspective more than ever, we wanted to produce a dynamic, powerful and fast-paced commercial that demonstrated that Park’s Global Executive Master of Business Administration accelerated 11-month degree program develops globally competent business leaders,” said Rita Weighill, Park’s vice president for university marketing and communications, who guided the University’s efforts for the commercial.

The Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the work of advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments worldwide. A panel of more than 500 industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of the Silver Telly Council, judge the competition. Evaluated entries recognize distinction in creative work and do not compete against each other; entries are judged against high standards of merit. Less than 10 percent of entries earn a Silver Telly. The ad was created by 160over90, the University’s branding agency located in Newport Beach, Calif., and was produced by Kansas City, Mo.based Prizm Creative.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Seniors Art Vollbrecht and Hayley Knappen received the Outstanding Parkite Award.

University recognizes academic achievements at Honors Convocation Park University students, faculty and staff were recognized for their exceptional scholarly efforts from the 2013-14 school year at the University’s annual Honors Convocation on April 16 in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the Parkville Campus. In addition to a number of departmental academic honors, the University acknowledged outstanding students and faculty with a variety of special awards.

Dr. Virginia Brackett received the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award from Park University President Dr. Michael Droge.

The most prestigious honor bestowed on any student at Park University — the Outstanding Parkite Award — went to seniors Hayley Knappen and Art Vollbrecht. The Outstanding Parkite Award is given to one senior female and one senior male student on the University’s Parkville Campus who best exemplify the ideals of the University in their character, conduct, scholarship and student activity participation. The University also recognized its outstanding faculty with the presentation of the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award to Virginia Brackett, Ph.D., associate professor of English and director of the Honors Academy, and the Distinguished Humanities Faculty Award to Kay Boehr, associate professor and program coordinator of interior design.

Additional Presidential Awards and leadership awards presented by Park University President Michael Droge, Ph.D.: • Dusing-Proudfoot Award —Melissa Geier Scheiterle, assistant registrar • J.L. Zwingle Award —Ron Brecke, Ph.D., professor of political science • Louisa Davidson Hinde/Carolyn Hinde Zarkaryan Memorial Award — Kirby Appollis, senior legal studies major; Jasey Huber, 2012 Bachelor of Arts in English writing graduate; and Janek Sunga, senior English writing major • Teaching Excellence Awards — President’s Award for Teaching Excellence (for full-time faculty): Brecke; Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence (for adjunct faculty): Rusty Norris, adjunct instructor of communication arts • Excellence in Academic Advising Award — John Hamilton, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice administration

Kay Boehr received the Distinguished Humanities Faculty Award from Dr. Droge.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS Park alumni, students win honors from Air Force Global Strike Command Master Sgt. Rebecca McNelley, a 2007 graduate from Park University’s F.E. Warren Air Force Base (Wyo.) Campus Center, and Senior Airman David Wallace III, a November 2013 Park graduate from the Minot (N.D.) Air Force Base Campus Center and a current Master of Business Administration student, were recognized on April 10 by the Air Force Global Strike Command during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Master Sgt. Rebecca McNelley (center)

Wallace, with the 91st Security Forces Group at Minot AFB, was honored with the AFGSC Outstanding Airman of the Year Award, while McNelley, with the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron at F.E. Warren AFB, received the AFGSC Outstanding First Sergeant of the Year Award. Both McNelley and Wallace were first nominated by their squadron, followed by their group, wing and numbered Air Force, and now advance to represent the AFGSC at the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year program later this year.

In addition, a current student and an alumnus of the Minot AFB Campus were recognized with the 2013 Air Force Global Strike Command Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award. Tech. Sgt. Micah Botteicher, a freshman non-degree seeking student, and Senior Master Sgt. Michael Moser, ’11, were honored in the award’s aircraft maintenance category. The award recognizes base-level aircraft, munitions and missile maintenance personnel who perform hands-on maintenance or manage a maintenance function. Botteicher is a technician supervisor and Moser is a supervisor manager at Minot AFB.

Senior Airman David Wallace III (right)

School of Business ranked “Best for Vets” Park University’s School of Business was selected the No. 8 “Best for Vets” business school in the country by Military Times magazine, earning a top 10 designation for the second year in a row. In addition, as a part of the rankings, Park was one of only three schools to receive four stars out of a possible four in regard to both staff support and academic support. This was the second “Best for Vets” designation the University received in a six-month span from Military Times, an independent source for news and information for the military community.

In November 2013, the University made the “Best for Vets: Colleges 2014” list for the second year in a row, ranking No. 5 among all private colleges/universities in the country.

“Best for Vets: Business Schools 2014” is intended to assist veterans find the business degree programs that are fully equipped to provide them with the educational resources they need to succeed in a corporate business climate. Only institutions that offer graduate business degrees were considered for this review. The schools were evaluated based on five categories: university culture, student support, academic outcomes and quality, academic policies, and cost and financial aid.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS Google Glass Explorer Program comes to Park

James Nelson, assistant director of software development, has been selected to participate in the Google Glass Explorer Program. Nelson was presented with the opportunity in November 2013 through MOREnet (Missouri Research and Education Network), an organization that provides Internet connectivity, access to Internet2, technical support, videoconferencing services and training to Missouri’s K-12 schools, colleges and universities, public libraries, health care, state government and other affiliated organizations. Nelson was selected to participate in the program based on his responses to MOREnet as to how Google Glass would benefit the University and its students/faculty/staff, and how he planned to share his experiences with MOREnet and other Missourians.

Over the coming months, Nelson and Park's Information Technology Services staff will explore how Google Glass can benefit learning in a higher education environment, including the development of Glassware, Google Glass’ version of apps, designed to enhance learning and the college experience. “We are very excited to begin exploring Glass and can’t wait to share what we discover,” Nelson said.

Kadirov wins Naftzger Young Artists Auditions Mansur Kadirov, a senior applied music/cello major in Park University’s International Center for Music, won first prize at the 2014 Naftzger Young Artists Auditions, held in March in Wichita, Kan. Kadirov, a student of Daniel Veis, assistant professor of music/cello, was selected from eight finalists in a public recital, concluding two days of competition. His winning performance, which garnered a $5,000 prize, consisted of music selections

by Robert Schumann and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Park student honored for work with refugee settlers in Kansas City Bailey Puckett, a Park University sophomore majoring in political science/international politics, was selected as a Campus Compact 2014 Newman Civic Fellow. The award recognizes inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing their communities throughout the country. Puckett, a member of Park’s Honors Academy, is a cultural orientation intern with Jewish Vocational Services in Kansas City, Mo., where she teaches cultural orientation courses and assists clients to learn the use of public transportation. Puckett has served refugees from countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Iraq and Somalia. She began her service as part of an Honors Academy service-learning requirement, but continued her work voluntarily.

One of Puckett’s notable accomplishments was creating a brochure that educates communities where refugees live about their challenges and the unique cultural benefits they offer. Her future research goals include comparing resources required for refugee relocation to data representing economic and social benefits of relocation. Puckett hopes that through her research and service, others will appreciate the courage and determination of those willing to invest themselves in U.S. culture.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS Park University honorary trustee Howard C. Breen passes away

Brad Biles, Katelyn McInerney, Rita Weighill, '90, Debbie Johnston and John Roushkolb

Office of University Marketing and Communications earns awards from CASE Park University’s Office of University Marketing and Communications, which co-produces Park University Magazine with the Office of University Advancement, was recognized with eight awards, including three gold awards, at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s District VI Conference in January in Kansas City, Mo. The three gold awards: • Crisis Management News Releases — Emergency Military Scholarship News Release, written

by Brad Biles, associate director for university communication • In-House Publication/Flier — International Center for Music Concert Series Handout: designed by Carlos Chaurand, graphic designer; written by Ingrid Stölzel, ICM director; edited by Biles • In-House Miscellaneous Publication — Pirate Magnet Frame and Postcard: designed by Debbie Johnston, director of creative services; coordinated by Cathy Colapietro, executive director for enrollment operations; and edited by Biles.

Park selected “military-friendly school” for sixth straight year by magazine For the sixth consecutive year, Park University has been selected as one of the top military-friendly colleges and universities in the country by Military Advanced Education magazine. Park was selected for inclusion on the list in the magazine’s 2014 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities, which provides information about the wide range of benefits the schools provide in four key categories of consideration to service members, veterans, spouses and dependents (in order of assigned weighting): support services, flexibility, financial assistance and military culture.

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Howard C. Breen, who served on the Park University Board of Trustees from 1990-2000, and was named a lifetime honorary trustee in 2005, passed away on March 11. Breen served the University as secretary of the Board of Trustees and on Board committees for buildings and grounds, business management, and endowment and investments. In addition, he served Park as an officer of two of its subsidiaries — as president of what was then known as Park College Enterprises Inc. and as vice president of Park McAfee Inc. He also played an integral role in planning the Mackay Hall centennial and a celebration for the Scott Observatory.

Read more about Breen’s legacy to the University and the Kansas City area at http://bit.ly/R4pID4.

UNIVERSITY NEWS Champions! Men’s volleyball team wins NAIA national title For the fourth time in school history, the Park University men’s volleyball team won the NAIA National Invitational Tournament, defeating top-ranked Concordia-Irvine (Calif.) in three sets on April 12 in Denver. The Pirates beat the Eagles, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23, in winning the title. Park senior Rob Cordero was named the tournament’s most valuable player and head coach Mike Talamantes was named NAIA coach of the year.

Park student-athletes earn national recognition A number of Park University student-athletes have earned national honors on both the playing floor and in the classroom. Women’s volleyball player Wanessa Siqueira, junior, was named to the first team of the American Volleyball Coaches Association NAIA All-America squad, while teammate Lauren Purdy, senior, landed on the AVCA’s third team. The two were also named first team (Siqueira) and third team (Purdy) selections on the Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball All-America teams. Siqueira posted record-setting numbers in 2013, including a school-record 632 kills on another school record 1,400 attempts. On offense, she hit .309, and she was a defensive cog for the Pirates, blocking 100 balls for points and adding 304 digs. Purdy leaves Park as its best blocker in the 25-point rally scoring era and its fifth-best blocker all-time. In 2013, she had 118 blocks, one shy of the Pirates’ 25-point singleseason record. Purdy also had 417 kills in 2013 and hit .359, which stands as a single-season Park record. In addition, Purdy, a standout in the classroom, was named to the second team of the Capital One Academic All-America College Division Volleyball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Purdy has a 3.83 grade point average as a communication arts/ public relations major.

Men’s basketball players Kyle Enloe and Canaan Fairley, and women’s basketball player Amanda Laurenceau, all seniors, were recognized for their excellence in the classroom as each was selected as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. To earn nomination, a student-athlete must carry a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) and have achieved junior academic status. Enloe, a legal studies major, carries a 3.74 GPA; Fairley, a middle school education/ mathematics major, has a 3.96 GPA; and Laurenceau, a psychology major, has a 3.72 GPA. Men’s basketball sophomore guard Xavielle Brown and women’s basketball junior guard Channell Mackey both earned NAIA All-America recognition. Brown, who led the Pirates and the American Midwest Conference with 19.8 points per game, earned a spot on the third team on the men’s side. He also led Park with 6.4 rebounds per game — sixth-best in the AMC. Mackey, who led Park with 16 points per game and ranked first among NAIA Division I players with 116 steals, was named to the honorable mention list.

Men’s volleyball players Daniel Arteaga, freshman, and Rob Cordero, senior, were named to the AVCA/NAIA Men’s Volleyball All-America team. Cordero, who has been named to the All-America squad three consecutive years, is Park’s career assists leader with more than 4,200. He was also one of the NAIA’s best at the net this season, recording 113 blocks. Arteaga, who was named NAIA South Division Player of the Year, was one of the NAIA’s top offensive threats, posting 460 kills with a .307 hitting percentage.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Park student newspaper wins awards at Missouri college media conference Park University’s student newspaper, The Stylus, earned 25 awards at the annual Missouri College Media Association conference on April 5 in Kirksville, Mo. Competing in Division 3 (small 4-year colleges and universities) of the awards contest, The Stylus brought home two of the biggest awards from the conference — the Sweepstakes Award, given to the newspaper earning the most award points, and the Best Newspaper Award. The latter award required three issues of the newspaper to the submitted and judged on the overall quality of the writing, photography and design of the publication. Submitted entries were from the Spring 2013 and Fall 2013 semesters.

Of the 25 awards won by The Stylus, Matt Rogers, senior communication arts/ journalism major, earned nine individual awards, including a first, second and third place sweep of the “Photo Page Design” awards. The Stylus’ current adviser is Ashley Vasquez, adjunct instructor of communication arts. John Lofflin, professor of journalism and photography, served as adviser during the Spring 2013 semester.

Park University students Amelia Jenny, Kendal Pickett, Karen Eckman and Kassie Lawson (from left), with the head of Matt Rogers, represented The Stylus at the Missouri College Media Association conference.

Fishburn Archives partners with Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area Park University’s Fishburn Archives and Special Collections was accepted as a partner in the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. The FFNHA is an organization dedicated to building awareness of the struggles for freedom in 12 western Missouri counties and 29 eastern Kansas counties that were involved in the region’s Border War of the mid-1800s.

According to Carolyn Elwess, '71, University archivist, the partnership will bring attention to an 1855 incident in Parkville, Mo. (home of Park University’s flagship campus), that put the tiny frontier town on the national map. George S. Park, founder of Parkville and later a co-founder of Park University, was the publisher of Parkville’s first newspaper, The Industrial Luminary, which was printed weekly from 1853-55. When the Kansas Territory was officially opened for settlement in 1854, it was left up to the Territory’s voters to decide whether the proposed state should enter the Union as free state or slave state. Zealous groups on both sides of the issue were often involved in violent confrontations and the “wars” captured the attention of the nation.

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Park University named NAIA Champions of Character institution Park University was selected as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Champions of Character Five Star Institution for 2012-13. Park is one of 23 NAIA institutions that has received the award for seven consecutive years. Through the Champions of Character program, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

Leading the way Park University Magazine continues this special series to highlight members of Park’s Board of Trustees and various advisory boards who provide support and counsel to the University. Park is grateful for their invaluable commitment of time, expertise and financial support to lead the way to Park’s continued success.

Joseph Melookaran

Steve Karbank

Joseph Melookaran discovered Park University while serving as president of the International Relations Council in 2006. That’s when he realized Park embraced similar values that guide his professional success.

As world-renowned musicians find their way to Park University’s International Center for Music, Steven Karbank is dedicated to making sure they have what they need.

Park University Board of Trustees

“Park fosters the same values in education that have led to my firm’s growth where valued employees are supported in a positive environment to be their best,” Melookaran said.

Melookaran founded JMA Information Technology Inc. in 1994.

Based in Overland Park, Kan., JMA has grown to more than 400 employees with offices in India, Malaysia and Singapore. In 2013, JMA was recognized on Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in America.

Park’s focus on global learning is a perfect fit for Melookaran — a former White House appointee to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, and leader of cultural missions to China, Singapore, Tunisia and Turkey — who joined Park’s Board of Trustees in 2012.

Melookaran said he’s proud to be a part of Park’s future. “Park gives students an ideal environment that is small enough to feel welcome and large enough to offer diverse opportunities to achieve a competitive, cost-effective education.”

Park University International Center for Music Advisory Council Co-Chair

Growing up with a love for classical music, Karbank is an admiring fan of the ICM’s award-winning faculty and students. As co-chair of the ICM Advisory Council, Karbank is helping the ICM achieve its development goals — including scholarships, sponsorships and equipment — to gain the recognition it deserves.

“Word is spreading fast in Kansas City — and around the world — about the internationally accomplished faculty in the ICM who are providing the highest caliber training to the next generation of musicians,” he said.

As chairman of Karbank Real Estate Co., a Kansas City area business that specializes in the brokerage and development of industrial, office and commercial real estate, Karbank is pleased to welcome the talented ICM faculty and students to live, learn and perform in Kansas City.

“The professional training students receive in the ICM focuses on an emotionally sensitive connection to music that is infectious,” Karbank said. “Students learn to play with heart and it is reflected in their enormously impressive performances.”

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park university

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Behzod Abduraimov (left), a student in Park's International Center for Music performs with Stanislav Ioudenitch, artistic director of the ICM at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Park University's Ballyhoo event raises more than $425,000 Ballyhoo

Ballyhoo (formerly known as Founders Day) is Park University’s largest annual fundraising event. This year, Ballyhoo treated more that 250 guests to an elegant reception at the Webster House in Kansas City, Mo., followed by premium seating at the Van Cliburn Tribute Concert that featured performances by Park’s International Center for Music’s world-renowned faculty in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

The event raised more than $425,000 to benefit the ICM and the Presidential Honors Scholarship. Edith and Benny Lee were honored for their continuous and generous support of the ICM since it's inception 10 years ago.

Celebrating a Legend

Edith and Benny Lee (left), Ballyhoo honorees, with Stanislav Ioudenitch and Behzod Abduraimov.

The Van Cliburn Tribute Concert was a touching homage to one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century who died in February 2013 at the age of 78.

Cliburn inspired generations of musicians — including Stanislav Ioudenitch, founder of Park’s ICM and gold medalist of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Ioudenitch, associate professor of music/ piano and ICM artistic director, subsequently became friends with Cliburn and organized the concert.

Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of 23 when he won first place at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, an accomplishment credited with transcending international politics and improving cultural relations between the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Pianist Van Cliburn Summer 2014 - 28

In academia Publications Dong Hwa (Donna) Choi, Ph.D. (left), associate professor of early childhood education, and Judi Simmons Estes, Ph.D. (right), assistant professor of education and chair of elementary and secondary teacher preparation, co-authored a chapter for the book Cross-Cultural Considerations in the Education of Young Immigrant Learners. The chapter, “Math Acquisition and Immigrant Children,” provides readers with an overview of issues related to teaching math to young English language learners.

Eric Click, Ph.D., assistant professor of public administration, was among 12 people from six Missouri universities to author a report on Missouri’s Civic Health Index. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Current Population Survey, the report examines the civic health of the state of Missouri, as well as its two largest metropolitan areas, Kansas City and St. Louis.

An article written by Shannon Cuff, Ph.D., assistant professor of literacy education, was published in the Spring issue of The Missouri Reader, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Missouri State Council of the International Reading Association. The article, “A Balancing Act: Investigating a Teacher’s Role in a High School Literature Discussion Group,” presents Cuff ’s observations of a high school teacher and one of her literature discussion groups. Cuff found that the teacher’s role as clarifier and her use of the questioning strategy alongside her students’ questions were critical to the success of the unit.

An article written by Suzanne Discenza, Ph.D., director of the Master of Healthcare Administration program and professor of healthcare administration, was published in the inaugural issue of the Missouri Policy Journal. The article, “Health Care in Missouri: Navigating Implementation of the Federal Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion in a Pushback Environment,” addressed two of the most contentious federal health care reform policies for Missouri legislators, as well as the potential economic and population health impacts of their adoption or rejection for the State of Missouri.

Two article written by Jeffrey Ferezan, Ph.D., adjunct instructor of management at the Luke Air Force Base (Ariz.) Campus Center, were published in the American Institute of Business Psychology’s AIOBP Newsletter. The article “Similarity of Common Errors Made by Doctors and Leaders” explained that medical doctors and leaders share a common trait with those they are serving. The article “Nature Versus Nurture: The Debate Goes On” concluded that the ability to learn and Summer 2014 - 30

change by adopting and adapting is human nature, and is an important fundamental instinct, preventing humans from becoming extinct.

An article written by Laurel Hilliker, Ph.D., executive director of the Center to Advance the Study of Loss and assistant professor of sociology, was published in the journal Illness, Crisis and Loss. The article, “An Enlightened (and Relieved) Death Educator: The Value of Truth Telling with Children,” addresses concepts such as teachable moments and the importance of truth telling with children in regard to death and loss.

“Thumbtack,” a short story written by Glenn Lester, English lecturer, was published in January in Revolver, an arts and cultural magazine. The story, according to Lester, is a riverbank coming-ofage story during a humid and bug-clotted Michigan summer.

Presentations Kenneth Christopher, D.P.A., associate vice president for academic affairs, was an invited speaker at the Maritime Security 2013 Caribbean conference in November in Turks and Caicos Islands. Christopher’s lecture, “Security Capability Assessment: Assessing Human and Technology Resources in Meeting the Maritime Security Challenge,” explained that to build an effective maritime security strategy, there needs to be a full understanding of existing capabilities and capacity. The session also examined the need and critical components of performing an accurate and effective security risk assessment.

Michael Eskey, Ph.D. (left), associate professor of criminal justice administration, and his son, Michael Eskey Jr., D.P.A. (right), adjunct instructor of public administration, co-presented a paper at the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia conference in November 2013. Their presentation in the Victims and Victimization Panel focused on cyber-bullying in the online classroom and explained the importance of criminal justice educators addressing the problem directly.

Deborah Garza, adjunct instructor of English as an international language, presented two sessions at the Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages conference in Lawrence, Kan., in October 2013. Garza presented “Creating Meaningful Connections: A University-Middle School Outreach Program” and “Literature Circles for Adolescent/ Adult ELLs.” In the first session, Garza explained the planning and preparation necessary to establish such valuable relationships, and discussed the consequences, both intended and unintended. In the

In academia second session, she presented how literature circles are a good way for collaborative learning as well as student-centered learning.

history. Coleman teaches Arkansas history at Pulaski Heights Middle School in Little Rock.

James Taulman, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, presented the paper “Range Expansion and Distributional Limits of the Nine-Banded Armadillo in the United States in 2013: An Update of Taulman and Robbins (1996),” at the Kansas Academy of Science’s annual meeting in April in Emporia, Kan. The paper, which Taulman co-authored, was published in the April edition of the Journal of Biogeography.

Park University President Michael Droge, Ph.D. (left), and Park Board of Trustees member Gayden Carruth, Ph.D. (right), were both honored as “Icons of Education” in the February issue of Ingram’s, Kansas City’s business magazine.

The selected “icons” are those who have dedicated their lives to the mission of educating the Kansas City region’s youth.

Awards, appointments, and recognitions Bonnie Alsbury, assistant professor of nursing, was honored with the Woodland Charities Volunteer Humanitarian Award for 2013 during the organization’s celebration event in December in Overland Park, Kan. Alsbury was recognized for her work in organizing service-learning opportunities for Park students and faculty in Patanatic, Guatemala, during Spring Break 2013. The 23-person Park contingent collaborated with medical students from the University of Kansas to provide physical assessments and medical care for 2,130 children.

Erik Bergrud, MPA '94, associate vice president of constituent engagement, was recognized for his service to the American Society for Public Administration as he was honored as a recipient of the 2014 Chester A. Newland Presidential Citation of Merit Award from the organization in Washington, D.C., in March. Bergrud, who served as ASPA president from 2011-12, was honored for his service as chair of the organization’s search committee for a new executive director, spearheading a national search and finalist interview process, taking on an appointment to ASPA’s Endowment Committee, and his decisive and sound leadership.

Donald J. Breckon, Ph.D., president of Park University from 1987-2001, was recognized by the Parkville (Mo.) Main Street Association in December 2013 with the Bill Grigsby Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is presented annually to a person in the community who best exemplifies community leadership, volunteerism, commitment, dependability, positive attitude and the ability to work with a variety of individuals and community organizations.

George Coleman, adjunct instructor of sociology at the Little Rock (Ark.) Air Force Base Campus Center, was honored in April with the Arkansas Historical Association’s James H. Atkinson Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Arkansas History. The award is presented annually to an elementary or secondary teacher of Arkansas

In May, Courtney Goddard, J.D., associate vice president and general counsel, was selected as a Rising Star of Philanthropy by Nonprofit Connect, a Kansas City regional association that serves individuals involved in the management of nonprofit organizations. The award recognizes individuals for their involvement in advanced nonprofit service with a solid record of volunteerism and leadership, and by using innovative and creative approaches to serve the nonprofit community.

Henry Roehrich, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing/management, was honored with the 2014 Pearson Cite Excellence in Online Teaching Award in Fort Worth, Texas, in April. The award recognizes online learning program educators who create superior online content, develop highly engaging learning opportunities, create mentoring relationships with students, promote exceptional learner-learner collaboration, use firstrate approaches for assessment and have measurable results that have created significant change in online learning.

Ingrid Stölzel, D.M.A., director of the International Center for Music, was selected as a finalist at the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 30th Anniversary Composition Competition. Stölzel’s composition, “Spirit of Place,” was one of four pieces selected for finalist honors among the 170 submissions from around the world.

Airman 1st Class David Turner, senior information and computer science/networking major at the Goodfellow Air Force Base (Texas) Campus Center, was awarded a $5,000 Cyber Security Scholarship from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Educational Foundation. The scholarship is for students engaged in information management, communications and intelligence efforts, and fosters excellence in education, particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines related to command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

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Alumni Council 2014-2015

Amber G. Steele, ’10 Excelsior Springs, Mo. amber.steele@park.edu

Toni Madeira, ’88 President Kansas City, Mo. antoinette.madeira@park.edu

Charles K. Williams, ’96 Trotwood, Ohio charles.williams06@park.edu

Sarah Hopkins-Chery, ’07, MA ’09 President-Elect Parkville, Mo. sarah.hopkins@park.edu Jeff McKinney, ’81 Immediate Past President Board of Trustees Representative Round Rock, Texas jeff.mckinney@park.edu

Staff Liaison Julie McCollum Director of Alumni Relations julie.mccollum@park.edu alumnioffice@park.edu (816) 584-6206 - office (800) 488-7275 (816) 505-5409 - fax

Michelle Gaiewski, ’10 Secretary Cedar Park, Texas michelle.gaiewski@park.edu Kathryn Phillips Hernandez, ’83 Treasurer St. Joseph, Mo. kathryn.hernandez@park.edu Michael J. Badilla, ’09 Fort Belvoir, Va. michael.badilla@park.edu Andre T. Butler, ’95 Raymore, Mo. andre.butler@park.edu Nick Casale, ’71 Parkville, Mo. nicholas.casale@park.edu Robert M. Dandridge, ’04 New Baden, Ill. robert.dandridge@park.edu Duane Davidson, ’00, MPA ’03 Liberty, Mo. duane.davidson@park.edu Dan Durrer, ’04 Kansas City, Mo. daniel.durrer@park.edu David Ehrlich, ’00 Dumfries, Va. david.ehrlich@park.edu Jay Flaherty, ’71 Kansas City, Mo. james.flaherty@park.edu Kelvin Igumbor, ’13 Parkville, Mo. kelvin.igumbor@park.edu Pedro Jimenez III, ’01 El Paso, Texas pedro.jimenez@park.edu LaKeisha Johnson, ’08, MPA ’12 Independence, Mo. lakeisha.johnson@park.edu Edna Martinson, ’12 Kansas City, Mo. edna.martinson@park.edu Elizabeth Weese Muncal, ’05 Scottsdale, Ariz. elizabeth.weese@park.edu Derrick W. Quarterman, ’03 Triangle, Va. derrick.quarterman@park.edu

Mission

The mission of the Park University Alumni Association is “to serve as a vital partner with Park University to inspire passion and pride, promote participation, and foster meaningful lifelong connections throughout our global and diverse alumni community.”

Contact the Office of Alumni Relations with news, comments and questions about the Park University Alumni Association and its members.

Phone: (816) 584-6206 or (800) 488-PARK (7275)

Fax: (816) 505-5409

E-mail: alumnioffice@park.edu

Address: 8700 NW River Park Drive, Box 37 Parkville, MO 64152

Summer 2014 Vol. 104, No. 2 www.park.edu/alumni

Alumniad News and notes for Park University alumni

Recent Park University graduates of online programs and campus centers outside the Kansas City area, and their families, visited the Parkville Campus on May 9, the day prior to participating in the Kansas City Area Commencement ceremony.

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Greetings from Austin

Live music, hiking, biking, culture and cuisine…whatever you enjoy, you’ll find it in Austin, Texas. And Park University is proud to have one of its fastest growing campus centers in the heart of it all. Park’s Alumni Council is expanding networking events for alumni in the Austin area. Working behind the scenes are two Alumni Council members who call the Texas capital city home.

Michelle Gaiewski ’10 How long have you lived in Austin?

I’ve lived in Austin since I was 5 years old — long enough to be considered a native “Austinite.”

Where do you work?

I work for Neighborhood Centers Inc., a nonprofit where I train and monitor child care providers to comply with quality standards set by the Texas Rising Star provider certification program of the Texas Workforce Commission.

What about children in your own home?

I have two handsome boys: Henry, 11, and Jack, 6. Henry just performed an original song on his guitar for his 5th grade talent show (the girls say he looks like the boys from One Direction).

What do you recommend for Austin visitors?

The hiking and biking trail around Lady Bird Lake is a must. And there are tons of great restaurants. My favorite is Chuy’s, where they host an annual Elvis Birthday Bash. If you come dressed up as Elvis Presley, you eat free. And yes, I dress up every year.

So you’re an Elvis fan?

Definitely. My husband and I were married at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Elvis walked me down the aisle.

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What do you love about Park University at Austin?

Yvonne Moduno, the campus center director, is awesome. I have hundreds of ideas and look forward to welcoming more Austin alumni to join me. It’s not easy to balance with work and family, but it’s worth it.

Why do you want Park alumni in Austin to join you?

We have a great community of Park students and graduates in Austin, and together we can expand fun and valuable networking opportunities to support everyone in their career and life goals.

What are your future goals?

I have so many. I’m pursuing a master’s degree in adult education through Park’s online program. Overall, I want my life’s work to be about empowering women, children and families — be it through education, health or fitness — to create a more positive life.

What empowers you?

I decided to make some changes and began Zumba class five days a week. I love it! Focusing on the fun dance moves helps clear my mind and sweat off stress.

And I’ve lost more than 20 pounds. I’m now a certified Zumba instructor. It’s good to workout and get paid for it.

Alumni Benefits Jeff McKinney, ’81 What brought you to Park?

I came to the Parkville (Mo.) Campus on a baseball scholarship. I also wanted to pursue a minor in equine studies.

As in horses? At Park?

Few people know Park used to have an equine degree program with stables on the Parkville Campus.

You were pretty involved as a Park student?

Moving from Illinois, the Parkville Campus was my home away from home.

I was yearbook editor, resident assistant, student government senator and Harvest Fest king…just to name a few.

Sounds like you were an outstanding student?

Well, I wasn’t perfect. In the winter, I’d sneak fiberglass trays from the cafeteria to slide down the hill from Mackay Hall.

Where do you work in Austin?

I’m a special education teacher at Round Rock (Texas) High School. I work with kids with autism and intellectual disabilities to help them become as independent as possible. I’m also an associate pastor at a church in Austin.

As past president of Park’s Alumni Council, what are you most proud of?

Park is now much bigger than the Parkville Campus. We recently introduced a new strategic plan to better represent and engage alumni across the country and online.

What’s next for your volunteer work for Park?

I’ll begin serving as the Alumni Council representative on Park’s Board of Trustees, while working to build the alumni program in Austin.

What do you suggest to Austin visitors?

It’s hard to pick just one thing in Austin. For starters, dinner at The Oasis on Lake Travis restaurant or a dip in Barton Springs Pool (a man-made swimming pool fed from underground springs) where it averages 70 degrees year-round. If you’re a racing fan, Austin is home to the only Formula One circuit currently raced in the U.S. And of course, there’s the live music on Sixth Street.

What do you like most about Austin?

The diverse culture is great, but I love the weather. I grew up in Illinois where winter lasts forever. It rarely snows in Austin and I love that!

Enjoy the benefits of belonging to the Park University Alumni Association as one of its 67,000 members. Visit www.park.edu/alumni/benefits.asp to learn about such benefits as legacy scholarships, graduate school fee waivers, special license plates, tribute brick garden and more!

Liberty Mutual Auto and Property Insurance

Visit libertymutual.com/park or call (800) 524-9400 to learn more.

UMB Visa Rewards Card

www.cardpartner.com/pro/app/park

Travel to Exotic Lands. Next trip South Africa! www.park.edu/alumni/SA2015

Park Alumni E-mail www.park.edu/alumni/email.asp Park University Merchandise http://alumnishop.park.edu Alumni Career Services

www.park.edu/career-development-center

PirateLink Online Alumni Directory www.park.edu/alumni

Uploma — Customizable Graduation Recognition http://uplomausa.com/park-university

Connect to Park alumni through social media Facebook: www.facebook.com/ parkuniversityalumniassociation Connect to PirateLink through http://apps.facebook.com/park-alumni Twitter: www.twitter.com/parkalumni LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com Join the “Park University Alumni” group Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/parkalumni/collections YouTube: www.youtube.com/parkuniversityvideos Summer 2014 - 35

history

Honoring Park University Co-Founder George S. Park Park University is participating in the yearlong celebration of the 175th anniversary of the founding of Platte County, Mo. (home of the University’s flagship Parkville Campus) with the exhibition “The Life and Legacy of George Shepard Park, 1811-1890 — Father of Parkville and Co-Founder of Park University.” The exhibit is on display through Sept. 30 in the McAfee Memorial Library on the Parkville Campus.

University Archivist Carolyn McHenry Elwess,’71, has brought many seldom exhibited artifacts, photographs, newspapers and documents out of the University’s Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections to create this display.

“George Park was one of the earliest pioneers and entrepreneurs in this county, and he accomplished an astounding list of achievements, including participating in the founding of Park University,” said Elwess. “It is most appropriate to draw attention to him during this anniversary year.”

Read more about the exhibit at www.park.edu/alumni/exhibit.

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Summer 2014 - 37

lifelong

Links

Graduation is not the end of the road for Park University faculty and alumni. For many, it’s the beginning of a lasting relationship that takes many shapes from mentor to colleague to enduring friendship. Simply one memorable experience between professor and student can have a powerful impact regarded with deep gratitude for a lifetime.

“Once you graduate, you become more than an alumnus.

You become a colleague.”

— Gary Bachman

Teacher-Turned-Colleague Jaime Pinney, ’10, remembers these welcoming words just before graduating from Park University with a bachelor’s degree in social work. “Once you graduate, you become more than an alumnus. You become a colleague,” said Gary Bachman, associate professor and field director of social work.

“Just as we teach the value of personal relationships in the social work profession, we value personal relationships with our alumni that extend a lifetime.”

Pinney is grateful to Bachman for helping her secure a valuable internship with Synergy Services, based in Parkville, Mo. But it was during her first experience in the field that she relied on Bachman’s guidance. “It was my first time working on a traumatic rape case and it was unsettling. Gary helped me understand how to protect my emotions and personal safety,” Pinney said. “His wisdom to make self-care a priority has sustained me through the many challenges I’ve encountered over the years as a professional social worker.”

Both in the field and in the classroom, Bachman’s professional experiences have been lifelong lessons for Pinney. “I learned

Summer 2014 - 38

Jaime Pinney, ’10

Gary Bachman

so much from his real-life experiences.” Bachman works with the American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency as a disaster mental health first responder. He has assisted with national emergencies such as the aftermath of the 1995 terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City, the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and the Joplin, Mo., tornado in 2011.

Since 2010, Pinney has been a social worker for the Missouri Department of Social Services. Last year, she was promoted to children’s service supervisor where she oversees case management services for neglect and abuse investigations, parenting education and foster care reunification. “When I became a supervisor, I realized the true value of staying in touch with Mr. Bachman and all of my Park social work professors,” she said.

“We train our graduates for the social work profession that is constantly presenting new and challenging circumstances,” Bachman said. “That’s why our door is always open.”

“I knew Levi had the perseverance for medical school and I wanted to do whatever it took to get him there.”

— Brian Hoffman, Ph.D.

Doctors Destiny

Levi Young, ’01, M.D.

Brian Hoffman, ’86, Ph.D.

Levi Young, ’01, M.D., always knew he was destined for medical school. But if it wasn’t for Brian Hoffman, ’86, Ph.D., professor of biology and mathematics, he may not have gotten there on time.

Hoffman caught up with Young several years ago on Facebook.

“I don’t expect to hear from successful students like Levi for five to 10 years because graduate programs demand extreme focus and discipline,” he said.

“In my last semester at Park, I needed a specific chemistry course as a prerequisite for medical school, but it wasn’t being offered at the time. I didn’t know what to do until I took my dilemma to Dr. Hoffman,” Young said. “I’ll never forget his most encouraging words: ‘We’ll just have to do this class together and get you on your way to medical school.’ I will never forget how Dr. Hoffman went out of his way to help me get to where I am today.”

Hoffman wasn’t a bit surprised to learn about Young’s tremendous success. In 2004, Young completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and in 2012 he completed a residency in plastic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Today, Young is the co-founder of St. Luke’s Plastic Surgery Specialists in Kansas City, Mo., where he specializes in reconstructive, hand and cosmetic surgery.

“Levi was a scholar-athlete who demonstrated the highest level of academics and drive to succeed,” Hoffman said. “I knew Levi had the perseverance for medical school and I wanted to do whatever it took to get him there.”

Looking back, Young said he holds Hoffman in high regard among his many professors. “Since my days at Park, I’ve sat through many lectures,” Young said. “I can say without a doubt that Dr. Hoffman is truly a great teacher.”

Not only was Young the captain of Park’s men’s soccer team and a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, he was also the recipient of the highly competitive Park McAfee Scholarship.

Summer 2014 - 39

CLASS NOTES Alumni 1950s Carlton McNair, ’50, was reappointed

by Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback to serve a three-year term on the Kansas Advisory Council on Aging. McNair served many years as an elementary school principal followed by a position with the AARP at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region VII office in Kansas City, Kan.

1970s Ken Zacharias, ’71, wrote and published Long Drive to Right Field, a novel about a baseball player who does his playing both on and off the field until a battle with cancer changes his perspectives on life and priorities. Writing a novel was an item on Zacharias’ bucket list. (See Park Mourns, page 43) http://amzn. com/1480151351 Janice Smith, ’75, was named executive director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, which oversees the expenditures from the Master Tobacco Settlement. Ninety-five percent of Kansas’ portion of the settlement is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and youth in the state.

Smith is the co-founder of The Opportunity Project, a nonprofit organization with three early childhood development centers in Wichita, Kan., serving more than 650 children, ages 1 to 5. www.khi.org/ news/2014/jan/16/smith-accepts-childrenscabinet-post/

Summer 2014 - 40

Cynthia Levin, ’78, celebrates 35 years with the Unicorn Theatre, Kansas City, Mo., where she has served as director, actor, designer or producer for more than 260 productions. www.unicorntheatre. org/?page=about-cynthia-levin

1980s Greg Myles, ’81, is the 4-H and youth development urban initiatives program specialist for Dallas County, Texas. Myles works with the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center.

Heather Watson Brennan, ’83, received the 2014 Park University Tipton Award, given to honor an outstanding service contribution to Park University by a Park alumnus. It is named after Bill and Mary Lou Tipton, both ’28. The Park Student Government Association sponsors this award. Brennan was nominated by the Department of Social Work for her volunteer service the past nine years, serving as field practicum instructor for Bachelor of Social Work students.

Alan B. Clark, ’83, is chief operating officer of FeedbacK Enterprise LLC, where he focuses on strategic opportunities in capital development, product distribution and market growth. The Hampton, Va., based company specializes in golf swing training aids.

1990s Phil Baker, ’90, Ph.D., is chief financial officer of Community Physician Network, a division of Community Health Network hospital system in Indianapolis.

Frederick Lyle Morris, ’96, is chief of facilities for Logistics Corp., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. He is the 2013 recipient of the Civilian Service Armed Forces Medal, the Commanders Medal for Civilian Service, the Civilian Service

Achievement Medal and the International Society of Logistics “Demonstrated Master Logistician” award. In addition, Morris is a published author and artist with paintings currently on exhibit in California, New York, France, Germany and Korea. Morris donated his painting, “The Mask of Virgil,” to Park University.

Riccardo Lucas, ’96, authored

Programmed for Murder SOS. Lucas, who used his own life experiences as examples, provided insight on how to rescue young African-American males from systemic pitfalls and toxic environments. www.riccardolucas.com Maggie McGuire, ’98, received the Crystal Kipper and Ali Kemp Memorial Award, which recognizes the outstanding work of an individual or organization in protecting children from exploitation. The award is presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office each year during the local observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Hope Sowders, ’98, is district sales manager/digital specialist for the Midwest region of Mohawk Fine Papers, Cohoes, N.Y. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Maj. Joseph Verstraten, ’98, retired after 20 years of service to the U.S. Air Force. He served as the deputy chief, nuclear requirements and programs division, strategic deterrence and nuclear integration directorate. He developed and managed nuclear plans, policies and strategies in Air Force Materiel Command and for the

What's going on in your life? We want to hear about it!

Submit your news for inclusion in Class Notes to the Office of Alumni Relations: alumnioffice@park.edu or Park University, 8700 NW River Park Drive, Parkville, MO 64152.

headquarters of the Air Force at WrightPatterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Lendell Hood, ’05, is an officer with the

Scott Phipps, ’99, is the head men’s soccer coach at Alderson Broaddus University, Philippi, W.Va.

2000s Robert Renton, ‘00, MPA ’08, earned the professional designation of fire marshal from the Commission on Professional Credentialing, Center for Public Safety Excellence. He began a two-year term as president of the Kansas Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators. Renton continues to serve at the Lenexa, Kan., Fire Department.

Mark Parker, ’01, is the author of Integrity, an e-book that examines the current state of character, ethics and morals in our society.

James A. Williams, ’03, Ph.D.

authored a book, From Thug to Scholar: An Odyssey to Unmask My True Potential. His memoir retraces his struggles from life as a North Carolina teenager dealing drugs to his current position as hospitality management professor at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va. www.breezejmu.org/ life/article_fb4ea416-8ee1-11e3-8b23001a4bcf6878.html Jeff Hagar, ’05, was promoted to captain of the Sherwood (Ark.) Police Department.

Hagar serves under Police Chief Jim Bedwell, ’04.

Michigan City (Ind.) Police Department.

Hood spent 10 years in the U.S. Air Force before changing careers. He began teaching criminal justice classes at the A.K. Smith Career Center at the start of the 2013-14 school year. He also serves as an associate/ youth pastor at the First Church of God, Gary, Ind. Nataliya Kurtucheva Bennett, MBA ’06, is owner/agent with American Family Insurance Group, Liberty, Mo. Bennett sells commercial and residential property, auto, life, business owner and farm/ranch insurance.

Jennifer Eickhoff, '06, is a family nurse practitioner specializing in orthopedics at Advanced Bone and Joint, St. Peters, Mo. After completing her athletic training/sports medicine degree at Park, she became a certified and licensed athletic trainer, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Goldfarb School of Nursing (2008) and a Master of Science degree in nursing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (2011).

Capt. Henry L. Sims Jr.,’08, MPA ’12, is assistant professor of aerospace studies and recruiting flight commander at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

He was named the 2013 Southeast Region Company Grade Officer of the Year. Sims is responsible for recruitment and retention of cadets for Detachment 590, the Air Force ROTC unit that was recognized as one of the best small detachments in the Air Force, receiving a 2012-13 Right of Line Award.

Michael Howell, ‘09, retired from the U.S. Army National Guard after 27 years. He is now a patrol sergeant with the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.

Mindy Jorgensen, MACL ’09, is owner of Cru Communications and Consulting. She and her firm represent fine wine importer Quintessential Wines in its Midwest region.

2010s Walter Ellis, ’10, earned a Master of Business Administration degree in accounting from Strayer University on March 24.

Serafim Smigelskiy, ’10, cellist, was appointed to the prestigious, award-winning Tesla String Quartet. www.teslaquartet.com/ serafim-smigelskiy/

Master Sgt. Rebecca McNelley, ’07, with the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., was recognized by the Air Force Global Strike Command with the AFGSC Outstanding First Sergeant of the Year Award during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Summer 2014 - 41

CLASS NOTES Cindy Stafford, ’10, is chief executive officer of North Metro Medical Center, a long-term acute care hospital in Jacksonville, Ark.

James Aaron Courter, ’06, and Melinda Jansen Courter, ’08, MA ’10, and big brother Easton Courter are proud to announce a new addition to their family, Brinley Day Courter, born Jan. 20.

Luke Lewis, MPA ’11, is city manager of Chanute, Kan. Quentin Wilson, ’11, is director of marketing of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, a Las Vegas-based submarine sandwich restaurant group.

Tech. Sgt. Katrina Strother, ’13, was recognized as the 5th Bomb Wing (at Minot

Rodrigo Neri, ’09, and Brittany Thornburg Neri, ’10, welcomed son, Luka, on Jan. 5. He weighed nine pounds, one ounce and was 21 inches long.

Marriages

Air Force Base, N.D.) Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, and as the Air Force Global Strike Command’s Command Post Unit Level NCO of the Year. www.minot. af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123405705 Senior Airman David Wallace III, ’13, with the 91st Security Forces Group at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., was honored by the Air Force Global Strike Command with the AFGSC Outstanding Airman of the Year Award during a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Birth and Adoption Announcements Robert Bauer, MBA ’02, and his wife Crystal, welcomed Remington (Remi) Ann to the family on Feb. 17.

Summer 2014 - 42

Park Connections

Andrea Plunkett, ’10, and Sarah Dietz, ’13, both Park University Honors Academy graduates, did not know each other while students at the Parkville Campus.

Today, they are friends and classmates at Washburn University’s School of Law, Topeka, Kan. Plunkett, who earned a Master of Science degree in international negotiation and dispute resolution from Creighton University (Neb.) after graduating from Park, applied to law school at the same time as Dietz. Their Park University Honors Academy adviser, Virginia Brackett, Ph.D., introduced them via e-mail and they now take classes together.

Jamie Phipps, ’11, and Douglas Martinson, ’13, were married on Nov. 2, 2013. Jamie teaches at Holy Cross Early Childhood Center and Douglas is an executive team leader at Target. The couple resides in Kansas City, Mo. Elizabeth Weese, '05, married Mike Muncal on June 1, 2013, in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the couple resides. Elizabeth is a fundraiser for Scottsdale Healthcare.

Send a birth or adoption announcement and receive a “Baby Pirate” bib or T-shirt.

PARK MOURNS 1930s Margaret Leach Schleske, ’35 Lenexa, Kan., Nov. 28, 2013 Bernice Edwards Young, ’35 Windsor, Mo., Jan. 14 William “Neal” Buck, ’36 Carmichael, Calif., March 28 Evelyn M. Gentala, ’36 Tucson, Ariz., March 2012 Frances Brown, ’37 Grand Junction, Colo., Dec, 12, 2013 Mary Elizabeth Dean Schooler, ’38 Prairie Village, Kan., Feb. 22

1940s Ellen Colvin Parker, ’40 Tampa, Fla., Nov. 30, 2013 Shirley Edmunds Black, ’42 Chicago, Ill., Oct. 4, 2013 Francis W. Olson, ’42 Johnson City, N.Y., Jan. 10 Joyce M. Faller, ’43 Kansas City, Mo., March 15 Helen Piper Tarvin, ’44 Hercules, Calif., Sept. 2, 2013 Joseph L. Neschleba, ’45 Whiteboro, N.Y., Aug. 3, 2013 Nancy Mutz Wirt, ’45 San Jose, Calif., Jan. 12 Ronald Gandy, ’47 Portland, Ore., Feb. 24 Barbara Klein Miller, ’48 Irving, Texas, April 3 Harry M. Bauer, ’49 Sherman Oaks, Calif., Nov. 6, 2013

1950s Betty Sue Ford Lentz, ’50 Springfield, Mo., Feb. 14 Irvin Howard Price, ’50 Dallas, Texas, Nov. 30, 2013

Hellen Layton Gabbert, ’56 Weston, Mo., Jan. 18

1960s Edwin Kagin, ’66 Union, Ohio, March 28 Douglas D. Meng, ’68 Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 27, 2013 David S. Miller, ’69 Allegany, N.Y., Dec. 26, 2013

1970s Anthony Alvarado, ’71 Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 2 James L. Schaaf, ’71 Macon, Ga., Dec. 4, 2013 Kenneth Zacharias, ’71 The Villages, Fla., Feb. 24 Karen Merrifield Cleland, ’73 Alpine, Calif., Jan. 7 Rev. Sharon K. Garfield, ’75 Lamar, Mo., March 5 Robert P. Raffurty, ’75 Sterling, Colo., Sept. 9, 2013

1990s

Douglas E. Bibler, ’76 Lee’s Summit, Mo., March 3

Joseph P. Smith, ’91 Columbus, Ga., April 8, 2013

Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) John E. Walls, ’76 Belton, Mo., March 7

Gary L. Cooley, ’98 Lee’s Summit, Mo., Sept. 2, 2013

Susan R. Downing, ’79 El Dorado Springs, Mo., Sept. 8, 2013

2000s

1980s

Martin B. Bourdeau, ’00 Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., April 18

Ira E. Garrett, ’81 Schertz, Texas, March 26, 2013

Hong Kyo “June” Yun, ’00 White Plains, Md., Dec. 17, 2013

Danny L. Swanson, ’83 Fort Worth, Texas, March 15

Chief Master Sgt. Joseph W. Hubbard, ’03 Niceville, Fla., Jan. 6

James “Roy” Callaghan, ’84 Newark, Ohio, April 4

Mona Johnson, ’06 New Bern, N.Y., Jan. 6

Cole E. Beckham, ’87 Kileen, Texas, March 7, 2013

Master Sgt. (Ret.) Lilia Margarita Delgado, ’07 San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 20

Pamela A. Mayfield, ’88 Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 3, 2013

Dempsey Leon Murphy, ’07 Cabot, Ark., July 18, 2013

Summer 2014 - 43

Friday, September 19 (continued)

2014 Thursday-Saturday, September 18-20 (September 18 for Class of 1964 only)

Join us for a Pirate Weekend in Parkville!

For more details and to register: www.park.edu/alumni/HarvestFest (Register by September 12 for events marked *) Check back often for updates!

Reunions • Class years ending in “4” and “9” • Ellen Finley Earhart Nursing Program • Men of Chesnut • The Stylus staff • 1984 Men's Soccer team

Thursday, September 18 Class of 1964 only Golden Reunion Dinner, University White House* 50th reunion dinner for the Class of 1964

Friday, September 19 Attend Park University Classes. (List of specific classes open to visitors will be available Sept. 1 from the Office of Alumni Relations.)

Welcome Alumni Reception and Continental Breakfast, University White House Garden Alumni Association Awards Luncheon, Noon* Kansas City Marriott Downtown 200 W. 12th St., Kansas City, MO 64015 Transportation will be provided to and from the awards luncheon. $25 per person; table sponsorships available.

Alumni Awards Event will honor: Distinguished Alumnus Darryl Forte, ’92, Kansas City, Mo., Chief of Police

Summer 2014 - 44

Marlowe Sherwood Memorial Service Award SuEllen Fried, ’75, Anti-bullying expert and community volunteer

Torchlighter Award Rev. David L. Barclay, ’53

Park Promising Young Professional Rodrigo Neri, ’09, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Instin LLC

Friday afternoon and evening will be full of opportunities to meet friends, old and new, and visit the Parkville Campus. See the detailed schedule at www.park.edu/alumni/harvestfest women’s volleyball | alumni and student networking | buffet dinner | alumni basketball and volleyball games Party in the Park, 8-11 p.m.

English Landing Park Meet up with friends, enjoy music, food and a cash bar Karaoke contest starts at 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 20 • • • •

Alumni Association Business Meeting Women’s Soccer Alumni Game Softball Alumni Game Ellen Finley Earhart Nursing Program Open House and Alumni Reunion

Family Fun Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

University’s Front Lawn Photo booth, bounce house, balloons, face painting and more. Community members are welcome to join the fun!

More Family Fun Day Activities • Pirate Den • Reunion Luncheon, Noon, $10* • Women’s Soccer, Park University vs. Lyon College • Women’s Volleyball, Park University vs. Williams Baptist College • Men’s Soccer, Park University vs. Lyon College • Crowning of Harvest Fest royalty and recognition of past royalty, halftime of the men’s soccer game • Men’s Soccer Alumni Game

Questions? Contact the Office of Alumni Relations alumnioffice@park.edu (816) 584-6207 or (800) 488-7275 www.park.edu/alumni/HarvestFest

Saturday, September 20 (continued)

extras

“A Night at the Museum,” 6 to 9 p.m.* Museum at Prairiefire 5801 W. 135th St., Overland Park, KS 66223 www.museumofpf.org Transportation to and from the museum will be available.

Admission: $10 adults; $8 children 7-16; children under 7 free. A special rate of $25 per family for a maximum of two adults and four children is available.

Hotels: For a list of area hotels, visit www.park.edu/alumni/kchotels.

Park University has reserved this exciting new museum for the evening exclusively for Park alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends. The museum will be exhibiting a popular collection of mythic creatures, exploring such mysteries as griffins, dragons, unicorns and sea monsters. As you enter, you will be greeted by the museum’s resident Tyrannosaurus rex, a full-sized cast from the actual skeleton on display in New York.

Car Rental: Need a car while visiting the Parkville area? Discounts are available.: • Enterprise Leasing, www.enterprise.com (use code 05A8293) • Hertz, www.hertz.com (use code 1928274) McCoy Meetin’ House will be available for conversation and relaxing throughout the weekend. Catch up with your friends and meet new ones. Snacks and beverages will be available.

Alumni Weekend is co-sponsored by the Park University Alumni Association, Office of Alumni Relations, Office of Student Life and the Department of Athletics.

Park University Department of Natural and Physical Sciences faculty Scott Hageman and Brian Hoffman, ’86, Ph.D., will be on hand to lend their expertise and give guests a hands-on experience with Park’s collection of dinosaur bones. Children are invited to experience the Discovery Room, full of hands-on opportunities for young scientists. Light appetizers, compliments of the Alumni Association, will be available, as well as a cash bar.

Summer 2014 - 45

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Kansas City, Mo. Permit No. 6112

8700 NW River Park Drive Parkville, MO 64152 www.park.edu