Park Magazine, Spring 2009

SM

magazine spring 2009

Vol. 1, No. 1

PARK AT THE READY

On the front lines of academics, community, family and service to country

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Table ofContents

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2 Without a Home in the Home of the Brave 5 Sleeping Cold: Park Students Learn about being Homeless 6 Focus on Park University 7 Realizing the Dream 10 Park Ready for Veterans Benefiting from New GI Bill 1 1 Give a Phone; Help a Soldier Call Home 12 Park Establishes Student Veterans of America Chapters 13 Student Involvement Opportunities Extended to All 14 Remembering Parkites Who Died in World War II 15 Park Alumni Roster Includes Bravest of the Brave 16 When Duty Calls: Park and Its Military History 17 A Few Words from Our Deployed Students 18 S.S. Park Victory 20 Park Warrior Center 22 ROTC Grew from KC-Area Need

Park Magazine is published by the Office of University Advancement for Park alumni and friends. Send comments and address corrections to Office of University Advancement, Park University, 8700 N.W. River Park Drive, Parkville, MO 64152, or call (816) 584-6200 or e-mail advancement@park.edu.

23 Reminiscence and Gratitude 24 Society of the Saber and Quill 26 Copley Quad Student Residence a Dynamic

Addition to Parkville Campus

30 Nothing Squirrelly Going On 31 Sir George Speaks Out 33 Get it, Got it, Show it: Let the World See

Your Park Pride

Departments

6 Focus on Park University

28 In Academia 31

Alumniad

32 Director’s Corner 34 Bulletin Board

36 Athletics Photo Spread 38 Class Notes

40 Park Mourns

Our mission: The mission of Park University, an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide access to academic excellence which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community.

On the cover Did you find the tiny Mackay Hall on the spring 2008 magazine cover? Can you find the one hidden on this cover? Good luck!

Our core values: • Commitment to commonalities and differences • Commitment to community among all people of the world • Commitment to lifelong learning Park Magazine is in the GREEN The magazine is printed on 30 percent recycled fiber and with chlorine-free (TCF/ECF) pulp, using timber from managed forests that were inspected and certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.

President’s Greetings I deeply appreciate the phone calls and e-mails asking what impact the global financial downturn has placed on Park’s operations and academics. I reply that as in A Tale of Two Cities, it is the worst of times and the best of times.

Budgetary Modifications Shortfalls from reduced endowments and lessened enrollment forced a review of Park’s organizational competencies, as well as staff reductions. The evaluation process for making these changes started last year when it was determined that Park must right-size its structure in order to remain financially stable and competitive. Colleges and universities can no longer merely “react and manage” their core businesses; rather, we must remain focused on higher education best practices.

Like most colleges and universities nationwide, Park’s endowment has suffered. But our student services will not be interrupted. I am very grateful to the increasing number of alumni and friends who remember Park through their annual giving.

The University needs scholarship gifts now more than ever. Placing Park on the philanthropic priority list truly is a blessing to Park and our students.

Technology Although Park far exceeds many of its competitors in distance learning and other technological advances, these components have never played such a critical role at this University. Students expect to find extensive Online opportunities, academic excellence, the most current technology in classroom delivery and a tech-savvy faculty. We must innovate as we prepare student learners to be global leaders. If we fail, we will not survive.

President Barack Obama said recently that “we can no longer afford to sustain the old ways when we know there are new and more efficient ways of getting the job done.” Park, through innovative and tactical decisions, is positioned to press forward to even greater heights.

Scholarships, Grants and Loans Student financial aid options were reduced during the past year when major lenders closed their doors or realigned and tightened loan requirements. Still, Park’s current and prospective students continue to receive exceptional assistance in identifying the best financial aid available. The University’s longstanding relationships with national lenders remain viable. Scholarships, grants and loans continue to be closely matched to prospective applicants so that no qualified student is turned away due to lack of finances.

Commitment to Excellence Park is far more resilient than many colleges and universities and will continue to provide the strongest curriculum and highest level of student services.

The Board of Trustees, faculty and staff will work together to rise above this financial crisis.

These ongoing challenges open new levels of excellence through innovative courses and degrees to further serve veterans and military families.

We recognize and appreciate the support and guidance received from those who care about Park’s future. Your participation is a significant component to our success.

Thank you.

Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D. President

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Veterans remain front and center of homeless population

by Mary-Margaret Simpson

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statistic for our time: Nearly one-fourth of the homeless men and women in America once wore the uniform of the U.S. military.

Homelessness is hardly a new problem, although estimates of its scope remain just that — estimates. People are difficult to count when they move from one friend’s house to another or from a motel to a shelter.

The National Coalition for the Homeless says 3.5 million people — 39 percent of them children — likely will experience homelessness in a given year, a number that predates last year’s spate of foreclosures and loss of 2.5 million jobs.

While veterans constitute only 9 percent of the U.S. population,

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they make up 23 percent of the homeless, the NCH says, and their overrepresentation shows no signs of going away.

Robert Waechter, M.P.A. ’90, is concerned about the problem, and he’s not alone. A former Marine who served in the Vietnam War, Waechter was team leader for the Kansas City Vet Center for 18 years. He recently relocated to Illinois to start a center in Aurora, 37 miles west of Chicago.

Tough Time Waechter grew up in Tennessee and joined the Marines in 1966 at age 18. While he hoped to become an Embassy Marine, the military had other ideas. He served in Vietnam in 1967-69, first in an infantry unit and then

in the First Medical Battalion, where he worked in Graves Registration.

Eventually, he became a Marine Corps liaison officer, coordinating efforts to retrieve and process the remains of deceased Marine and Navy personnel.

Discharged in 1969, Waechter returned for a brief stint in 1971 before he left the military for good. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Memphis State, now the University of Memphis, in 1973 and then moved to Kansas City to complete a master’s degree in the same field.

He has been involved with veterans’ issues since the day he became a veteran.

“I knew back in 1973, just

after I graduated from Memphis State, that Vietnam veterans as a group were having a difficult time readjusting and transitioning back into civilian life,” he said. “This was long before they came up with something called post-traumatic stress disorder. But I did have the sense in reading some of the early literature that that group of individuals, myself included, was having a difficult time readjusting.”

He believes that his own readjustment problems led to alcohol and drug abuse and occasional homelessness. “I was also pretty volatile emotionally,” he said.

New Centers for Combat Vets In 1979 Congress created the vet center program — community centers to provide free counseling and outreach services to veterans who served in combat. Waechter started at the new Kansas City center in 1981, first as a volunteer leading discussion groups and then joining the counseling staff in 1984.

“I was probably as troubled and alienated as everybody else, but it gave me a foot in the door,” he said. “I can honestly say that decision to get involved with the vet center probably saved my life.”

Waechter was saved, or he saved himself, but many veterans fare worse. Organizations that track homelessness agree that veterans are more likely than non-veterans to experience homelessness at some point.

This can range from one or two episodes to chronic homelessness.

Factors that can make anyone homeless hold true for veterans,

Waechter said. “There’s the shortage of affordable housing and the lack of ability to earn a livable income. There are a lot of military jobs that are not easily translatable into employable civilian skills.”

He noted that most housing assistance targets women with dependent children or families.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the vast majority of homeless veterans are single men.

Another complication is the prevalence of PTSD. Waechter said that close to 45 percent of veterans who are homeless have post-traumatic stress disorder or some other mental illness, and a significant number have drug and alcohol issues.

Lessons from Vietnam The single largest segment of the homeless veteran population served in the Vietnam War. The VA says the number of homeless male and female Vietnam-era veterans is greater than the number of soldiers who died in the war.

“There was such a stigma about Vietnam vets when they came home that often they were not able to find jobs, and the skills learned to survive in a hostile environment such as combat were easily adapted to surviving life on the streets,” Waechter said.

“It was easy for them to become even more disenfranchised and disillusioned by the system.”

While the VA is the single largest provider of homeless services in the United States, it reaches only 25 percent of those in need, leaving about 300,000 veterans to fend for

themselves. Waechter admits that homelessness actually is a choice for some. “They’re OK with their lifestyle and just don’t want to mess around with the system. But there are a lot of vets who are not getting access to health care or mental health care. The situation is ripe for people to get into a pattern of homelessness.”

One approach that has brought thousands of homeless veterans out of the shadows is the stand down program. “Stand down” in a military context means relaxation from a state of readiness. In the Vietnam War, stand downs were a secure place for soldiers to clean up after prolonged combat and recover physically and emotionally.

In 1988 two Vietnam veterans in California staged the first Stand Down for Homeless Veterans in San Diego. Eventually sponsored by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, more than 100,000 homeless veterans across the country have received food, clothing, legal advice and health screenings at a stand down. Run by volunteers, the one- to three-day events offer screening, intervention and referrals in such areas as benefits, housing and employment.

In 1992 a friend and fellow Vietnam veteran asked Waechter if he would help start a stand down in Kansas City. First offered in 1993, the Heart of America Stand Down continues to this day, and Waechter remains a co-chairman. With an estimated 1,800 homeless Kansas City-area veterans, stand downs are another important component of readjustment for veterans — a chance to talk.

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Still Disenfranchised Waechter says the opportunity to talk to someone, anyone, is invaluable. Talking out his Vietnam experiences was something he did often at Park.

While working as a Kansas City Vet Center counselor, he decided to earn another graduate degree to transition into management and administration. “I was still a little bit disenfranchised from society but I felt OK at Park. I could always rely on being able to talk about the vet center program and about homeless veterans and PTSD.” He also credits two of his professors in political science and public administration. One was Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D., for whom Park’s School of Public Affairs is named. Hauptmann had been a member of the Polish Underground during World War II. “Dr. Hauptmann really had a tender heart for veterans. I will always remember that,” Waechter said.

Another was political science Professor Ron Brecke, Ph.D., a Vietnam-era Navy veteran whose son served in the first Gulf War. “He was a strong influence on me at Park.”

Waechter said he’s not seeing as many veterans from that war or the current war in Iraq. He estimates that they make up only 3 percent of the homeless veteran population.

“Recent veterans have a lot of resources that the Vietnam vet didn’t, but there are different challenges,” he said. “A lot more vets are getting married younger

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and having marital problems. They are coming back to an economy that really is just awful. A lot of them are staying in the military because it’s job security. It could be that staying in is a way to assure their economic stability, and that’s just going to intensify their problems readjusting.”

Another kind of problem promises to have enormous consequences — traumatic brain injury. In 2005 the Department of Health and Human Services reported that more than half of wounded veterans returning from Iraq had some kind of brain injury.

TBI has been called the “signature injury” of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“In my limited exposure, oftentimes there is not only the presence of PTSD but there’s also TBI, and they co-mingle,” Waechter said. “You’re not really sure what you’re looking at. It’s another tragedy that we have to deal with as a community.”

What Can be Done Waechter credits the central role of the vet centers, now numbering 232 across the United States, with making a huge difference in the lives of veterans, keeping many off the streets.

“I can go back to Kansas City and I can see Vietnam, Iraq, Gulf War and even World War II vets who have come to some level of peace with themselves and with their families because there was a vet center, a place where they can talk to a counselor and get some support and some insight and some direction. Had the vet

Robert Waechter speaks with a reporter from WDAF-TV Channel 4 in Kansas City.

Waechter, far right, is shown at a Kansas City Stand Down with Art Fillmore, Stand Down cochair, and Lt. Col. Peggy Sullivan with the 325th Medical Group.

Waechter, right, and Fillmore, co-chairs of the Kansas City Stand Downs

Waechter discusses procedures with an attorney providing legal services to homeless veterans at a stand down.

center program not been there, those guys and women wouldn’t be around right now. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

The VA is trying harder to assist active members of the military, their families and veterans, Waechter said. “With the global

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans war on terrorism, there have been a lot of efforts to not only educate soldiers and their families as they prepare to deploy and while they’re in theater, but also when they come back, to provide for their mental health needs.”

He urges people to keep the needs of homeless veterans on the country’s front burner.

“There are so many pressing issues facing our country right now, but I don’t want homeless veterans to be forgotten. These are men and women who served their country for the same reasons that everybody else serves their country. But in a lot of ways we’ve turned our back

on them because that’s easy to do.”

Waechter grows somber when it comes to an easy transition for combat veterans.

“There really is something about combat that changes people in a way that makes it difficult for them to re-enter civilian society. Regardless of how resilient or educated or spiritual or anything else, it’s going to be a transition,” he said. “You have to somehow work through those experiences and be able to put them into some kind of perspective that allows you to go along with your life in a productive way.”

Sleeping cold : Park students learn about being homeless

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ven though it was just one night in the November cold, Park senior criminal justice/ corrections major Megan Haley and other Parkville Campus students got a sobering look at what it’s like to be homeless.

Haley, 25, and co-leaders Mackenzie Howard, a senior criminal justice/law enforcement major, and Christie Gray, a junior criminal justice/corrections major, organized and participated in One Homeless Night, a Kansas City-wide event sponsored by Synergy Services, Inc. to raise awareness about youth homelessness. Community organizations hosted sleep-outs Nov. 14 to acknowledge local youth, believed to exceed 2,000, who are homeless every night.

Park was among the area groups

that hosted activities and raised funds supporting Synergy, whose mission is “to eliminate family violence, abuse and neglect by providing quality services for persons of all ages.” The event was sponsored by Park’s Criminal Justice Club, an organization for criminal justice majors. Haley is the club’s president, Gray the vice president and Howard the secretary.

About 60 people, including Park and area high school students, participated in the sleep-out on the Parkville Campus. Among the speakers were a man and a woman who had been homeless at some point.

Haley, who plans to graduate in May, said she realizes now that no matter how bad things get, her problems are nowhere close to

urges citizens to get involved. A schedule of stand downs across the country is at www.nchv.org/.

Visit the Department of Veterans Affairs homeless veterans web site, www1.va.gov/ homeless/, to learn more about the scope of the problem and the initiatives being taken to combat it.

Homeless veterans • 94% male • 47% Vietnam era • 67% served three or more years • 33% were stationed in a war zone • 85% completed high school or have a GED (compared to 56% of non-veterans) • 89% received an honorable discharge • 76% experience alcohol, drug or mental health problems Source: National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

“We call these veterans homeless, but they have a home. It is called America, and now is the time to welcome them home.”

— Herschel Gober, former deputy secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs what homeless kids face.

“Being out in the cold, freezing, being hungry and thirsty, I couldn’t imagine not knowing when I was going to be able to eat again or get a drink or even have a warm place to stay,” she said.

Howard, 22, of Liberty, Mo., said that night will stay with her a long time. “The information that Synergy provided us and the personal experiences guest speakers shared with us really opened my eyes to the youth homeless issue and what I can do to help,” she said.

“One Homeless Night gave me a much better understanding of the issues those without homes face every day,” added Gray, 20, from Purdy, Mo. “I am now much more thankful for my home and all I have.”

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Focus on Park University Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Opened: May 1973 Campus Center Director: David Rogers Academic Director: Jessica Reilly www.park.edu/scot

Scott Air Force Base is Park’s oldest military campus center, established in May 1973. The student body represents all armed forces branches — active duty, National Guard Reserve and civilian workers; retired and separated veterans; family members and non-military associated students.

Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees may be earned in management, management/ logistics and social psychology, and the Bachelor of Science degree in management/computer information systems and management/human resources is available. Scott Air Force Base Campus Center takes pride in its sense of family: Three married couples graduated at its 2008 commencement ceremony.

Park has the largest enrollment at Scott Air Force Base, but all on-installation programs enjoy a cooperative relationship, which is one reason the Scott Education Center has received the Nathan Altschuler Outstanding Education and Training Flight Award for Air Mobility Command (large installation category) five times (including 200507 consecutively) and has had the largest percentage of Community College of the Air Force graduates in Air Mobility Command every year since 1991. Many of Scott’s Park graduates enrolled in courses for CCAF credits and then stayed on to complete their Park degrees.

Scott Air Force Base, 20 miles east of St. Louis, was established

Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

Opened: May 1989 Campus Center Director: Vikki Powell www.park.edu/tink The Tinker Air Force Base Campus Center supports active duty, National Guard and reservist military members and families assigned to the installation and the surrounding Oklahoma City area. It also provides support to military retirees and civilian employees. Degree programs include the Associate of Science in computer science and management as well as the

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Team Tinker

Bachelor of Science in management, computer science, management —computer information systems, and management—human resources.

In October 2008, Airman 1st Class Taj V. Preciado won Park’s Constitution Day essay contest by answering the question, “Should the Electoral College be abolished?”

in 1917 and is the only Air Force installation named for an enlisted man, Cpl. Frank Scott. Over the years Scott Air Force Base has hosted balloons and dirigibles, as well as a huge communications school, but today its primary mission is global mobility. The installation’s units command all U.S. military logistics in air, over land and across the sea. Its host wing, the 375th Airlift Wing, has managed the domestic aeromedical evacuation system since 1975. Far from being exclusively an Air Force installation, Joint Total Force Scott houses a variety of Department of Defense headquarters units, including Transportation, Air Mobility and Army Surface Deployment and Distribution commands; 18th Air Force; Air Force Communications Agency; Air Force Global Logistics Support Command; Defense Information Systems Agency; 635th Supply Chain Management Wing; 126th Air Refueling Wing (Air National Guard); and 932nd Airlift Wing.

His 250-word essay was selected by a panel of scholars and public officials, and Roxanne Gonzales, Ed.D., associate dean of the College for Distance Learning, presented him a $2,000 Park scholarship at a surprise “hall call.” Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.

Preciado is one of nearly 300 students associated with the Tinker Air Force Base Campus Center. The campus center recently expanded the number of adjunct faculty available to instruct face-to-face classes.

Dr. Beverley ByersPevitts, Ph.D., with Kener and Jessica Simpson and sons, Bradley, 2½ years old, and Ryan, 1 year old

Realizing the Dream Graduating students from the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan District (Quantico, Henderson Hall and Fort Myer campus centers) nominated fellow classmates Jessica and Kener Lipscomb (both ’08) to represent their class as Outstanding Students.

In response to that honor, the couple made the following remarks during the September 2008 commencement ceremony.

Jessica: President Byers-Pevitts, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Eugene Ruiz, distinguished faculty, staff, family, friends, colleagues and, last but certainly not least, the graduating class of 2008. My husband and I are honored to speak on such a momentous occasion.

Kener: It has taken a great deal of sacrifice and dedication to get where we are today, but our dedication and sacrifice do not begin to measure up to that of our brothers and sisters who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and that of the members of the armed forces who are overseas fighting for our freedom. Some of you may have lost friends and family in the fight, so

at this time we would like to take a moment of silence in their honor.

Jessica: It is said that nothing worth having comes easy. We can relate this to many parts of our lives, including the time we spent developing this speech. I would say a good portion was spent bickering about what we should speak about today.

Leaving my family at age 17 to enlist in the Marine Corps wasn’t easy, but I did it, like so many of you have done.

It also was not easy to get through boot camp, but I knew it would get me to my goal, so I worked hard and I did it. I remember finding out that I was going to Iraq. I called my family and we cried together, but I went over there and did Spring 2009 << 7

what I had to do for my country. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.

Four years went by fast, and before I knew it, my time was up. I realized that in spite of the hard things I had gone through, I had not accomplished what I joined the military to accomplish — my college degree. Although I had taken a couple of classes, I was nowhere near completing my degree, so I re-enlisted and swore to myself that I would get it done ... and I did. I started and didn’t stop, not even when

my degree where she was finishing hers — at Park University. It is a good thing I started school again, because I had promised my parents that before I got out of the Corps I would finish my degree. Although I finished shy of that goal, I am thankful for the extra push I received from everyone to get where I am today.

today are not just pieces of paper, but proof of the hard work, dedication and time we have spent to get where we are today. Tradition says we should persuade our graduating class to journey forward and do great things, but we don’t think you need to hear this, as all of you have already shown that you are capable of just that.

Jessica: We tell you our stories because we know that in some way our stories are your stories. When we say

Jessica: We would like to acknowledge how lucky we are to graduate from a school like Park University. For the most part we are all affiliated with the military in one way or another, whether veterans, active duty or an active duty family member.

We should feel proud to be part of an affiliation that does so much for military men and women.

We would also like to take this opportunity to give some special thanks.

I am thankful for the extra push I received from everyone to get where I am today.

I delivered both of my beautiful boys in the middle of two different semesters.

I would try to do homework and get so frustrated. I took my last three final exams with my 6-week-old son in my lap, and when I looked down at his face, I knew what I did all of this for.

(Lucky for me he didn’t cry the whole time.)

Kener: My journey to this point also was not easy. I had spent my first three college years at George Mason University and was not where I wanted to be. My grades were slipping and I didn’t have the right mind-set to finish my degree, so I fulfilled another one of my dreams, which was to enlist in the Marine Corps. I left Virginia to travel the world, only to end up here at Quantico. It was here that I met my lovely wife, who persuaded me to finish

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– Kener Lipscomb

that nothing worth having comes easy, we think this particularly refers to our graduating class. We all have full-time jobs or full-time families and, in a lot of cases, both. This makes obtaining the diplomas we receive today that much more special, for we all have pushed ourselves to our limits to accomplish the same goal. Kener and I stand here as a family that has spent the last few years learning together.

We leave here as graduates opening another chapter in our lives. We have earned our passage into this great world of accomplishment, alongside many other people who have done great things. But we know our story is part of a bigger story – that of the 2008 graduating class and all Park University alumni.

Kener: The diplomas we receive

Kener: We would like to thank the families of each graduate of the Class of 2008. Without you, none of this would be possible. You gave us your patience and understanding when we needed you to do that extra something that maybe we should have been doing so we could finish a homework assignment or paper that we had put off until almost the deadline. You’re our support system and our rock to lean on. The diplomas that we receive today are not just for us, but for you, too. If it weren’t for everything you have done, our dreams would not have come true.

Jessica: We would like to thank the Park University faculty and staff. Park is not only our school, but our family.

The support and dedication that each and every member of the Park family gives, from the office secretary to the

president of the University, is amazing.

Thanks to the professors who worked with us after hours to give us the extra help we needed. Thank you for the understanding you gave when an unexpected work or family emergency arose and we needed an extra day on an assignment, or when we had to miss a day of class. It is not easy juggling full-time jobs and families, but the Park family gave us a chance to fulfill our dreams, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Kener: We would like to thank our graduating class for letting us represent you this year. What we have accomplished would not have been possible if we didn’t have each other. We learned and helped each other through some really hard times.

Each of you was there for someone else, whether on the phone, Online or in person. For most of us, it feels like our life had already begun, but today we want to tell you that with our degrees, new chapters in our lives are about to begin. You all are bright and ambitious individuals, and what you have accomplished here today can never be taken away. You earned it and you all deserve it.

Jessica: I would like to speak to my husband, Kener, for a moment: As I stand beside you today, I feel lucky … lucky to be able to let not only you, but everyone in this room, know that you are my rock. I thank you for your love and support during my time at Park. You have made it possible for me to fulfill so many of my dreams.

You gave me three of my life’s biggest accomplishments: my degree and our two beautiful boys, Bradley and Ryan.

If it weren’t for my family’s love and

your help, I might not have made it. I am honored to share this stage with you. You are a smart and ambitious man ... when you are not procrastinating (joke). You have the ability to do whatever you want, and I am honored to be your wife, to graduate with you today and stand with you as we represent this graduating class. Thank you.

Kener: I wish you had let me go first in this part so I could thank you without wiping my eyes. Without you, Jessica, I would not be standing here today.

Your effort to get me back in school and pursue my dreams has made me a better person. Over the past three years at Park you did all the heavy lifting to make sure I was signed up for the right classes, and you made sure I had the right forms filled out and took my exams on time. Most of the Park staff at Quantico knew me as Jessica’s husband.

You have been the rock I leaned on the past few years, and I am honored to be your husband and to graduate with you today. Thank you.

Jessica: We now would like to address President Byers-Pevitts, who shows her dedication for our servicemen and servicewomen in many ways. One is the Wounded Warriors Program [Park Warrior Center]. President ByersPevitts has requested three grants to establish this program, which would help veterans returning from overseas transition back into the classroom at no cost to them, so they can also accomplish their dreams just like all of us here today.

Madame President, you are an inspiration to all. The dedication you give to military men and women around the world is beyond reproach. On April 12, 2002, you made a promise to the Park University family that you would

continue to serve all learners, wherever they are, as they continue to serve this country and through their call to civil and military duty. You have continued to keep your promise to Park University students.

On behalf of the graduating class we would like to present you with a gift, a book about Washington, D.C., history.

As an educator you understand that we are never done learning. The gift is enclosed with a message and a quote from your inauguration speech.

Madame President, We appreciate your dedication to all of us.

“Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed. … In the time of your life, live — so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.”

Thank you, President Byers-Pevitts Graduating class of 2008 Park University, Washington, D.C., Metropolitan District Kener: In closing we want you to take one thing with you, although we are not going to sing because we don’t want to ruin this moment. The Park University Alma Mater was written in 1947. It goes: Both: Hail, Alma Mater, we sing to thee, Thy name forever a guiding light shall be. Strong as an oak tree, thy name shall never fail. To thee, Alma Mater, Hail, Park, Hail!

Jessica: Park University is now our alma mater. We have all come so far and accomplished so much. With your degree in hand … journey forward, and may every one of you do great things.

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Park Ready for Veterans Benefiting from New GI Bill

by Roxanne Gonzales, Ph.D., College for Distance Learning associate dean With an expanded GI Bill going into effect this year, an increasing number of veterans will begin exploring options for higher education.

Park is prepared to help.

“Park University has an ongoing commitment to educate the men and women serving our country, their families as well as veterans,” said President Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D. More than 520,000 veterans are expected to take advantage of the benefits, which go into effect in August as outlined in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. About 250,000 veterans currently attend colleges and universities on the GI Bill.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill will provide educational assistance to veterans, military members, reservists and National Guard members who have served since Sept. 11, 2001. By law, the benefits are scheduled to start Aug. 1.

Park serves active duty military at its 43 campus centers and offers scholarships for military family members. The University also offers 25 percent-discounted graduate tuition for active duty, active duty spouses and retired military personnel.

Military Advanced Education magazine ranked Park among the nation’s Top 20 military-friendly colleges and universities in December 2008.

“We have always considered

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ourselves a military-friendly institution. We’re used to working with students who have a military background, and we know the demands they face,” said Cathy Colapietro, admissions and student financial services director. “That experience will only expand our knowledge and abilities as we work to provide veterans the support they need as Park students.”

Congress voted in June 2008 to dramatically expand the GI Bill, which President Franklin

D. Roosevelt signed into law in 1944 for returning World War II veterans. Under the old measure, veterans could receive $1,321 monthly to cover college expenses.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 540,000 personnel utilized their GI Bill benefits in fiscal year 2008.

Find more information about the GI Bill at www.veterans.house. gov, www.va.gov. or www.park. edu/military.

Give a Phone

by Toni Cardarella, media coordinator, Office of Communication

The Telecommunications Office is collecting used cell phones as part of a national project, Cell Phones for Soldiers, to provide talk time for U.S. military personnel stationed abroad.

The office, a division of the Office of Communication on the Parkville Campus, is seeking participation from the Park community, alumni and friends.

“We’re always looking for ways to support our troops and their families, and donating to the cause that enables them to call home seems like a perfect opportunity,” said Regina Reed, Parkville Campus Center telecommunications administrator.

“It also goes hand in hand with our recent Green Initiative, which includes recycling used cell phones.”

All collected phones go to ReCellular, which pays the CPS campaign for each donated phone — enough to provide an hour of talk time.

Since its start in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, a brother and sister from Norwell, Mass. (who were 12 and 13 at the time),

Help a Soldier Call Home

Kari Estes, Goodfellow AFB Campus Center director, left, and Toya Jenkins, administrative specialist, display Cell Phones for Soldiers donations.

Cell Phones for Soldiers has raised more than $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” the teenagers’ father, Bob Bergquist, says on the organization’s web site, www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

“Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But we have also seen the need to support our troops’ continued growth and as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”

Park’s Goodfellow Air Force Base Campus Center in San Angelo, Texas, kicked off its CPS campaign in September 2008. Kari Estes, director, said the campus center collected more than 200 phones in three months.

The Goodfellow campaign got a jumpstart when a local radio station promoted the program on its

morning show.

“The radio show told listeners that participation would be appreciated, especially since it was the holiday season in a military community,” Estes said.

The promotion played periodically over the next few months on that station and sister stations. Donation boxes were set up at the San Angelo Visitors Center and at a local middle school. The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce provided free advertising in its newsletter.

Reed, who is leading Park’s Cell Phones for Soldiers campaign, estimates the Parkville Campus has collected approximately 50 phones so far.

Find more about cellphones for soldiers at cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

Green Tip: One used cell phone recycled by each cell phone user in the United States would reclaim enough precious metals to create 631 solid gold replicas of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen’s funerary mask. For more information and additional tips to lead a “green life,” visit sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/.

Spring 2009 << 11

from VIEW f the o BACK o Ro m

Park Establishes Student Veterans of America chapters

P

ark Student Government Association president Javier Centonzio has a clear mission for starting a University-wide Student Veterans of America chapter: to support students who served in the military and to unite all Park students. But a deeper reason motivates the senior political science major — to honor friends lost during his military service, in particular his buddy Jesse Davila.

“Jesse is the reason I decided to pursue a higher education degree and attend law school,” Centonzio said. “Every loss we have suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan weighs heavy on my heart. Because my fallen brothers cannot be here, I want to honor them by raising awareness of their sacrifices and of veterans programs.”

More than 88 percent of Park’s student population takes classes Online or at campus centers.

Centonzio, a former Marine and member of the National Guard, believes a Student Veterans Association chapter will provide networking, a support base for legislative initiatives that benefit student veterans and muchneeded student life opportunities for them and for Parkville Campus students.

“With campus centers spread throughout the nation, our challenge is finding a

12 >> www.park.edu

commonality that unites all Park students,” he said.

“Each campus center can make its chapter as strong and active as they want. Our combined efforts can impact benefits awareness and provide volunteer hours for organizations that assist our fellow veterans.”

Centonzio encourages veterans, current military personnel, family and friends to get involved. “This club is about supporting veterans and our military, regardless of political views,” he said. “Servicewomen and servicemen make a commitment to serve others, and our intention is to provide a way for veterans to continue serving others once they separate from the service and come to Park.”

The Park Student Veterans Association is in the final stages of bylaws development. Roxanne Gonzales, Ph.D., College for Distance Learning associate dean, anticipates it becoming active in the fall. Political science Professor Ron Brecke, Ph.D., is faculty adviser, with other advisers needed for the campus centers.

Centonzio credits AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) members Brad Birmingham and Destini Nave for creating the PSVA logo, as well as Brecke; Gonzales; President Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D.; James

Javier Centonzio

Pasley, Ph.D., political science associate professor; and Eric Blair and Caroline Heckman in the Office of Student Life for their assistance.

The national organization Student Veterans of America was founded in January 2008 and has chapters at more than 100 universities. It lobbied for the new G.I. Bill, which will help veterans pursue higher education. Learn more at http:// studentveterans.org.

Note: Centonzio was pictured in a Veterans Day story in the January KC-AUSA News, a newsletter of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army. He spearheaded the Memorial Stone Project at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., and has been invited by the American Council on Education to address the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, which serves as a forum for chief executive officers in the higher education association community.

He will share with 50 CEOs his student story from a veteran’s perspective, how his military training prepared him for Park leadership roles and how education is helping him reach his goals. He will attend Stetson University Law School in Gulfport, Fla., on a full scholarship.

Student Involvement Opportunities Extended to All

by Diana Boyd McElroy, Ph.D., dean of student life Park is making a new leadership development program available to all its students, not just those on the Parkville Campus, through a partnership with Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Sigma Alpha Pi members can access the community via PirateNet; they can view leadership presentations and share success stories with other NSLS members via message boards. Learn more at www.societyleadership.org or from Caroline Heckman, coordinator for student leadership and engagement, at caroline.heckman@park.edu.

Other Online student organizations are the Social Psychology Club and Online ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), whose active members are Online students and Online

faculty advisers. Both clubs are open to all students.

PirateNet also hosts pages for informal groups. Students can communicate similar interests or just interact at piratenet.park.edu in much the same fashion as Facebook or MySpace. Established groups include Ahoy Veteran Pirates, Welcome to China Town, and the Park Off Road and Sports Car Club.

Park students worldwide can create community by competing for

prizes in one of Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Online intramural events. Fall 2009 marks the fifth anniversary of the Park University Fantasy Football League, and March Madness Online is available for basketball fans. In spring 2008 nearly 600 Park students posted their brackets Online. Intramurals information and an event schedule are at www.park.edu/ studentlife/intramurals.

Several other student groups host Online panel discussions, including an upcoming careers panel with the Criminal Justice Club and the Student Leadership Lunch. In addition to leadership presentations, an Online student orientation is being developed for all Park students.

Have an idea to improve any of these programs? Contact studentlife@park.edu.

Spring 2009 << 13

Re me mberi ng Parkites Who Died in World War II A

lthough no permanent memorial was erected to honor the 20 Park men killed in action during World War II, there were, indeed, tributes to their sacrifice.

The Alumni Association held a memorial service May 25, 1946; the program listed the names, rank and time of service of all who died. Another opportunity to honor those men came about from the need for more student housing.

Park’s dormitories could not accommodate the number of returning veterans, so President George I. Rohrbough

14 >> www.park.edu

sought aid from the U.S. government and arranged for a barracks and three Quonset huts to be built on campus.

The barracks was northeast of Old Nickel, and the three Quonsets were east of the science hall along the walkway to Chesnut.

The barracks was completed in early 1947 and named for Arthur Dyer, ’33, who was killed during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. At the time he was serving as an Army weather forecaster. The three Quonset huts — Nelson, Phillips and Thomas — also were

named for Park servicemen who lost their lives: Army Air Force 1st Lt. Chester L. Nelson, ’42, killed in action over the Mediterranean; Army Air Force Lt. Leonard H. Phillips, ’38, killed in England; and Army Sgt. David Sleeth Thomas, x43, killed in Aachen, Germany.

All four buildings served the campus for years — Dyer as a dormitory until 1967 and the Quonsets as living space and classroom buildings. Dyer was razed in 1967, and at least one of the Quonsets survived until 1990.

by Carolyn McHenry Elwess, ’71, Park University archivist

Park Alumni Roster Includes

‘Bravest of the Brave’

by Mary-Margaret Simpson

Not all soldiers will face the ultimate test of valor — a lifeor-death situation where the outcome hangs on a single man or woman’s courage. But when that happens, heroes are born.

Three Park University alumni are among those soldiers whose names are carved in the annals of time — Army 1st Lt. George S. Robb, ’12; Army Col. Lewis Millett, ’63; and Army Sgt. Maj. Leon Yarbough, ’04. All have received the most prestigious medals the United States bestows on armed forces members.

Robb’s story is probably the best known. He was repeatedly wounded while leading a platoon in France in 1918. When his commanding officer was killed, Robb assumed command and led the platoon to exceed its original target. For his actions Robb received the Medal of Honor, the wartime citation given to soldiers considered “the bravest of the brave.” Robb died peacefully May 14, 1972, and is buried in Salina, Kan. His medal is on display in the Kansas History Museum, and a Park program that studies World War I bears his name.

The two other medal recipients are still living. Millett served in the Army on the battlefields of North Africa and Italy in Word War II. But it was during the Korean War that his

mettle cowed the enemy and inspired his men.

As commander Col. Lewis Millett of an infantry unit, Millett trained his men in the use of fixed bayonets. On Feb. 7, 1951, he and his unit came upon a heavily armed enemy line. Positioning himself at the head of his platoon, Millett tore into the enemy, bayoneting, throwing hand grenades and shouting for his men to follow.

Forty-seven of the roughly 200 enemy soldiers were killed, 18 by bayonet. Those who escaped were in disarray. Historians say it was the largest bayonet charge

by American troops since the Civil War. The assault earned Millett the Medal of Honor. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at Park and served in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, retiring as a full colonel in 2002.

Yarbough, a member of the Army Information Support Center, was a Park Online degree program student employed at the Pentagon. While at work on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as he watched television coverage of the World Trade Center’s twin towers collapsing, he heard an explosion and sprang into action,

even though he would not know until later what had happened.

He escorted co-workers through smoke and fire, ensuring a quick evacuation. He then raced back through dense smoke where he found several people badly burned, injured and in shock. He carried them outside, reentering the burning building three more times until he, too, was ordered to evacuate.

Several members of Yarbough’s unit died that day, including his director. Yarbough and a group of soldiers posted the U.S. flag on the crash site, fashioning a flagpole from the rail of a destroyed fire truck.

Yarbough was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the highest honor the military bestows on a soldier during peacetime.

The citation made note of his bravery and how he personified America’s determination to overcome the Sept. 11 events.

He completed a bachelor’s degree in management/computer information systems in 2004.

Whether serving in last century’s wars or responding to an attack at the start of the new millennium, George Robb, Lewis Millett and Leon Yarbough share a common bond of honor. And they are real-life heroes who are part of the Park family.

1st Lt. George S. Robb

Spring 2009 << 15

When Duty Calls

Park and Its Military History During world wars and in times of peace, the U.S. military and Park have stayed connected in ways both formal and personal.

Dr. John A. McAfee inquired about forming a Missouri militia company on the Parkville Campus.

No evidence exists that this happened; however, in 1898 a military department was created in response to the Spanish-American War. Male students participated in drills, although they were never called into service. In fact, Park men did not see combat on foreign soil until near the end of World War I. More than 50 students and many alumni joined the armed forces during that war. The War Department inducted students but allowed them to stay in college until they were called to active duty. In 1918 Park hosted a detachment of the Student Army Training Corps. Of the 132 men enrolled in this short-lived effort, 59 were Park students. Ten Park alumni died while in service, some in battle and others from disease.

With the world again at war 20 years later, the Navy selected the Parkville Campus as a Naval Cadet Training Center for its V-12 program, which was designed to increase the number of commissioned officers.

Eight hundred thirty-five midshipmen received training from 1943-45, doubling the student population and filling every dorm to capacity. The Maritime Commission launched the

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S.S. Park Victory on April 21, 1945, stating that it was named in tribute to Park University, “one of America’s outstanding institutions of higher learning.”

World War II top brass even had family ties to Park. In 1942, Mildred McAfee Horton, the first Navy female adjunct, became the first director and, ultimately, commander of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). Her leadership helped open the doors of opportunity for women in the military. She was the granddaughter of John A. McAfee, Park University co-founder, and daughter of Park’s second president, Cleland McAfee.

Twenty Park men lost their lives in World War II. Although no permanent memorial exists, numerous tributes have saluted their sacrifice. The Alumni Association held a memorial service May 25, 1946, noting the names, rank and time of service of all who died.

Barracks and Quonset huts were erected on campus in 1947 and were named for three Park alumni who died in the war (see page 14).

In the 1960s during the Vietnam War, Park again became an endorsed division of officer training when military personnel participated in the Army’s Bootstrap program.

The Parkville Campus hosted the program for several years before its conclusion in the 1970s, after which the University became active with the

Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. In 1962 Park instituted the first Degree Completion Program for active duty personnel. Upon completion of 124 credit hours, students earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. The program expanded in 1972 when Park set up classrooms on eight military installations around the country. By 1977 Park had classrooms at 25 military installations.

Today Park has 43 campus centers in 21 states, including Online, and is one of the largest providers of undergraduate education to U.S. military personnel throughout the world. Sixty-one percent of Park’s 25,489 students worldwide are active duty, retired military, military dependents or Defense Department employees. Military Advanced Education, a journal for service personnel, named Park a Top Military Friendly School in the December 2008 issue for its College for Distance Learning.

For nearly 120 years Park has forged alliances with the military, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. While the nature and location of conflict have changed over time, Park University and men and women in uniform are together when duty calls.

Contributing writers, Carolyn McHenry Elwess, ’71, Park University archivist; and MaryMargaret Simpson

a few

WORDS

our FROM deployed students “Park University’s Online courses are excellent! The inherent flexibility allows me to complete coursework in a manner that doesn’t conflict with my professional schedule. Professors have been outstanding and knowledgeable, providing not only an education, but also a personal interest in my development in their field.”

— retired Marine CW02 Donald Snyder Quantico, Va. transferring credits

“Park provides an invaluable opportunity, not only for service members, but also for their families. The professors provide challenging work environments. My wife and I appreciated the fact that we could find them at every military installation where we were stationed.”

— Capt. Anthony Scheidel, Missouri National Guard, Air Force U.S. Embassy, Panama City, Panama degree course: Master of Public Affairs

“Offering such a wide range of degrees Online is one of the most outstanding things a university can do to give back to the men and women who keep the freedom for our country. My experience with Park has been beyond wonderful — challenging, yet attainable. It gave me the flexibility I needed and the courses I desired. Park is now my alma mater, and I am proud to have been a student at such a fine institute of learning.”

— 1st Sgt. (E8) Nichelle A. Mason, ’09, Marine Corps Bakersfield, Calif. degree: Bachelor of Science in criminal justice administration

“Park University has taken me through an amazing academic journey. It has shown me the value of education, and for the first time in my life I enjoy going to class!”

— Airman 1st Class Suriel Ortega, Air Force Los Angeles, Calif. currently at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. major: business management

“I attended four colleges, but Park is the first academic institution where I received a family, teamwork and sincerity of caring environment.”

— Eric Brittine, 10-year Army veteran, working for the Army in San Antonio, Texas major: business management

“Park’s distance learning has offered me an opportunity to work, be a loving parent and attentive wife and still have time to play. I wouldn’t go anywhere else after these wonderful experiences.”

— Rachel Ann Moses, Air Force contractor Hill Air Force Base, Utah major: management/ computer information systems

“Park University has given me the opportunity to finish my degree, no matter my geographical location. The instructors are knowledgeable and understand the constraints put on military personnel.”

— Elizabeth Ball, system security engineer Boeing Co. Fort Greely Army Base, Alaska major: CIS management

Spring 2009 << 17

S.S. Park Victory

In April 1945, Park’s involvement with the Navy’s V-12 program culminated with a victory ship named in honor of the University.

by Carolyn McHenry Elwess, ’71, Park University archivist

During World War II in 1943-45, the Navy selected the Parkville Campus as a cadet training center for its V-12 program. Navy enrollments — 835 midshipmen over those two years — more than doubled the student population, filling every dorm to capacity. The sailors lived in Copley, Woodward, Chesnut and Sunset halls, and all were required to complete four 16-week semesters in classes taught by Park professors but with curriculum outlined by the Navy.

Some cadets returned after the war as full-time students.

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It is believed that the Navy named a ship for Park because of this cooperation. In the launching program of the S.S. Park Victory on April 21, 1945, T.A. Bedford, the assistant general manager of the Permanente Metals Corp., announced, “In naming this Victory ship, the United States Maritime Commission pays tribute to one of America’s outstanding institutions of higher learning, Park College, located in Parkville, Mo.” In 1943 at the height of the war, the Maritime Commission faced a shortage of cargo ships, as

many had been sunk by German submarine torpedoes. This special class of vessel, the Liberty Ship, more than 2,000 of which were built between 1941 and 1945, was easy prey because of its slow speed.

A new class of larger, faster ships was designed, and in April

1943 the Maritime Commission adopted the title “Victory Ship” for the fleet. A document in Park’s Fishburn Archives describes the differences between the two types of ships: “The new Victory-type ship, designed by the Maritime Commission as an improvement of the Liberty ship, is a faster vessel, with a slightly greater length — 455 feet compared with 441.5 feet for the Liberty — finer hull lines and is equipped with turbine gear propulsion machinery of more than twice the horsepower of the reciprocating steam engine used in the Liberty. The Liberty has a speed of a little more than 11 knots, while the Victory is designed for 15 knots or more.

Another difference between the two types is the design of the finer bow and stern lines for the Victory to conform to its greater propulsion power.”

The Liberty and Victory ships were constructed in assembly-line fashion. A pamphlet published by Permanente Metals, which operated two shipyards in Richmond, Calif., adds: “The greatest single attribute of the record production in the Richmond yards is the extent to which prefabrication methods have been applied. Practically the entire vessel is assembled in large units prior to erection on the shipways. Shell plating units, deck sections, bulkheads, tanks, hatches, fore peaks, after peaks and superstructure units are all utilized.”

Five hundred thirty-four Victory ships were built, all with the same features but different names. A

Victory ship was named for each of the 34 Allied Nations, then 218 for American cities, then 150 for educational institutions; the rest received miscellaneous names.

One of the 150 ships named

“including a liberal selection of fiction, non-fiction, nautical, technical and self-study books.”

The S.S. Park Victory was launched April 21, 1945, at Permanente Metals’ shipyard

Front row from left: Ella Byram Peck, ’14; Ella Taylor McAfee, 1886; Nell Taylor, 1896; unknown woman; Alice Ethel Harbaugh, x08 (sister of Titanic survivor). Back row: Floyd Peck, the Rev. Dr. Harry Rogers (former Park Trustee); Dr. Hugh Taylor, 1885

for colleges or universities was the S.S. Park Victory. A letter in the Fishburn files dated April 5, 1945, and addressed to interim President Frederick W. Hawley begins: “Sometime ago we wrote you regarding the naming of a Victory ship for your college. … Since then we have had a number of inquiries as to suitable gifts which might be presented by a college to the vessel named in its honor. You will note that one of the gifts suggested is a ship’s library.”

In gratitude, Park gave $300 for the S.S. Park Victory library.

The donation provided 120 books,

number two. The ceremony, attended by several Park alumni, included a short description of Park University delivered by former Park Trustee Harry Clayton Rogers.

The ship’s military service is uncertain, as it was launched so close to the end of the war.

Germany surrendered May 8, 1945, and Japan would surrender Aug. 15, 1945. At an unknown time the vessel’s operation was taken over by the Luckenbach Steamship Co. The S.S. Park Victory sank after an accidental grounding in the Gulf of Finland on Dec. 24, 1947.

Spring 2009 << 19

Warrior Park

An educational opportunity for wounded warriors and their families

Center

A LEADER IN MILITARY EDUCATION ...

Park University began its relationship with the United States Military in 1918 and has been selected as one of Military Advanced Education's Top 20 Military Friendly Colleges and Universities. In naming the University’s College for Distance Learning to the list published December 2008, the magazine described Park’s academic programs as “innovative” and “steeped in excellence.” Park University currently serves more than 15,000 military students at 43 campus centers and Online. The University is well-established in the military higher education community as evidenced by its memberships in the National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services (NAIMES), the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) and the Council of College and Military Educators (CCME).

20 >> www.park.edu

Park University Continuing to Serve the Educational Needs of the United States Military PARK WARRIOR CENTER (PWC) is a unique educational opportunity for wounded warriors and their families developed in response to the needs identified by the United States Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment at Quantico, Va. The Park Warrior Center is a multifaceted pilot project designed to offer college courses in a structured delivery format that will both educate and transition wounded servicemembers to Online degree programs.

• • • • • •

Credit-bearing college courses Certification courses and degrees through a transitional program Academic advising Assistive technology resources An Online support system via a web portal and blog Financial aid

How PWC will be structured: The Park Warrior Center will be piloted at two U. S. military locations, yet to be identified, and one “virtual” location. Students will progress in three cohorts of 10, each in different delivery models: face-to-face, blended and Online. Each cohort will meet a minimum of three days a week for 10 weeks to foster a strong sense of community and allow for better assimilation of content. In addition to meeting academic department requirements, all faculty and advisers will be trained in working with ADA-need students.

One of PWC’s most significant strengths will be its Park Learning Buddy® Program. Approved spouses, dependents or friends will be encouraged to enroll in courses alongside wounded warrior students as a Park Learning Buddy.® The program’s budget calls for $300,000 in scholarships to assist these buddies.

Course Number

Course Title

Term

Credit Hours

New Course

Life and Study Skills

I

*

CA105

Introduction to Human Communication

I

3

FI 201M

Personal Financial Management

II

3

EN 105

First-Year Writing Seminar

III

3

LS215

Selected Topics in Humanities: Critical Thinking

IV

3 *Designed to be a non-credit-bearing course

Park’s long-standing relationship with the military allows for implementation of this program with a modest budget — $337,000 per year for three years (including Learning Buddy® Scholarships). For information on supporting these efforts, please contact Vice President for University Advancement Laurie McCormack at (816) 584-6210 or laurie.mccormack@park.edu.

Office of University Advancement | Park University 8700 N.W. River Park Drive | Parkville, MO 64152 | www.park.edu Spring 2009 << 21

ROTC Grew from KCArea Need

by Mary-Margaret Simpson It started in 1985 with a casual conversation between two Park administrators who were World War II veterans.

President Harold Condit and John Sutton, assistant director for marketing in the Military Resident Center and the School for Community Education, were discussing the number of armed forces students in Park’s military installations programs. Condit had served with the Navy, and Sutton, a West Point graduate, had been in the Army. While Park was increasing its military installations presence, nothing was offered for military students at the Parkville Campus. Why not establish an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program there?

Condit floated the idea by the president of Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. ROTC had generated considerable scholarship money at Westminster but had brought something more — student leaders. Condit reported this to Sutton, and the ball started rolling.

Regional institutions like the University of Kansas had strong programs but were too distant for students interested in only a one- or two-hour class. Sutton approached the professor of military science at Missouri Western State University in St.

22 >> www.park.edu

Joseph, and the two struck a deal.

Park became a satellite of Missouri Western’s Pony Express Battalion. Park students and students from other Kansas City colleges enrolled in ROTC classes taught at Parkville by a Missouri Western instructor. Park’s new ROTC program represented a cooperative venture like no other in the area.

“We would get phone calls from Park’s enlisted students who were leaving the service, people who had taken classes through Park at places like Fort Bliss,” Sutton said. “The University of Texas was one of the schools that, at the time, didn’t look favorably on credit extension courses. They were making students repeat courses at their own institution. When students heard that all their credits would transfer to Park, they came here.”

Forty Park graduates were commissioned into the Army, the

Army Reserve and the National Guard during Sutton’s tenure.

He recalls one of the program’s first students, an eight-year Army sergeant, whose father thought (continued on page 27)

VIEW from a Alumn nus

by Bill Perry, ’67, president of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston

Freshman year. “Chaos,”

Professor George M. Schurr wrote on the left side of the blackboard in our Mackay Hall classroom. “Order,” he wrote on the right side. In Greek. Both times. Thankfully, he translated, and we were on our way in that journey of liberal arts education at Park. So this is college. It looks hard. I had better get to work.

Sophomore year. “The Unvarnished Truth.” Carved in Professor C. Stanley Urban, Ph.D.’s portable lectern; carved in our brains by his teaching as the noble objective of learning and life. He is direct. “Perry, you’ve got to know the documents to understand history!” This guy means business. I need to spend more time in the library.

Junior year. “From a false premise you can prove anything,”

Professor K. Daley Walker said. He started with 1 + 1 = 3 and proved the moon is made of green cheese.

So this is mathematical logic.

Unfamiliar territory. Calculus isn’t helping much. Time to work harder.

Senior year. Professor Schurr bookends my Park experience with the course Historic Christianity and Contemporary Issues. This is the hardest course of my college years. And the best. Indelibly written on my mind: Life’s largest questions have no easy answers, presuppositions must always be examined, and values must be understood, affirmed and put into action. Along the way Professor Urban enticed me to add a history major. Try as I might I never could earn an A in his classes — large lesson learned: humility — and I loved the challenge every time.

Professor Walker enabled me to

aspire to become a math professor and then achieve that goal. I still use teaching techniques I learned from him. Coach Ed Nelson made me understand that team building only comes from the hardest of work — no shortcuts allowed. Teamwork has been key to success. Professor after professor showed a studentcentered approach in challenging me to excel.

Four great years. “The Best Four Years of Your Life” was the Park College motto at the time.

Were they the best? Close. But professionally the best years are happening right now — serving as a university president and employing a lifetime of learning built on the great foundation of a Park University education.

So much of what I need now I (continued on page 27) Spring 2009 << 23

Saber and Quill S ociety of the

by Carolyn McHenry Elwess, ’71, Park University archivist

One of the most interesting documents in the Fishburn Archives is the Society of the Saber and Quill constitution, dated Sept. 3, 1971. The society, which had been created for, but not limited to, Parkville Campus military students, had this statement of purpose: “To advise and assist all members in professional, educational and personal matters; to provide opportunities to meet socially; to facilitate participation in campus activities; to assist in maintaining harmonious relationships between the institution, students, local

24 >> www.park.edu

communities and members.”

In 1970-71 club members were very active on campus, even before they formally organized.

“Its members are involved in almost every phase of college life; student government, social activities, varsity sports, service projects and intramurals” (Stylus, March 11, 1971). Membership was open to civilian traditional students and Park faculty members. Its first president, Marine Capt. James R. “Dick” Davis,* ’71, was one of the most visible members, serving on the student senate and lettering in cross country.

So what were members of the armed forces doing on the campus at the height of the Vietnam War? In late 1961 Park had inaugurated a unique Degree Completion Program for members of the armed forces.

“The purpose of the program is to provide the opportunity for completion of interrupted undergraduate education and, at the same time, maintain academic standards of quality and breadth” (Alumniad, April 1962). Basically, officers and enlisted personnel who had earned 93 Parkapproved credit hours at other

schools could enroll in the six- or 18-month Bootstrap program.

Requirements changed over the years, but completing the program resulted in a Bachelor of Arts in any major within the curriculum. By 1971, 500 military students had graduated from Park with undergraduate degrees.

Retired Army Col. Robert L. Snyder administered the program from 1962 to 1970.

The first DCP students attended classes and mingled with the Parkville Campus’ traditional students. In addition, many who were enrolled in the Degree Completion Program rented living space in Parkville and were involved in community affairs.

They were a definite presence, and by the late 1960s some friction arose between returning Vietnam veterans and student anti-war groups. Saber and Quill involving its members in campus life was an effort by the adult military students to promote understanding. As Davis noted in a letter to the Alumni Office, “ … those were trying days, but they were also enlightening and exciting. There was a definite strain initially, but as we went to class together, played sports together and socialized together, we began to understand each other a little better” (Davis to Carolyn Elwess, ’71, on Dec. 5, 1991).

Among its accomplishments, Saber and Quill published a monthly newsletter, Hotline.

The few existing copies indicate a busy group, with a bowling league, a DCP wives club, a

housing referral office, a used book service and an annual dinner party. The Society even had its own lounge on the third floor of Mackay Hall. S&Q also created and funded a scholarship in Snyder’s memory (he died unexpectedly in 1970). The award was “presented by the Society of Saber and Quill to encourage deserving students to pursue college education and to recognize one who exhibits the traits and character as exemplified by the late Colonel Robert L. Snyder.” (1981 Honors Day program) As time passed and the Military Resident Campus System program developed, fewer and fewer DCP members took courses on the Parkville Campus. Finally, after Park established campuses on military sites to be more accessible to more students, the on-campus program was phased out. That signaled the end of Saber and Quill.

“The Society of Saber and Quill voted to become inactive during its general membership meeting held last Friday. According to Society president Joel Firth, class of 1980, ‘membership in S&Q has declined steadily and although membership is open to all students, response from the student body has been poor. Society members have recommended to the administration that the S&Q lounge on third floor Mackay be used as a staff lounge.

At the conclusion of this academic school year all Society funds will be channeled into the scholarship fund and the Director of Adult Education will assume the duties of awarding

scholarships’ ” (Stylus, Oct. 3, 1980). The Col. Robert L. Snyder Memorial Scholarship was last awarded on Honors Day, 1983.

The demise of the Saber and Quill did not go unnoted. In the same issue, Stylus editor-in-chief Deborah Ground, ’81, regretted the loss of the adult military students: “The shared experiences, the new perspectives and the interaction with the older students added a different dimension to the classroom, one which I, straight out of high school, found very exciting.

The inactivation of the Society of the Saber and Quill marks the end of a Park tradition.”

Indeed. * Dick Davis, who advanced to the rank of major general, U.S. Marine Corps, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994. He died Aug. 1, 2005.

The University archivist welcomes any reminiscences from alumni and former Saber and Quill members, copies of the Hotline or any other artifacts related to the Society. Archival files contain scant information about this important and historic organization, and any material received will be added to the permanent collection.

Contact carolyn.elwess@ park.edu if you wish to share.

Spring 2009 << 25

by Toni Cardarella, media coordinator, Office of Communication

Copley Quad Student Residence a Dynamic Addition to Parkville Campus Park’s new student residence hall on the Copley Quad abounds with students who enjoy the benefits of living where they attend school.

Located on the Parkville Campus’ west side, Copley Quad houses 250 students in four-person suites, and mark the first new student housing on the campus since 1969.

Each suite has two bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a shared living area with an efficiency kitchen. Common space features a conference/classroom, staff offices, a 24-hour reception desk, laundry facilities, a recreational area, a full-service kitchen, computer labs and study rooms.

Ribbon-cutting A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Aug. 14, 10 months after construction began Oct. 11, 2007.

Ellerbe Becket Architects and Ellerbe Becket Construction Services completed the project in less than a year, despite bad weather. “They met all challenges with proficiency and speed,” said President Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D. Ellerbe Becket principal John

26 >> www.park.edu

Poston said the partnership with Park not only produced a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designcertified residence hall, but also friendships.

President Byers-Pevitts noted the work of Paul Gault, ’65, M.P.A. ’88, special assistant for administration and Park’s owner representative, who was on the construction site every day, evenings and weekends. “He was the eyes, ears and voice of Park,” she said.

The green factor Copley Quad comprises recycledcontent carpets and carpet pads, landscaping that requires no irrigation system, and exterior lighting that does not create light pollution.

The design highlights Park’s commitment to sustainability, an objective formalized in 2007 when President Byers-Pevitts signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

More than 500 college and university presidents have signed the commitment to sharply reduce and eventually eliminate

their universities’ global warming emissions.

Even before Park signed the commitment, the University and Ellerbe Becket planned the residence hall to meet LEED specifications. President ByersPevitts’ involvement in ACUPCC strengthened that objective.

The dorm utilizes natural light and is projected to provide 25 percent more illumination than LEED standards require.

Plumbing incorporates low-flow fixtures, with a projected water reduction of 40 percent over a similar building with standard features. Recycling stations are centrally located on all floors.

Sustainable/renewable wood and local sources for items such as stone were used, and storm-water design neutralizes runoff, adding to the site’s vegetative spaces.

Low-impact solvents were utilized throughout, including all paints, stains and adhesives.

The site offers bicycle storage, and parking capacity encourages car pooling.

Rich history The building’s location and design

offer abundant views of the campus while reflecting Copley Thaw Hall’s history.

Since its founding in 1875, Park and its students, faculty and staff have made civic contributions, even during war times. In the first half of the 20th century, the University established a military unit for the Spanish-American War, had a company in World War I, and in World War II hosted the V-12

naval training unit, which was housed in Copley Thaw Hall.

How fitting, Byers-Pevitts has

noted, that Copley Quad is near the site where Park responded to the U.S. military’s needs.

“At a time when Park University welcomes more and more students who are serving or have served in the military, as well as their families, this new residence hall with its link to military and historic architecture further exemplifies a perfect blend of old and new,” she said.

(ROTC continued from page 22)

(Reminiscence and Gratitude continued from page 23)

he should put in his 20 years and retire as a sergeant. Encouraged by Sutton, the student, a married man with two children, left the Army, completed his four-year degree and the Park ROTC program, accepted his ROTC commission and reenlisted. The Army paid for his graduate education, and today that Park alumnus is a colonel on the faculty of the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. After declining during the Middle East conflicts, Park’s ROTC program continues today under the direction of Tim Westcott, Ph.D., history associate professor and Department of Social Sciences chair. Six cadets are enrolled, and in December, for the first time since 2001, a student, Lt. Blake Marshall, received his commission at a Park commencement.

Sutton fondly remembers those commissioning ceremonies from his time. “The faculty and staff said they looked forward to that part of the ceremony more than anything else.

The cadets always got a standing ovation.”

As did Lt. Marshall this year.

learned at Park some 40 years ago: hard work; importance of community; the values of excellence, personal relationships and service; logic; teamwork; opportunity; balance in life. There is no formula for how to blend these into service as president. Hence the most important contribution of my Park education: giving me the skills to synthesize all elements associated with a matter at hand to provide rational, values-based leadership and decision making.

The purpose of a university is to educate students, pure and simple. Linda, ’67, and I met at Park, where we were beneficiaries of that philosophy. Park changed us, positively and forever. We have tried to give back by spending our lives as student-centered individuals in university settings. Now we’ve added the twist of a university presidency, which I can’t do alone. We work on it together, with what we learned at Park and later as faculty at Texas A&M University. Perhaps the most important lesson from Park was about community and how it stays together — upholding values and being true

to them. The objectives and values of our community are tied to teaching.

So in addition to everything else, Linda teaches accounting, and I am teaching some mathematics this spring. Yes, it takes long hours, and Linda and I must carve out the time for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.

But the rewards are great: We (and all of the Eastern Illinois University community) are changing students’ lives. Each time Linda or I do, we pay tribute to those Park faculty and staff who gave us so much.

Freshman year again. Leaving Mackay Hall after checking my mailbox on a fall afternoon, I almost bump into a man wearing a suit and tie. He stops, we talk awhile, and he makes me, a 17-year-old self-conscious freshman, feel part of something important. Later I realize he is the president, Dr. Paul Morrill. As a college student, I don’t know what the president does, but I do know this: If I could some day make students feel this same way, I would like to do that.

Now I am. The circle is complete.

Spring 2009 << 27

PUBLICATIONS Erik Bergrud, M.P.A. ’94, International Center for Civic Engagement director and special assistant to the president for University projects on civic engagement, co-edited the published work Civic Engagement in a Network Society. The book includes information on networks, public management and civic engagement; case-based perspectives; and the relationship between civic engagement and the Internet.

Laurie DiPadovaStocks, Ph.D., Hauptmann School for Public Affairs dean and public administration professor, contributed “Fostering Social and Civic Responsibility by Organizations and Their People” to 21st Century Management, A Reference Handbook. The chapter is the first published reference to the HSPA’s Unscripted Future initiative.

Park faculty members Amber Dailey-Hebert, Ph.D., education associate professor and Center

for Excellence in Teaching and Learning director; Emily Donnelli-Sallee, Ph.D., English assistant professor and CETL assistant director; and DiPadova-Stocks coedited Service-eLearning: Educating for Citizenship, a published collection that focuses on combining service learning and Online learning as a teaching method.

President Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D., wrote the afterword.

AWARDS, APPOINTMENTS, RECOGNITIONS Roxanne Gonzales, Ed.D., College for Distance Learning associate dean, was elected to the Board of Trustees of Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College in Lexington, Mo. Park’s Wentworth Campus Center provides degree completion programs to its students and the community.

Tim Westcott, Ph.D., history associate professor and Department of Social Sciences chair, was elected to a two-year term as a council member for Phi Alpha Theta, national history honor society. Westcott is a mentor for six chapters in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

GRANTS, AWARDS Carol Getty, Ph.D., political science and public administration associate professor, received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach the

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fall 2008 semester at the National University of Internal Affairs in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She developed curriculum and programs and consulted. She is Park’s fourth faculty member since 2001 to become a Fulbright Scholar.

Betty Bennett, education professor and director of field services, received the Exceptional State SNEA Advisor award at the Missouri National Education Association Student NEA-FEA (Future Education Advisors) Conference in February 2008 at Lake Ozark, Mo. Josephine Agnew-Tally, Ed.D., School for Education dean, said Bennett has provided an “exemplary model of excellence and professionalism to our School for Education SNEA members and all of our teacher candidates.”

Jon Young, theatre assistant professor and program coordinator, received a National Teaching Artist Grant from the John F. Kennedy

Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Young’s grant enabled him to spend two weeks in July and August at the Kennedy Center in a master class with the renowned Ming Cho Lee, one of the foremost set designers in America.

Steve Youngblood, communication arts associate professor, received a Peace Award in Journalism during the Crescent Peace Society’s 12th annual Eid Celebration and Awards Dinner on Oct. 12 in Overland Park, Kan. Youngblood has organized peace journalism seminars in the United States, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Georgia, and he is a two-time J. William Fulbright Scholar, going to Moldova in 2001 and Azerbaijan in 2007. The Crescent Peace Society is a Kansas City-area nonprofit organization that raises awareness of Muslim cultures.

<< in academia

PRESENTATIONS David Fox, geography assistant professor; Scott Hageman, geology associate professor; and Brian Hoffman, ’86, Ph.D., biology and mathematics professor, presented at the Missouri Academy of Science’s annual meeting in April in Joplin. Fox (coauthored with Hageman and Hoffman) presented Deep Map Project of Northwest Missouri: An Interdisciplinary FacultyStudent GIS Collaborative. Hageman (co-authored with geography student Adam Jones) presented Using GIS to Calculate the Environmental Impact of Park University Commuters. Hoffman (co-authored with Fox) presented Diffusion of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 in Northwest Missouri.

Roxanne M. Gonzales, Ed.D., College for Distance Learning associate dean, cofacilitated a workshop at the 70th annual Association for Continuing Higher Education International Conference in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 8-11. Access: Serving Those Who Serve explored the challenges institutions face in providing post-secondary education access to local and global military populations. The workshop also provided the requirements and commitment needed to become a “military friendly” institution.

Scott Hageman, geology associate professor, presented Quality

Undergraduate Research, MacGyver Style, at the third annual Midwestern Conference on Research and Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions in Olathe, Kan. He emphasized how to carry out undergraduate research with little money; get faculty to recognize your research potential; and design courses with research as the final product. Hageman was notified that the host school, MidAmerica Nazarene University, has decided to call its faculty endowed awards the “MacGyver Awards.”

Roger Hershey, vice president and general counsel, and Eric Blair, student life assistant dean, presented at the Upper Midwest Region’s Association of College and University Housing Officers Conference on Oct. 30 in Kansas City, Mo. John Poston, principal of Ellerbe Becket, Inc., and David Hullinger, Ellerbe Becket Construction Services regional manager, joined Hershey and Blair in presenting Staying in Tune: A Unique Approach to Collaborative Development at Park University. The presentation focused on the time and money savings that resulted from utilizing a design-build contract on the Parkville Campus Copley Quad residence hall.

Debra McArthur, academic support services director, presented Intersections: Where English Department Grading Standards

OTHER Heath Hall, Hauptmann School for Public Affairs adjunct instructor, was a weekly contributor to P.O.T.U.S. ’08 (President of the United States), XM Radio’s politics channel (XM Channel 130). Hall appeared weekly during the recent U.S. election cycle to discuss key congressional races.

and Writing Center Philosophy Meet for writing center directors at the International Writing Centers Association Conference in Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Her presentation highlighted Park’s Writing Competency Test scoring rubric as a model for responding to student writing.

Park was a subject of two University Showcase Symposia at the Midwest Academy of Management annual conference Oct. 2-4 in St. Louis, Mo. The two high-profile priority sessions were an outgrowth of Leadership, Service-Learning and the Unscripted Future, a Park University/University of Missouri-Kansas City faculty summit held February 2008 in Kansas City, Mo. Park faculty presenters were Kenneth Christopher, D.P.A., criminal justice administration assistant professor; Brian Cowley, Ph.D., psychology associate professor and Department of Psychology and Sociology chair; Sherry Fontaine, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Master of Healthcare Leadership program; and Wen Hsin, Ph.D., information and computer science associate professor. Sessions were co-chaired and moderated

by Laurie DiPadova-Stocks, Ph.D., Hauptmann School for Public Affairs dean and public administration professor.

Don Williams, Ed.D., biology associate professor, represented Park at the European Teacher Education Network’s Coordinator/ Thematic Interest Groups Leader Meeting, Sept. 18-21 in Atlanta, Ga. Park presented for membership along with schools from Portugal and Turkey. Members talked to Williams about sending students to Park for two to six weeks to interact with faculty during their student teaching or practicum.

Spring 2009 << 29

Nothing Squirrelly Going On

Advancement Staff Gives Back to Help Student Research

by Brad Biles, communication coordinator

I

t was similar to an episode of “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle,” where Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose craftily avoid capture by Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale.

Park biology students suffered a fate similar to Boris and Natasha’s when they tried to corral southern flying squirrels on the Parkville Campus last fall.

30 >> www.park.edu

With financial help from Office of University Advancement staff, however, the research project is experiencing success — albeit with a different animal.

Studying the quick-moving squirrels was what students of James Taulman, Ph.D., biology assistant professor, set out to accomplish in the woods adjacent to the Parkville Campus. After two months Taulman and his students discovered that carefully placed nesting boxes were being used only as feeding stations, not for nesting.

“I’m trying to come up with student projects that will contribute to the Park community by increasing our knowledge of wildlife species living around us so that we may appreciate them fully and promote their conservation,” Taulman said. “I would like to initiate survey protocols for several wildlife species in Park’s forest as part of a long-term ecological assessment and monitoring effort.”

While the flying squirrel project did not produce the desired results, Taulman found raccoon tracks along creeks adjacent to the campus.

It was these tracks that led Park advancement employees to give

Senior biology student Tyler Stanley with a captured raccoon

back to the University. Instead of choosing a community project, advancement staff implemented a faculty and staff give-back program to help build awareness of student research projects that need funding.

They donated their own funds to the biology department to cover the costs of radio transmitter collars as well as the veterinarian and anesthesia required to place the collars on captured raccoons.

James Sparks, D.V.M., a veterinarian and owner of Eagle Animal Hospital in Riverside, Mo., and his staff anesthetized, weighed, tagged and fitted each raccoon with a transmitter before releasing them back into the forest.

Park senior biology students Tyler Stanley and Alicia Wedel have been trained in radio telemetry methods. As part of a field research project, they are tracking two raccoons and studying their home ranges and nesting behaviors.

Much easier than trying to capture Rocky and his pals.

E-mail james.taulman@park. edu for more information on the biology department’s efforts.

E-mail advancement@park.edu or call (816) 584-6200 to learn about the University’s faculty and staff give-back program.

Sir George Speaks Out Larger-than-life and well-recognized at Park, Sir George, the beloved Pirate mascot, was recently interviewed by Sports Information Director Steve Wilson.

W: Sir George, you’re at a lot of Park sporting events. Do you have a favorite sport?

SG: I like anything where I can dance and entertain. I also liked watching our basketball, soccer and volleyball teams for the past couple of years in national tournaments.

SM

spring 2009

Vol. 98 No. 2

W: What responsibility comes with being the Park Pirate?

SG: It’s harder than you might think. I have to be at all the games, no matter what. Sometimes I am with my pirate friends out on the ocean deep and have to come back to Missouri for the games.

W: There are many kinds of pirates — Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Hook, the Pirates of Penzance.

What kind of pirate are you?

SG: I am a Park Pirate — unique, fun loving and a little crazy at times. But part of being a Park Pirate is going to class and learning things that aren’t sea-related.

W: You’re called Sir George. Are you from nobility?

SG: My name comes from George S. Park, who founded Park in 1875. I never decided to become a pirate; pirates are born. It is not our choice. It’s our duty and my honor.

W: Being landlocked, do you miss the high seas?

SG: Well, don’t tell anyone, but every weekend when Coach Claude English, the athletic director, isn’t looking, I set out at night and navigate the “Mighty Mo” River. While it’s not the ocean, I still get my sea fix. But that’s just between you and me, right?

W: Since you have given up your maritime warring days, what do you now find worthy of conquering?

SG: Park’s school spirit. I want to make everyone excited to be here, cheer on and support all of our teams. It’s working pretty well. I mean, have you seen the crowds lately at basketball games? My next goal is to learn to play the drums like those guys at soccer games. Go Pirates!

W: While pirate is not a branch of the armed services, you have a really nice uniform. Do you feel at home representing Park’s military students?

SG: I represent all Park students, but I really do feel comfortable representing our military students.

It’s what they do in uniform and on duty that makes what we have here so special. Everyone should thank them every chance they get.

Spring 2009 << 31

Vice President for University Advancement Laurie McCormack laurie.mccormack@park.edu Vice President for Communication Rita Weighill, ’90 rita.weighill@park.edu Communication Coordinator Brad Biles brad.biles@park.edu Staff Liaison Director of Alumni Relations Julie McCollum (816) 584-6206, (800) 488-PARK(7275) (816) 505-5409 fax julie.mccollum@park.edu alumnioffice@park.edu Alumni Relations Assistant Alisha Coggins, ’03 (816) 584-6207 alisha.coggins@park.edu Editor Kathy Walker Walker Texas Writer Assistant Editor John Dycus Art Direction and Cover Design Jennifer Henderson jodesign Let us hear from you. Send your comments to Rita Weighill at rita.weighill@park.edu or contact the Office of Communication at (816) 584-6212.

2008-09 Alumni Council Neal McGregor, ’89, M.A.R. ’92 President neal.mcgregor@park.edu Susan Kensett McGaughey, ’74 Vice President mcgoo302@comcast.net Scott Briscoe, ’04 Secretary scott.briscoe@pirate.park.edu Jay Flaherty, ’71 Treasurer flahertyjay@sbcglobal.net Karen Peters Frankenfeld, ’59 Past President frnknfld@aol.com David Barclay, ’53 alumnioffice@park.edu Matt Dodson, ’98, M.P.A. ’01 finrisk@kc.rr.com Dirk Lawson, ’94 dlawson@pswslaw.com Jeff McKinney, ’81 upwarddestiny@sbcglobal.net Michael Newburger, ’70 newie@kc.rr.com

Director’s Corner

President of Park University Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Ph.D.

Welcome Home Park Alumni

Greetings,

Alisha Coggins, ’03 alisha.coggins@park.edu

32 >> www.park.edu

www.parkalumni.org

Great news! Alumni Weekend 2009 is for everyone. Whether you attended classes on the Parkville Campus or want to see where it all began, we invite you to make Parkville your summer destination and enjoy the activities we have planned!

This is the year to learn what’s going on at Park’s original campus.

• Take a comprehensive tour.

• See the new and renovated buildings.

• Visit Breckon Sports Center, Mackay Hall, Findlay-Wakefield Science Hall, Thompson Commons, Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel and the new residence hall, Copley Quad.

• Explore the Academic Underground where classrooms, the McAfee Memorial Library and offices occupy former below-ground mining operations.

• Attend a basketball game between Park alumni players.

• Book a room for the weekend in a residence hall — a limited number of suites are available in Copley Quad — or stay in traditional Chesnut Hall.

Admissions representatives will be on hand to answer questions on undergraduate and graduate programs, in the classroom and Online. Come learn about Park and help spread the word.

But you think you won’t know anyone? What’s unique about Park is that it’s all one big family. Once you have spent any time on campus, you’re part of the group.

Make it a family vacation. Family highlights include fun for everyone: Thursday night movie on the chapel lawn and Friday night barbecue with music, karaoke and a children’s play area.

Let the Office of Alumni Relations help you plan Kansas City-area activities that will turn your Alumni Weekend into a delightful week.

Find details and a schedule at www.parkalumni.org.

Hope to see you there!

January Rogers Miller, ’05, MBA ’08 january.rogers@park.edu Julie McCollum julie.mccollum@park.edu

Stay connected at

Julie McCollum Director of Alumni Relations

Get it, Got it, Show it

Let the World See Your Park Pride When you share the great things happening at Park, you help students and alumni while ensuring the value of your degree Recruit Quality Students • Tell your family, co-workers and neighbors about Park’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

• Bring students and parents to campus or refer them to admission offices.

• Tell them classes are available at 43 locations and Online.

• Attend Alumni Weekend 2009 and learn from admissions counselors what is happening in Park academia, or go to www.park.edu and click “Admissions” for information. The “Alumni in Admissions” initiative will be unveiled during Alumni Weekend.

Promote Park • Show the community your pride in your Park degree.

• Display your alumni car window decal.

• Wear Park apparel.

• Hang your diploma on your wall.

• Tell your friends about your Park experience.

• Wear a class ring.

Find items displaying Park’s name and logos in the Parkville Campus bookstore or at www.park.edu/bookstore and at www.parkalumni.org. Or order from the Pirate Virtual Store at http://bookstore. mbsdirect.net/park.htm.

Get involved with the Alumni Association • Join the Park Online alumni community at www.parkalumni.org.

• Become involved with University and alumni activities.

• Attend alumni and area events.

• Visit the Parkville Campus, especially during Alumni Weekend when all facilities are open for tours.

• Get involved with educational, cultural, networking and social opportunities.

• Volunteer with the Alumni Council or in the classroom.

• Mentor a student.

Check out volunteer information on the alumni events calendar at www.parkalumni.org/volunteer.

Hire Park • Employ Park students and graduates first.

• Share your expertise and connections with the growing network.

• Tap into career services that are available to all alumni job seekers or prospective employers. Contact the Career Development Center at www.park.edu/career or (816) 584-6350 to participate in career fairs, post job openings in the job database, mentor students or find interns.

Wear your “Park stuff” in an interesting or fun spot. Send your photo to the alumni office and it will appear on the PRIDE web page.

Brianne McCollum Steffel, ‘05, shows her Park pride on vacation in Colorado with her husband Travis.

Support the Park Fund • The Park Fund touches every Park student and faculty member, providing resources for scholarships, academic and athletic programs, classroom technology, student activities and campus upkeep. Every alumni gift counts twofold. In addition to monetary support, your gift tells our community and corporate supporters that our graduates believe in our mission. Donate annually.

• Donate Online at www.park.edu/give.

Discover more ways to show your Park pride at www.parkalumni.org/pride or call (800) 488-PARK (7275).

Buy a T-shirt; support a scholarship Show your Park Pride by wearing a Park T-shirt. Order Online at www.parkalumni. org or pick one up at Park Alumni House on the Parkville Campus.

Shirts are $12 each, and proceeds support the Park University Alumni Association’s Marlowe Sherwood Memorial Scholarship, “the scholarship for the alumni by the alumni.”

Spring 2009 << 33

For information about alumni travel, events, opportunities and news,

STAY CONNECTED Don’t miss out on University events that are advertised

only through e-mail. Stay connected by updating your contact information at www.parkalumni.org. Find your ID/login number next to your name on this magazine’s address label.

Enjoy merchandise, window decals, business ad space, links to order transcripts and duplicate/replacement diplomas, news, events and Online back issues of the Alumniad and Park Magazine.

Recent Alumni Activities m Alumni Screen Award-winning Fil dle, Documentarians Kelly, ’86, and Tammy Run Lost ’88, screened their latest film production, . 21 at Nation: The Ioway, to a capacity crowd Oct the Parkville Campus. The film tells the story of the Ioway Indian Nation, the native tribe that settled in northern Missouri and Iowa. The Rundles Kelly and founded Fourth Wall Films, based in Tammy Rundle Moline, Ill. More about the film is at www.fourthwallfilms.com. d Nov. Night at the Midland Alumni socialize Ailey n 14 at a reception before attending the Alvi Theatre Dance Troupe presentation at the Midland in Kansas City, Mo. Tribute to Coach Ed Nelson Former athletes and friends gathered Nov. 15 at the Breckon Sports Center to pay tribute to the late Ed Nelson, former Park men’s basketball coach and athletic director, and watch the men’s game against Southern Nazarene.

Alumni, family and friends of Coach Ed Nelson

November Park After Hours networked More than 30 alumni and friends toured, in and sampled the beer at Boulevard Brewery Kansas City during Park After Hours on Nov. 20.

34 >> www.park.edu

Peacock Society Remembers Dr. Hauptmann Hauptmann School for Public Affairs alumni gathered at John’s, the restaurant next door to the former downtown campus, on Dr. Hauptmann’s birthday, Nov. 24, to share stories and salute his memory.

Basketball Tailgater St. Louis and Scott Air Force Basearea alumni watched the Park men’s basketball team play McKendree University on Dec. 6 in Lebanon, Ill. After the game Park fans joined the team for burgers and shakes at a local restaurant.

Great Wolf Lodge Alumni, family and friends spent Feb. 6-8 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan. More than 150 adults and children enjoyed the water park and the bedtime cookies and milk. Plans are under way for next year’s gathering and similar activities nationwide. Stay on the e-mail list to learn about a weekend event in your area.

Dawn Gunderson Jackson, ‘83, and grandson Quentin at the Great Wolf Lodge

call (816) 584-6206 or (800) 488-PARK (7275) or e-mail alumnioffice@park.edu.

Peacock Society event

Brenda, ’07, and Robert, ’04, Dandridge, Scott Air Force Base Campus Center alumni, at the Park vs McKendree basketball game after-party

Alumni at the Park vs McKendree basketball game after-party

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Many volunteer opportunities are available to Park alumni. You can join the Alumni Council, speak to a class, mentor students, host a Park After Hours, recruit students, become a campus agent or attend a career fair. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@park.edu or (800) 4887275 or visit www.parkalumni.org/volunteer.

Upcoming Events Golf Tournament, May 18 Ohio Golf Scramble, DSCC, June 19 Alumni Weekend, June 25-28 Park Family Picnic, June 26 Alumni Golf Scramble, June 26 Alumni Association Awards Banquet, June 27 Club Park, “a college style party for alumni,” June 27 Dinosaur Dig, July 7-11 Mediterranean and Greek Isle Cruise, Oct. 21-Nov. 3 Park University Affinity Credit Card Discontinued Effective May 31, 2008, Park University terminated its agreement with MBNA America Bank, N.A./ FICA Card Services to provide to certain Park University students and alumni a credit card called the “Park University Affinity Card.” Cards can be reissued without Park’s name or logo to customers who request them. Park, however, has no further affiliation with this product.

Spring 2009 << 35

Who Needs It’s an exciting time to be a Pirate,

rts with three nationally ranked spring spo kville and a national tournament on the Par lified Campus. The Pirates have already qua for six NAIA national tournaments, and e all Park’s remaining five spring sports wer re postseason participants last season. The are also many new ways for alumni to stats follow their favorite teams. From live follow to live video, it’s never been easier to the Park University Pirates!

36 >> www.park.edu

arkathletics.co

Football?

Spring 2009 << 37

Have you received a job promotion or award, married or had a baby? Add your news at www.park.edu/alumni, “My Profile,” or mail it to Office of Alumni Relations, Park University, 8700 N.W. River Park Drive, Parkville, MO 64152. Then watch for it in Alumniad.

Class Notes

Contact Alumni Relations: Julie McCollum, (816) 584-6206, (800) 488-PARK (7275), julie.mccollum@park.edu or alumnioffice@park.edu Alisha Coggins, ’03, (816) 584-6207 or alisha.coggins@park.edu

’50s

’70s

The Rev. David Barclay, ’53, retired Sept. 21 after 25 years as pastor for Fort Leavenworth’s (Kan.) Memorial Chapel.

Nicholas Abanavas, ’71, M.E. ’08, works for Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology in Bronx, N.Y.

’60s Bruce Clark, ‘63, hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. The retired adjunct chemistry professor’s backpacking adventure covered several summers and ended in 2008.

Diana Somerville, ’64, received the travel and memoir National Indie Excellence Award for her first book, Inside Out Down Under: Stories from a Spiritual Sabbatical. She has won magazine writing and editing awards and writes a biweekly newspaper column.

38 >> www.park.edu

Jay Flaherty, ’71, is an appraiser for the Johnson County (Kan.) Appraiser’s Office.

The Rev. Stephen Ehrhart, ’74, is principal of Trinity Christian School in Rock Hill, S.C.

’80s Raymond Cummiskey, ’80, is president of Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo. Steve Davis, ’80, is chief operating officer for Meritage Homes in Scottsdale, Ariz. He has 25 years experience in the homebuilding industry.

Jim Crum, ’83, retired Oct. 31 as Park’s director of business and institutional services, a position he held for 11 of his 29 years with the University.

He was responsible for the mailroom, copy center, scanning, purchasing, accounts payable and risk management. He also was on the University’s Environmental Health and Safety Committee.

Gloria Evans, ’83, is an ordained deacon of the First Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Ark. Kelly, ’86, and Tammy Rundle, ’88, screened their second documentary, Lost Nation: The Ioway, to a capacity crowd Oct. 21 in Alumni Hall’s Jenkin and Barbara David Theater on the Parkville Campus.

Stephen Cox, ’88, has released The Incredible Mr. Don Knotts, a “unique career portfolio of one of film and television’s most popular personalities.”

’90s David Yates, ’93, a Park chemistry and physics instructor, is certified as a chemical hygiene officer by the National Registry of Certified Chemists Board of Directors.

Mike Brennan, ’96, teaches physical education and English as a second language at the Vienna International School, a private school that caters to the Austrian capital’s expatriate community. He has lived in Vienna for four years.

Class Notes Tiffani Evans Edwards, ’99, is county auditor for Decatur County, Iowa.

She and her husband, Tim, live in Decatur with their three boys.

Nikki Johnson, ’99, has authored To Ride the Wild Condor, a picture book about a little girl’s travels with a condor as they discover the beauty of American landmarks and culture. Johnson served in the Army Reserve on active duty in Kuwait and now teaches high school in El Paso, Texas.

’00s Brian Serres, ’00, D.D.S., is a dentist with Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers in Cashton, Wis. Herbert Kinion, ’01, opened Arlington Dental Solutions, P.C., in Virginia. On May 17 he married Dr. Tamara C. Garrett of Philadelphia, Pa. David Grace, ’03, is Oregon State University’s men’s basketball assistant coach. He served in Operation Desert Storm. After retiring from a 20-year Air Force career, he coached various levels of AAU, high school and college basketball.

Stacey J. Graham, ’03, was recently appointed law student liaison to the American Bar Association’s Section of State and Local Government Law. Ruben Gonzalez, ’05, holds the Vance Air Force Base’s top enlisted position of command chief master sergeant of the 71st Flying Training Wing.

Stacey L. McClure Hemingway, ’05, and Nick C. Perry were married Aug. 9 at Capitol Hill Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Iowa.

January Rogers Miller, ’05, M.B.A. ’08, and Matt Miller were married at Antioch Community Church in Gladstone, Mo., on Nov. 28.

Rogers is interim chief financial officer for ICOP Digital in Lenexa, Kan. Master Sgt. Wesley Schuler, ’05, was one of six airmen selected to continue their education through the Enlisted to Air Force Institute of Technology Graduate Degree Program. He is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Energetic Materials Branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Valparaiso, Fla.

Mo., spoke to Park University Honors Program participants in September 2008 about “Life After the College Degree.”

Ed McAllister, ’07, is a licensed funeral attendant at Hobbs Funeral Home in South Portland, Maine.

Nima Shaffe, ’07, reports the weekend weather and the midday news three days a week at KKTV, the CBS affiliate in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Teresa Latta, ’07, married Matt Graves, a Park senior, on Aug. 16. They live in Lee’s Summit, Mo., with their three “children,” Weimaraners Tex and Sydney and toy poodle Martini.

Larry “Bo” Prather, ’08, is a pitcher for the Southern Illinois Miners, an independent professional baseball team in Marion, Ill. Jill Prather, ’08, develops group and corporate sales programs for the Kansas City Wizards. As a full-time front office staffer in the soccer club’s Experience Development division, she presents programs to area corporations and businesses. She played softball at Park and was an athletic department assistant.

Short greet tip?

Margaret Doughty, ’06, special event planner at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Spring 2009 << 39

Park Mourns ’20s Esther Olsen, ’28 Sarasota, Fla., June 26, 2008

’30s Retired Col. Samuel Edgar Daniel, ’31 Knoxville, Tenn., April 10, 2008 Berneice Brenner Davis, ’34 Plattsburg, Mo., Jan. 20 Genevieve Hall Ace, ’34 Emporia, Kan., Dec. 8, 2008 Georgia P. Phillips Walker, ’37 Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 10, 2008 Mary Wright Heusinkveld, ’38 Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 16, 2008 Brown F. Jenkins, ’38 Raymore, Mo., Oct. 13, 2008 Lorene Metheny Knight, ’39 Walnut Creek, Calif., Feb. 1

’40s Gladys Reid Traves, ’40 Loveland, Colo., Oct. 19, 2008 Lois R. Brunner, ’41 Overland Park, Kan., Feb. 10 Lawrence E. Filson, ’43 North Potomac, Md., Sept. 21, 2008 Mary Margaret Mowry Hall, ’43 Chevy Chase, Md., July 18, 2008 John T. McFarlin, ’43 Tulsa, Okla., June 23, 2008

40 >> www.park.edu

Robert McLaren, ’45 Fullerton, Calif., Oct. 9, 2008 Gaylord Shearer Knox, ’46 Silver Spring, Md., Jan. 19

’50s

’00s Erik D. Hite, ’06 Tucson, Ariz., June 2, 2008

Staff

Eva Tyree Houghland, ’50 Denver, Colo., Oct. 15, 2008 Pryor T. Smith Jr., ’50 Stoughton, Wis., Aug. 23, 2008 Judythe Lickanec Clark, ’55 Kinston, Tenn., Sept. 10, 2008

’60s Kermit Conrad Raydon Jr., ’61 Louisville, Ky., Jan. 3

’70s Lt. Col. Stuart Kendall Purks, ’71 Bealeton, Va., April 2, 2008

’80s Robert Grant Jr., ’81 Spring, Texas, Dec. 18, 2008 Ross J. Utt, ’81 Bakersfield, Calif., Sept. 24, 2008 Thomas J. Harriel Jr., ’85 Fairborn, Ohio, June 14, 2008

Toni Griggs Parkville, Mo., Jan. 7 Mrs. Griggs was “mom” to many students at Park University, where she served for more than 30 years as administrative assistant to five presidents and four deans. Many Park students were welcomed into her home. The Toni Griggs Award is presented annually to a student who has made an outstanding contribution to Park University.

Mrs. Griggs is survived by her five children and their families, including Jamey Griggs, ’80, and Nancy Griggs Anderson, ’82.

To view other obituaries, go to

’90s Wesley R. Tilden, ’90 Claremont, Calif., Dec. 2, 2008 Barbara Chastain, ’93 Kearney, Mo., Jan. 16 Irma Quintana, ’96 El Paso, Texas, April 4, 2008

www.parkalumni.org and Park Mourns under Class Notes. To publish an obituary Online, send it to the Office of Alumni Relations.

Photos will be accepted.

FREE AIRFARE PLUS Special Price Reduction $2,000 OFF PER STATEROOM IF BOOKED BY MAY 14, 2009

Park University Alumni Association presents this exciting trip

BEST OF THE MEDITERRANEAN & GREEK ISLES Luxury Cruise Delos, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Crete, Corfu, Sarande, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Ancona, Pula/Rovinj, Venice

Oct. 21-Nov. 3, 2009

From

2,599

$

Per person, double occupancy, PLUS taxes, fees and airport/ship transfers.

Price is tentative and subject to change.

CRUISE PROGRAM INCLUDES: • FREE ROUND-TRIP AIRFARE FROM SELECT OCEANIA CRUISES’ CITIES IF BOOKED BY MAY 14, 2009 • 12 nights accommodations and cruising on board Insignia to historic and scenic ports of call • Private Welcome Reception • Complimentary bottle of wine • All meals, entertainment and use of the ship’s facilities on board the cruise • Attentive service from an experienced Go Next program manager • Comprehensive pre-departure information

A voyage on Oceania Cruises’ Insignia is an exceptional experience that takes cruising to new heights.

Look forward to unparalleled service and an in-depth travel adventure.

Whether on board or ashore, every detail is attended to, your only task is to enjoy every sublime moment.

This journey will take you through many exotic ports of call, including some rarely seen “boutique” ports, fascinating destinations larger ships cannot access. Look forward to seeing Santorini, Corfu, Delos and Mykonos in Greece, Kotor in Montenegro, Dubrovnik in Croatia, Ancona in Italy and many other captivating stops along the way.

Available to alumni and friends of Park University.

For more information contact:

The Office of Alumni Relations at

PARK UNIVERSITY (800) 488-PARK (7275) Spring 2009 << 41

Nonprofit Org US POStage PAID Dallas TX Permit # 178

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

Please recycle this magazine.

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Dino Hunt ad v7:Layout 1

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Keep your contact information up-to-date at www.parkalumni.org.

Office of Alumni Relations â&#x20AC;˘ Park University â&#x20AC;˘ 8700 N.W. River Park Drive â&#x20AC;˘ Parkville, MO 64152

MONTANA DINOSAUR DIG OF 2009

PARK

$999

includes:

UNIVERSITYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

MONTANA DINOSAUR DIG JULY 7-11, 2009 HELL CREEK FORMATION

EASTERN MONTANA

Park University is excited to announce the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Montana Dinosaur Digâ&#x20AC;? of 2009.

The dig will be led by Scott Hageman, associate professor of geology, and Brian Hoffman, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;86, Ph.D., professor of biology and mathematics.

Welcome dinner â&#x20AC;˘ Lecture â&#x20AC;˘ Lunch â&#x20AC;˘ Snacks and water in the field Daily transportation to and from the field â&#x20AC;˘ Instruction and access to some of the best dinosaur hunting grounds in the world â&#x20AC;˘ Farewell dinner Also included in the cost of the Montana Dinosaur Dig is a gift to Park Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Natural and Physical Sciences and the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overhead costs associated with this unique experience.

ADDITIONAL COSTS: Transportation to Montana â&#x20AC;˘ Motel â&#x20AC;˘ Breakfast (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) â&#x20AC;˘ Dinner (Wednesday and Thursday) Due to the physically demanding nature of this trip, participation is limited to those over the age of 16 and in good health.

Full payment is due by June 1, 2009.

Please contact Alisha Coggins or Julie McCollum in the Office of Alumni Relations.

(816) 584-6207 or toll free (800) 488-7275 alumnioffice@park.edu