The Crow’s Nest — December 6, 2023
海角乱伦社区 Promotes Melissa Ford to Chief Advancement Officer
Melissa Ford has been appointed as the chief advancement officer at 海角乱伦社区, effective Dec. 1. Ford, who previously served as associate vice president for advancement, takes over the role from Nathan Marticke, who left the University in late November. In her role as CAO, Ford is charged with developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies that support the University鈥檚 mission and goals. She is responsible for growing the advancement program through annual giving, alumni relations, corporate and foundation relations, capital campaigns, major gifts, planned giving, stewardship, advancement services and special events. Ford will also work with the University鈥檚 Board of Trustees and the 海角乱伦社区 Foundation Board to further strengthen philanthropic support in support of faculty and student endeavors with an established, successful advancement team. Read more about Ford at park.edu/news/melissa-ford-promoted.
Parkville, Gilbert Student-Athletes Earn Post-Season Honors
Parkville, Gilbert Student-Athletes Earn Post-Season Honors海角乱伦社区 student-athletes in fall sports at the flagship and have been recognized for a variety of post-season accolades.
A total of 56 student-athletes between the two campuses (41 Parkville, 15 Gilbert) were named 2023 Daktronics / NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Those recognized achieved a 3.5 cumulative grade point average or higher (on a 4.0 scale), must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year at their institution. The team led all Park teams with 15 selections, while the team added 12. The team led the Buccaneers teams with five.
The NAIA No. 6 ranked team, which advanced to the NAIA national tournament before bowing out in pool play, had three players earn first team honors 鈥� junior middle blocker Debora Bernardi, freshman setter Arianna Marino and junior outside hitter Grecia Ung. Marino was also selected as the Midwest Region Freshman of the Year, while Mateus Martins was named the region鈥檚 Assistant Coach of the Year. In addition, Gilbert Campus sophomore outside hitter Railey Druxman was named to the AVCA/NAIA Southwest Region first team.
The honors continued to pour in for the team as four players earned 鈥� Bernardi, Marino, Ung and senior outside hitter Malaina Hensley. In fact, the Pirates鈥� other three regular starters received second team or third team recognition. Additionally, Marino was tabbed as the HAAC Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Martins was named Assistant Coach of the Year and Mike Talamantes, director of volleyball and head coach, was named Coach of the Year. For the Buccaneers, Druxman was named to the California Pacific Conference first team.
Other Parkville Campus HAAC first team honors include: senior forward Wayde Roman, ; sophomore forward Patrycia Kozak, ; and Lucas Mehl, . In addition, men鈥檚/women鈥檚 cross country head coach Rikki Hakker was named the HAAC Men鈥檚 Cross Country Coach of the Year. Mehl placed 183rd at the , running the 8K course at the Fort Vancouver (Wash.) National Historic Site in 26:56.0, while Gilbert Campus women鈥檚 cross country senior Maryan Sharif placed 286th at the , running the 6K course in 25:50.1.
Parkville Athletics Hosting Arrr & Arrr Event
Arrr & Arrr, an event that will provide 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 flagship to showcase its programs, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Breckon Sports Center. The event will include a National Women and Girls in Sport presentation, a silent auction, raffle drawings, and drinks and appetizers. Attendees will have the opportunity to network and receive professional development opportunities, while athletics staff and female student-athletes will help celebrate National Women and Girls in Sport Month. By participating in our Arrr and Arrr event, you help support Park athletics staff expand their professional development which impacts the student-athlete experience. For more information, including silent auction items, visit .
海角乱伦社区, Kansas City Chiefs Award Gold Star Scholarship
海角乱伦社区 and the Kansas City Chiefs (Park is an official higher education partner of the Chiefs) awarded a $10,000 Gold Star Memorial Scholarship to Emma Sammons during the Chiefs game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 20. Sammons father, U.S. Navy Lt. Gordon Bruce Wulf, was killed in a training mission plane crash in Pensacola, Fla., in February 1990 when Sammons was just 21 months old. 海角乱伦社区 President Shane Smeed presented the check to Sammons.
In addition, retired U.S. Army Col. Andrew Shoffner, Ph.D., chair of Park鈥檚 Board of Trustees and director of the Department of Command Leadership at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was recognized during the game as part of the Salute to Scholars program.
Faculty, Staff, Student News
Brad Biles, director of communications and public relations, and Jacqueline Clark, MPA 鈥�00 (government relations and public affairs at Holcim US), served as panelists on the session 鈥淧ublic Relations Pros to Know鈥� at the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America鈥檚 annual PRSSA Student Summit in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 3.
Virginia Brackett, Ph.D., professor emerita of English, was a panelist as part of Veterans Day events at the World War I Memorial and Museum in Kansas City on Nov. 12. Brackett discussed how veterans can tell their stories as part of the annual Veterans Pen Celebration for the Veterans Voices Writing Project, publishers of Veterans鈥� Voices magazine.
Alla Adams, Ph.D., associate professor of healthcare administration, presented a session on 鈥淗ow to Become an Innovative Leader in Higher Education鈥� at the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs Women鈥檚 Academic Leadership Summit on Nov. 15 in New Orleans. The presentation reviewed supporting factors and barriers to innovation, strategies on how to get there and innovation of press, product, process and people. Adams also provided specific recommendations on how to deliberate innovation vision, encourage challenge and risk taking, develop innovation teams and seek to accelerate breakthrough thinking.
John G. Wilson (Gatheru), adjunct instructor of business administration, was recently appointed as the vice president of program and development for the American Society for Quality鈥檚 Kansas City section.
Camille A. Cook, assistant professor of instruction and outreach, is one of 50 people selected to participate in the American Library Association鈥檚 2024 Class of Emerging Leaders. The program is designed to enable library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers.
Don Chrusciel, Ph.D., vice president of finance and administration, co-authored the article (page 69) for the Journal of Higher Education Management published on Nov. 15. According to Chrusciel, the findings from the SSA serve to not only aid in measuring the impact of change interventions influencing strategic direction, but can also assist an entire organization in demonstrating the value of the services provided and right sizing resource allocations. It can help to identify what the organization should stop doing, do better and begin to do for its customers both in-house and/or by contracting out.
海角乱伦社区鈥檚 criminal justice administration program has started a podcast, , which creates an immersive and enlightening auditory experience that not only educates and engages listeners on the intricate dynamics of the criminal justice system, but also serves as a unique gateway to 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 academic community. Through captivating narratives, expert insights and thought-provoking conversations, the podcast aims to captivate the curiosity of prospective students, drawing them into an intellectually stimulating environment where they can actively participate in shaping the future of criminal justice through interdisciplinary learning. The first three episodes, including shows on 鈥淟abeling Taylor Swift,鈥� the Brian Kohberger case and the Sydney Powell case, can be heard at .
Park in the News
Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was related to candidates in Johnson County (Kan.) school board elections raising tens of thousands in campaign fundraising. Soundbites from the stories also aired on KMBZ-FM in Kansas City on Oct. 8.
Harris was also interviewed for stories that aired on KMBZ-FM on Nov. 9 related to an ethics investigation into Missouri House of Representatives Speaker Dean Plocher.
海角乱伦社区鈥檚 connection to the Manhattan Project, subject of this summer鈥檚 blockbuster movie, 鈥淥ppenheimer,鈥� was . Tim Westcott, Ph.D., professor of history and associate university archivist, was interviewed for the story. Three 海角乱伦社区 alumni were connected to the Manhattan Project 鈥� a research and development program in World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons, a main feature in 鈥淥ppenheimer.鈥� Joseph McKibben, 鈥�33, Ph.D., Hugh Richards, 鈥�39, Ph.D., and John Cory, 鈥�42, participated in the Manhattan Project, two of whom played significant roles.
Triumfia Houmbie Fulks, 鈥�14 (and a member of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 Civic Advisory Council), was as part of Launch KC鈥檚 competition on Nov. 14 in Kansas City, Mo. Fulks, who also received $13,000 as part of a Pure Pitch Rally event in Kansas City in August, founded codeAlgo Academy, which uses gamification to teach coding skills to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
A story posted on the included comments from Steve Youngblood, associate professor of communication arts and director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism. The article included a link to a recent
Youngblood was also interviewed for a .
Lynette Jagbandhansingh-Wageman, 鈥�59, was . Jagbandhansingh-Wageman spent more than 35 years as a librarian of the Asia Collection at the University of Hawaii鈥檚 Hamilton Library, but has devoted the last 23 years to supporting her community as a volunteer for a number of organizations.
Casey Bradley, 鈥�04, was . Bradley was appointed as the Sheboygan city administrator on Oct. 21. He previously served as the city administrator in Baraboo, Wis.
Carolyn Ward, 鈥�06, was selected by the New Bern (N.C.) Woman鈥檚 Club as its 2023 Citizen of the Year, according to a . This honor is given to recognize a citizen who has made outstanding contributions in making the New Bern community a better place.
A 12-minute piano performance by Behzod Abduraimov, 海角乱伦社区 artist-in-residence, recorded during a concert in May in Morrow, Ga., (starts at 6:00 mark).
Part one of a . Gillette was tabbed as the 鈥渇ather of rural sociology鈥� after having his book, Rural Sociology, published in 1913 while he was a professor at the University of North Dakota.
The 海角乱伦社区 team was , KMBC-TV and WDAF-TV in Kansas City on Nov. 27 as each aired stories on the team鈥檚 send off to the NAIA national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. Mike Talamantes, head coach, and seniors Malaina Hensley and Isabela Ribeiro were interviewed for the stories.
A story about U.S. Air Force Gen. Earl O鈥橪oughlin, 鈥�73, . A proclamation by the Tawas City, Mich., mayor declared Nov. 21 as 鈥淕eneral Earl T. O鈥橪oughlin Day,鈥� recognizing the distinguished military veteran who passed away on Nov. 10. According to the story, O鈥橪oughlin retired in 1987 as the only USAF four-star general in the state of Michigan after 37 years in uniform.
The 海角乱伦社区 鈥檚 2024 Stanislav and Friends event, set for March 8, 2024 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, was the featured cover photo of The Independent鈥檚 (Kansas City鈥檚 journal of society) Nov. 25 edition.
Deborah Ground Buckner, 鈥�81, authored a guest commentary in tribute to former Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Richard Berkley (who passed away on Nov. 29) that was . The article included mention of Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D., longtime 海角乱伦社区 professor emeritus of political science and public administration.
ECCO Select, led by founder and chief executive officer Jeanette Prenger, 鈥�09 (and former member of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 Board of Trustees), was ranked No. 3 on 滨苍驳谤补尘鈥檚 (a Kansas City business magazine) list of top minority-owned businesses and No. 5 on 滨苍驳谤补尘鈥檚 list of top area women-owned businesses, both based on 2022 gross revenue, in the publication鈥檚 November issue.
海角乱伦社区 was ranked No. 93 nationally by Military Times on its 鈥淏est for Vets 2023 Colleges鈥� list that was published on Nov. 6. Park also ranked No. 6 in the 鈥淧rimarily Online鈥� category; No. 14 in the U.S. central region; No. 82 among four-year schools; and No. 88 in general education.
Upcoming Events
(All events are Central time and on the flagship Parkville [Mo.] Campus unless noted)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Through December 8 鈥� Art Exhibit: Merrick Henry Digital Designs, Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� December 8 鈥� Ellen Finley Earhart Department of Nursing Pinning Ceremony, 2 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� December 10 鈥� Fall Semester / Fall II Term Ends
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� December 22-31 鈥� Christmas Holiday and University Holiday (all University offices closed nationwide)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 1 鈥� New Year鈥檚 Day Holiday (all University offices closed nationwide)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 8 鈥� Spring Semester / Spring I Classes Begin
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 15 鈥� Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday (all University offices closed nationwide; Parkville [Mo.] Campus and Gilbert [Ariz.] Campus daytime classes cancelled; Spring I term classes held as scheduled)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 25 鈥� , 7:30 p.m., 1900 Building, Mission Woods, Kan.
To view a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics and student life, visit park.edu/calendars/park-events-calendar.