The Crow鈥檚 Nest 鈥� February 5, 2025
海角乱伦社区 Athletics Hosting 3rd Annual Arrr & Arrr Event on Feb. 20
Arrr & Arrr, an event that provides 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 flagship an opportunity to showcase its programs, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. in McCoy Meetin鈥� House on the Parkville Campus. Admission to the event is free and open to the public; however, . The event, which supports the power of women in sport combined with a fantastic education, will provide networking and professional development opportunities for guests and student-athletes. In addition, attendees will help celebrate National Women and Girls in Sport month.
This year鈥檚 Arrr & Arrr will also highlight three individuals associated with Park athletics 鈥� Lindsey Derry, Brittanie Propes and Nathalia Harth. Derry, a 2015 Park graduate, serves as head coach of the program and the senior woman leader for the University鈥檚 athletics department. She will talk about her transition from student-athlete to coach, as well as using sports to serve others. Propes, a 2013 Park graduate and former spirit squad member, is the director of parks and recreation for the City of Parkville. She will offer insight on her 海角乱伦社区 experience and share her joy of the University鈥檚 , which returned in 2024. Harth, who serves as a graduate assistant in Park鈥檚 sports communications office and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree in management, will offer her unique perspective as a current student and athletics team member.
While admission is free and includes hors d鈥檕euvres and beverages, attendees are encouraged to bring cash and/or credit cards to support the University鈥檚 athletic programs through raffle and prize drawings. For more information or to register, visit .
International Center for Music鈥檚 6th Annual Stanislav & Friends Concert Set for March 1
, an annual gala of classical music that showcases an all-star lineup of faculty, students, alumni and friends of the 海角乱伦社区 , will be held on Saturday, March 1, starting at 7 p.m. inside Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo. The Park ICM鈥檚 signature event, this year鈥檚 Stanislav & Friends will highlight the 鈥淓choes of Spain,鈥� immersing the audience in an evening of passion and talent as the rich tapestry of Spanish melodies and rhythms are showcased.
The concert鈥檚 namesake, pianist , Park ICM artistic director will open the concert with a solo performance and he will also be a part of the concert鈥檚 conclusion that will feature two pianos with four other extraordinary pianists 鈥� , Park ICM artist-in-residence; , Park ICM graduate student; Spanish classical pianist ; and Ioudenitch鈥檚 wife, Tatiana Ioudenitch. In between will be performances by Perez, ICM students and the Park Trio.
Individual tickets for the concert range from $43 to $108 (fees included) per seat and can be purchased through the Kauffman Center鈥檚 box office or at . Park faculty, staff and students should check their e-mail for a special ticket offer. In addition, six levels of sponsorship are available, ranging from $1,500 to $30,000. Each of the levels include seats for the concert, a pre-concert cocktail reception and invitations to an exclusive benefactor party. For more information, visit park.edu/news/stanislav-friends-2025.
ICM Orchestra to Perform Annual Valentine鈥檚 Concert on Feb. 7
The 海角乱伦社区 Orchestra will perform its annual valentine鈥檚 concert on Friday, Feb. 7, starting at 7:30 p.m. in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the University鈥檚 flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus. Admission to the concert is free, but attendees are asked to . The program will be under the direction of guest conductor , former associate director of the Kansas City Symphony (2016-22). The concert will feature pianist , ICM graduate student, who dazzled the jury and audience as the winner of the Concours G茅za Anda Piano Competition in Zurich, Switzerland, in June 2024. He will be a soloist on 鈥淪ymphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra,鈥� composed by C茅sar Franck. For more information about the concert, visit park.edu/news/icm-orchestra-valentines-concert-2025.
The next concert in the (following the Stanislav and Friends gala) will be a performance by violinist David Radzynski and pianist on Friday, March 14, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan. Radzynski, who earned a graduate certificate in music performance/violin from 海角乱伦社区 in 2014, is a former concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Lisovskaya-Sayevich serves as the ICM鈥檚 director of collaborative piano. For more information about this concert and a link to tickets, visit .
Parkville Campus Volleyball Teams Earn Pre-Season National Rankings
The 海角乱伦社区 Parkville (Mo.) Campus women鈥檚 and programs, both led by Mike Talamantes, head coach and director of volleyball, are ranked in their respective NAIA Coaches Top 10 poll to begin the 2025 season. The beach volleyball team, which fell in the national quarterfinals in 2024, . The Pirates will be seeking their fourth straight trip to the NAIA Women鈥檚 Beach Volleyball National Invitational, which will take place April 24-26 in Greeneville, Tenn. The men鈥檚 volleyball team, which just missed out on a national tourney spot in 2024, . Park will be looking to grab its sixth national title in school history with a return to the NAIA Men鈥檚 Volleyball National Championship, April 29-May 3 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Parkville Campus Hosting Two Black History Month Events
The 海角乱伦社区 Parkville (Mo.) Campus Office of Student Life is hosting a pair of Black History Month events in February. The first event will feature leadership speaker Elijah N. Dormeus on Tuesday, Feb. 11, starting at 2:30 p.m. in McCoy Meetin鈥� House. The event will also be held virtually at . The presentation will discuss discovering your purpose through your voice and include a dynamic conversation surrounding the power of voice and changing our perspective on circumstances in life.
The event on Thursday, Feb. 13, which starts at noon in the McCoy Meetin鈥� House, will be a lunch and learn on 鈥淒ebunking the Myths of Black History: The True Story of Rosa Parks.鈥� A free lunch will be served while also providing an engaging discussion on Rosa Parks and a deep dive into Black history.
海角乱伦社区 Hosting Missouri Conference on History
In conjunction with the State Historical Society of Missouri, 海角乱伦社区 is hosting the 67th annual , March 12-14 at the Adams Pointe Conference Center in Blue Springs, Mo. The MCH brings together teachers of history and other professional historians to share in the presentation of the results of research, to exchange information on teaching and curriculum, to consider ways to promote interest in history and the welfare of the profession, and to discuss other concerns common to all historians. All persons interested or involved in the teaching of history, historical research, historical preservation or any other professional application of history are welcome.
On Thursday, March 13, Tim Westcott, Ph.D., 海角乱伦社区 professor of history, director of the and associate archivist, will serve as a moderator of the session on 鈥淏iography in the Midwest.鈥� During the session, Westcott will present 鈥淭homas Hart Benton: U.S. Navy Camoufleur.鈥�
Registration fees are $55 through Monday, Feb. 10; $65 from Tuesday, Feb. 11, through Monday, Feb. 24; and $75 on Tuesday, Feb. 25 or later. Students receive a $10 discount on fees. For more information or to register, visit .
Faculty, Staff, Student News
Courtney Rilinger, Ph.D., assistant professor of communications, co-authored the article that was published on Jan. 5 in the Health Communication journal. The study situates support in response to uncertainty within appraisal and attribution theories to explain nurturant, informational and tangible support provision.
Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger, Ph.D., professor of English and director of Park Writes, was recently appointed as editor of the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council for 2025-28. Mecklenburg-Faenger is a past editor of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 academic journal, , from 2018-23. Her research focuses on writing across the curriculum and 19th-20th century women鈥檚 rhetoric.
Park in the News
Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was interviewed for a related to Missouri lawmakers reconvening. Soundbites from the story also aired on KMBZ-FM in Kansas City the following morning.
Harris was interviewed for stories that aired on KMBZ-FM on Jan. 10 related to the race for Kansas governor, which will be decided in 2026.
Martha Linscott, Parkville (Mo.) Campus and head coach, was . Despite having a knee replacement in 2024, Linscott was named the 2024 Kansas Women鈥檚 Mid-Amateur and Senior Play of the Year by Central Links Golf. She won the Kansas Mid-Amateur in a seven-hole playoff and qualified for the U.S. Women鈥檚 Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Women鈥檚 Open and for the third straight year, the U.S. Senior Women鈥檚 Amateur.
Bobbi Shaw, executive assistant to the president, as part of the 鈥淪tump Mark鈥� segment. Shaw provided two “stories” to co-host Mark Consuelos who had to determine which was true. Consuelos answered incorrect, so Shaw won a 鈥淟ive鈥� mug and T-shirt, then she had a chance to win a trip to Antigua by answering a question about a recent show. Shaw answered incorrectly, but won consolation prize of a Roomba vacuum cleaner and is in a drawing for a trip to Antarctica. Shaw was interviewed about her experience for a .
The Park Trio, the esteemed resident ensemble of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 , appeared live on . Violinist , cellist and pianist performed selected works to help promote their concert that was held on Jan. 24.
Niko Barber, sophomore liberal arts student, was . Barber, the son of former National Football League linebacker Shawn Barber (1998-2007), including a three-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs (2003-05), is an equipment assistant with the Chiefs.
Melissa Ferrer Civil, ME 鈥�20, who was appointed as the first poet laureate in Kansas City, Mo., in February 2024, was .
Maria Ioudenitch, a former violin student in 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 Youth Conservatory of Music and daughter of Artistic Director , appeared on as part of a rebroadcast of a 2013 National Public Radio 鈥淔rom the Top鈥� performance. The on Wednesday, May 7, at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan., to close out the ICM鈥檚 2024-25 season.
Emily Sallee, Ph.D., vice provost, participated in a question-and-answer article on that was published on Jan. 28 in The EvoLLLution. In the interview, Sallee discusses the interdependence of legacy and innovation, leadership鈥檚 role and how to create structures for agility and collaboration.
Silvia Kofler, adjunct instructor of liberal education and management, appeared on the 鈥淎rtspeak Radio鈥� program that aired on KKFI-FM in Kansas City on Jan. 29. Kofler is working on a new collection of poems, Castles in the Air, and is the publisher/editor of Thorny Locust magazine.
海角乱伦社区 was ranked by UniversityHQ.org in a variety of its 2025 college rankings. National rankings in the top 25 include:
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Associate in Computer Science Programs, No. 7
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Associate in Psychology Programs, No. 12
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 in Software Development Programs, No. 13
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Associate in Accounting Programs, No. 19
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 in International Business Programs, No. 24
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 in Project Management Programs, No. 24
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Best Online Bachelor鈥檚 in Operations and Logistics Management Programs, No. 24
Upcoming Events
(All events are Central time and on the flagship Parkville [Mo.] Campus unless noted)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Through February 7 鈥� Art Exhibit: 海角乱伦社区 Senior Showcase, Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 7 鈥� International Center for Music Concert: ICM Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 11 鈥� Black History Month Event: Leadership Speaker Elijah Dormeus, 2:30 p.m., McCoy Meetin鈥� House
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 13 鈥� Black History Month Lunch and Learn Event: 鈥淒ebunking the Myths of Black History: The True Story of Rosa Parks, Noon, McCoy Meetin鈥� House
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 13 鈥� , 7 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 17 鈥� President鈥檚 Day Holiday (all offices nationwide closed; Parkville (Mo.) Campus and Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus daytime classes cancelled; Spring I classes held as scheduled)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 20 鈥� Arrr & Arrr, 4 p.m., McCoy Meetin鈥� House
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 21 鈥� Board of Trustees Meeting, Parkville Campus
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 1 鈥� International Center for Music Concert: Stanislav and Friends, 7 p.m., Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Mo.
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 9 鈥� Spring I Term Ends
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 10-16 鈥� Spring Break (all offices nationwide open; no classes nationwide)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 12-14 鈥� , Adams Pointe Conference Center, Blue Springs, Mo. (hosted by 海角乱伦社区)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 14 鈥� , 7:30 p.m., 1900 Building, Mission Woods, Kan.
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 17 鈥� Spring II Term Begins
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� March 21 鈥� Women鈥檚 Networking Event, Noon, Watson Literacy Center
To view a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics and student life, visit park.edu/calendars/park-events-calendar.