The Crow’s Nest — January 4, 2024
Valor Medals Review Project Receives Extension
The , being conducted by 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 , has received an extension for its research efforts through Dec. 31, 2028. In mid-December, the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives approved the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, and President Joe Biden signed the legislation.
The VMRP is conducting a systematic review of minority veterans from World War I who, in spite of valorous deeds, may have been unjustly denied high-level valor awards due to race or religion. In particular, the research includes servicemembers who may have been worthy of a Medal of Honor, but were downgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross/Navy Cross and/or a French Croix de Guerre with Palm and/or have an archived Medal of Honor recommendation. To date, researchers have identified 214 servicemembers 鈥� 105 Jewish Americans, 73 African Americans, 24 Native Americans, 11 Hispanic Americans and one Asian American 鈥� who have qualified for review.
International Center for Music Concerts Scheduled for January, February
A trio of events as part of the 2023-24 海角乱伦社区 concert season will be held in January and February. On Thursday, Jan. 25, the , which has been performing together since 2002 and includes two ICM faculty 鈥� violinist Ben Sayevich and cellist Daniel Veis 鈥� as well as pianist Martino Tirimo, will perform pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven and Bedrich Smetana. On Thursday, Feb. 29, the husband-and-wife duo of , will present a concert that will include works by Cesar Franck and other composers. Both events will be held at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan., starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for these concerts are $30 for general admission and $10 for students.
On Friday, Feb. 9, the , starting at 7:30 p.m. in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the University鈥檚 flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus. Timothy Hankewich, the music director of Orchestra Iowa, will be the guest conductor. Admission to this concert is free, but reservations are recommended at .
In addition, the , featuring ICM students David Horak and Mumin Turgunov, violin; James Farquhar, cello; and Christian dos Santos, viola, will present a concert at The Church of Jesus Christ Outreach Restoration Branch in Independence, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 24, starting at 7 p.m. Admission to this concert is free, but donations to the host organization are accepted. Also, ICM student on Friday, Jan. 12, starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Admission is free.
Campanella Gallery Featuring Art by Park Seniors
Four 海角乱伦社区 seniors are showcasing their work in an exhibit in Park鈥檚 Campanella Gallery through Friday, Feb. 23. The Gallery is located within Norrington Center on the University鈥檚 flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus.
Barbara Almeida, fine art major, is showing mixed media paintings with the subject of family. She said the works are 鈥渕ore than just pictures; they鈥檙e a love letter to my family.鈥� Cassidy Bradshaw, K-12 education/art major, is featuring mixed media works that explore the topic of escapism through reading, watching television and art itself. Reagan King, fine art and history major, is showing acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings portraying landscapes, buildings and people in a colorful, dynamic Impressionist style. Leah Niemeyer, fine art major is featuring drawings and paintings exploring the subject of female experiences in contemporary life through a personal lens.
Faculty, Staff, Student News
Ilya Shmukler, graduate student in 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 , was announced as the winner of the 2023 Wideman Piano Competition, held Dec. 1-3 in Shreveport, La. Shmukler, who won a $5,000 prize as the gold medalist, performed Sergei Rachmaninoff鈥檚 鈥淧iano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40鈥� in the final round.
Three members of the 海角乱伦社区 Parkville (Mo.) Campus team received . Freshman setter Arianna Marino (left) received second team honors by the NAIA, while junior middle blocker Debora Bernardi (right) was placed on the third team. The two received the same, 
while junior outside hitter Grecia Ung (below right) earned honorable mention status.
Tim Westcott, Ph.D., professor of history, associate university archivist, chair of the Department of Culture and Society, and director of the , was elected as the historian for the Independence (Mo.) Patriots Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Westcott鈥檚 sixth great-grandfather, Stukely Westcott, enlisted in February 1776 and was present at the siege of Boston and engagements at Princeton and Trenton, N.J.
Rita Wilson, associate registrar, authored the article that was published on the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers website on Dec. 8. In the article, Wilson said that scientific studies are necessary to assist with the growing demand for technology and to evaluate which variables best fit for student services employees.
Brad Kleindl, Ph.D., professor of marketing, co-presented a webinar on Dec. 13 on 鈥淎I for CTE and Business Classes鈥� for National Geographic Learning, a part of Cengage Learning. The webinar provided insights on how to survive and thrive in using artificial intelligence in career and technical education course planning, creating class assignments, and developing student AI career skills.
Park in the News
A story about SuEllen Fried, 鈥�75, being honored by with its 2023 Founder鈥檚 Civility Award, . The award honors the accomplishments of a remarkable leader who has demonstrated a commitment to bringing together Kansas City鈥檚 diverse community to engage in civil, fact-based dialogue.
John Fierro, 鈥�98, 鈥�01 MPA, was , a Kansas City bilingual newspaper focused on the Hispanic community, on Dec. 1. Fierro is the president and chief executive officer of the Mattie Rhodes Center.
Part two of a feature story on John Gillette, an 1892 海角乱伦社区 graduate, . 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. If you missed part one, .
Yira Brimage, vice president of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus, was featured in the podcast on Dec. 5. Excerpts from the podcast were also .
A (St. Joseph University [Pa.] student paper) included comments from Rosanna Kasemier, junior sport and exercise science major and former player. The story focused on a mental health storytelling platform, Hope for Athletes, started by a women鈥檚 volleyball player at Messiah University.
Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, participated in two live interviews that aired on and on related to an about Taylor Swift being a political influencer. The article, which Harris updated following Swift being named TIME鈥檚 Person of the Year, was picked up by numerous media outlets across the country.
Harris was also interviewed for related to a campaign stop by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and how independent candidates can affect elections.
In addition, Harris was interviewed by Agence France-Presse, an international news agency based in Paris, for a related to the influence Taylor Swift could have on the 2024 presidential election.
Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Chris Isleib, who served as a consultant for the being conducted by 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 , was honored by Aerotech News, the journal of aerospace, defense industry and veterans, as its .
A , daughter of Nikki Pauls DeSimone, assistant professor of social work, appeared in The Harbinger, the student newspaper at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kan., on Dec. 10. The story focused on Yiyi, who graduated from SME in 2023, as she and her family maintain traditions of her Chinese heritage after being adopted by Pauls DeSimone and her husband, Brian, in 2014 when Yiyi was 11.
海角乱伦社区 player Grecia Ung was (a website focused on sports in Mexico) on Dec. 12.
Kathleen Ramon-Venable, 鈥�14, was interviewed for a related to a redevelopment plan in Arlington, Texas, as the development contract includes a 30 percent participation goal for minority and women-owned businesses. Ramon-Venable is a member of the Arlington Latino Advisory Council.
Hannah Reynoldson, an incoming (Fall 2024) 海角乱伦社区 Parkville (Mo.) Campus student-athlete (nursing / ), was as its Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
A story about Brian Virden, 鈥�15, MBA 鈥�22, being appointed as the Lake County, Mich., 911 central dispatch director .
Erik Bergrud, chief strategic communications officer, who serves as a color commentator for Kansas City Comets (Major Arena Soccer League) television/Twitch broadcasts alongside play-by-play announcer Nick Vasos, was interviewed for an that appeared on the MASL website on Dec. 17.
A story that about a partnership between John Knox Village, a retirement community in Lee鈥檚 Summit, Mo., and Kansas City area health care facilities, included comments from Brian Opoka, 鈥�22, who serves as director of public safety at JKV.
Billy Rivera, a member of the team, was honored during the Ban Johnson Collegiate Baseball League banquet on Dec. 28, receiving the Frank White Award for Fielding Excellence. In addition, Park baseball head coach Cary Lundy, who also coaches Rivera on the Ban Johnson Legends team during the summer, led the squad to its first title in five years, and Lundy鈥檚 eighth league title. A .
A story about Staff Sgt. Danny Tucker, 鈥�19, . Tucker was recognized by the Chiefs during the game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 10 as part of the team鈥檚 鈥淭ribute to the Troops鈥� program.
CollegeFactual.com announced its 2024 rankings on Dec. 15 Among the highlighted national rankings for 海角乱伦社区: Best Schools for the Money in the U.S. for Bachelor鈥檚 Degrees, No. 13 (out of 1,465); Best Associate Degree Schools in the U.S., No. 41 (out of 1,319); and Top Schools for Veterans for a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree, No. 48 (out of 1,405).
海角乱伦社区 was ranked No. 12 by EDsmart.org on its 鈥淏est Open Admissions Colleges Online 2024鈥� list.
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 23 鈥� Senior Fine Art Exhibit, Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 8 鈥� Spring Semester / Spring I Classes Begin
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 12 鈥� , 5:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
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.
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 9 鈥� , 7:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 16 鈥� 海角乱伦社区 Board of Trustees Meeting, Parkville Campus
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 19 鈥� President鈥檚 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� February 24 鈥� , 7 p.m., Church of Jesus Christ Outreach Restoration Branch, Independence, Mo.
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 29 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.