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Park University in the Spotlight: A Roundup of Recent Achievements
Park University continues to make waves in various fields, with faculty, students, and alumni garnering recognition for their achievements. Here's a roundup of some of the latest news:
Academic Accomplishments
- Kay Barnes, senior director for university engagement, was interviewed for Boal's podcast, "There's Just Something About Kansas City."
- Steve Youngblood, associate professor of communication arts and director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism, was a co-panelist on a virtual event for the International Center for Journalists on Oct. 19.
- Hank Roehrich, Ph.D., professor of management/marketing, presented a peer-reviewed refereed paper at the Marketing Management Association of Educators fall conference in Orlando.
- Somika Ganesh, junior information and computer science major, presented a poster on "My Experience in Using ChatGPT and GPTZero."
- Pawinee Sukasem, a junior information and computer science major, presented a poster on "Have You Ever Seen the Golden Ratio Around You?"
- Four Park University students presented at the Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas Women in Computing Conference in Lenexa, Kan.
Academic Lectures and Events
- Jack MacLennan, Ph.D. associate professor of political science, delivered the annual political science lecture at St. Thomas University in Canada on Oct. 12.
- The Great War Institute, a division of Park University's George S. Robb Centre for the Study of the Great War, is hosting a lecture event on Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing on Nov. 21.
- The lecture event is part of the Great War Institute Lecture Series and will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 21, starting at 6:30 p.m.
- On Saturday, Dec. 2, the ICM Orchestra will present a holiday concert featuring a variety of familiar and less-known Christmas selections under the direction of Steven McDonald, director of the orchestra.
- The International Center for Music will hold a concert on November 30 featuring students of Stanislav Ioudenitch's piano studio.
Business and Technology
- Melody Alexander, adjunct instructor of communication studies and The Stylus advisor, co-founded a technology startup named STATSdraft. The business received $3,000 from investors during the 2023 Pure Pitch Rally in Kansas City, Mo.
- ECCO Select, a Kansas City, Mo., information technology talent acquisition and advisory consulting company, ranked No. 38 on the Kansas City Business Journal's list of family-owned businesses.
Sports and Athletics
- Zackery Fritz, a sophomore nursing major and a member of Park University's Parkville (Mo.) Campus esports team, was tabbed as the Heart of America Athletic Conference's first-ever Esports League of Legends Player of the Year on Oct. 26.
- Martha Linscott, Parkville (Mo.) Campus men's and women's golf head coach, competed in the United States Golf Association's U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, Sept. 30 through Oct. 5 at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Andrea Maggio, '19, and former Park University Parkville (Mo.) Campus men's volleyball player, was featured in a story on the Volleyball England website. Maggio is a member of the IBB Polonia London Volleyball Club in England's National Volleyball League's Super League.
Community Engagement
- The Parkville Symphonic Band will hold a Fall Concert on November 12.
- Park University will host its annual International Festival on Nov. 17. The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Park Avenue area within the Mabee Learning Center / Academic Underground on the University's flagship Parkville (Mo.) Campus.
- For more information about the lecture, visit our website/news/black-jack-pershing-lecture. For more information about the International Festival, contact Catherine Geehan, associate director for international education, at catherine.geehan@our website / (816) 584-6857.
Recognition and Awards
- PublicServiceDegrees.org ranked Park University No. 3 on its "Best Online Homeland Security Degrees" list; No. 7 on its "Best Online Criminal Justice Associate Degree Programs" list; and No. 13 on its "Best Online Psychology Degree Programs" list.
- Park University was listed by Forbes Advisor on its "Best Online Educational Technology Master's Degree of 2023" list on Oct. 4.
- A story about Michael Morrison, '94, appeared in the City-County Observer, a newspaper in Evansville, Ind. Morrison was honored with the Ralph W. Adams Jr. Supplier Diversity Trailblazer Award by the Indiana Department of Administration's Division of Supplier Diversity.
Notable Events
- The Christmas Holiday will be observed from December 22-25.
- The New Year's Day Holiday will be observed on January 1.
- The Fall Semester and Fall II Term will end on December 10.
[1] General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing's formative experience in the American Frontier involved his early military service with the 10th Cavalry, a Buffalo Soldiers regiment, where he gained crucial frontier combat and leadership skills during campaigns against Native American tribes in Texas. This period shaped his views and earned him the nickname “Black Jack” due to his association with and advocacy for Black soldiers.
[4] Though Pershing later gained broader fame commanding the American Expeditionary Force in World War I, his initial frontier military service in Texas with the Buffalo Soldiers and the harsh, complex conditions of Indian Wars were crucial formative experiences that shaped his career and leadership style.
Park University's education and self-development initiatives extend beyond academics, with technology entrepreneur Melody Alexander, adjunct instructor of communication studies, co-founding the startup STATSdraft and securing investments. In the world of sports, Zackery Fritz, a sophomore nursing major and member of Park University's esports team, was recognized as the Heart of America Athletic Conference's first-ever Esports League of Legends Player of the Year. Meanwhile, general news covers the ranking of Park University on multiple online degree lists, comparatively placing them within the top 15 institutions for homeland security, criminal justice, and psychology degrees.
