Crow's Nest Daily Dispatch - April 6, 2023 (Revised)

Park University's Latest Developments and Achievements

Park University continues to make strides in various areas, with several notable developments and achievements taking place in March 2023.

In the realm of academia, Lacey Finley, Ph.D., co-authored an article titled "Using Design Thinking to Develop a Career Development Plan SWOT Analysis" which was published on the Faculty Focus website. Meanwhile, Toni-Rochelle Ford, Ph.D., and Stacy Yeager-Okosi, Ph.D., presented a session titled "Okay, Everyone, Please Take Out Your Phones: Making Smartphones an Integral Part of the Classroom Learning Environment" at the Kansas City Professional Development Council's annual Enhancing Teaching and Learning Conference.

Several faculty members have also been promoted and granted tenure. Kathy Howe, Ph.D., was promoted to associate professor of education and granted tenure. Henry Roehrich, Ph.D., was promoted to professor of management. Jolene Lampton, Ph.D., co-authored an article titled "Managing Conflicts of Interests" which appeared in the March edition of Strategic Finance. Tim Westcott, Ph.D., was promoted to professor of history, while Jack MacLennan, Ph.D., and Joshua Mugg, Ph.D., were promoted to associate professor of political science and granted tenure. Robert Kao, Ph.D., was promoted to professor of economics, and Glenn Lester was promoted to associate professor of English and granted tenure. Susan Keim, Ph.D., was promoted to associate professor of public administration and granted tenure. Matt Harris, Ph.D., was also promoted to associate professor of political science and granted tenure.

In the field of research, Abhijit Mazumdar, Ph.D., and Zahra Mansoursharifloo authored an article on "U.S. Foreign Policy and Indexing Theory: A Study of U.S. Press Coverage of the Taliban and ISIS" that was published in the spring 2023 edition of the International Communication Research Journal. Steve Youngblood, associate professor of communication arts and director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism, authored an article on "Misinformation, Democracy and the Peace Journalism Solution" that appeared in The Loop, a political science blog for the European Consortium for Political Research.

On the athletic front, the Gilbert Campus is adding a men's ice hockey club program starting in the 2023-24 academic year. The Gilbert Campus athletic programs will move from the California Pacific Conference to the Golden State Athletic Conference in 2024. The Parkville Campus men's volleyball team has earned the No. 4 seed in the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship Tournament, starting on April 11, 2023. The team is seeking its sixth men's volleyball national title.

Four Park University interior design students have been given the opportunity to participate in the Kansas City Symphony's Designers' Showhouse benefit event. The Department of Nursing at Park University will host a community health fair on April 13, 2023.

In terms of organisational changes, the Hauptmann School of Public Affairs and the sociology program will return to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) in the 2023-24 academic year. CLAS will consist of three schools and seven departments after the change.

Park University also hosted various events and presentations, such as the #C3KC event, where Vince Clark, chair of Park University's Board of Trustees, Scott Hall, a member of Park's Civic Advisory Council, and Gloria Jackson-Leathers, '91, were panelists. Brant Winn, Ph.D., was promoted to associate professor of education. Stephen David Grover, Ph.D., presented a webinar on "Blurring the Edges: Using Slack to Enable and Extend Class Interactions" for the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators. Todd Higgins presented a session titled "Managing Zoom in the Classroom: Lessons Learned from a Hybrid Agricultural Course" at the same conference. Leslie Jensby and Nikki Pauls DeSimone presented a session titled "Connecting Academia with Community Through Service Learning" at the same conference.

The Johnson Family Lecture Series in Science will focus on exoplanets and will be held on April 24, 2023. The Parkville Athletics Department is hosting a women's networking event, Arrrgh & Arrrgh, on May 17. Ann Ogle presented a session titled "Meet 'em Where They are At - It's Not Just a Motto" at the Missouri Conference on History on March 17 in Springfield, Mo. Tim Westcott, Ph.D., served as the moderator for the session on "Congress and Its Constituents" at the same conference.

Lastly, an exhibit of ceramics, "Aura," by Elaina Michalski, Park University assistant teaching professor of fine art, is featured in the University's Campanella Gallery through April 21.

Park University's science department will host the Johnson Family Lecture Series in Science, focusing on exoplanets on April 24, 2023. In the realm of education-and-self-development, the Gilbert Campus is planning to introduce a men's ice hockey club program starting from the 2023-24 academic year, with the athletic programs moving from the California Pacific Conference to the Golden State Athletic Conference in 2024.