Crow's Nest Daily - June 11, 2024 Update
Park University Achievements and Upcoming Events
Park University has had a busy and successful academic year, with several students and faculty members making headlines.
Beach Volleyball Stars Earn Top Honours
Arianna Marino and Grecia Ung, Park University beach volleyball players, have earned first team All-America status. To be recognised as a Top Flight award winner by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for a NAIA beach volleyball pair, the players need to meet academic standing (sophomore or above), GPA thresholds (3.5+), and significant athletic participation thresholds.
Academic and Athletic Achievements
Ivri Margolin, a freshman pitcher for the Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus baseball team, was featured on Cronkite News in Phoenix. Six Park University beach volleyball players were among the scholar-athletes recognised. Guillermo Cervantes, a Park University men's golfer, won the Heart of America Athletic Conference individual title. Adam Farm, Parkville Campus esports head coach, was selected as the Heart of America Athletic Conference first-ever Esports Coach of the Year.
Commencement Ceremonies
The Beaufort (S.C.) Marine Corps Air Station Campus Commencement Ceremony will be held on June 21. The El Paso (Texas) Campus / Fort Bliss (Texas) Campus / Holloman Air Force Base (N.M.) Campus Commencement Ceremony will be held on August 3 at Abundant Church in El Paso. The Barstow (Calif.) Community College Campus Commencement Ceremony will be held on July 18.
Upcoming Events
Opening Convocation will take place on August 16. Move-In Day for Residential Students at the Parkville (Mo.) Campus will be on August 9. New Student Orientation at the Parkville (Mo.) Campus will be on August 10. The Fall Semester / Fall I Term will begin on August 12.
In the News
Matt Harris was interviewed for stories that aired on WDAF-TV in Kansas City related to a Kansas City police funding measure being placed on the August ballot despite a Missouri Supreme Court ruling. He was also interviewed by RTVI, a Russian-language television network based in New York City, about key U.S. House of Representatives committees voting to advance contempt proceedings against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Stories related to Stephenie Price, '11, being appointed chief of police for the city of Beaufort, S.C., were published and aired on Beaufort area news outlets on May 24. A story on Alynna Palacios, a sophomore at Arizona Western College, signing to play women's basketball for Park University's Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus, aired on KYMA-TV in Yuma on May 1 and May 17.
Concerts and Performances
KWJC-FM (Classical KC) in Kansas City aired the Stanislav and Friends concert in two parts on May 11-12. Pianist Kenny Broberg, MM '21, appeared on the "Kansas City Local Feature" program that aired on KWJC-FM (Classical KC) on May 4-5. A center spread of photos from the Park University International Center for Music's Stanislav and Friends concert in early March was in the May 4 issue of The Independent.
Awards and Recognition
Merideth Rose, '06, MPA '08, president and chief executive officer at Cornerstones of Care, a behavioral health agency in Kansas City, Mo., was announced on May 28 as one of the honorees for the Kansas City Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Class of 2024. Suzi McCoy, '98, was highlighted in a "Woman of Wilson" feature in The Wilson (Co., Tenn.) Post on May 20. Command Master Chief Lateef Compton, '08, was featured on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website on May 30. Gary Parker, the owner of BBQ2U in Gig Harbor, Wash., was recognised as the South Sound Citizen of the Year by South Sound (Tacoma, Wash., region) magazine.
Community Engagement
Kari Rowe, a former Park University women's soccer player and a second grade teacher at Line Creek Elementary School, was named the Blue KC Sporting Samaritan for April in Kansas City. Rikki Hacker, Park cross country / track and field head coach, provided comments for a story about Shawnee Mission East High School cross country runners Beck Jones and William Norris making the decision to join the Park University Parkville Campus cross country team.
Observances
The Juneteenth Holiday will be observed on June 19, and all University offices will be closed nationwide. Independence Day Holiday will be observed on July 4, and all University offices will be closed nationwide. The Valor Medals Review Project Update will take place on June 25 at Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City, Mo.
Sports Updates
Highlights of games featuring the Park University Parkville (Mo.) Campus baseball team aired on WANE-TV, WPTA-TV and WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Ind., on May 10 and 11. The Park University women's beach volleyball pairs were recognised as Top Flight award winners by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Pitcher Adam Stilts was named to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Gold Glove team and earned second-team all-conference honours.
Controversies and Legal Matters
Matt Harris was interviewed by RTVI about a pre-election rally held by Donald Trump in the Bronx, N.Y., and again about President Joe Biden making an appeal to Black voters in Philadelphia. He was also interviewed for a story aired on KMBC-TV in Kansas City for reaction related to the announcement of former President Donald Trump being found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money criminal trial. Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was interviewed for stories aired on KMBC-TV in Kansas City related to the Missouri Supreme Court nullifying a 2022 ballot measure on Kansas City Police Department funding. He was also interviewed for a story aired on KMBC-TV in Kansas City for a story related to the Missouri legislature not passing initiative petition reform.
Miscellaneous
Cameron Harris, assistant professor of nursing, was featured in a story related to American Stroke Month that aired on KMBC-TV in Kansas City on May 15. Benny Lee, a member of the Park University Board of Trustees, was featured in The Independent, Kansas City's journal of society.
- Park University's beach volleyball players, Arianna Marino and Grecia Ung, have not only gained top athletic honors but also demonstrated their commitment to education and self-development as they have met the academic requirements to earn the Top Flight award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
- While Guillermo Cervantes, a Park University men's golfer, excels in sports, he also focuses on education-and-self-development as he recently won the Heart of America Athletic Conference individual title.
