International Civic Engagement

Park University Alumna Comments on Significance of Obama Nomination

Kansas City Star reporters Lynn Franey and Mará Rose Williams interviewed three local African-American leaders, including Park University alumna Elma Warrick (MPA '92), regarding their reactions to Barack Obama's presumptive Democratic Party nomination.

The reporters wrote the following about Warrick:

When Elma Warrick was 7 years old in the late 1950s, her mom told her they could not sit down to eat at a downtown Kansas City restaurant.

They stood in the section for black people, watching a white mom and her little girl sit at a table and dine.

So Warrick is awed by the Democrats’ choice of Barack Obama to run for president of the United States.

Never did the Kansas City woman dream she would have the chance to vote for an African-American presidential candidate from one of the two major political parties.

“Most African-Americans, particularly of a certain age, are astounded by this revelation,” says Warrick, a former Kansas City school board member. “Not in my lifetime did I ever think that it would ever be possible, quite frankly. To see a young man, who happens to be African-American, selected by a national party with the backing that he has received — I’m awestruck by it, frankly.”

I recalled this morning a different conversation about race in America, one that Warrick and I engaged in during the spring of 1992 in the heat of the Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King.

That March, I had just come to work at Park University as administrator of the Graduate School of Public Affairs (now Hauptmann School for Public Affairs).  Warrick was scheduled to graduate in May and came to my office on the afternoon of Friday, May 1.  She was enrolled in a Friday evening class that semester.

Warrick lamented the jury's decision, and we discussed in detail the social and cultural implications while violence raged in Los Angeles.

That May afternoon, Warrick expressed serious doubts about the future of African-American males, not just in L.A. but across the country.  Sixteen years later, she voiced amazement about Obama's rise to national political leadership.

I find it quite incredible to see how the world and people's attitudes have changed over these past sixteen years.

Park University Essay Contest Winner Helps Homeless Teens

The Kansas City Star published this feature article on the inspiring efforts of Sohail Jouya, winner of Park University's 2006 Democracy Day High School Essay Contest:

Sohail Jouya knows the travails of couch-surfing, the way homeless teens bounce from friend’s house to friend’s house in search of a safe place to sleep.

The Oak Park High School grad lived off the generosity of friends for months when he had to leave home at 16.

“There was a huge panic for me personally. I didn’t know what to do,” Jouya said. “And I always thought I was a burden for my friends.”

Jouya, 19, eventually found safety and a fresh start with Synergy Services, a group that, among other things, offers a variety of help to homeless youth. And he’s pleased now to witness the organization’s expansion.

When Jouya hooked up with Synergy, the group’s Synergy House for youth was “a house on top of a hill behind some woods” on the Park University campus. Come June of 2009, teens in the same spot Jouya was in will be able to count on a new $8.4 million Synergy House campus that is more conveniently located at the juncture of Interstates 29 and 35.

Jouya, who now volunteers with Synergy’s steering committee between the classes for his triple major at William Jewell College, has seen the renderings of the new campus, which just broke ground last week.

“It really blows the old facility out of the water,” he said. “This is somewhere that people will want to go if they have problems.”

Laurie Jackson, Synergy’s associate executive director, said that despite being able to serve 250 to 300 kids a year at Synergy House, conditions are cramped enough there that “we turn away one kid for every kid we serve.”

The new facility, at 2001 Northeast Parvin Road, will double the number of available beds, from 12 to 24. Jackson estimates, though, that there are some 2,000 homeless kids on any given night in Kansas City.

“It’s triage,” Jackson said of Synergy’s short-term residential program. “We try to do as much as we can for them as quick as we can.”

And, she said, the new campus will help not just homeless kids set to check in, but also youth not quite ready to take that step and other teens who’ve been through the program and just want to reconnect with Synergy staff.

So besides basic necessities like beds, showers and laundry facilities, the new campus will boast a youth resource center with offerings ranging from recreation to arts therapy.

For the group, Jackson said, the move likely will also mean a few new job openings and a host of potential volunteer positions.

The old Synergy House will remain among the group’s assets. It will be re-geared toward other Synergy programs and serve as a forensic interview center for abuse investigations.

Jouya’s just happy to be a part of it all.

“I’m not really sure what would have happened with my life if there was no Synergy Services,” he said.

Park University Assistant Professor Awarded Fulbright

By Toni Cardarella

A Park University associate professor of criminal justice has been awarded a Fulbright to teach the fall 2008 semester in Ukraine.

Carol Getty, Ph.D., associate professor of political science and public administration, will teach at the National University of Internal Affairs (KhNUIA) in Kharkiv. Getty said she also might develop curriculum and programs, as well as do some consulting while in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine.

The Eastern European country borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. Ukraine became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"I wanted to see a country in transition," she said of her interest in Ukraine. "This is a country that doesn't actually teach criminal justice, a country that doesn’t have a democratic law system."

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and established in 1946, the Fulbright Program provides funding for students, scholars and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the U.S. and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.

Before joining Park in 1997, Getty spent 13 years as regional commissioner of the north central region of the U.S. Parole Commission, appointed first by President Ronald Reagan then President George H.W. Bush. For about 1½ years during that period, she chaired the U.S. Parole Commission in Washington D.C., becoming the first (and so far only) woman to chair the commission in its 80 years. Previously, Getty was board member and vice chairman of the Arizona Board of Pardons and Paroles for five years. (The position was a gubernatorial appointment.)

Getty said she found out in April that she would be awarded the Fulbright.

"I'm excited about winning it," she said. "I know from teaching in Taiwan and China that it's an incredible and fulfilling experience to teach in another country. I think you get more out of it than you give."

Steven Youngblood, associate professor of communication arts at Park University, taught last spring in Azerbajan on his second Fulbright (his first was teaching in Moldova in 2001). Park's other Fulbright scholars were Pete Soule, Ph.D., professor of economics (2002) and Nicolas Koudou, Ph.D., professor of business administration (2003).

Park University Model United Nations Team Takes Two Top Awards At National Conference

By Toni Cardarella

Park University's Model United Nations team captured two prestigious awards at the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference April 17-21 in New York City.

Student representatives Simona Cibotaru and Salam Lazkani won the outstanding delegation award for their representation of Peru in the Security Council. Cibotaru and Lazkani won the same award at a Model UN conference in November 2007 in Chicago.

"The Security Council award is amazing," said Steven Youngblood, adviser for Park University's Model UN team. "This is the best Model UN conference, and schools send only their top delegates to the Security Council, so winning in Security Council at the NMUN is like winning the Super Bowl."

Cibotaru and Lazkani considered issues such as Somalia and Afghanistan. Lazkani said, "The level of preparation in the Security Council is higher (than at other conferences). The student delegates are more diversified with a really strong background on the issues."

Park delegates J.D. Rowe and Elvin Hatamzada were also honored with a best leadership award for their representation of Peru in the Pan American Health Organization committee.

"They were constantly submerged in their work on their committee," Youngblood said. "This award is really well deserved."

Lazkani said the team as a whole has made outstanding progress.

"By winning awards at two conferences in a row, it shows the team is improved," he said. "We have reached a level that we can excel at all future conferences."

Eighteen Park University Model UN student delegates participated at the NMUN conference. The Park team included 14 students from the Parkville Campus, two students from the Fort Myer campus Center in Arlington, Va., and two students from the Austin (Texas) Campus Center. Park's Model UN team in Austin is advised by Jolene Lampton, and Marijane Peplow advises the Fort Myer team. The team as a whole is sponsored by the Office of International Education and Study Abroad.

The NMUN conference hosted 2,100 students from 290 colleges and universities. At NMUN, these students represented 140 countries, and debated real issues facing the UN. For example, student delegates tackled providing education for women, nuclear proliferation, and the advisability of imposing economic sanctions.

Model United Nations is an authentic simulation of the UN General Assembly, Security Council and other UN committees, which catapults students into the world of diplomacy and negotiation.  Students step into the shoes of ambassadors of UN member states from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to debate current issues on the organization's vast agenda. The student delegates prepare draft resolutions, plot strategy, negotiate with supporters and adversaries, resolve conflicts and navigate the UN's procedural rules. They do this in the interest of mobilizing international cooperation to resolve major problems that affect every country.

For more information about Park University's Model UN team, contact Youngblood at steven.youngblood@park.edu or (816) 584-6321.

Nepal To Be Featured Country At Park University Cultural Sharing Event April 11

by Brad Biles

Park University's Office of International Affairs and Education will host its annual cultural sharing event on Friday, April 11.

This year's event, which will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Jenkin and Barbara David Theatre in Alumni Hall on the Parkville Campus, will feature the country of Nepal. Nepalese and other students will present traditional songs, dances, clothes and traditions of Nepal. In addition, Nepalese food will be available for tasting.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information or to RSVP, contact Angela Markley Peterson, assistant director of international education and study abroad at angela.markley@park.edu or (816) 584-6510.

Apr. 16 John Brown Event Includes Performance, Lecture, Discussion

by Toni Cardarella

In advance of the John Brown opera coming to Kansas City next month, the International Center for Civic Engagement at Park University will host an event that combines performance, lecture and interactive discussion about the American abolitionist.

The event, "Vital Conversations: John Brown, The Opera -- Saint or Sinner?," will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in the Jenkin and Barbara David Theatre on Park University's Parkville Campus. It is sponsored by the ICCE, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. The event precedes the world premiere production of Kirke Mechem’s new opera, John Brown, at the Lyric May 3 through May 11.

More than 150 years have passed since Brown arrived in Kansas territory and became a focal point in the fight to make Kansas a free state. He also fiercely believed in the equality of the races and was committed to emancipating the slaves. His efforts sometimes involved violence.

"The event will include an exploration of the many facets of Brown and will give audience members an opportunity to discuss the issues his story raises for all Americans today," said Erik Bergrud, director of the ICCE and special assistant to the president for university projects on civic engagement at Park.

Jonathan Earle, associate professor of history at the University of Kansas, will set the historic framework for the evening. Singers from the Lyric Opera will share some of the music from the new opera. And, the Rev. David Nelson will guide the audience through a series of participatory one-on-one discussions.

The event is free but advance registration is required. Visit www.park.edu/interfaith/rsvp.shtml to register Online.

For more information, contact Bergrud at (816) 584-6412 or erik.bergrud@park.edu, or visit www.kcopera.org.

Lawrence Korb to Speak at Park University on April 9

by Toni Cardarella

Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior advisor to the Center for Defense Information, will present a guest lecture Wednesday, April 9, at Park University. The lecture, hosted by Park's Hauptmann School for Public Affairs, is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested.

Korb will talk about "National Security in an Age of Terrorists, Tyrants and Weapons of Mass Destruction" during the 16th annual Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann Distinguished Guest Lecture, set for 7 p.m. at the Jenkin and Barbara David Theatre in Alumni Hall on the University's Parkville Campus. Korb will also sign books after the lecture.

Before joining the Center for American Progress, Korb was a senior fellow and director of national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 1998 to 2002, he was council vice president, director of studies and holder of the Maurice Greenberg Chair. Also previously, Korb served as director of the Center for Public Policy Education and was a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and vice president of corporate operations at the Raytheon Co.

For his service as assistant secretary of defense from 1981 through 1985, Korb was awarded the U.S. Department of Defense's medal for distinguished public service. Also, he served on active duty for four years as a naval flight officer, and retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of captain.

He has written 20 books on the subject of national security, including The Joint Chiefs of Staff: The First Twenty-Five Years, The Fall and Rise of the Pentagon, American National Security: Policy and Process, Future Visions for U.S. Defense Policy, Reshaping America's Military, A New National Security Strategy in an Age of Terrorists, Tyrants, and Weapons of Mass Destruction and Military Reform: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues), which Korb co-authored with Winslow T. Wheeler.

The event marks the School's first public one since the Jan. 29 death of Professor Emeritus Jerzy Hauptmann, who established Park University's Graduate School for Public Affairs in Downtown Kansas City in 1982. In 2001, the school was named after Hauptmann in tribute to his 50 years at Park.

There are two other related events the day of the lecture: a memorial service for Hauptmann from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, and an alumni reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the McCoy Meetin' House. Both are located on the University's Parkville Campus, at 8700 NW River Park Drive in Parkville.

For more information about the lecture or the Hauptmann School for Public Affairs, which includes the Center for Leadership, contact Marion Wolpers, program coordinator at the center, (816) 559-5644 or marion.wolpers@park.edu. To make reservations, visit www.park.edu/tickets/.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter to Lecture at Park University on March 18

The public is invited to a free guest lecture at Park University on Tuesday, March 18. Thanks to the generous support of Xerox, Rosabeth Moss Kanter will present, "Delivering Confidence: The Work of Leaders," starting at 9:30 a.m. A book signing will follow from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. Both events will be held in the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the Parkville Campus.

While the event is free, reservations are requested. To reserve a seat, contact Danita Hodges, Office of University Advancement administrative assistant, at (816) 584-6209 or danita.hodges@park.edu.

Kanter, a best-selling author and international business consultant, is the Arbuckle professor of business at the Harvard Business School, Boston. She has been named one of the "50 most influential business thinkers in the world" as well as one of the "50 most powerful women in the world."

According to David Gergen, editor-at-large of U.S. News & World Report and a White House counselor to four U.S. presidents, Kanter has a capacious mind and is a leader with a noble heart. "She brings both to bear in thinking through our current troubles as a people and how to fix them," Gergen said.

Kanter also will make a presentation for Park students, faculty and staff, "A Conversation About Leadership for Sustained Success in Turbulent Times," starting at 1:30 p.m.

Kanter's lecture is presented by Park University and the Xerox Global Lecture Series.

Park University Seeks MPA Director

The Hauptmann School for Public Affairs (HSPA) at Park University proudly celebrates twenty-five years of educating leaders prepared to act for the common good and for the preservation of human dignity world-wide. HSPA invites applications for a faculty position (rank open) to serve as director of the Master of Public Affairs program, to lead the public management concentration in the MPA program, and to assist in developing a graduate degree program in leadership and public service. 

The MPA degree is a cross-sector liberal-arts based degree which focuses on integrating theory and practice across the curriculum.  The Hauptmann School, located in the heart of a dynamic renaissance city, is an ideal setting for local faculty and student engagement with this vibrant community.

The person in this position will develop and teach courses in the public management (graduate and some undergraduate) field, be comfortable in the online learning environment, and be able to mentor faculty to do the same. 

Duties include actively promoting the program, enlisting and assigning adjunct faculty to teach in the program, organizing, administering, planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating the graduate public management area of concentration.  Duties also include conducting periodic reviews of the effectiveness of the program as per relevant accreditation bodies and assessment needs.

A Ph.D. degree in an appropriate area of public administration is required, along with scholarly work in public management, administrative and organization theory, leadership, and related fields.  The Search Committee expects serious candidates to have experience in the following areas:
• Teaching courses in the public management area,
• Teaching adult learners at the graduate level, and
• Using Internet-enhanced delivery methods. 

Cross-sector and interdisciplinary teaching experience, along with previous administrative and/or supervisory experience is desired. The successful candidate will have demonstrated participation/presentation/publication/work in the area, as well as public service experience.

Also required are strong oral and written communication skills, an excellent understanding of education principles and methodologies, exceptional leadership and organizational abilities, and a solid ability to deal with ambiguity in a rapidly changing and exciting higher education environment. 

Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, names and contact information of three references, and other relevant documents to Laurie DiPadova-Stocks, Ph.D., chair, Public Administration Faculty Search Committee, Hauptmann School for Public Affairs, Park University, 911 Main Street, Suite 900, Kansas City, MO 64105.  Documents may be transmitted electronically to ldipadovastocks@park.edu.

Park Student Wins First Place in Corpus Christi International Competition

By Toni Cardarella

Park University music student Behzod Abduraimov recently won first place in the piano division of the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings.

The Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings, held Feb. 15-17, is a widely recognized competition open to students under the age of 26. The contest is limited to 40 performers, 20 in the strings competition and 20 in the piano competition. The Young Artist Awards are $5,000 each.

Abduraimov, 17 and originally from Uzbekistan, is a student of Stanislav Ioudenitch, artistic director of the International Center for Music at Park and the 2001 Van Cliburn gold medalist.

Among the competitors at the Corpus Christi International Competition for Piano and Strings were students from such prestigious schools as the Cleveland Institute of Music, Moscow State University, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, The Curtis Institute, Peabody Conservatory and The Julliard School.

Earlier this year, Abduraimov won first place in the piano division of the 2008 Lennox International Young Artists Competition, sponsored by the Richardson (Texas) Symphony. That top prize meant $2,500 and the opportunity for Abduraimov to perform with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra in a concert this Saturday conducted by music director Anshel Brusilow.

For more information about Abduraimov or the International Center for Music at Park University, contact Ioudenitch at (913) 710-4332 or istas@park.edu, or ICM Director Robert Pevitts, (816) 584-6550 or robert.pevitts@park.edu.