Jewell Celebrates Class of ’06
(click here for photos of the ceremony)
William Jewell College observed baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 6, on the college campus in Liberty. Rudy A. Pulido, senior pastor at Southwest Baptist Church in St. Louis, offered the baccalaureate sermon in John Gano Memorial Chapel. A reception for seniors and family members followed immediately in the President’s Home. Karen L. Pletz, president and chief executive officer of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, offered the afternoon commencement address in the Mabee Center for Physical Education.
Pryor Leadership Center Dedicated
  The Fred and Shirley Pryor Center for Leadership Development at William Jewell College was officially dedicated during ceremonies April 27. The new facility is housed in the former Kappa Alpha fraternity house at 17 S. Jewell Street, which has been completely restored and repurposed to accommodate the leadership center.
Until the tornado strike of May 4, 2003, most of Jewell’s leadership initiatives and activities were housed in a small facility near the Mabee Center for Physical Education on the edge of campus. The tornado demolished the building and left the growing leadership programs without adequate space for activities or classes.
“Our goal was not simply to replace the ruined facility, but to create a new Center for Leadership Development worthy of these life-changing programs and capable of accommodating the program’s growth,” said Vice President for Advancement Dr. Chad Jolly.
The new Center for Leadership Development includes classrooms, offices, a technology-enabled strategic planning center and staging areas for experiential activities. Alumni Fred and Shirley Pryor made the lead gift to the Center for Leadership Development.
Jewell Debate Teams Reach Final Four at National Tournament
Two debate teams from William Jewell College advanced to the final four and finished as semi-finalists in the National Parliamentary Debate Association Championships. The championships brought 264 teams representing colleges and universities from all over the nation to Corvallis, Ore., March 25-28. After eight preliminary rounds, 80 teams advanced to a single elimination round bracket, among them two William Jewell College teams.
Phil Fuhrman and Luke Landry were 7-1 in the preliminary rounds and seeded 8th in the bracket. Kevin Garner and Lilia Toson were 5-3 in preliminary rounds and fought their way up from nearly the bottom of the bracket. Both teams reached the final four, finishing as semifinalists. Along the way they defeated teams from Lewis and Clark College, Western Washington University, Willamette University, Western Kentucky University and the Claremont Colleges.
William Jewell was awarded 9th place in season sweepstakes, an award that represents the success of a squad through the entire season. Jewell also finished 11th in tournament sweepstakes. Lilia Toson, who received 20th speaker at the tournament, was elected the national student representative to the executive council of NPDA, while her partner, Kevin Garner, was elected district student representative.
The teams were riding a wave of success from the previous week’s performance at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence, where Fuhrman and Landry finished 4th, and Garner and Toson finished 7th.
“These two teams have been ranked in the top five teams all year, and they proved it at these two national tournaments,” said Dr. Gina Lane, director of debate. “It is remarkable to consider that our college competes against every college and university in the nation and can field two teams of this caliber.”
Lecture Examines Moral Issues
 Dr. Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, offered a spring lecture on “Marriage, Morality and Reason” on the William Jewell campus. In addition to the lecture, Dr. George participated in a roundtable discussion on “Natural Law: What It Is and What It Isn’t.” Dr. George, who served as the Hall Distinguished Visiting Professor at William Jewell, is the author of a number of books, articles and essays. His work has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, the Columbia Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review, the Review of Politics, the Review of Metaphysics and the American Journal of Jurisprudence. He has also written for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the National Review, the Boston Review and the Times Literary Supplement. A graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School, George earned a doctorate in philosophy of law from Oxford University. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Swarthmore, and received a Knox Fellowship from Harvard for graduate study in law and philosophy at Oxford. Dr. George currently serves on the President’s Council on Bioethics. From 1993-98, he served as a presidential appointee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He is a former Judicial Fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States, where he received the 1990 Justice Tom C. Clark Award.
Jewell Students Produce ‘How-To’ Guide for Hurricane Relief Efforts
In the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, students at William Jewell College responded to the impulse felt nationwide: “What can we do to help?”
(from left) Jewell students Jamie Johnson and Kate Prather
assist a New Orleans resident, along with Jewell student
Emily Fine during a recent spring break service trip. |
During a fall break trip to assist in the clean-up effort, students got a first-hand look at the damage, along with the scope of the need for assistance in rebuilding. That experience gave birth to a project that organizers hope will have an impact that reaches far beyond their hands-on efforts.
Responding to the Need: A Hurricane Relief Manual is the result of several months of reflection and planning by students who participated in the fall break rebuilding trip. Produced by the American Humanics Student Association at William Jewell, the “how-to” guide is intended to assist others in organizing relief efforts to the battered Gulf Coast region.
“Those participating in the trip last fall were overwhelmed by their experience and wanted to provide additional help to the people affected by the disasters,” says Courtney Herren, a member of the American Humanics Student Association at William Jewell. “The manual is a product of that desire. While many participants hope to return to the area again to assist with the relief effort, we decided that creating a manual would be an effective way of furthering the relief effort, as it would assist others preparing to help those in need.”
The manual is being distributed to college campuses nationwide, with printing expenses underwritten by William Jewell’s Student Senate. It contains practical information on organizing a relief trip, including a guide to relief organizations to partner with, insurance considerations, advice on necessary immunizations, expenses to anticipate, sources of funding and transportation needs. The guidebook contains tips on promoting relief trips and attracting participants, along with sample documents including examples of promotional posters aimed at recruiting volunteers and soliciting funds. There is also an extensive Q&A section, as well as a list of things to pack for the trip.
“The relief work being done in the Gulf Coast region is physically demanding,” says Kevin Shaffstall, Director of the Pryor Leadership Program and American Humanics Campus Executive Director at William Jewell, who coordinated the fall trip. “For that reason, it’s ideally suited to college-aged students who are generally able to actively participate in the kinds of clean-up projects that need to be accomplished as part of the rebuilding process.”
A group of William Jewell College students, faculty and staff made a return trip to the Gulf Coast during spring break in March under the auspices of the college’s American Humanics chapter. American Humanics is a national alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofits dedicated to educating, preparing and certifying professionals to strengthen and lead nonprofit organizations.
A downloadable pdf of the Hurricane Relief Manual can be accessed at:
http://www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_pages/Pryor_American_Humanics_p2229.html
(click on Hurricane Relief Manual at the bottom of the page). For more information, or to request a printed copy of the manual, contact Kevin Shaffstall at 816-781-7700, ext. 5457, or by email at shaffstall@william.jewell.edu
Union Renovations on Target
  Construction work is on schedule for a mid- to late-summer opening of the new 15,000-square-foot addition to the Yates-Gill College Union. Dedication ceremonies are scheduled during Opening Convocation in September. At Achieve’s press deadline, masonry crews were continuing their work on the cast stone on the east (front) elevation of the building. Inside, sheetrock crews were over 75% complete. Work has been accelerated in the East Dining Hall. The ceiling, walls, and much of the tile flooring has been finished. With the installation of carpeting, the East Dining Hall will be virtually ready for occupancy.
Jewell Students Present Entrepreneurial Forum
Students in the business administration and economics department of William Jewell College presented the third annual Entrepreneurial Forum during the spring semester.
“The purpose of our Entrepreneurial Forum is to broaden students’ and community members’ perspective about entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship,” said senior Stephanie Spencer. “We want to help them think outside the box and provide new insights about starting a business or helping to grow the company they work for.” Keynote speaker for the event was Neal L. Patterson, chairman of the board, chief executive officer and founder of Cerner Corporation.
William Jewell College SIFE Team Addresses Need for
Computer Literacy Training
 William Jewell College’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team hosted a spring semester basic introductory computer workshop to help community volunteers involved in not-for-profit organizations enhance their computer skills. The workshop curriculum included the basics of file management, mail merge and basic concepts of Excel including formulas, database lists and creating forms. Participants also addressed email use for sending attachments and broadcasting communications via the Internet.
“With the remarkable Kansas City philanthropic community in mind, students designed a workshop to help make volunteers’ efforts more efficient,” said SIFE Business Advisory Board member Mary Sallee, who worked with students to lead the training on the Jewell campus.
Jewell SIFE students also competed in a regional competition where judges honored the SIFE teams that do the best job of teaching business success skills in their communities. Founded in 1975 and active on more than 1,700 college and university campuses worldwide, SIFE is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with business and higher education to provide college students the opportunity to make a difference and to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise.
Jewell Introduces Sophomore Year Experience with Habitat Service Project
  Following up on the success of its nationally recognized First-Year Experience that has eased the transition to college life for hundreds of incoming students, William Jewell College has launched a new Sophomore Year Experience aimed at extending the assisted period of adjustment to the academic and social components of college life.
“William Jewell’s first-year and orientation initiatives have been recognized nationally and continue to be highly successful at assisting new students with their transition to college, preparing them for the academic rigor and social integration that occurs within the campus community during the first year,” said Rick Winslow, Dean of Students at William Jewell. “In initiating the Sophomore Year Experience, our intention is to extend those same principles in a comprehensive and integrated way to facilitate students’ transition from the first year to the sophomore year.”
Winslow said that the new program focuses on two institutional imperatives related to sophomore level students. First, it will immerse students in an active and directed program of service to the larger community, which is one of the key elements of the college’s mission. As part of the Sophomore Year Experience, sophomore students are constructing a Habitat for Humanity House for a Liberty family from the ground up.
“This partnership between William Jewell College and Habitat For Humanity Northland will provide housing for families in need while also providing William Jewell students with the opportunity to serve their community and their world in significant and meaningful ways,” Winslow said.
A second emphasis of the program will focus on the specific developmental needs of sophomore students, whom studies show often experience some measure of disorientation during the second year of college.
“The research indicates that sophomore students often describe a kind of lull and have expressed a sense of feeling lost during this particular year of college,” Winslow said. “Sophomores can end up searching socially and academically for direction, and may feel that they lack a needed support system for this unique stage in the collegiate maturation process. The result can be difficulties in committing to a discipline of study.”
To better assist the developmental needs of sophomore students, William Jewell has developed new programs and services targeted for students during their second year of college. These services include the designation of a college staff member to work specifically for and with sophomores. The college will be providing additional advising opportunities for sophomores, in addition to more focused opportunities for interaction between students and faculty.
William Jewell Linked to Two Members of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of ’06
Charlie Richard
|
Bill Snyder |
Bill Snyder, retired Kansas State University football coach and member of the William Jewell class of 1962, and the late Charlie Richard were inducted recently into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Wichita, Kan.
Charlie Richard, a member of the William Jewell class of 1963, served as the football coach at Baker University and retired with the highest winning percentage (80.9) in the nation. He guided Baker into NAIA playoffs ten times, amassing a career record of 123-28-1. Richard coached 14 NAIA All-Americans and was an NAIA Hall of Fame inductee.
St. Joseph native Bill Snyder was hired in 1988 to turn around the worst program in major college football history—the only program with 500 losses—the Kansas State University Wildcats. Seventeen years later, Coach Snyder became K-State’s all-time winningest football coach with 136 wins, leading the Wildcats to 11 consecutive bowl game appearances. Snyder’s impressive resume includes being named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, ESPN and CNN, Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1990, 1991 and 1993, and Big 12 Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2002. Snyder was a standout football player at William Jewell College.
“William Jewell is honored to count among its alumni these two men who have made a lasting and indelible impression in the athletic arena,” said Dr. James Redd, director of athletics at William Jewell. “Both men have left significant legacies for generations to come.”
Carol Marinovich Offers Dickinson Lecture at Jewell
 Carol Marinovich, former mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kan., presented the annual Dickinson Lecture on Business Enterprise at William Jewell. Marinovich is the former mayor of Kansas City, Kan., and former chief executive officer of the Wyandotte County Unified Government. Marinovich earned her master’s degree from the University of Kansas School of Education in 1981. After teaching in the classroom for nine years, Marinovich became the coordinator of special education for the Kansas City, Kan., school district. During that time, she began her political career, becoming not only the first female mayor but also the first mayor/CEO of the newly formed Unified Government. Among her many accomplishments as mayor/CEO, Marinovich was instrumental in the development of the Kansas Speedway and the Village West retail district, in the renewal of formerly blighted neighborhoods, and in the consolidation of the city and county governments. Marinovich has received numerous awards, including being named one of the nation’s top 11 public officials by Governing magazine in 2002. She recently joined the Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm in Kansas City as Vice President of Public Affairs.
The Gary Dickinson Lectureship at William Jewell was established with a grant from the Gary Dickinson Family Charitable Foundation of Kansas City, Mo. The lecture series is dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship and business leadership in the community. It is named for the late Gary Dickinson of Chillicothe, Mo., founder of the Dickinson Financial Corporation and a friend of the College.
Jewell theater season includes British showcase
Following the U.S. premiere of a pair of plays by Icelandic playwright Jónas Jonasson during the fall semester, the William Jewell College department of theater’s spring season included the North American premiere performances of two plays by Francis Warner, a tutor in William Jewell’s overseas study programs in Oxford, England.
“A Conception of Love” and “Light Shadows” were performed by a student cast in Peters Theater in April, with playwright Warner and his wife, Penelope, in attendance.
“A Conception of Love” offered a comic look at four Oxford undergraduates standing on the brink between academia and adult life, with complications arising out of their search for love, friendship and purpose. The dramatic “Light Shadows” explored the concept of truth as observed from the perspective of some of history’s greatest figures, including the emperor Nero and the apostle Paul.
Warner participated in talkback sessions with audience members following the opening night performance of each of his plays. |
