Colleges and Universities

Acclaimed pianist Sam Stryke (aka Struyk) comes to The University of Kansas Edwards Campus for a special Christmas Jazz Concert on December 8 at 7 pm. Called “a formidable talent” by On-The-Town Magazine, Stryke shows off his jazz chops while still delivering his characteristically nostalgic and melodic treatment of Christmas favorites. Think Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas. Tickets are FREE.

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Media Contact: Nicole A. Fritz
Phone: 816.672.2090
Fax: 816.672.2676
Email: Nicole.Fritz@mcckc.edu
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This fall, Metropolitan Community College-Longview begins a series of events to celebrate 40 proud years. Since 1969, the year of the moon landing, MCC-Longview has been preparing students and serving the community. In 2009, the college celebrates the milestone with community events running through May of 2010.

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Media Contact: Nicole A. Fritz
Phone: 816.672.2090
Fax: 816.672.2676
Email: Nicole.Fritz@mcckc.edu
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The MCC-Longview Recreation Center will welcome community members of all ages for the first-ever Day After Thanksgiving Boot Camp on November 27 at 11 a.m. Recreation Center membership is not required for the post-holiday workout session.

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Media Contact: Nicole A. Fritz
Phone: 816.672.2090
Fax: 816.672.2676
Email: Nicole.Fritz@mcckc.edu
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MCC-Longview Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) members will host the chapter’s annual Hunger4Change dinner at 5:30 p.m. on November 21 to benefit Harvesters Food Network of Kansas City and OxFam International. The dinner will be held in the MCC-Longview Business building, room 103.

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Media Contact: Nicole A. Fritz
Phone: 816.672.2090
Fax: 816.672.2676
Email: Nicole.Fritz@mcckc.edu
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The MCC-Longview Cultural Arts Center presents “The Body Departed” art exhibition opening October 21. The exhibition, which is open through November 21, focuses on this absence or removal of the human figure in contemporary art. The opening reception will be held October 23, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

NEWS FROM HARD WORK U(r) COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS
POINT LOOKOUT, MO 65726
(417) 690-2212

Cherah HigginsNEWS FROM HARD WORK U(r) COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS
POINT LOOKOUT, MO 65726

Students Advance to Competition Finale to Showcase Technical Skills

KANSAS CITY, MO, Nov. 16, 2009 – Metropolitan Community College – Business and Technology Cisco Networking Academy today announced that students Jason Young & Ryan Steele have won the state-level Cisco® Networking Academy® NetRiders Skills Challenge, an interactive contest designed by the Cisco Networking Academy to give technical education students the opportunity to showcase their IT and networking skills and to recognize excellence among Networking Academy students. Jason Young & Ryan Steele will now advance to a final, virtual round of competition on Nov. 20 to compete for a grand-prize trip to Cisco headquarters in San Jose, Calif.

The United Nations has proclaimed the theme of “I AM” as the campaign slogan of World AIDS Day 2009, reminding us that access for all to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support is a fundamental human right. Since 1993, the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City has provided this access with local action and vision, spreading the message of prevention and assisting those affected with HIV/AIDS in Kansas City.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2009

Former Independent Counsel and Dean of Pepperdine Law School
Ken Starr to Speak at KU Law

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas Chapter of the Federalist Society is pleased to announce that Ken Starr, the former independent counsel whose investigations lead the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, will be visiting the University of Kansas School of Law on Thursday, November 19.

TubaChristmas 2009 will be hosted by The Kansas City Symphony on Friday, December 4. This event will be one of 240 TubaChristmas concerts presented around the United States in tribute to the late artist/teacher William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day 1902. The TubaChristmas ensemble performs traditional Christmas carols and songs, many of which were arranged by noted American composer Alec Wilder, who ironically died on Christmas Eve, 1980. The memories of Bell and Wilder are celebrated in the annual performances of TubaChristmas groups around the nation.

Peggy Neely-Harris, graduate of MCC-Penn Valley will be featured in award winning movie Streetballers, scheduled to debut at the Tivoli on Nov 13. The film is about two aspiring basketball players forced to deal with troubled families and the perils of street violence. Supporting actress, Harris, graduated from Penn Valley with an associate’s in 1977 then went on to receive her B.A. in Communications from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Nov. 9, 2009
Contact: Michael Johnson
(913) 971-3584
mljohnson@mnu.edu

MidAmerica Nazarene University Announces Degree Completion Discount Offer
When working adults consider going back to school, they want it all: an accredited degree plus convenience, flexibility, financial assistance and a record of success. . Since 1987, that’s exactly what MidAmerica Nazarene University has brought to the Kansas City area.

Contact: Michelle Barone
On A Wing And A Prayer
816-453-7705
mbarone29@yahoo.com

Sports fans can meet Gary Graf, author of three books on the parallels between the Bible and football, baseball and golf, during the Christmas Open House at On A Wing And A Prayer this Saturday, November 14th. Graf will be doing book signings between 10:00-12:00 and 1:30-3:30, and author readings will be held at 11:00 and 2:30. On A Wing And A Prayer is located at 6032 NE Antioch Road, in Gladstone, Missouri. Gary Graf's three best-selling books are:
Gary Graf - on football
Gary Graf - on baseball
Gary Graf - on golf

Eve of Creativity Studios is a multidisciplinary design agency based in greater Kansas City area, offering brand consultation, backed with a broad array of visual design and interactive technology services for its clients.

(KANSAS CITY) – The Kansas City Symphony marks the beginning of the holiday season with Handel’s Messiah on Thanksgiving weekend. The Kansas City Symphony and Chorus join with the Independence Messiah Choir for this mosaic of the scriptures, which remains Handel’s most famous work. With over 400 musicians on stage, it is one of the most triumphant choral pieces ever written. Messiah is best known for its familiar “Hallelujah” chorus.

“A séance for piano and orchestra" -- ghosts of music's past weave through the three movement concerto

(Kansas City) - The Kansas City Symphony will present the world premiere of Lost Souls - A Piano Concerto by Israeli composer Avner Dorman on November 20-22. Lost Souls tell the haunting story of a séance summoning ghosts of concertos past, ending in an exorcism. Praised by Gramophone Magazine as “a fresh, young voice, worth following,” Avner Dorman is a rising star composer whose orchestral works were recently performed by the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY HOSTS
KENNEDY CENTER PRESIDENT MICHAEL KAISER FOR FREE COMMUNITY ARTS CONVERSATION ON NOVEMBER 18

Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser to Travel to all 50 States, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., to address the challenges facing non-profit performing arts organizations today

Grantham University Announces New Certificates in Criminal Justice

For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Johanna Altland
Tel: 800-955-2527, ext. 513
jaltland@grantham.edu

Kansas City, Mo. - November 2, 2009 – Grantham University, http://www.grantham.edu, specializing in educating working adults, announced today that it has added four new Criminal Justice Certificates of Learning to its curriculum. Students can choose from the following certificates: Emergency Operations Management, Computer Forensic Investigations, Juvenile Justice and Criminal Investigation.

LAWRENCE (November 01, 2009) – University of Kansas ROTC students kickoff November with a run to raise money for veterans. The 5K race will begin Saturday, Nov. 7 at 8:15 a.m., and is open to anyone willing to donate $15 to the National Veterans Foundation. The race will start at the Burge Union on the KU campus and then zigzag for over three miles with prizes for the top three male and female runners who finish with the fastest times.

According to the Department of Education, 23 percent of those attending community colleges in the U.S. transferred to four-year institutions, while 38 percent of those achieved an associate’s degree before transferring. Last week, the University of Missouri and the Missouri Community College Association Presidents and Chancellors Council honored their distinguished and successful mutual alumni, who graduated from one of Missouri’s community colleges and later from MU.

MCC-Penn Valley is partnering with Barton Community College Great Bend, Kan., to enhance the offering of Medical Laboratory Technician/Clinical Laboratory Technician training to students in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Abby Cornelius and Teresa Snethen could say they were following up on the dream of a departed colleague. The two library media specialists at Overland Park’s Blue Valley North High School were honored this week for their work that netted the school one of three prestigious awards from the American Association of School Librarians.

While calling on America’s teacher preparation programs to do a better job of getting educators ready for the classroom, U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan noted a few institutions are doing the right thing already. In a speech at Columbia University Thursday, Oct. 22, one of the programs Duncan cited as a shining example was The Teachers College at Emporia State University.

Kansas City, MO (October 26, 2009) – There are countless studies on massage therapy’s positive effects. From stress reduction to better sleep to a better sense of wellness, massage therapy plays a large role in overall health. But what if the people who need it most aren’t getting it?

The University Career Center at the University of Kansas is sponsoring its tenth annual Education Career Fair from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, 2009, in the Kansas Union Ballroom (1301 Jayhawk Blvd) on the KU Campus in Lawrence. The event is open to students and professionals interested in learning more about career opportunities in education. Attendance is free, and there is no pre-registration required for attendees.

For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Johanna Altland
Phone: 816-595-5759
jaltland@grantham.edu

Kansas City, Mo. – October 20, 2009 - Grantham University, www.grantham.edu, an online university, announced today that employee, Paul Alley, was honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of the employees who serve in the Missouri National Guard and Reserve. Mr. Alley received his award from the Missouri Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from KU Edwards Campus
For more information; Elaine Warren, public relations director
Phone (913) 897-8411; e-mail: elainew@ku.edu

Regents Approve New Bachelor’s Degree at KU Edwards

In a collaborative effort, MCC-Penn Valley (MCCPV) and Literacy Kansas City (LKC) are offering a free reading class to students who are reading below the level of the presently-offered developmental reading classes at Penn Valley. 

Amy Garton
Interactive Marketing Manager
Overland Park Convention & Visitors Bureau
913-433-3716
agarton@visitoverlandpark.com

Overland Park, KS – The 2009 Kansas Tourism Conference will be held October 18-20 in Overland Park at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center. The annual educational conference is a joint effort by the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK) and the Kansas Department of Travel & Tourism (KST&T) and is themed this year as “Together: Engineering Fresh Beginnings.”