Park University’s Top 20 Accomplishments In Its First 20 Years (2000-20)

On January 1, 2000, Park College officially became known as Park University. Below, staff from Park’s Office of University Engagement have compiled the top 20 accomplishments and news items from the University’s first 20 years (in chronological order).

          •  Breckon Sports Center was completed and an official dedication held — February 2001
          •  Dr. Beverely Byers-Pevitts becomes the first female president of Park in school history — June 1, 2001
          •  Establishment of the International Center for Music — 2003
          •  Men’s volleyball and women’s volleyball programs win a combined 7 NAIA national titles between 2003 and 2018, including undefeated season for women’s team in 2014
          •  Copley Quad residence hall opens, becomes first new student housing on the Parkville Campus since 1969 — Fall 2008
          •  Plant fossils dating some 306 million years old — Parkvillia northcutti — fossil leaves from an extinct family of plants known as Lyginopteridaceae, are found on Parkville Campus — 2009
          •  Norrington Center windows are replaced in 2010 following a fundraising campaign and the building undergoes a major renovation in 2015.
          •  Park University offered Emergency Military Scholarships for military members caught in federal government sequester; national media coverage ensues — March 2013
          •  Park University receives $168,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation for Dr. Patty Ryberg, the first NSF grant to a Park faculty member since 1993 — May 2014
          •  Thompson Commons undergoes $3 million remodel — Summer 2017
          •  Record number of first-time freshmen begin classes — Fall 2017
          •  The University announces the return of men’s golf and adds of seven developmental (JV) programs — Fall 2017
          •  Park University’s Parkville Campus experiences a nearly 75-second total solar eclipse and receives national media coverage via National Public Radio — August 2017
          •  The University announces it will offer the first collegiate varsity esports program in the Kansas City area beginning January 2019 — July 2018
          •  Park University is approved to open a new campus in Gilbert, Ariz., with classes beginning in October 2018 — July 2018
          •  The University spearheads the effort of a Congress-led systematic review of minorities being denied the Medal of Honor — April 2019
          •  Park’s Valor Medals Review efforts earn national media coverage, including a story that airs on “CBS Evening News” — July 4, 2019
          •  Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and Sen. Roy Blunt visit the Parkville Campus; Parson is the first Missouri governor to visit the campus in 39 years — Summer 2019
          •  Historic Park House on the Parkville Campus is moved to make way for the construction of the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center — August 2019
          •  Park University holds a groundbreaking event for the Plaster Center – December 6, 2019