Weekly Digest - March 4, 2025: The Crow's Nest Edition
New President at Utah Tech University, Shane Smeed, Takes Office
Shane Smeed, formerly the President of Park University, has taken up a new role as the President of Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah, effective from February 26. Smeed's tenure at Utah Tech is set to begin in full for the Fall 2025 academic year, as indicated by his participation in the university's Fall Academic Convocation scheduled for August 11, 2025.
The transition from Park University to Utah Tech University appears to have taken place in the first half of 2025, allowing Smeed to assume leadership at Utah Tech well before the Fall semester. His appointment follows a period of faculty mistrust under the previous president, suggesting that his transition may have included efforts to rebuild trust and stability at Utah Tech.
Meanwhile, at Park University, there are several notable developments. Nikki Pauls DeSimone, an assistant professor of social work, has provided comments for an opinion article about snow day policies for local school districts. Gini Fite, an adjunct instructor of sport and exercise science, was recently honoured by the Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association as its Athletic Trainer of the Year.
In the realm of academics, Amber Dailey-Hebert, the Director of the Faculty Center for Innovation and a professor of organizational leadership and adult learning, co-authored a paper titled "Understanding the Complexity of Centers for Teaching and Learning: Introducing a Four-Dimensional Model" published in Higher Education.
The International Center for Music at Park University is also thriving, with Ilkhom Mukhiddinov, a current violin graduate student, appointed to the first violin section of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Nikita Korzukhin and Ali Mammadoff, Park ICM students, will perform a recital on March 27 in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel. Students from the International Center for Music also performed live on Kansas Public Radio's "Classical Music in the Morning".
Park University has also entered into a partnership with Veterans Community Project, a Missouri nonprofit organization that provides temporary housing and other strategic support services to veterans facing homelessness. The Ellen Finley Earhart Department of Nursing at Park University is part of this initiative.
Upcoming events at Park University include the Women Transforming Criminal Justice Event, an International Center for Music Concert, the Student Research and Creative Arts Symposium, and an International Center for Music Concert with Guest Conductor Barbara Yahr. David Radzynski and Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, internationally renowned musicians, will perform in concert on March 14 at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan.
In administrative appointments, Scott Fergerson has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Park University, effective February 2. John Huber has been appointed as Director of Corporate Development and Admissions within the Office of Enrollment Management at Park University, effective January 27.
Stephen Cox, a Park University alumnus, was featured in a radio interview on KTRS-AM in St. Louis. Kody Petersen, a Parkville Campus student, was appointed as the Veterans Initiatives Manager with the Branson (Mo.) Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Jack MacLennan, the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications, and Special Assistant to the President for Governance, authored a chapter titled "Teaching Online 'Finding a Way Through Assessment Mirages: Teaching IR as a Toolset Online'" published in The Palgrave Handbook on the Pedagogy of International Relations Theory.
Lastly, Joshua Mugg, an associate professor of philosophy and the Director of the Honors Academy, was interviewed for a story about the use of artificial intelligence in an "Unfinished Legacies" campaign in Kansas City, Mo., to "bring back to life" individuals who died because of a fentanyl overdose.
In summary, Shane Smeed's transition from the presidency of Park University to Utah Tech University is underway, with Smeed set to lead Utah Tech before the Fall 2025 semester. Meanwhile, Park University continues to thrive, with numerous academic, administrative, and partnership developments.
- Shane Smeed, in his role as the new President of Utah Tech University, may choose to focus on education-and-self-development initiatives, such as implementing programs that foster critical thinking skills and personal growth.
- While general-news outlets report on the transitions happening in higher education, local sports news also highlights accomplishment by athletes and educators from Park University, such as the recent honor bestowed upon Gini Fite for her work in sport and exercise science.
