by Roger Hershey
Park University is a growing entrepreneurial institution of higher education headquartered on its historic campus in Parkville, Missouri, ten miles north of downtown Kansas City. Park serves over 26,000 students who study on 43 Campus Centers in 21 states and online through its School for Extended Learning. Park was founded in 1875 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Since adoption of its Master Facilities Plan May 5, 2006 Park has been committed to an environmentally responsible future. One of the goals of the plan is to promote a unique, beautiful campus setting, preserve its natural beauty, and utilize planning principles that encourage a healthy, attractive environment based upon sustainable design principles. The design guidelines adopted pursuant to the plan require that new buildings incorporate environmentally sensitive building materials. Park has committed that the new student residences currently under construction be built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Standard.
In February 2007 Park President Beverley Byers-Pevitts signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment committing Park to exercise leadership in its communities by eliminating its global emissions and by integrating sustainability into the curriculum. President Byers-Pevitts attended the ACUPCC Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. June 11th and 12th, where she joined 70 other college and university presidents to publicly launch the Presidents Climate Commitment. The President’s Climate Commitment Commission for Park University that was established in June 2007 has been charged by President Byers-Pevitts to develop a comprehensive action plan to enable Park to meet its climate commitment obligations.
Efforts are already underway to change University policy to assure the purchase of environmentally responsible goods and services. Park is participating with the City of Parkville in an effort to extend public transportation from downtown Kansas City to Parkville, both for environmental purposes and in order to serve the Park student body many of whom are international students who do not own cars. Later this fall the discussion of how to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum is expected to receive attention from the Park faculty.
Park’s recent relationship with the Sierra Club began during July 2006 when the Missouri Chapter Executive and Conservation Committees met in the Woodard Conference Center in the Parkville Commercial Underground which is located in space created by the mining of limestone under the campus. Some participants stayed in the Park dormitories and enjoyed the spectacular views of the Missouri River below the campus. The two chapter committees returned to the Park campus for their July 2007 meetings during which they spent several hours working on long range planning for the Chapter. Again, a number of participants stayed in the dorms. The Saturday potluck was hosted by Nancy and Roger Hershey in their Independence home.
On May 4th Park launched its new Civic Engagement Lecture Series. Working with the Thomas Hart Benton Regional Group, Park invited Michael McCloskey, former Executive Director and Chairman of the Sierra Club to be the inaugural speaker. McCloskey spoke about “Civic Engagement, Environmentalism, his Career with the Sierra Club, and the Challenge of Climate Change.” He also autographed copies of his recent book, “In the Thick of It, My Life in the Sierra Club,” (which is available through the Park Bookstore)
A varied group of local Sierra Club members, Park students, the general public, the local press and members of Park’s faculty and executive staff attended the lecture. Park also arranged for McCloskey to be interviewed live by Stephen Steigman, Producer, Up to Date, on KCUR, the National Public Radio affiliate sponsored by the University of Missouri--Kansas City.
Park’s recent actions evidence an institutional commitment to an environmentally responsible future. President Byers-Pevitts hopes that the presidents of other Missouri and Kansas universities will recognize that the well-being of the planet hangs in the balance and sign the President’s Climate Commitment.
Roger Hershey, a former Trustee of the Sierra Club Foundation, Missouri Chapter Chair and Council Delegate, is Vice President & General Counsel at Park University where he also serves as Vice Chair of the Park University Climate Commitment Commission.