Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ’s Top 20 Accomplishments In Its First 20 Years (2000-20)
On January 1, 2000, Park College officially became known as Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ. Below, staff from Park’s 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 — 2003
     • and 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.
     • Ģ¹½ÊÓÆµ offered Emergency Military Scholarships for military members caught in federal government sequester; national media coverage ensues — March 2013
     • Ģ¹½ÊÓÆµ 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 and adds of seven developmental (JV) programs — Fall 2017
     • Ģ¹½ÊÓÆµâ€™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 program in the Kansas City area beginning January 2019 — July 2018
     • Ģ¹½ÊÓÆµ 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 Newsâ€� — 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
     • Ģ¹½ÊÓÆµ holds a groundbreaking event for the Plaster Center – December 6, 2019