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THE BRUSH CREEK BULLETIN Volume 8, Issue 2 March/April 2006   ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY AWAITS NEW PRESIDENT The Rev. Thomas B. Curran, O.S.F.S., has been named the 14th president of Rockhurst University. He is expected to begin his duties in June. Curran currently serves as associate vice president for University Relations and assistant to the President at Regis University in Denver. He is an ordained Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, dedicated to education, the missions, and parish work. Curran will be the university’s first non-Jesuit president. The Rev. Thomas B. Curran, O.S.F.S. In announcing the appointment, Thomas A. McCullough, chairman of the Rockhurst Board of Trustees said, “The board believes Fr. Curran will be a leader in strengthening the role Rockhurst plays in the life of the city and the region. His extensive experience in educational administration and fund raising, joined with his ease at connecting with people, make him an excellent choice for this position.” Curran replaces the Rev. Edward Kinerk, S.J., who announced in September 2005 that he would step down as president in June. Kinerk will take a sabbatical after which he will receive a new work assignment from the Jesuit provincial. Fr. Kinerk was appointed in December 1997 and officially began his tenure June 1, 1998. “I’ve known Fr. Curran for several years and I believe he will be an extraordinary and inspirational leader for our institution,” said Kinerk. “The spirituality and philosophy of the Salesian order are derived from St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. As such there is a kinship between our orders.” Before joining Regis, Fr. Curran served as founder and executive director of Nativity Preparatory School in Wilmington, Delaware; president of Salesianum School in Wilmington; and president of Northeast Catholic High School for Boys in Philadelphia. KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION AWARDS $15 MILLION TO ADVANCE AREA MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION Total of $22 Million Committed In the First of the Foundation’s Ten-Year Agenda Students in school districts throughout the greater Kansas City area will receive enhanced mathematics and science education beginning next year through a three-year, $15 million commitment by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The foundation awarded the grants, ranging from $600,000 to $1.5 million, to 13 school districts across the five-county metropolitan area, including the Kansas City, Missouri School District. The grants were made based on district size, the number of disadvantaged students in the districts, and the quality and scope of proposals that were submitted. The funding will go to develop quality math and science classrooms and learning experiences for students throughout the Kansas City area. Funding will help support new and innovative programs and curricula, professional development for math and science teachers and district leaders, new materials and equipment for students, and other support and resources to help students experience math and science in real-world applications. “Better educating our future business leaders and workers in math and science is critically important, not only because it will help our young people survive and thrive economically, but because it will help our entire community stay strong and grow,” said Carl Schramm, Kauffman Foundation president and chief executive officer. “The Kauffman Foundation aspires to help Kansas City build a world-class approach for math and science education that can serve as a model of educational entrepreneurship for school systems across the country.” The foundation also will establish a Learning Innovation Network to provide a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers and school leaders, along with other types of resource and coordination support to all schools in the five-county Kansas City metro area. Through a comprehensive ten-year agenda, the Kauffman Foundation will be working with a variety of partners to bring innovative programs to Kansas City students. More than $7 million was awarded in the past year to support professional development for teachers, new school models and several in-school and out-of-school programs such as FIRST Robotics, Project Lead the Way, the JASON Project, ChalkWaves, Crayons to CAD, Homework Zone and several summer science enrichment camps. This education agenda also will work to foster local, state and national policies that improve math and science education and to evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies and programs, so that what is learned in Kansas City can be shared with other communities throughout the nation. PARTNER UPDATES Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City has been named in an independent national research study as a recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient SafetyTM. This distinction by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading health care ratings company, ranks Saint Luke’s Hospital among the top five percent nationally for patient safety outcomes. This is the second year in a row that Saint Luke’s has earned this award, placing it among an elite group of only 106 hospitals nationally and four in the state of Missouri. Saint Luke’s is the only Kansas City hospital to receive the award. Pat Long, interim executive vice chancellor for the University of Missouri-Kansas City, has been named the president-elect of Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. She will assume her new duties on July 1, 2006. Long came to UMKC in 2000 as vice chancellor for Student Affairs, assumed responsibilities for University Advancement in 2005 and was named interim executive vice chancellor last July 1. John Amato has been named the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s vice chancellor for University Advancement. Currently the President of the Iowa College Foundation, Amato will begin work at UMKC on July 1, 2006. His 22-year career in university advancement includes service as Executive Director of Development for Drake University in Des Moines. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry Professor Lynda Bonewald has received a $6.59 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to pursue research relating to bone cells. Bonewald is director of the school’s Bone Biology program within the Oral Biology Department. Officials hope the five-year study will help in the prevention and treatment of diseases like osteoporosis. Ron Yu, assistant investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, has been awarded nearly $2 million from the National Institutes of Health grant for his work, “Genetic Mapping of Functional Vomeronasal Circuit.” His work deals with the mechanism of sensory information processing in the brain—especially as it relates to the sense of smell. Two development projects along the Brush Creek Corridor were recognized by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City with a Cornerstone Award in March. They include the Plaza Colonnade, a $70 million commercial/retail development that includes the Plaza Branch Library at 4801 Main Street; and the Shops at Blue Parkway, Swope Community Builders’ $31 million, 156,000 square foot commercial and retail complex along Blue Parkway at Elmwood Avenue. Midwest Research Institute (MRI) was recognized by the 82nd Airborne Division Commander for voluntary support and scientific expertise provided to the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division during its deployment to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. A team of nearly 30 MRI engineers, scientists and technicians assisted the 82nd Airborne Division in screening flooded areas for potential contaminants. Jason Pollen, professor and chair of the fiber department at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), has been elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in recognition of outstanding artistic achievement and leadership in the field. A member of the KCAI faculty since 1983, Pollen paints and prints with dyes on silk, creating lustrous, vibrant, colorful abstract works that have been exhibited in the United States and abroad. He has received many grants, awards and prizes. Under Pollen’s leadership, fiber has grown to become one of the most popular majors at KCAI. Carl F. Calkins has been named interim director of The Center for the City at UMKC. Calkins is currently the director of the UMKC Institute for Human Development, which houses a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. He has held this position since joining UMKC in 1978 as a tenured Professor of Psychology. Calkins replaces Linda Gill Taylor, who retired March 31 after serving as The Center for the City’s founding director for five years. UMKC STUDENTS PLAN TO HELP REBUILD NEW ORLEANS With the support of a $300,000 federal Housing and Urban Development grant, seven students in the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Architecture, Urban Planning and Design program are completing their undergraduate studies by planning a part of New Orleans rebuilding. They were there twice this semester to work with the Urban Conservancy, a non-profit agency in New Orleans, to focus on “second tier” heritage tourism (outside the French Quarter) and returning this vital economic resource to pre-Katrina levels. These same students worked with Brush Creek Community Partners last semester to develop a 20-year vision for the redevelopment of the Brush Creek Corridor. UMKC Urban Planning students Vanessa Spartan, Jawairia Sial and Bart Rudolph contemplate the art in New Orleans’ City Park Sculpture Garden which re-opened in January.   UMKC PLANS UNIFIED COMMENCEMENT In a departure from past practice, everyone graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City this spring will receive their degrees at the same time. Traditionally, the twelve schools that make up UMKC have held separate commencement exercises. This year, the commencement is unified, with all the schools participating in a combined ceremony on Saturday, May 6 in Theis Park, between the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Midwest Research Institute, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. UMKC is inviting the students and their families, alumni and friends throughout the city to join them as one UMKC community. In the spirit of neighborliness, many Brush Creek Community partners and other area businesses and institutions have offered extra parking or special promotions to make the graduates and their guests welcome. At a later time, each of the schools will hold special recognition ceremonies for their graduating students. More information is available at the commencement web site: http://www.umkc.edu/commencement/ KEMPER FEATURES VISITING ARTIST’S FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION Ryan Humphrey: Empty Thoughts, Lame Excuses, and Decorative Lies, is on view through July 2 at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Humphrey uses customization to comment on what he perceives to be a safe and static art world by bringing the gritty, gearhead culture of cars into the pristine gallery space. This is Vantasy, 2005–2006, using a 1971 C-10 Chevrolet van. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18 the museum will host some of Kansas City’s finest “souped-up” street rods, cruisers, and other customized vehicles in the parking lot from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Viewers can make comparisons between the artist’s works and Kansas City car culture artistry. The Kemper Museum and this event are free and open to the public. ARBOR DAY RECOGNIZED IN THE CORRIDOR Two Brush Creek Corridor neighborhoods benefited when national support collaborated with local talent to plant trees on Missouri Arbor Day. The April 7 events drew school children and representatives of conservation groups, businesses and neighborhoods to plant trees as part of the community’s revitalization efforts. The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council oversaw the planting of 99 large trees in Ivanhoe Park at 43rd and Wabash. The work was supported by: the National Arbor Day Foundation, the Home Depot Foundation, the Heartland Tree Alliance, the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, Prince of Peace Church, the Front Porch Alliance and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Kansas City Power and Light sponsored a tree-planting event at the Boys and Girls Club, 43rd & Cleveland. KCP&L's vegetation management contractors, Nelson Tree and ECI worked with children from Boys and Girls Club to plant 26 trees, and also pruned mature trees and shared information about the right trees to plant and how to plant correctly (photo above). KCP&L was recognized as a TreeLine USA Utility for the fourth consecutive year by the National Arbor Day Foundation. AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AFFECTS BRUSH CREEK All along Brush Creek in Missouri, the same pipes that carry wastewater also collect storm water runoff in a Combined Sewer System. Most of the time, combined sewer systems effectively move stormwater and wastewater to a treatment plant. However, during heavy rains, wastewater combined with stormwater may exceed the capacity of the pipes and discharge into streams and rivers, and even backup into basements, which can happen along Brush Creek. What to do about Kansas City’s sewers and management of stormwater runoff is being worked on through collaboration of citizens’ groups, city staff and consultant teams and elected officials in the city’s Wet Weather Solutions Program. The multi-year planning process led by Kansas City’s Water Services Department began in 2003 focused on defining the city’s overflow reduction strategy, identifying specific projects to be constructed, and recommending improvements to Waters Services’ operations and maintenance. The first step in the process, the Work Plan, was recently approved by Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Work is underway on Control and Funding Plans for what will be a tremendous investment in Kansas City’s infrastructure. The plans are expected to be completed in 2008. FOR PAUL SCHOFER, THE CULTURAL CORRIDOR MEANS FAMILY, THEN FINANCIALS Paul Schofer knows there are certain responsibilities that are compatible with being chief financial officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a member of the Brush Creek Community Partners Board of Directors. Such as taking his two young children to check out the latest blooms in Mrs. K’s garden (the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden), or to an art class at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art or rolling up his sleeves with them at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. Sure, there are the financial analyses and financial statements, but first there is family, and Schofer says his is somewhere along the Brush Creek Corridor almost every weekend. “I live in the older part of Kansas City and have been an advocate for developing the urban core area as a place where we can bring our children,” Schofer says. “The Cultural Corridor as a go-to destination is very appealing to me from a personal perspective.” Which, he says, makes it more fun to be a part of BCCP board discussions and encourage cultural and educational programs. As the Kauffman Foundation Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Schofer provides management and oversight in the areas of finance, human resources, information technology, facilities and conference center management administration, grants administration and internal and external financial control and services. Paul Schofer Schofer notes, “The Kauffman Foundation is excited to see this Corridor becoming a place where people enjoy bringing their kids, living, eating and working. In a relatively short period of time, we’ve seen a grocery store open up down the road, and small- to mid-scale businesses critical to the whole urban core establish residence in and around this neighborhood. I think we’re going to see more and more in the future.” The former Marion Laboratories associate and Price Waterhouse Coopers CPA has already seen much development since the foundation decided to build its office and conference center in the Corridor at 4801 Rockhill Road over seven years ago. “After we established roots, there’s been the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, the Discovery Center, and the Kauffman Memorial Garden, just to name a few.” Schofer remembers the location was not the least expensive option available to the foundation. Now he believes “It’s one of the many great investments the Kauffman Foundation has made in the urban community.” He notes there was never a statement made by the foundation that “we’re going to help make this a better community, starting right here.” But Schofer believes that has happened. He sees it with every art project or conservation lesson his children bring home.