Nicole: Hey what's up Youniversity TV watchers? I'm Nicole Aaron. And today we're at Park University, which is a private 4-year liberal arts university. Come make a splash through campus with me. Park University is located in Parkville, Missouri, known for its historic downtown area with antique shops and art galleries.
Parkville, the city, life down the hill, walking distance is a destination spot for this entire region. And we're 10 minutes from downtown Kansas City.
So it offers a great opportunity to go downtown and check out the different things. And now the power and light district is going in, there, that's really fun to hang out down there.
Nicole: The picturesque 700-acre campus is in the heart of the Midwest on a bluff overlooking downtown Parkville and the Missouri River. On campus you'll find the commercial and academic underground world. It has a number of offices, departments, and classrooms, including this graphic design studio where learning about the newly popular major with my friend Ginelle. [phonetic] Park University has roughly 24,200 students worldwide, taking classes at 43 campus centers in 21 states and online.
I very much enjoy teaching online, which surprised me. Because I thought I would really miss the one on one interaction in the classroom, face to face. The way our online courses are organized we have chat groups, we have live talk, lots of interaction, and the students do actually comment on one another's work and their papers. And then I am allowed to join that conversation as well as lead it. So I have found it that it's a wonderful experience to be teaching someone who is in Afghanistan, for instance, at the same time that I'm teaching someone who's right here in the Parkville area.
Nicole: About 1/3 of the residential population is international with more than 665 students from 120 countries attending Park campuses across the country. Park's gender make up is a 50-50 split, with approximately 42% ethnic minority students.
One thing I did like when I first came to Park that there are a lot of international students. It's good, because they show you some of their culture, you learn from them. You get a bigger view of the world and what's going on in it.
Nicole: First time freshmen with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are automatically admitted, regardless of ACT or SAT scores. Those who have GPA's that fall below a 3.0 will need at least a 2.0 GPA, and ACT of 20, an SAT of 940, a rank in the upper 50% of their graduating class. Average annual cost for a full time student who lives on campus is approximately $17,500 for tuition, room and board, and books. For a full time commuter student the cost is just over $10,000 per year for tuition and books. Park University offers 12 associates, 50 undergraduate, and 7 graduate degrees. The interior and graphics design programs at Park are exploding in popularity. But the top 3 are still business administration, education, and criminal justice.
Students get the best of both worlds. Park has the look and feel of a small private college, with really the advantages of a large university. And you know, our mission is access with a quality education. And so we take that very seriously. And that's why we have, we have programs that times, places, and formats, whatever best serves the students. So it's very student friendly and very convenient for students who have [inaudible] like.
Nicole: Park has 130 full time faculty members. 71% hold a terminal degree, 29% are tenured, and another 31% have tenure tract status. In addition, 4 faculty members have been prestigiously named Full Bright Scholars.
Students have full access to their professors here. There's no TA's teaching in the undergraduate classrooms. You actually have the professor every day, every class session. So you don't have to worry about not having that accessibility. Office hours are pretty wide open based upon the availability of classes and meetings. But it's full access. Very involved in the student life here and off campus.
Nicole: The Park Pirates are members of the American Midwest Conference. The men's and women's soccer teams have both made appearances at the NAIA National Tournaments in recent years, and men's volleyball has won the NAIA National Title twice.
I love going to the games. Soccer is like our football. Soccer is awesome here. Men's volleyball just won National's, so it's always fun to go watch volleyball.
Nicole: There are 4 residence halls, including the recently completely Coply [phonetic] Quad Hall, and 4 undergraduate apartments on campus.
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Nicole: Park University boasts nearly 50 clubs and organizations, plus intramurals like flag football, poker, dodge ball, softball, and table tennis. Match point, you're gonna loose. But if you want something a little more low key, Higher Grounds sponsors a coffee house here. What's better than free samples and free entertainment from local bands? Nothing. They also host an open mic night. Just gonna try out my act with you right now. So this man walks into a bar [laughter]. Stop. They already know I'm funny. You've got mail. Get your degree online, in the classroom, day or night, or a blend of two, whatever works for you, at Park University. Well that's it for us from Parkville, Missouri. I'm Nicole Aaron. We'll see you real soon.
