If you are interested in learning more about what Park University faculty and staff has been up to with their writing and research, then the 9th annual Author’s Reception is the place to be. The event will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, in the multi-purpose space of the McAfee Memorial Library.

According to Glenn Ferdman, director of Library Services and organizer of the reception, opening remarks will be made by University President David M. Fowler and  Dr. Jerry D. Jorgensen, provost and senior vice president.

Then, university authors will present their work. There will be time at the end of each presentation for questions the audience might have about the research and or publication presented.

Participants are limited to faculty and staff from both the Park University Parkville campus and the campus centers who have had works published since January 2014.
The date of the event is also designed so as not to conflict with the student research symposium scheduled for the week prior.

“You get to hear about some of the research and publications being done by Park faculty,” said Ferdman. “In my experience, I think people found it very inspiring and they walk away thinking ‘that’s something I want to do’ or ‘be a part of’ and go and pursue their own publications and research.”

According to Ferdman, the reception was started nine years ago by Ann Schultz, reference and instruction librarian.

“She started the reception as a way of acknowledging and honoring Park’s authors,” said Ferdman.

Since taking over the reception last year, Ferdman has made some changes like allowing staff members to participate.

The reception will be broadcast through the use of webcasting. Anyone with access to internet can watch the reception live.

According to Ferdman, several presentations were given from campus centers and streamed on a screen for people in Parkville to see as it was happening.

“The forum that Glenn set up last year worked so well,” said Gail Hennessy, assistant professor of Education and CETL faculty director, who attended the event last year.

“People could be there in a face-to-face environment but at Park we also want to provide an opportunity for the online environment. People were able to share in the reception from campus centers and we had their faces too, it was great.”

The submissions are also very diverse according to Ferdman. Everything from children’s books to more traditional academic topics will be covered in the reception.

“We even had one staff member who had written a series of children’s book with her children as co-authors,” he said.

Ferdman said the event is positive for the university.

“It brings together the university as a whole including campus centers and folks who are online,” he said.

Although it is not actively promoted outside Park University, the public is welcome to attend or tune in on an electronic device of choice.

In case you miss it, there will also be a recording posted on the library website after the event.

According to Ferdman, the challenge is reaching the online students and people at the various campus centers and satellite locations, which he hopes is remedied with the internet webcast and archive.

“(The event) gives people other ideas,” said Hennessy. “By listening to others you can think of different ideas. It’s just that creativeness giving our community the opportunity to listen and share and grow…into more academic work.”