Following a nationwide search, Dr. Beth Ann Krueger has been selected to serve as vice president of academic affairs at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Dr. Krueger is anticipated to begin her new role at KCKCC in early February.
Krueger currently serves as dean of mathematics and science at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where she has been since 2014.
She also served seven years as science faculty at Central Arizona College, as chief academic officer-dean of academic affairs at Miles Community College in Miles City, Montana, and as director, Center for Distance Learning at Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas.
In addition to her U.S. experience, Dr. Krueger spent time in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China as a visiting professor of English. Her doctorate is in education administration from the University of Texas-Austin.
The search advisory committee chose to recommend to KCKCC President Greg Mosier three finalists for the VPAA position based on academic credentials, experience and leadership criteria.
The finalists visited the college for interviews Dec. 17 and 18 where they spent time meeting with various groups including faculty, staff, students and community members, the Dean’s Council and Dr. Mosier, among others.
Dr. Krueger brings to KCKCC a breadth of experiences gained from positions at institutions in multiple states, previous experience as a chief academic officer, Higher Learning Commission accreditation and assessment knowledge, as well as experience working on Complete College America and Achieving the Dream programs.
“This is an exciting, growth time for Kansas City Kansas Community College, and we very much look forward to welcoming Dr. Krueger to KCKCC and adding her as part of the college team,” Dr. Mosier said.
Sporting KC, the National World War I Museum and Memorial and The Soccer Lot will hold the sixth annual Truce Tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 26, to commemorate the World War I Christmas Truce.
A 3v3 soccer tournament will be played at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 26 on the southeast lawn at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
A free English Premier League Watch Party starting at 8 a.m., and a FIFA19 Playstation tournament also are part of the activities. The watch party includes food and beverages for sale. In addition to the soccer tournament, there will be an after-party at 2 p.m. at The Soccer Lot.
The event commemorates the Christmas Truce of 1914, in which the battles of World War I on the Western and Eastern fronts temporarily subsided. Members of both sides laid down their arms in a time of war to celebrate a day of peace by venturing out to “No Man’s Land” to exchange gifts, sing carols and play soccer.
The event also highlights the National World War I Museum and Memorial’s online exhibition, The Christmas Truce, Winter 1914, which features essays from renowned scholars about the remarkable event, dozens of first-hand accounts from soldiers on the front lines and a feature allowing anyone to declare their own truce and share via social media.
Registration for the soccer and FIFA19 tournaments is closed, but patrons can RSVP for the free EPL Watch Party, which features a British pub-themed atmosphere and the ability to watch matches on the Museum and Memorial’s 29-foot and 10-foot screens. Breakfast foods, beverages and cocktails will be available for purchase. For more information or to RSVP, visit thetrucekc.com.
Strong wind gusts blew the yellow construction hats off students’ heads at today’s groundbreaking for a new Piper intermediate school at 131st and Leavenworth Road. The school is planned for third through fifth grades. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)Piper students continued the groundbreaking with different construction hats in today’s groundbreaking for a new intermediate school at 131st and Leavenworth Road. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)
by Mary Rupert
Wind gusts may have knocked the yellow plastic construction hats off future Piper intermediate students at Thursday’s school groundbreaking, but that wasn’t enough to impede the ceremony.
It was just another tiny setback in a five-year effort to build a new school. Piper broke ground today at 131st and Leavenworth Road.
Piper school district officials were quick to replace the kids’ yellow construction hats with heavier construction hats for adults. Winds were gusting to 28 mph Thursday afternoon, with a temperature of 41 and a wind chill of 33. Speeches for the event were held inside a tent at the site of the new school, with the wind whipping at the sides of the tent. More than 50 people attended.
Tim Conrad, Piper School District superintendent, noted that the voters approved this bond issue by a 70-30 margin. Voters approved the $35 million bond issue for the school last February. Two years before that, Piper voters defeated at $67 million school bond issue.
The new school at 131st and Leavenworth Road will be for third through fifth grades.
“In a sense, we’re giving this land to our kids in the future in Piper,” Conrad said. “In 17 months, this spot will be filled with laughter, with learning, with collaboration.”
The building is for the future of 700 children in the Piper district, he said. The district is celebrating its 100th graduating class this year, he added.
“We’re going to build the future, one child at a time,” Conrad said.
Jeb Vader, Piper school board president, said a dedicated group made it possible for this project to move forward. He also acknowledged the voters as being important in the school effort. It is a challenge in a Class 4A school district, he added.
“The construction of this new building will support the students in our continually growing school community by providing much-needed additional space, a safe and secure learning environment, and cooperative learning spaces to ensure our children continue to grow and succeed to the best of their ability,” Vader said. “We look forward to seeing this progress and are excited to open the doors to the Piper students in the fall of 2020.”
Darrell Yoder, from the Vote Yes Committee, recalled that the effort to build a new school started in 2013, but then faced a challenge after a bond issue vote failed in 2015.
“It was a little bit of a challenge,” he said. “With those challenges, the opportunities came to work in collaboration with the community.”
When the community did not support the bond effort for a new high school, the committee had to come back and work with the community to determine what it wanted.
“We were at a point where the students were here, we had to find a place for the children,” he said.
Selected students from the Piper classes of 2028, 2029 and 2030, who will be the first to attend classes at the intermediate school, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony today.
Officials who attended the groundbreaking included Unified Government Commissioners Mike Kane and Melissa Bynum, and State Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, D-36th Dist.
The groundbreaking ceremony continued today with Piper school district officials and committee members for the Piper bond issue project. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)A drawing of the Piper intermediate school was on display today at the groundbreaking ceremony at 131st and Leavenworth Road. “In a sense, we’re giving this land to our kids in the future in Piper,” Piper Superintendent TIm Conrad said. (Staff photo)Jeb Vader, Piper school board president, said a dedicated group made it possible for this school bond issue to move forward and for the new school to become a reality. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)Darrell Yoder, from the Vote Yes Committee, noted there were challenges in getting the new school plan approved by voters. “With those challenges, the opportunities came to work in collaboration with the community,” he said. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)More than 50 persons attended the groundbreaking ceremony today for a new school at 131st and Leavenworth Road. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) More than 50 persons attended the groundbreaking ceremony today for a new school at 131st and Leavenworth Road. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)Students who participated in today’s groundbreaking ceremony represented the classes of 2028, 2029 and 2030 in the Piper school district. They posed for a photo at the groundbreaking ceremony. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)
