ATSU is named to the President's Honor Roll with distinction.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University (ATSU) has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognizes colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. On campuses across the country, thousands of students joined their faculty to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs using the skills gained in their classrooms.

“Congratulations to A.T. Still University and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face.”

ATSU was named to the Honor Roll based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

In 2009, nearly 60 percent of ATSU’s student body spent more than 13,000 volunteer hours serving the University’s local communities near its two campuses in Kirksville, Mo., and Mesa, Ariz.

Students and faculty at ATSU’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine organized and participated in outreach projects including the Court Appointed Special Advocacy program, which advocates for abused and neglected children in the justice system. The program has been so successful that it has recently moved into adjacent counties to serve even more at-risk youth.

At ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH), the Give Kids a Smile® project provided free dental care to local underserved children. At the one-day event, more than 200 children received care with the cost of the donated treatment totaling more than $100,000.

ASDOH students and faculty also participated in the Special Smiles project, during which they provided oral health screenings, referrals, and education for Special Olympic athletes; the American Indian Oral Health & Dental Career Outreach project where they educated American Indian high school students about oral health and careers in dentistry; and the Project Challenge Oral Health & Drug Prevention program where they worked with troubled teens to raise awareness about methamphetamines’ effect on oral health and other issues relating to teenage oral health.

At ATSU’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, students and faculty provided full physical exams to underserved Hispanic children and adults.

“I am proud of our students, faculty, and staff who always come together in a common cause and contribute generously and often to serve the needs of others,” said ATSU President Jack Magruder.

The University partners with numerous organizations that support student community service activities. These organizations include local elementary schools, state universities, hospitals, Women Infant Children centers, Head Start centers, Special Olympics, Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow, county health departments, community centers, community health centers, senior centers, and nursing homes.

College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses through grants awarded by its programs; the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of training, research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

###

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The 2010 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges includes 22 A.T. Still University (ATSU) students who have been recognized as national outstanding campus leaders. Fourteen of ATSU’s Who’s Who students attend its Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCOM) Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program, two attend KCOM’s Master of Biomedical Sciences (M.S.) program, and six are students of ATSU’s School of Health Management (SHM).

These students join an elite group of students from more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign nations.

Students with outstanding academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities, and potential for continued success have been recognized in the annual directory since its first publication in 1934.

The KCOM D.O. students are Jessica E. Alm, Jared Chase, Brandon Flammer, Alan Heincker, Lyndsay C. Hoemberg, Katherine Johnson, Meggan Johnson, Sarah Moran, Cory Nelson, Curtis Neilsen, Brian Parks, Erick Schuermann, Mark T. Shima, and Courtney Winterer.

The KCOM biomed students are Jeffrey R. Gaffney and Tyler J. Smith.

The SHM students are Gail L. Bullard, David Dunham, Jerome Horn, Diane Oldfather, Kareem Rizk, and John Sumo.

ATSU will recognize these students at its 2010 Senior Awards Banquet in May.

Jefferson City, MO – The Academy of Missouri Squires today welcomed four new members to its ranks. The Academy is a non-profit organization that honors Missourians for their accomplishments on the community, state or national levels and was founded by Gov. James T. Blair in 1960.

“I congratulate these newest members of the Academy of Missouri Squires for this recognition of their many achievements on behalf of their communities and their state,” Gov. Jay Nixon said. The Governor and First Lady Georganne Wheeler Nixon hosted a luncheon of the Squires at the Governor’s Mansion today to announce the newest members.

The new members of the Academy of Missouri Squires are:

Frankie Freeman, a pioneer of the civil rights movement in Missouri and a national leader in advancing civil rights. Her legal work was instrumental in obtaining a 1954 court ruling to desegregate St. Louis public housing, and in 1964 she became the first African-American woman to serve on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. In 2007, Ms. Freeman was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta. At age 92, Ms. Freeman is still an active attorney in St. Louis and has practiced law in state and federal courts for more than 60 years.

Peter Herschend, founder and co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment Corp. His family has owned and operated Silver Dollar City in Branson for almost 50 years, and Mr. Herschend has been a leader in Missouri’s travel and tourism industry. Herschend Family Entertainment has won several national awards for excellence in entertainment and tourism, as well as for distinction in environmental protection, at Silver Dollar City, at Dollywood, and at other Herschend Family Entertainment properties. Mr. Herschend has been a member of the Missouri State Board of Education since 1991 and currently serves as the board’s vice president.

Dr. Jack Magruder, president of A.T. Still University in Kirksville and a leader in higher education in Missouri for many years. A graduate of Truman State University, he served as president of the school for nine years, greatly increasing the school’s national profile for academic excellence. He previously served as the university’s vice president for academic affairs. The Kirksville Chamber of Commerce honored Dr. Magruder with its Hall of Fame award in 2003. Dr. Magruder is a past member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Missouri Foundation for Health.

Mike Shannon, the longtime beloved radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. A former player for the Cardinals, Mr. Shannon was a member of two teams (1964, 1967) that won the World Series Championship. In 1972, he joined the Cardinals’ radio broadcast team with Hall-of-Fame broadcaster, the late Jack Buck. Mike Shannon has kept Cardinal fans entertained and informed about their favorite team since 1972, and he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition to his broadcasting work, he owns and operates a popular restaurant in downtown St. Louis.

The Academy of Missouri Squires is limited to 100 living members, and new Squires are chosen by members of the Academy. To qualify for Academy of Missouri Squires membership, the by-laws state that one must have achieved true greatness in his or her community, the state of Missouri or the United States; and either legally reside in Missouri, be employed by the state, or be a native-born Missourian whose current residence, by necessity of business or other reasons, may be outside the state.

The ranks of the Squires automatically include the Governor and living former Governors of Missouri. Among the first class of Squires in 1960 were Harry Truman, Thomas Hart Benton and Stan Musial. The names of the Squires in the Class of 2009 will be added to plaques on display in the first floor rotunda of the state Capitol.

KIRKLAND, WA (Oct. 26, 2009) – A.T. Still University (ATSU) ranked #6 out of 200 educational institutions offering online degree programs by Guide to Online Schools, a leading online education portal. The annual study by Guide to Online Schools factored in multiple metrics: regional accreditation, tuition cost, number of students, number of full-time faculty, number of part-time faculty, student-to-faculty ratio, graduation rate, and retention rate, all derived from the latest data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a U.S. Department of Education group. For its findings, Guide to Online Schools also leveraged student feedback and reviews collected on its site during the study. The top 25 schools to rank were then published with full metric data presented online.

ATSU had the highest graduation rate of all the top 25 institutions and ranked well for having a low overall student-to-faculty ratio. ATSU received high marks for its accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS), in addition to having program-specific accreditations through professional organizations. For example, the University’s Physician Assistant Studies program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

ATSU’s ranking placed it ahead of other popular online institutions, including the University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Walden University. “A.T. Still University has consistently proven itself to be a leading institution, both in terms of popularity and in the quality of education it provides its students. The University represents a fantastic distance learning opportunity for anyone interested in furthering their healthcare education,” stated Keith Cushner, project manager for Guide to Online Schools.

ATSU, with residential campuses in Kirksville, Mo., and Mesa, Ariz., was founded in 1892. The University offers graduate degree programs centered on whole person healthcare and other related healthcare fields, delivering courses through a variety of methods, including campus-based, blended learning, and online.

Guide to Online Schools in an authoritative online resource for distance education and career information. The site provides prospective students with school reviews, distance learning testimonials, in-depth career information, and the ability to connect directly with schools. Guide to Online School’s study is available at http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/online-colleges, and is part of an annual review of all online schools presented on the website.

For more information, contact Keith Cushner of Guide to Online Schools at 425.605.8898 or keith@reachnetwork.com.

Friends and alumni to be honored at AOA Convention in New Orleans

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) and the Kirksville Osteopathic Alumni Association (KOAA) will honor several individuals at their annual meeting which will be held in conjunction with the American Osteopathic Association Convention in New Orleans on November 2.

Each year, the KOAA recognizes outstanding alumni and friends with various awards. “The individuals honored ensure the continued reputation of excellence at our University,” said the KOAA Board of Directors President Jeff Summe, D.O. “At the same time, these individuals set a high standard for the aspiration and goals of KCOM. We are proud to honor their leadership, service, and commitment.”

The Alumnus of the Year Award, established in 1982, recognizes graduates who have made outstanding contributions to the College and the osteopathic profession. Wilbur Hill, D.O., ’51, of Liberty, Mo., is the 2009 Alumnus of the Year.

The Living Tribute Award was established in 1969 and honors outstanding ATSU-KCOM faculty and administration. Margaret Wilson, D.O., ’82, chair of community/family medicine, is the 2009 Living Tribute Award recipient. To date, 35 distinguished individuals have received this award.

The Distinguished Service Award, established in 1991, recognizes alumni and friends who have provided outstanding service and/or financial support to ATSU-KCOM. The 2009 honorees are Larry Wickless, D.O., ’67, AOA president; and Richard Cenedella, Ph.D, biochemistry professor at ATSU-KCOM.

The Honorary KOAA Membership was established in 1948 to recognize individuals who rendered meritorious service to osteopathic education. The 2008 honorees being honored at this year’s convention are Dean Maag, Academic Technologies director; Norine Eitel, Sponsored Programs director; Steve Jorden, Student Financial Services director; and Ruth Chronister, Pharmacology executive secretary.