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BCCP
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THE BRUSH CREEK BULLETIN Volume
13, Issue 4
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BCCP
4743 Troost
Suite 200
Kansas City, MO
64110-1727
Ph: 816-523-2991
Fax: 816-523-2281
THE BRUSH CREEK BULLETIN
Volume 13, Issue 4
October / November / December 2011
UMKC A WORLD LEADER IN ENTREPRENEURIAL RESEARCH
The University of Missouri-Kansas City has been ranked Number 1 in the world for innovation management research, surpassing such schools as M.I.T., Harvard, Stanford, Michigan State and Texas A&M.
Teng-Kee Tan, dean of UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management, celebrates the
university’s ranking as first in innovation management research.The ranking is part of a research article entitled "Perspective: Ranking of the World's Top Innovation Management Scholars and Universities", to be published in a March 2012 issue of the Journal of Product Innovation Management, a leading innovation management academic journal. The ranking was based on research over the past 20 years. A total of 625 universities were ranked on research topics focusing on hot trends and future research directions in the field of innovation management.
Driven by research productivity in the Henry W. Bloch School of Management's Department for Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, three Bloch School entrepreneurship faculty, Michael Song, Mark Parry and Lisa Zhao were also ranked among the top 50 innovation management scholars in the world by the journal. Song again ranked as the world's Number 1 innovation management scholar, Parry ranked fourth, and Zhao ranked 50th.
While the journal has ranked innovation scholars in the past, this is the first time it has ranked universities. The ranking is once in five years, so UMKC will hold the title for the next five years.
The recognition of UMKC as a global urban research university and the Bloch School as a preeminent research school of management with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation is predicted to impact the city's reputation and help attract and retain top businesses and entrepreneurial talent in Kansas City. This is consistent with the community's civic and business leadership's declaration that Kansas City should be "America's Most Entrepreneurial City." The effort will also leverage other regional assets like the Kauffman Foundation, with its extensive research and programs to support entrepreneurs,
including its new Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation; and the ultra-high-speed Google fiber network being implemented next year in both Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS.
MRIGLOBAL CHIEF SAYS
“GET INVOLVED” IN KC SCHOOLSMRIGlobal's President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Helmstetter has called on Kansas City's business community to get involved in the Kansas City Public Schools.
Citing the value of education that results in people qualified to find solutions to the world's pressing issues, Helmstetter says everyone has a responsibility to do better by the 17,400 students in the district today. In both his remarks to business and civic leaders at the MRIGlobal Annual Dinner in October and an "As I See It," opinion published in The Kansas City Star on November 22, he challenged every business or organization to do a little, or a little more, to help students in the district.
And while posing this challenge, MRIGlobal has also been leading by example.
Since 2005, the independent, non-profit research institute has invested more than $300,000 in a partnership with the Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, a public school for grades seven through twelve at 4747 Flora, to:
The institute's recent activity is consistent with its long history of encouraging youth in the study of science. In 1956, Midwest Research Institute President Charles Kimball brought a distinguished group of industrialists, educators, and scientists in the Greater Kansas City area together to found Science Pioneers. Originally organized to direct and manage the Greater Kansas City Science and Engineering Fair, Science Pioneers has grown to provide opportunities to students and teachers in seven area counties, serving approximately 15,000 individuals a year. MRIGlobal continues to support Science Pioneers.
The Paseo Academy’s Robotics Team, the Paseliens, test their invention
at MRIGlobal. Institute staff mentor and coach the team.Support Changes Lives
Describing MRIGlobal's relationship with Paseo Academy, Helmstetter has highlighted the institute's close work with seven high school students over four years in the robotics program. The national program provides for student teams to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. All seven students were graduated last May; six of them enrolled in college with four of them planning to study engineering or a technical science.
In relating the experience, Helmstetter said a faculty member from the school told MRIGlobal staff they had no idea the impact they had made on the students' lives. Before their robotics experience, the students "had no concept of a life that included a college
education, a career, let alone as a scientist or an engineer."
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon poses with Paseo students after signing the
Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act at MRIGlobal.
The legislation includes the opportunity to invest in science and technology education.For his part, Helmstetter calls his challenge to the business community self-serving. "I've already told these kids we'd welcome them to come back here and work with us after they get their degrees," he said at the October dinner. "I want to be able to recruit from our own neighborhood. I want to see our kids, our neighborhood kids, succeed."
More Support Urged
MRIGlobal staff who coordinate the institute's partnership with the school say more community support - particularly more mentors and teachers for Paseo Academy - is welcome. Formation of a Paseo Pep Club, a group of people interested in attending performances and exhibits at the fine and performing arts school, is being considered.
In talking about the entire district, Helmstetter has called upon the Kansas City business community to "find a way to inspire your employees to be mentors to these students….Talk to the teachers; see how you can help them with tutors, guest speakers, student tours, volunteer at school events. If you have one employee a week, make it happen," he wrote in the Star.
"These kids need us now," wrote Helmstetter. "Without inspiration and support from mentors and businesses, these kids will have little chance to have the kind of innovation impact that has been the foundation of our growth as an economic powerhouse for decades."
PARTNER UPDATES
Steve McDowell, FAIA, principal of BNIM, has been named the American Institute of Architects Kansas City Architect of the Year. McDowell, a member of the Brush Creek Community Partners Board of Directors, was selected by the AIA Kansas City Board of Directors for extraordinary effort and achievement advancing the profession of architecture and its role in improving the quality of the built environment in Kansas City, which recently includes the critical role in the execution of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity - home of the Kansas City Ballet - and the new Bloch School of Business addition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Brandon Michaels has been named president and chief executive officer of Mazuma Credit Union effective January 1. Michaels, currently the credit union's vice president and chief financial officer, joined Mazuma in 2009. He replaces Rob Givens who is retiring after ten years with the credit union. Mazuma, with more than 52,000 members, almost doubled its assets to $420 million and opened three new branches during Given's tenure. Givens, a past-president of the Brush Creek Community Partners Board of Directors, was named a BCCP board member emeritus in November.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City and the UMKC Foundation have launched the public phase its $250 million The Campaign for UMKC. The seven-year campaign is designed to elevate UMKC as Kansas City's model research university providing additional scholarship opportunities, attracting and retaining outstanding faculty, developing and expanding the university's world-class programs and funding facilities that enhance learning. The launch was augmented by a $6 million gift - the fourth-largest in the university's history - from campaign co-chairs Tom and Vina Hyde. Philanthropic support has brought the total fundraising to date to over $100 million.
Two teams of five students from the Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts competed in the finals of the Missouri Entrepreneurship Challenge in November at Missouri Western State University. Paseo Team Number 1 got to the finals by developing a business concept for "Bar-Ba-Pop Popcorn," a combination of barbecue sauce and popcorn. Paseo Team Number 2 was also a regional winner with development of a concept for miniature fountain replicas based on famous icons or actual fountains found in the Kansas City area. The teams outperformed more than 520 students from 27 different schools in regional competition by developing these business ideas and pitching them to hypothetical venture capitalists.
H&R Block has announced the launch of its digital tax filing solutions that for the first time ever helps taxpayers file their 2011 returns anywhere and anyway they choose. Early next year taxpayers can access H&R Block At Home using iPhone and Android smart phones for filing simple federal forms and state income tax returns. For taxpayers with more complex returns, a 1040 form can be filed using the iPad. Both applications are free to download and guide users through the federal and state tax preparation process.
The iBridge NetworkSM initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have announced a new collaboration to promote the university's intellectual property (IP) free of charge to entrepreneurs around the world. Easy Access IP on the network is a first-of-its-kind tool that makes university technologies available to businesses at no cost, using quick and simple licensing agreements. The network also brings university researchers, entrepreneurs and industry together to promote and identify research opportunities, collaborate with other experts in the same or complimentary fields and license their innovations for practical benefit.
For the fifth year in a row KCP&L has been recognized as the recipient of the 2011 ReliabilityOne™ Award in the Plains Region. Each year, the award is given by PA Consulting Group to utilities that have achieved outstanding reliability performance and have excelled in delivering reliable electric service to their customers. All utilities operating electric delivery networks in North America are eligible for consideration for one of five regional awards.
NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM CITES BANNER YEAR
Attendance at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City jumped significantly in the 2011 calendar year to 410,000 visitors. In 2010, 359,000 visitors came to the museum.
Part of the 14 percent increase can be attributed to the nearly 100,000 visitors who came to see Monet's Water Lilies (left) during the spring and summer. The exhibition was the first time all three sections of the famous triptych had been on view together in more than 30 years. The museum has also developed collaborations with many community organizations, for example with the Consulate of Mexico, the Mattie Rhodes Center and Guadalupe Centers for the Day of the Dead celebration. And for the first time, art is being featured in the Bloch lobby.
Museum membership numbers are also on the rise, with a five percent increase from fiscal year 2010, and a projected increase of ten percent for fiscal year 2012.
The Nelson-Atkins has also been awarded re-accreditation by the National Association of Museums, which means the museum has met the highest standards and practices in the industry. The accreditation is the culmination of several years of gathering data and scrutinizing collection and management policies.
UMKC WELCOMES NEW SYSTEM PRESIDENT
Newly-named President of the University of Missouri System, Timothy Wolfe, concluded a tour of the four UM campuses with a visit to the University of Missouri-Kansas City on December 14, the day after his appointment was announced. In welcoming Wolfe to the campus, UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton highlighted the mission and the goals that have distinguished UMKC as "Kansas City's University."
UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton (left) presents University of Missouri System President-designee Timothy Wolfe
with some UMKC gifts and tokens of welcome, including a framed Kangaroo watercolor by local artist Tom Corbin.In his remarks, Wolfe acknowledged his commitment to address the challenges facing the UM System and higher education today, but emphasized his belief that the opportunities in the works and on the horizon far outweigh those challenges. He pointed to UMKC as a perfect example, noting the university's designation as the UM System's flagship campus for the visual and performing arts and its global reputation as a leader in entrepreneurism and innovation. "What this city and UMKC are working to build here is so important and frankly, awe-inspiring," Wolfe said. "With the intellectual prowess of UMKC, this city is destined to be the global epicenter of entrepreneurism and creativity."
Wolfe becomes the 23rd president of the University of Missouri system on February 15, 2012. He is an executive recognized for recruiting, building and leading successful teams by creating innovative strategies and clear execution plans. Wolfe has more than 30 years in information technology, infrastructure software, consulting and sales leadership. He has been with Novell, a provider of infrastructure software since 2003, serving as President of the Americas and as a member of the senior management team.
FEDERAL PROGRAM LEADS TO IVANHOE DREAM HOME
A family will soon be making its home into what was recently a vacant house on 39th and Euclid as a result of the federal government's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). This foreclosed house in the Ivanhoe Neighborhood is one of several to be
purchased and rehabbed throughout Kansas City's urban core through $7.3 million made available to the city in response to the nationwide foreclosure crisis. The ultimate goal of selling the home to qualified buyers was realized within weeks of this November
ribbon cutting celebration by the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council.
LINDA HALL PRESIDENT POSITIONS LIBRARY FOR SUCCESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
For Lisa Browar, the chance to take the reins as president of the Linda Hall Library in 2008 seemed a great opportunity. The important science and technology library faced a challenge: how to reposition itself to appeal to the general public in the digital age.
In addition, "it was an opportunity to bring together a lot of the threads of my career," Browar says. She'd most recently been University Librarian at the New School in New York, a job that taught her to be resourceful and effective on a tight budget. She had also acquired administrative talents, a master's degree in philanthropic studies, and experience in managing rare book
collections.
Lisa BrowarThe job also brought together some threads in her personal life. Browar's family moved often when she was a child, but settled in Kansas City where she completed her final two years of high school at Shawnee Mission South. Browar says when she was
graduated, she got out of town as quickly as possible, tired of all the moving around. But ironically her parents settled here and her brother never left. Coming back to work at Linda Hall brought her closer to family.Library Faces A Crossroads
The Linda Hall Library was started when Herbert and Linda Hall left an endowment to establish a free public library on the grounds of their home at 52nd and Cherry. Since Kansas City already had a general-interest public library, a board of trustees recommended the creation of a science and technology library. Opening in 1946, the Linda Hall Library grew to be the world's largest privately endowed research library specializing in science, engineering and technology that is free and open to the public.
The founding trustees believed the library would attract business to Kansas City, and Browar says that proved true. But around the time she came to the library three years ago, Linda Hall faced a crossroads. As more and more information was available digitally to scientists and engineers, foot traffic to the museum was declining. Under Browar's leadership, the library has repositioned itself to appeal to a general public that may never use its collections. The library is also working on fundraising so that it can keep growing and expanding even further than the original endowment would allow.
"While we still collect materials and pride ourselves on being able to provide information and information services to the scientific community," Browar says, "what we're trying to convey to the general public is we have content of interest to you; that a general
knowledge of science is a useful thing for everyone to have." She says the new library users are folks who come to see an exhibition or movie or lecture tied to science or technology, but not requiring them to be experts in these subjects. For example, the library has recently hosted lectures by the founder of Pandora Radio, the man who invented the digital camera, and the author of a book on why violence has declined in our culture. The current exhibition, “This Time It's Personal," examines the influence of technology in the home. All lectures are videotaped so even those outside of Kansas City can watch them online.Part Of A Vibrant Cultural Corridor
Browar was elected to the Brush Creek Community Partners Board of Directors in November 2008. She says the advantage of being part of BCCP is simple. The more improved the neighborhood around the library is, the better it is for Linda Hall. "But also the more vibrant the area is, the healthier the businesses are, the more business the restaurants do, the more likely it is people will come to your exhibitions and programs if they can make an evening of it," she said. "Have dinner in Crestwood, go to a lecture at Linda Hall, go to dessert on the Plaza," she says. In addition, connecting with other BCCP board members allows Browar to convey what a community asset the library is today and how it will adjust itself to be a greater asset in the future.