Park University - Narva Yearbook (Parkville, MO)

Page 9 text:

“Pm outta here!” by Anna White staff writer Dr. Harold L. Condit was president of Park College for 12 years. His time at Park brought change campus-wide. His administration also brought concern. In 1975, a century after the liberal arts college had been founded, Park was going under — enrollment was down, bills were unpaid. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints stepped in to affiliate itself with Park. This affiliation, with continued support from the Presbyterian Church and Park’s alumni, pulled the institu¬ tion out of the red. Beginning then, as executive vice- president, Dr. Condit demanded change. He implemented the mining project designed to make money through selling mined limestone and leasing the underground space. The endowment fund has increased and alumni-college relations have improved. Several academic programs originated during his tenure. Most notable are the Weekend College, Work Exchange Program and Metro Park, the school for Community Education. Some changes were not as desirable — others were not yet operational when Dr. Condit retired. Cutting several majors and classes saved money and proved unpopular although satisfaction with the curriculum seemed to be improving at the time of resignation. A stricter social standard was reinstated to prohibit alcohol, drugs and coeducational dormitories on campus. Not yet finished but with visible progress was the McAfee LibraryLearning Center. Park’s 12th president said he had no intention of losing contact with the college when he left. He planned to travel with his wife, Georgianna, to make contact with the alumni and to recruit students. Volunteering to help with the Capital Fund Drive effort also figured into his future. “I wanted to re-establish the college as a place that had confidence in itself, restore service to the com - munity and make it eco¬ nomically stable. Those were my goals and I think they ' re in place now. — Dr. Harold L. Condit 6, ’ 4 °r. H , P ' r «n 9 %r ° d , r o s L r r, (e r ; J ° c e , e e c ur °°c , 0rr e, ' 7 G e f ° r top fa 7 J°Od ' y t ' ni, ' ° 0 r o : e °C °r. I. ' b ° hp Pr ' o C f, 9„ f, w, V ° 9 ' “off., c ° e A. ' o y ? r -°ld h ; H %i O ' o rq . nu n, ' e a ' c f i , «. , ;f M ' 0 ' - ' “9 o, P o t L d f °r a h ° u ' e ' . A ° e os-V ' : r Pei r s l o o. 0 n,L Sw Cc °d,;. o - . £ 0 0 - - ' o 0 h e l ' o Sf y ? f t : n ' h. , Pa,, hcb A, Or r 0 rf 0 ’Oil . °d I ,r o d ‘fry,- p,- °0 j «•», h e o e o i , y ' ° u s 9 ° i :r ’° p ' in ,° 5 o 0 Ps - C 0 ' nd ' J ’ n - - : v.; ° n « , ».„ « ' Uo, -V Qn , ' ' C c , Oorf „ ° fr e ,? ° ey Se ® V X o 0 ' 1 , ° ' A, e r , O,

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The Investiture of DR. HAROLD L. CONDIT as Twelfth President of PARK COLLEGE Parkville, Missouri 19 OCTOBER 1979 “Condit is the man at the helm and he had already brought us through a terrible storm.” — Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann, October 19, 1979. Dr. Harold Condit accepts the sextant of the prsidential office from Hugh McAfee during last Fri¬ day ' s investiture. Condit officially became Park College ' s twelfth president, even though he has held the responsibility for several years. (Jibci StyUisJ

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President’s Convocation Greetings. I am pleased at this opportunity to add my welcome to those of you who are returning this year and to say “Glad you’re here” to those who come new to membership in the Park Family. Park College has an identity of its own and a unique mission of service to quality young people. We recog¬ nize that our students come from variety ofbackgrounds — some from families of wealth, and some with limited financial means. Some who come here have experience in the large high schools of metropolitan cities, and some may come from schools with graduating classes of fewer than a dozen, where every graduate is known by name and called friend. This diverse community is a part of the special quality of Park. For here, too, we are small enough that every student can be known, personally serv¬ ed and cared for. But knowing one another also assures that each one pays part of the price. The motto, “Fides et Labor” — Faith and Labor — has a fuller meaning if each one is involved. For those involved with Park College, Harry Truman’s words, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” is most fitting. We’re all in this year together—we want success for all. The College was built for students. And, students were meaningfully involved in the building process. With saws and axes the students helped to clear the fields for planting and cleared these Missouri bluffs for building. Students were involved in open¬ ing the quarries and digging out the stone with which many of the buildings were constructed. Mackay Hall, the administration building in which you were registered, was one of these. And now with this generation of students we are building again. In those early days, Park was operated both for and by students. They provided the labor for a farm, dairy, can¬ nery, generating plant, waterworks and 1 aundry; tended orchards, gardens and vineyards; and per¬ formed most of the day-to-day functions of the college, from operating printing presses to peel¬ ing potatoes. But always there was the understanding that these experiences were a part of the stage setting for acquiring academic strengths and strong credentials. Harold L. Condit Beginning with a few adminis¬ trators and a handful of students now known as“The Original Seventeen,” Park soon expanded to earn a national reputation for academic excellence. Today, we continue the hopes and aspirations of the founders of Park College, en¬ visioning a college uniting the values of the liberal arts, a Christian life-style, and an abiding desire to serve a threatened humanity in a new age of technology. We aspire to provide the kind of quality education which prepares each student for service to society while at the same time offering the opportunity to achieve success in his or her own life. Linking concepts of responsibility, personal integrity and productivity enhance the value of our graduates to potential employers. Park graduates know the meaning of accountability, and hopefully they gain or enhance those qualities that mark them as “self-starters.” Park provides for higher educational opportunity in a setting that holds fast to the American dream of private initiative, an environment that is an alternative to fully tax-based public education. We are joined with those who believe that in a free society these alternative opportunities must be maintained. The lengthy list of Park graduates include many in the ranks of Academic All Americans, the Na¬ tional Academy of Sciences, ‘Who’s Who’ among a