Year in Review: What happened at UMKC in 2011

January

7 Gary Forsee officially steps down as President of the University of Missouri (UM) system. Forsee resigned amid his wife’s battle with cancer. She was in recovery at the time of the resignation.

14 Dr. Henry Louis Gates, a Harvard professor of African-American history who received nationwide attention in summer 2009 after he was arrested outside of his own home in Cambridge, Mass., delivers UMKC’s Martin Luther King, Jr. keynote address.

28 The UM Board of Curators recommends tuition increases at all four UM schools. UMKC students will see tuition increase 4.8 percent beginning in summer 2011.

A particularly brutal winter leads to multiple class cancellations.

Kris Kobach, one of several controversial figures in the illegal immigration debate, does not return to teach at the School of Law. In November 2010, he was elected Kansas Secretary of State.

Larry’s Giant Subs closes at Oak Place.

February

17 UMKC students approve a $14 fee per student per semester to fund an all-access pass to KCATA Metro and MAX buses.

22 Kansas City voters effectively oust Mayor Mark Funkhouser, who came in 3rd behind Sly James and Mike Burke in the municipal primary.

March

11 Activity and Program Council and the Office of Student Involvement bring artists B.o.B. and OneRepublic to Swinney Recreation Center.

22 Sly James is elected mayor. Council elections favor well-known candidates. Voter turnout is surprisingly low, especially in the Northland.

April

21 Dr. Karen Vorst resigns as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Vorst officially steps down June 30, and is succeeded by Interim Dean Wayne Vaught. Vorst plans to return and teach economics after a sabbatical leave. Some suspect she was nudged to resign as Dean.

25 Conservatory of Music and Dance professor Dr. Zhou Long receives the Pulitzer Prize for Opera for his 2010 composition “Madame White Snake.” Mike Keefe, an editorial cartoonist for The Denver Post who began his career at U-News in the 1970s, receives a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.

May

16 Demolition begins on the Oak Street Parking Structure following commencement. The 50-year-old structure was deemed to be years past its useful life. It lacked elevators, wheelchair ramps and other handicap accessibility features.

The Volker campus temporarily loses 700 parking spaces. The $23 million Cherry Street Parking Structure will contain 1,500 spaces, skywalks to the Performing Arts Center and Student Union, offices for the UMKC Police and Mail Services, shower facilities for commuters, bike parking and electric car charging stations. The project is on track to be completed in July 2012 and is on budget, according to Associate Vice Chancellor of Administration Bob Simmons.

June

30 Vorst steps down as Dean of Arts and Sciences, and is replaced by Interim Dean Wayne Vaught.

July

15 A Kansas City Star article discusses the Conservatory of Music and Dance’s potential downtown relocation. Feasibility is currently being assessed by Helix Architects. The study will look at potential downtown locations, identify project needs, economic impact and impact on the Volker campus.

August

25 The Human Rights Campaign Equality Bus visits UMKC as part of a nationwide tour targeted at promoting LGBT rights.

Roo Groups replaces the old studo.umkc.edu web server. Roo Groups attempts to be more user-friendly by using a WordPress format.

September

15 Henry W. Bloch personally announces a $32 million donation to his namesake School of Management. The $32 million gift will fund a new building to house the school’s executive and graduate programs.

The new building will be located in the parking lot between the existing Bloch school and Chancellor’s residence. Construction is expected to begin this March with a planned completion in fall 2013, according to Associate Vice Chancellor of Administration Bob Simmons.

16 The $300 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opens downtown.

19 U.S. Bank opens a full-service Student Union branch.

23 Sept. 23 is recognized by Mayor Sly James as “UMKC SIFE Day” in recognition of UMKC Students in Free Enterprise’s community service contributions.

Newsweek lists UMKC as one of the top five gay-friendly U.S. colleges.

October

Red Mango becomes the third Oak Place business to close in 2011, joining Taco Factory and Larry’s Giant Subs. No explanation was given.

Kin Lin announces plans to expand into the retail spot on 51st Street previously occupied by Muddy’s Coffeehouse. The new space will accompany an expanded menu and karaoke performances.

November

5 Starr Symposium brings women’s rights activists Gloria Steinem and Deloris Huerta to UMKC.

7 The University Center closes for $7 million in renovations. The cafeteria will remain open, but the rest of the building will be modified to accommodate new programs geared toward student accessibility. The new center will introduce academic advising for undeclared majors and an area for undergraduate students to work on research projects with faculty. It will also include the Writing Center, Center for Academic Development, Career Services and Disability Services. University employees in a one-stop shop area will be cross-trained in several different administrative departments.

15 Inspired by the occupy movement that has swept the county, occupy UMKC, an unofficial student group, decides to hold its own occupation in Herman and Dorothy Johnson Residence Hall. Infractions of several university policies result in protesters being told to leave by UMKC police.

Chancellor Leo Morton unveils “The Campaign for UMKC,” an initiative to raise more than $250 million over the next seven years.

December

5 The Henry W. Bloch School of Management is recognized as the top school internationally in the field of innovation management research. Additionally, Dr. Michael Song is recognized as the top innovation management scholar in the world. Dr. Mark Parry and Dr. Lisa Zhao are also recognized.

nzoschke@unews.com