Contact
Kansas Wesleyan University Fall/Winter 2024-25
Contact is the official magazine of Kansas Wesleyan University and is published by the KWU Office of Marketing and Communications.
Managing Editor: Brad Salois
Design: Jean Kozubowski
Theresa Stevens
Writing Assistance: Bob Davidson
Dan Froehlich
Jean Kozubowski
Tanner Colvin ’11
Jean Kozubowski
Regan
Executive
Operations
Ken Oliver
Send
A message from President Matt Thompson
Open to the possibilities
Open hearts, open minds, open doors. That has been the brand promise of the United Methodist Church (UMC) since 2001. As Coyotes, we have long said that this motto — this ethos — embodies why we walk hand-in-hand with the UMC. We share this approach, but how does the university live into it with joy, with celebration and with understanding? This semester, more than any other at KWU, revealed that answer, and I am deeply proud of everything that took place on our campus.
To experience growth and success, we as an institution have certainly embraced an open heart. We are ever inquisitive regarding how to better serve our students and the region. Each successive generation has new needs and the world has new issues to address. We have learned how to do things differently. We are inspired by great faculty and staff who embrace new approaches and, with it, new successes. Cross country head coach Garrett Young ’17, G’19 is a great example. I congratulate his teams on their outstanding seasons — this year is the first time in university history that both the men’s and women’s team have been nationally ranked and competed at nationals.
With an open heart, we must constantly challenge ourselves. Are we willing to do what’s right for our students, our community and our nation? Are we willing to live into our beliefs? We answered that question this semester by coming alongside UM Church of the Cross (COC) in a new, exciting partnership. Our missional alignment — to make the world better and minister to our community — allowed for the congregation to gift the university their building and property. More than giving KWU additional space, we believe this creates new opportunities for the church and university to be in service, individually and collectively. COC is able to focus on their work, their ministry and what God has called them to do, while Kansas Wesleyan explores how to use the space to grow and serve in new ways. We have additional space to focus on our mission, training students prepared for lifelong learning that includes responsibility and service.
An open minds approach is experienced in our academic work. We brought new Coyotes into the fold, as we cleared a 1,000-student enrollment for the first time in school history. The 1,020 student enrollment marks a 42% increase since 2019, one of the top marks in the Midwest. Growth is thanks to new faculty and new offerings, like our Criminal Justice program (with its two new labs) and our Social Work program, under the leadership of Kelly Moore. The two programs will work together on a landmark first-responder wellness conference this spring.
Of course, open doors could be viewed quite literally, as we opened Sams Chapel, Bieber Hall, the renovated Everett Morgan Strength Training Center and Bieber Dining Hall. These were moments many years in the making and shaped by the hard work of many. Jeff Bieber ’71 led the way with numerous other supporters, friends and alumni alongside, helping usher Kansas Wesleyan’s facilities into a new era. In the past two years, we have completed more than 20 facility improvements — academic, residential, competitive and recreational. The university’s new music spaces have already reshaped what it means to attend a KWU event. We are proud that, as you walk across campus, the success of what happens in our buildings is reflected in the quality of our facilities. It is easy to see why KWU has become the place to be.
Open hearts, open minds, open doors: This is who we are as an institution, it’s who we are as community members, and it is who we are as educators. I have seen it firsthand for more than a decade, but never more so than the fall of 2024. I thank all of those who made this commitment come to life on our campus, and in the lives of our students. Kansas Wesleyan is truly special.
All the best,
Matt Thompson, Ph.D. President and CEO
Contact
Farewell to an old friend
After much discussion, hard work and an in-depth consultation with a local arborist, KWU’s landmark cottonwood tree, located near the Cloud Street side of Pioneer Hall, was cut down in August.
During the past two to three years, the tree had begun to show its age, having cavities within and the bark peeling away from the trunk. KWU was advised that the tree had reached the end of its life and should be removed for the safety of campus.
The cottonwood has been a KWU landmark for generations. In fact, some say they can see it in photos taken during the construction of Pioneer Hall.
The tree was famous; it even received its own front-page profile in a July 2013 edition of the Salina Journal.
It was a friend to many and saw much in its years. At least one couple became engaged under its branches. It was home to an owl and probably the bat that
is missed.
MBA SCHOLARSHIPS
flew out when the tree came down. It
A worker cuts up the large trunk. The tree may have been growing on campus since before Pioneer Hall was built.
Kansas Wesleyan’s beloved and majestic cottonwood tree is shown before crews removed it.
BIEBER DINING HALLbon appétit
KWU opens Bieber Dining Hall (bon appétit) to rave reviews on Aug. 8, 2024. It marks just the fourth full-time dining facility in school history and is an increase of more than 2,500 square feet in space, to go along with numerous new food options and additional seating choices. Following the soft opening, the dining hall was in use for students’ August return and was formally dedicated at a brief ceremony during Homecoming.
“A new dining hall is an important asset for the future of Kansas Wesleyan. I remember that meal breaks were something I always looked forward to as a student. They enabled me to take a few moments to forget about class concerns, student requirements and other pressures, and simply to enjoy time with good friends. I’m pleased to be able to help provide an enhanced and expanded location, but more than that, I’m excited about the future of Kansas Wesleyan. The legacy of our beloved KWU is strong, and I’m proud to be a part of it being even stronger for future generations.”
Jeff Bieber ’71
KWU Music
Hall of Fame
KWU launched its Music Hall of Fame at Homecoming 2024 as part of the Oct. 19 Come Home concert that marked the opening of a fully renovated Sams Chapel.
A trio of legends comprised the inaugural class: Dean Kranzler, Prof. Barbara Marshall Nickell and the late Bill McMosley.
Kranzler is the premier percussion instructor in central Kansas, teaching at Fort Hays State, Bethany College and Kansas Wesleyan. Retired now, he still has private students.
McMosley was the instrumental ensemble instructor who resurrected performing groups at KWU. Accepting the award on behalf of her late husband was Colette McMosley (pictured).
Kranzler
Marshall Nickell costumed and directed the operas Kansas Wesleyan produced in conjunction with the Salina Symphony from 2005-2010. She is an associate professor in the Communications Studies and Theatre Arts Department at KWU.
Marshall Nickell
a grand NIGHT for singing, playing and celebrating!
It was a landmark night Oct. 19 in Sams Chapel, as alumni and friends came home to celebrate.
The Come Home concert and the reopening of a renovated Sams Chapel featured alumni such as Aine Hakamatsuka ’12 and Matthew Schwan ’10, alongside KWU faculty, staff and students in a tremendous musical experience.
Selections ranged from opera to rock to jazz, from serious to comic to joyful. No matter the selection, a spirit of joy pervaded the entire experience, no more so than when the inaugural class of the KWU Music Hall of Fame was installed just before intermission.
The reopening of the chapel capped a nearly 18-month renovation that transformed a newly renovated academic area — Applequist Family Music Center — and Bieber Hall, Pioneer Hall’s new, music-specific entrance.
Some of the highlights of Come Home include:
1) The KWU Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Leonardo Rosario, filled the Sams Chapel stage.
2) Aine Hakamatsuka ’12, a professional soprano based in New York City, sang the Lakme Duet with Michelle Dolan G’24, executive director of music. Hakamatsuka also sang a solo, Rejoice, from Handel’s Messiah.
3) Dr. Leonardo Rosario, violin, and Dr. Gustavo do Carmo, piano, performed separately on several numbers and joined to play Brahms’ Scherzo in C minor.
4) Jake Montoya ’05 (left) led the KWU Jazz Band in a couple of numbers and rocked out on Carry On My Wayward Son with a rock quintet.
5) David Corman, director of vocal music,
2
3
clowned it up with his son Jacob ’25 as they sang the Prologue from Pagliacci about being just regular people.
6) Matthew Schwan ’10 sang a heartfelt version of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables
7) The KWU Philharmonic Choir, under the direction of David Corman, presented several numbers. The Wesleyan Chorale also performed, featuring several student soloists.
Miss the concert or want to hear it again? Scan here.
McMosley
Opposite page: The KWU faithful enjoy fireworks and football game festivities at Homecoming 2024.
Above: Jeff and Margie Bieber ’71 cut the ribbon on Bieber Hall, the new dedicated entrance to Sams Chapel and KWU’s music facilities.
Above left: Doug Randolph ’76 speaks at the 2024 Veterans Recognition Ceremony.
Immediate left: President Matt Thompson and Jennifer Thompson with 2024 Homecoming King and Queen, Alex Littlejohn ’25 and Angel Roman ’25.
Below right: Dr. Marshall Stanton, former KWU president, greets Coyote legend Randy St. Clair ’66.
Come Home to Bethlehem
This year’s rendition of Christmas by Candlelight saw the event return to Sams Chapel on Sunday, Dec. 8, after a one-year absence due to renovations. It was a stirring event that saw students, faculty and community members from all musical disciplines participate alongside four area high schools.
To watch the concert, scan the QR CODE.
Alumna is pleased to ‘Come Home’
Aine Hakamatsuka ’12 wowed the audience with her performances at the Come Home concert on Oct. 19, to celebrate the renovation and reopening of Sams Chapel.
She sang Rejoice, from Handel’s Messiah in the first act and a duet from Lakme with Michelle Dolan, her first singing instructor at Kansas Wesleyan. Dolan G’24 is now executive director of the Music Department.
Hakamatsuka, based in New York City, has a full career of both solo and ensemble singing, influenced by her love of chamber music, both traditional and new. She is a member of the illustrious Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Clarion Choir and Santa Fe Chorale.
Hakamatsuka
She has sung in the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art and many of New York City’s most renowned churches.
She joined the Clarion Choir and The English Concert on their tour last year performing Handel’s Solomon
Her career got a jump start at Kansas Wesleyan. A native of Japan, Hakamatsuka came to KWU because of the small class sizes.
Her English was not strong, she said, and she thought she could get the individual attention she needed here.
“If you go to a big school, the teachers aren’t going to have much relationship with the students,” she said. “My goal was to make sure I could get the help I needed from teachers. I absolutely made the right call.”
As a student, Hakamatsuka performed lead roles in operas The Marriage of Figaro and Hansel and Gretel, as well as in other productions.
She learned from that experience that opera was
not the career direction she wanted to consider.
“Personally, I don’t think I’ll pursue formal opera training, but it was fun to portray another character,” she is quoted as saying in the 2010 yearbook.
“I guess I was right about that,” she said recently. “I enjoy the storytelling aspect of concert works more than acting on stage.”
While at KWU, Hakamatsuka also played trumpet for the orchestra and jazz band, Theatre Salina and Salina Symphony, and piano with the Salina Symphony and Theatre Salina. She was an assistant conductor of the Salina Youth Symphony, as well.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance, Hakamatsuka earned a master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music.
She said she is looking forward to returning to Salina for another performance.
In May 2025, Hakamatsuka will be the soprano soloist when the Salina Symphony concludes its season with Mozart’s Requiem
BAKER ACCEPTED INTO GLOBAL ART EXHIBITS
Kansas Wesleyan University’s Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Andrew Baker has been accepted into numerous exhibits around the world, showcasing his work in shows in both the United States and Europe.
Baker, who joined the KWU faculty in the 2024-25 academic year, will have his work displayed in The Holy Art Gallery in Paris, France; Manifest in Cincinnati, Ohio; Camelback Gallery in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Part Crowd Art Gallery in Toronto; Black Box Art Gallery in Portland, Ore.; and Southern Tier Center for Emerging Artists in Jamestown, N.Y.
Focusing on both digital art and photography,
Baker’s submissions cover a wide array of subjects and structure, including fire, dreams, light and the human eye.
Besides teaching and creating his own art, Baker also plays violin with the KWU Orchestra.
Baker earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan and his Master of Fine Arts from Rochester
Institute of Technology (R.I.T.). Prior to joining KWU, he served at Southern Nazarene, Cameron, Washburn and Baylor Universities, as well as R.I.T.
He served a four-year stint on Cameron’s digital arts initiative committee and a five-year term on the university’s long-range planning committee during his time in Lawton, Okla.
UM church makes historic gift of building, property to KWU
Kansas Wesleyan University and Salina’s Church of the Cross have entered into what is thought to be a first-of-itskind partnership between a United Methodist Church (UMC) and a UMC-affiliated university in the Midwest.
Under terms of the agreement, Church of the Cross — a member of the Great Plains Annual Conference, which comprises more than 700 United Methodist Churches in Kansas and Nebraska — gifted the church’s building and property at 1600 Rush St. in Salina to KWU. The congregation will continue to be based in the building, worship and conduct ministries there while remaining affiliated with the UMC. Kansas Wesleyan will be responsible for the property and have the ability to conduct programs, have offices or run classes on site.
The Salina Family YMCA’s Angel Child Care program, originally started alongside the church, will continue at the site as part of a broadening of the partnership between KWU
and the YMCA.
“This is a deeply meaningful moment for Kansas Wesleyan,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “Our university ethos is unmistakably intertwined with that of the UMC — Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors — and we are committed to the success of the denomination, both locally and regionally. On a deeper level, we are engaged with the growth, development and support of the congregation of Church of the Cross. We look forward to an excellent relationship with the congregation as we explore opportunities within the facility to benefit the UMC’s mission.”
Bishop David Wilson expressed his support for this new venture between the university and the Great Plains Conference.
“I am so pleased to see this kind of partnership between KWU and the church,” he said. “This will benefit both institutions greatly and will help to further the mission of both through our connection as United Methodist entities.”
Pastor Libby Themis of Church of the Cross said she was pleased the building would see new life through the activity from KWU classes and groups.
“I’m grateful for the deliberate work of our Church of the Cross congregation, who in the past few years have been engaged in becoming a community-resource space as we partner for the good of the community,” said Pastor Themis. “We believe lives are transformed by knowing, loving and serving God. What better way to do it than to let this building be used to greater capacity while we continue reach our community with God’s grace and love?”
Core component of KWU
“Spiritual development is a core component of the Kansas Wesleyan mission,” said Thompson. “We value the collaboration with Church of the Cross. We believe this can be a model for successful universities, as well, particularly those with a denominational affiliation.
It provides an opportunity for churches to focus on their mission, while giving the university additional space. We are grateful to the Church of the Cross for this collaboration and investment in KWU and our ministry work.”
The church and university hosted a collaborative worship service at Church of the Cross to mark the partnership on Nov. 10, when the agreement was officially signed.
KWU’s ownership of the church marks a new chapter for the university, as it is believed to be the first property ownership outside of the general campus footprint since the Kansas Wesleyan Business College, which was located in downtown Salina and closed in the mid-1930s.
KWU has not yet officially determined what programs or operations it will house in the facility, but as part of the agreement has committed to put the funds from any future sale of the property into a trust solely for the university’s campus ministry programs.
Matthew Redden ’27, right, offers communion bread to KWU Campus Pastor Scott Jagodzinske.
University, church join in service
It was a gift that no other college or university in Kansas, and few in the U.S., have received: a church building and property.
Papers were signed Nov. 10 gifting the Church of the Cross United Methodist to Kansas Wesleyan University at the 10:30 a.m. service, in front of the congregation.
The service was a joint celebration, with students and representatives from Kansas Wesleyan joining in the service.
Rise Up!, KWU’s Campus Ministry Worship Band led the congregation in some of the hymns and provided music.
Karen Rice Ratzlaff, district superintendent of the Salina and Hutchinson districts, represented Great Plains United Methodist Church. Ratzlaff is also a member of the KWU Board of Trustees.
Among those participating in the signing, besides Ratzlaff, were Dr. Matt Thompson, president of KWU and Pastor Libby Themis.
Nothing except the ownership will change for the
in the signing ceremony are, from
Bridget Weiser, KWU vice president for student and community engagement; Karen Rice Ratzlaff; Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president; and Church of the Cross Pastor Libby Themis.
foreseeable future. The congregation will continue to hold services and programs in the building, as usual.
KWU to host Great Plains Annual Conference in June
Kansas Wesleyan will host the 2025 session of the Great Plains Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church on June 4-7 on campus. KWU is the first higher education institution to host the event since the formation of the conference in 2014.
“Much of our mission goes hand-in-hand with that of the UMC, and we are pleased to support their work,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “It’s also a chance for us to share who we are and what sets Kansas Wesleyan apart in this region. We’re excited and look forward to welcoming 1,300 UMC members to campus in June.”
The Great Plains Annual Conference is comprised of more than 700 churches across Kansas and Nebraska. Each member church can send its pastor or pastors and one lay person for each pastor who attends.
More information will be available on the Kansas Wesleyan website as well as the Great Plains Conference site — www.greatplainsumc.org — in the spring.
Church of the Cross has long history in city
The congregation of the Church of the Cross has been active in Salina since the 19th century. The United Methodist Church of the Cross was officially organized in February 1895 by the United Brethren in Christ. People met in several locations before building on property at 231 S. Ninth, which became the home of the First Evangelical United Brethren Church of Salina, Kansas. This church was the home of many of the airmen and their families who trained at Schilling Air Force Base.
The congregation became known for leadership of women, who helped develop strong youth programs, musical programs and many choirs. Eventually, the church outgrew its building with a membership of 320 and an average attendance of 175.
Ground was broken at 1600 Rush St. on May 15, 1960. The sanctuary, education rooms and administrative offices were dedicated on April 16, 1961. A new parsonage was built and occupied on Coronado Street by November 1960. More classrooms, a kitchen and the fellowship hall were
dedicated on Dec. 12, 1965.
Knowing that the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church were going to merge, this new church was named United Methodist Church of the Cross of Salina. Salina United Methodist Church of the Cross continues to celebrate the saints who have laid the groundwork for ministry that is still creating relationships between God and the people of Salina and the world. They give thanks for those who have come and for those who will come and provide leadership that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed and people’s lives will continue to be transformed through knowing, loving and serving God.
Adapted from UM Church of the Cross sources
The KWU Rise Up! Worship Band performs during the church service.
Participating
left, Pat Mills; Robin Cates;
Professors, alums earning doctoral degrees
A pair of KWU alumni and professors have been hard at work in their efforts to achieve doctoral degrees. Prof. Kourtney Maison ’15 recently completed those efforts, while Prof. Kelly (Hopkins) Moore ’15 is in the late stages of her degree pursuit.
Maison is an assistant professor in the Communication Studies and Theatre Arts department. Her teaching area covers communication theory, media history and theory, and public relations. A proud KWU alum, she earned her master’s from Ball State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Her dissertation was titled, “Unruly Visions: The Rhetorical Intersections of Humanity, Bodies and Visual Zoerhetorics.”
Maison, who returned to KWU in 2022, pursued her Ph.D. because she “believe(s) in the power of communication to advocate for and create a more just world. I believe that the way we express ourselves matters and that there are varied means of expression that can be leveraged to pursue equity and inclusion. I personally research issues surrounding disability and communication, but as a whole, I am committed to using my education to fight for the kind of world I believe my students deserve. This means a safe, joyful world where our differences are valued rather than feared.”
Moore is an assistant professor and department chair of Social Work and the Social Work Program director. She earned her master’s degree from
Professors Kourtney Maison ’14 (left) and Kelly (Hopkins) Moore ’15 both received bachelor’s degrees from Kansas Wesleyan and are KWU professors.
Newman University and is in the final stages of doctoral work with Capella University.
Her dissertation is “How Trauma-Informed Supervision Creates Resiliency and Longevity in Social Work.”
“Social workers are subjected to secondary trauma; my research looked at how supervision can help mitigate the cumulative and lasting effects of that trauma,” Moore said.
A professionally Licensed Master Social Worker, her reach in the Salina community extends beyond the KWU campus, as she is also a trauma therapist working with the Salina Police Department.
Moore, who returned to KWU in 2019, said, “KWU has always held a special place in my heart. Returning to establish and accredit a social work program allows me to give back to a community that nurtured me in my educational and career journey and to inspire and educate a new generation of social workers. Coming back to KWU feels like coming home; I get to combine my passion for social work with my connection to the university.
“It was also recognizing the growing need for skilled social workers in our area and that creating this program at KWU will help address this critical demand. My professors and advisor at KWU pushed me to become bigger than I was. Even when I didn’t believe in myself, they always believed in me, as well as others in the Salina community. To be able to create a program that benefits students and this community has been a dream come true.”
Both Maison and Moore believe their Ph.D. work has enabled them to become better teachers in all facets.
“I feel like it has put me in a better position to guide my students in their academic and professional development,” Moore said.
“One of the most important parts of teaching, in my opinion, is nurturing curiosity and exploration,” Maison said. “My Ph.D. work has allowed me to validate student curiosities by showing that finding what they are interested in can help them find their pathway in life.”
World-class DECA finds a home in space just for them
KWU DECA now has a dedicated space in Peters Science Hall! With signage, TVs and space for practices, this area is a great home for one of the top DECA programs in the world. The team is already practicing for this spring’s state and international competitions.
More than half of last year’s team were world champions in their categories and all of the KWU competitors placed in the top 10 at the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference in Austin, Texas, in April.
Undergraduate and MBA students from KWU competed with more than 100 universities and colleges, from Division 1 to junior colleges.
The team sports purple power blazers with the DECA logo, and they always stand out at the conference, said DECA coach Dr. Trish Petak.
“KWU DECA continues to get better each year,” Petak said. “I continue to be impressed by our students’ dedication to DECA; they’re competitive in nature.
“While their competition results are impressive, they’re also amazing leaders in the classroom, athletics, clubs and internships. I recognize their ability in the classroom and believe DECA will prepare them even more for their entrance into the workforce.”
Members of this year’s DECA team (from left), Collin Phelps ’25, Clay Gagnon ’25, Paige Chauncey ’27, Caleigh Evans ’25, Shelby Davidson ’28 (back), Oriana Botz ’26 and Nico Horvat ’26, review a problem in their new practice room. The refurbishment was made possible by Bennington State Bank.
KWU adds 12 new full-time faculty
In the midst of numerous campus capital improvements, KWU has also invested in its faculty members. Twelve new full-time faculty members began their first full year in those roles in August.
“These faculty members are great additions to KWU,” said Dr. Damon Kraft, KWU provost. “The depth of their experience and knowledge makes them excellent instructors for our students.”
Daniel Albertson, assistant professor of Music (B.A., Washburn/ M.M., Delaware) joins KWU full-time after leading the university’s percussion efforts as an adjunct last year. Albertson was named one of the NextGen 30 Under 30 in Kansas, a statewide program to recognize the next generation of the state’s leaders and achievers.
Andrew Baker, assistant professor of Graphic Design (B.S., Indiana Wesleyan/M.F.A., Rochester Institute of Technology) previously served at Southern Nazarene, Cameron, Washburn and Baylor universities and at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Derrin Broome, assistant professor of Criminal Justice (B.S., Linfield College/M.S., Grand Canyon University) came to KWU after wrapping up a 26-year law enforcement career that included 20 years of investigation and casemanagement experience.
Dr. Michaela Carlson, associate professor of Chemistry (B.S., Grinnell College/Ph.D., Illinois-Champaign) comes to KWU from Northland College, where she had served as an assistant professor since 2018. She was part of the college’s freshman advising committee and will play a critical role in KWU’s student success ventures.
Dr. Tonia Compton, assistant professor of History (B.A., Columbia College/M.A., Texas A&M/Ph.D. University of Nebraska) joins KWU after being a consultant to the University of Nebraska, where she managed review of conflict of commitment. She was a professor of history at Columbia College of Missouri and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Odessa College.
Sheila Coomes, CPA, assistant professor of Accounting (B.A., Kansas State/M.Acc., Kansas State) comes off an eight-year stint as an instructor at her alma mater, Kansas State, after 15-plus years in public accounting and industry. Previously, she worked in a senior role for both a publicly traded and privately-held company.
At KWU, she will serve the role of assistant chair of the Department of Business and Accounting.
Dr. Bill Doria, associate professor of Chemistry (B.S., Lynchburg College/M.S., Vanderbilt/Ph.D.,
Middle Tennessee State) has spent more than 20 years as a university professor, with that time divided between University of the Ozarks and Rockford University.
Jolene Dreher ’18, assistant professor of Nursing Education (B.S., Kansas Wesleyan/M.S., Fort Hays State) was an adjunct clinical instructor for the university last year after two years in the same role at the University of Kansas.
Dr. Kiley Hicks, assistant professor of Biology (B.S., Washburn University/Ph.D., Portland State) has more than a decade of instructional experience in the Sunflower State, including four-plus years as an assistant professor at Newman.
Summer Huber, assistant professor of mathematics, (B.S., Utah State/ M.A.S., Eastern Michigan) boasts nearly two decades of post-secondary experience, including time at Eastern Washington, Utah State and Brigham Young–Idaho, among other institutions.
Dr. Vicki Schmidt, assistant professor of Teacher Education (B.S., Fort Hays State/M.S., Baker/Ph.D. Cumberlands) has been teaching at the university level since 2015 and joined KWU in Spring 2024. The chair of the Kansas Independent Colleges Professional Development Council, she began her teaching career at Cottonwood Elementary School in Salina.
Bonnie Welty, assistant professor of Sport and Exercise Science (B.S., Bethel College/M.E., Wichita State) joins the KWU faculty full-time after initially coming on as the Education coordinator in 2021. She was a middle school principal from 2012-21, serving the Shawnee Mission and later Salina school districts. She began her career as an elementary, middle and high school PE and Health teacher.
Thanks to continually investing in faculty, KWU’s student/teacher ratio has remained relatively static (14:1) despite the university’s 42% growth in enrollment since 2019.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IMPORTANT ACROSS CAMPUS
Artificial intelligence, or AI, may, for many, bring up memories of dystopian movies, but a real, tangible version of AI is now a part of our everyday lives. Whether seen in chat responses on websites, products like Amazon’s Alexa or at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, where a facial recognition system enables faster entry, AI is here to stay. The world of higher education is no exception, and Kansas Wesleyan is examining how it can help.
“AI is of interest to us in multiple ways,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “Numerous programs can improve efficiency, such as those that can take notes and summarize meetings. Offices can benefit from automated processes, enabling talented individuals to focus on the bigger picture and student-facing support. We also need to be certain we teach the academic implications of AI, focusing on the methods and application of
educating our students.”
In pursuit of these goals, KWU has engaged in discussions at the Board of Trustees level, leading to a campus working group that will address the opportunities and threats, particularly in application to KWU’s strengths and weaknesses. The working group will, periodically, work with the Board and general campus community to grow the university’s knowledge and application of AI.
Albertson Baker Broome Carlson
Doria Dreher Hicks Huber
Compton Coomes Schmidt Welty
Hurrah for the comma!
Kansas Wesleyan enrollment goes from 3 digits to 4 for first time
Sometimes targets seem out of reach, goals seem unattainable. For years, Kansas Wesleyan’s long-term goal of 1,000 students was in that realm. The vision became reality this fall semester when the university announced that, for the first time in its 138-year history, enrollment exceeded 1,000 students.
“This is a milestone in the history of Kansas Wesleyan,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “At the founding of KWU, there were just a few thousand residents in all of Salina itself. The university was in a field at the edge of town. To imagine that one day, 1,000 individuals would be a part of this campus would truly have seemed impossible. It is a testament to the support of countless individuals — including numerous donors who have stepped forward at pivotal times — and the hard work and dedication of numerous faculty and staff through the years. We thank everyone who has believed in the work that happens on this campus and those who have labored to build the reputation and community of our university.”
The total head count of 1,020 continues KWU’s stunning growth, as the university’s student population was sitting at just 716 in the fall of 2019. That marks a 42% increase that is, undoubtedly, one of the largest in the country during that time. Total enrollment is up 7.1% from last year’s 952 figure. This success comes during a period in which numerous private colleges are experiencing challenges, and even closures, but KWU has found success through clear, strategic decisions.
“This has been a four-year enrollment effort on the part of numerous individuals across this campus,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “An important part of that has been teaming with those in the Salina community, from donors to businesses to local school
districts, to provide an even better experience for each of our students.
The community, in turn, has embraced us and opened doors for the future of every Coyote through countless internship and work experience opportunities, as well as the university’s host family program.
That relationship with Salina, paired with wise investment decisions across campus, has set us on this new trajectory.”
Top: The largest firstyear class in Kansas Wesleyan history poses for a class photo.
Center: It’s move-in day for students in the residence halls (left) and Coyote Village.
Bottom: All students have help unloading vehicles and carrying items to their rooms.
Of the 1,020 students, 912 of them are full-time undergraduates, the largest such number in school history. There are 56 MBA students, as well. There are 417 new students, marking the second straight year that new student enrollment has exceeded 400, also a first in school history.
The announcement continues KWU’s historic momentum that included more than $10 million worth of construction projects in the past 24 months, including Bieber Dining Hall, Applequist Family Music Center, the renovation of Sams Chapel and the opening of Coyote Village, KWU’s newest student housing. KWU has also made notable renovations to the Albert Nelson Student Success
Center, Everett Morgan Strength Training Center (weight room) and existing student residence halls.
KWU Athletics has won 16 KCAC team championships and four conference Commissioners Cups since 2019, but more than that, the campus’ academic momentum has accelerated. The success of the DECA program, the growth of the Music Department, the hiring of 12 new faculty members and the increase in the university’s minimum GPA for acceptance have all contributed to increased academic success across the university.
“There are so many positives in a KWU classroom,” said Dr. Damon Kraft, KWU provost. “From the experiences of our
talented faculty, to academic activities, to engaging programs, there are countless opportunities to grow intellectually as a Coyote. We are excited that so many students see that and have chosen the KWU experience!”
“KWU is a special place,” said Thompson. “I hope everyone will come experience our community and see what’s happening on campus, by coming to a concert, athletic event or other activity. I’m thrilled that so many have become a part of the Coyote community. This is a great time to be a Coyote!”
Top left: Students grab tacos from a food truck at the Back-to-School Bash in downtown Salina.
Top right: Dr. Allen Smith leads an activity during the opening convocation ceremony.
Center right: First-years students experience downtown Salina during a scavenger hunt.
Bottom right: First-year orientation had some fun moments, as students participate in a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Left: Students get acquainted with the Albert Nelson Student Success Center Every first-year student is assigned a student success coach.
GROWTH
IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A COYOTE!
IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE A COYOTE!
KWU’s enrollment is up more than 40% since 2019! The university enrolled more than 1,000 students for the first time this fall.
ENROLLMENT GROWTH
KWU’s enrollment is up more than 40% since 2019! The university enrolled more than 1,000 students for the first time this fall.
• Enrollment hits record-breaking mark
• 42% increase in enrollment since 2019
• Enrollment hits record-breaking mark
• Nine-spot jump in U.S. News & World Report rankings
• Nine-spot jump in U.S. News & World Report rankings
• Exceeded 1,000-student enrollment for the first time
The Community Resilience Hub (CRH) is growing, pun intended.
It’s growing in size of staff, number of acres to be farmed, and number of education, action and advocacy programs.
Two new staff members, Andrew Hall and Regan Rhodes ’23, have joined Sabrina Rosario, director; Sheila Kjellberg, coordinator; and Alex Hurla, regenerative agriculture farm instructor.
The first Heartland Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training (RIFT) program at Kansas Wesleyan will kick off in March, with Hall assisting Hurla in training the first cohort of farmers and would-be farmers. Hall is starting his position at KWU on Jan. 6.
“The work of the Community Resilience Hub is reaching a pivotal moment, with the launch of the Heartland RIFT,” Rosario said. “It’s the germination of a program years in the making that we hope will catalyze the movement toward healthier Kansans and supported farmers, and with a deeper understanding of where we are in this beautiful biome, as well as our relationships with each other and the planet in a healthier way.”
The course is a hybrid of classroom work and field work during one growing season, March through October. It is offered by CRH in collaboration with the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. The Heartland RIFT program will offer 12 certificate hours. The class filled up fast and has a waiting list.
Some of the training will take place on 12 acres
Two more join CRH to farm in field and campus CRH GETS NEW, CURRENT PROJECTS OFF THE GROUND
Andrew Hall
The West called to Andrew Hall. So did farming. Which is remarkable, because Hall had spent almost all of his life in Florida and had no farming background.
But here he is in Kansas, the newest regenerative agriculture farming instructor with the Heartland Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training (RIFT) Program at Kansas Wesleyan. A couple of years ago, he applied for the RIFT in Pennsylvania, sure he had little chance of being accepted. But he was.
He did so well the first year that
loaned by Quail Creek Family Farm, and some will take place on 30 acres of land recently provided by Dr. Wes Jackson ’58, KWU faculty member emeritus and co-founder of The Land Institute. This will expand the program’s options and allow chickens and cattle, as well as sheep and crops. Hurla, with help from Rhodes, has started a winter garden and planted cover crops to enrich the soil.
Kjellberg has been covering the action work. In October, she organized the delivery of about 85 pounds of organic produce to the Salina Senior Center and sold it all. This is the end of the second year of a three-year grant with the Kansas
he was hired as a teaching fellow the next year. He learned, particularly, about heavy machinery — tractors, combines, grain drills, which he’ll teach to students here.
That first year, too, was when he met Alex Hurla, the regenerative agriculture farm instructor working with the Heartland RIFT program in collaboration with KWU’s Community Resilience Hub.
He and Hurla hit it off, Hall said, finding they had a lot in common.
The second year, when Hurla went back to RIFT to become a teaching fellow himself, Hall was one of his instructors. That, Hall said, was when he realized that he loved teaching.
“I love growing things, but teaching people how to do it made me feel fulfilled,” he said.
Rural Center and Common Ground Producers and Growers of Wichita. The grant aims to set up a food corridor of organic produce for people between Wichita and Salina.
She is also studying regenerative health by attending a conference at Rodale Institute this fall, and looking deeper into the connections between healthy food and physical health.
Kjellberg and Rhodes also attended the Urban Agriculture Conference in Detroit this fall, both as attendees and as having a table at the conference.
Rhodes, as KWU’s campus farmer, has several ideas to keep her busy. She tends the community garden raised beds between the University United Methodist Church and Kirwin House. She decides what to grow, cares for the area and transports the harvest to the Salina Emergency Aid / Food Bank.
Also on her plate is a new chef’s garden, near Bieber Dining Hall, and she’s hoping to grow microgreens, as well.
“I see a lot of potential for what I do and what I can do,” Rhodes said. “For example, I’d like to start a gardening club on campus, as one way for students to become more involved.”
Look for additional growth from a grant of more than $200,000 that CRH received from the Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program, administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. CRH is planning for a storage/ commercial area for regional producers to use. Rosario sees it as a more direct way to connect people who grow and process food with retailers.
Starting in January, Hall will assist Hurla with the Heartland RIFT Program at Kansas Wesleyan.
Regan Rhodes
Regan Rhodes ’23 is a familiar sight on campus. Besides being a recent alumna, she is the campus farmer with the Community Resilience Hub (CRH).
She spends a lot of her time behind University United Methodist Church, where she tends to the 12 raised beds in the community garden. She’s in charge of those raised beds, she said, caring for
them, deciding what to plant and transporting what isn’t used here to the Salina Emergency Fund / Food Bank.
She’s also an extra hand out at either farm, the 12 acres at Quail Creek Family Farm or the 30 acres on Dr. Wes Jackson’s property.
She has experience with being a farmhand. Rhodes grew up on her family’s farm outside Mullinville, where she did whatever needed to be done with crops and cattle.
Her full-time job with CRH started this spring. While a student, she held communications and gardening internships working with Rolling Hills Zoo, Trinity United Methodist Church and CRH.
She’s also learning to be a master gardener with the Kansas State University Extension Service.
Rhodes
Hall
Alex Hurla plows the ground for a winter garden.
The Heartland RIFT Program
KWU is proud to be one of just two locations to host the Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training (RIFT) program! The first cohort to work at Quail Creek Family and Jackson Farms begins in March, under the direction of the Community Resilience Hub’s Alex Hurla.
The RIFT program is a hybrid experience composed of classroom instruction, farm visits and hands-on training in the skills necessary to operate a regenerative organic farm. Students will be fully immersed in the day-to-day activities involved in a growing season and spend time in a classroom setting for lectures from experts in the field. In addition to the training in science and farming, students will receive extensive education in agricultural budgeting, marketing and finances of agricultural products. This curriculum is designed to enable individuals with little-to-no farming experience to become capable farmers or farm managers. If you’re interested in starting a career in
KWU names five new trustees
Kansas Wesleyan announced the five newest members of the university’s Board of Trustees in June.
Dianne Fahring ’74, Keaton Hale, Kirk Holt, Mike Money and Guy Walker join the group of church, civic and community leaders who set the trajectory of the university.
Dianne Fahring ’74 (Johns Creek, Ga.) is a retired educator, having taught Physical Education and Biology in Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia. She worked for Salina Parks and Recreation after graduating from KWU with a degree in Secondary Education and Physical Education, Health and Recreation. She and her late husband Alan ’70 met at KWU. Keaton Hale (Salina, Kan.) serves as vice president of operations for
Farmer Direct Foods in nearby New Cambria. A native of Salina, he attended St. Mary’s Grade School and Sacred Heart High School, across the street from KWU. Hale is a graduate of Kansas State University and holds a degree in Milling Science and Management, with a minor in Business.
Kirk Holt (Mansfield, Texas) is a Salina native, a 1980 graduate of Salina Central High School and the current president of the Dunbar School Alumni Association. He has enjoyed a distinguished career in banking,
including more than three decades with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., where he worked his way up to the executive level. He joined Ernst & Young, LLP, in 2021 and serves as the organization’s senior regulatory advisor within its credit-risk practice. Holt spent more than two decades in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he received numerous commendations.
Money’s initial involvement with KWU. He received his bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State and is a past board member for the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as president of his church’s trustees and was involved in AMBUCS and Lions Club, among other community-based pursuits.
Mike Money (Salina, Kan.) is the owner of Money Automotive in Salina, a dealership he has worked at for nearly four decades. He was a supporter of the Sams Chapel renovation, in honor of his mother. Through a visit from the KWU Chorale, Money’s parents became friends with the Rev. Nerses Balabanian ’84, longtime KWU pianist. That friendship helped inspire
Guy Walker (Salina, Kan.) is the president of Blue Beacon, Inc., the national leader in washing services for trucks, RVs and trailers. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and well-known for giving back in the region, having served on the boards of Friends of the River, Prairieland Market, the Greater Salina Community Foundation and the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.
There are many ways you can give back to Kansas Wesleyan and enhance a legacy in the process, but two notable options are establishing an endowed scholarship and naming a campus space.
Establishing an endowed scholarship will leave a lifelong impact on future generations of Coyotes. You can establish an endowed scholarship for as little as $25,000 during a three-year pledge payment schedule. Naming opportunities exist from $2,000 to $100,000 and include offices, benches, locker rooms, lecture halls, and other rooms and spaces.
Dianne Fahring
Keaton Hale
Kirk Holt
Mike Money
Guy Walker
Support the Next Generation
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KWU HIRES NATIONAL CHAMP AS NEW COACH
Matt Middleton, a national champion assistant coach at Harding University (Searcy, Arkansas), was selected as the new football coach at Kansas Wesleyan University. The announcement was made in late November Middleton comes to KWU after his second season at Harding, which, at press time, had just advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Championship. That gave the Bison a 26-1 record with Middleton on the coaching staff and an 11-1 mark this year. Harding was undefeated during its 2023 title run.
students who are well-prepared for their lives and careers. It is evident that he will seamlessly integrate into the university, contributing to the betterment of all and building on the momentum that has already been established. I admire his faith, commitment to family and passion for shaping young men.”
Middleton was offensive coordinator at Division II Southern Arkansas in 2022 before going to Harding. He was head coach at three high schools in Louisiana from 2014-22.
He spent three seasons as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator at Division II Arkansas-Monticello from 2011-14 in his second time at the school. He held the same title at UAM from 2007-08.
fathers one day. As a coach, you are judged in this profession by wins and losses; I believe this to also be true in how our young men in this program win in life after football.
“I want to thank Dr. Thompson, Ken Oliver (executive vice president) and Miguel Paredes (director of athletics) for giving me the opportunity to lead this football program into the future. We are excited to be joining the Pack.”
Selection was unanimous
Middleton was chosen from a field of more than 150 applicants.
Middleton join the KWU staff and lead the football program.
Middleton has been an assistant coach and head coach at the Division I, Division II and high school levels during his career, which began in 2001 when he was a graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech.
“We are thrilled to welcome Matt and his family to our Pack,” said KWU President Dr. Matt Thompson. “During his interview, students, faculty, staff and alumni recognized him as a consummate winner both on and off the field. He possesses a deep understanding of what it takes to develop individuals and lead a program that prioritizes both winning games and graduating
Middleton spent 2009-10 as offensive coordinator at Division I Central Arkansas between his stints at Arkansas-Monticello.
Middleton coached wide receivers at NCAA II power Grand Valley State during the 2004 season. He was head coach and athletic director at Caldwell Parish High School (Louisiana) from 2005-06.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the head football coach at Kansas Wesleyan University,” he said. “It is a storied program with a history of success. My wife (Kayla) and I desire to build a program that honors God and helps raise men to be great Christians, husbands and
“It’s not often that a search committee is unanimous. It was, however, with Matt,” said Oliver. “This is a coach who knows how to win, who knows how to work within a successful culture and, in the process, make it better. This is someone who understands the different aspects of coaching from development to game-day decisions because he’s worked at numerous levels. He’s done the work, been in the trenches, and he’s ready to lead a program.
“Finally, this is someone who knows how to engage with a community, to build a championship legacy of fans, community support and alumni backing. In short, this is someone ready to win on the field the Kansas Wesleyan way, and we can’t wait to see him to do just that.”
Paredes is thrilled to have
“This is a home-run hire,” he said. “Matt is a longtime assistant ready to lead a program and ready to build on the success that we’ve had. His head coaching experience prepares him to lead, while his experience as a coordinator is widely varied at several institutions. That’s deepened his knowledge both of the game and of the university experience. He has the ability to impart that knowledge to his players and make them better both on and off the field, and we look forward to seeing him do just that every day that he’s a Coyote.”
Kansas Wesleyan’s new head coach will remain with Harding during its postseason run, but will immediately begin the spring semester recruiting and finalizing the hiring his KWU staff. He will join KWU full-time at the conclusion of Harding’s season.
Middleton is a 2002 graduate of Louisiana Tech with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Social Studies. He played wide receiver at Mississippi College in 1997, helping the Choctaws win the American Southwest Conference championship.
Middleton was a quarterback and wide receiver at West Monroe (Louisiana) High School from 199397 and helped his team win the 1996 5-AAAAA state championship.
The Middletons have four sons, Luke, Caden, Kash and Kross.
FOOTBALL RETURNS TO NAIA POSTSEASON ACTION
Kansas Wesleyan football overcame challenges in 2024 to win the Bissell Division and make its first NAIA appearance since 2021. The Yotes started the year 2-4 before winning their final five contests to earn a postseason berth, one which ended in heartbreak. KWU led a top-15 Dickinson State team most of the way before DSU scored twice in the final nine minutes, including the game-winner with 29 seconds left, to capture the first round victory.
Running back Luke Armstrong was the NAIA’s second-leading
rusher at press time, including an 8.1 yards-per-carry average. Armstrong led KWU’s all-conference honorees, as he was selected First Team AllBissell division at running back, kick returner and punt returner. Seven other Coyotes earned first team honors, while eight more earned second team laurels.
The day after KWU’s game against Dickinson State, Matt Middleton, Harding University (Ark.) assistant, was hired as KWU’s next head coach (see above), beginning the next era in Coyote football.
Matt Middleton
Coyote running back Luke Armstrong (left) was the NAIA’s second-leading rusher during the regular season. Also honored was defensive lineman Josh King-Bradley (right).
KWU DEVELOPMENTAL ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
KWU’s developmental athletics are an important part of who we are at KWU, because they are committed to just that — development. It is not a lesser version of competition, but rather, a coordinated system designed to help student-athletes grow and become all they can be.
There is a dedicated athletic director, notable support staff and a comprehensive schedule of competition that creates an environment for student-athletes to develop physically, and campus resources are available to enable academic development, as well. The team environment and KWU’s team chaplains offer social and spiritual development.
In short, KWU’s developmental system makes students better. It prepares them for the real world, all while providing an opportunity
KWU OFFERS DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS FOR:
• Men’s Volleyball
• Men’s Soccer
• Men’s Golf
• Women’s Golf Women’s Soccer Women’s Basketball
Track and Field Baseball Women’s Volleyball
Men’s Basketball
Flag Football
Softball
• Football
Men’s soccer wraps up banner year
KWU men’s soccer continued its rise up the regional ranks this season, a campaign that wrapped up with its first NAIA Tournament appearance since 2018. The Coyotes lost 2-1 to Williams Baptist (Ark.) in that first round contest but finished with an 11-6-3 overall record. KWU finished second in the KCAC.
The team’s balanced attack saw six different players post game-winning goals, led by Kamille Kum’s ’25 four, a total that tied him for the KCAC lead. Midfielder Gerardo Garcia ’26 paced the Coyotes with seven goals, which helped him earn KCAC Newcomer of the Year honors, while goalkeeper Santiago Pagnutti ’26 led the way for
the defense en route to conference goalkeeper of the year laurels. Pagnutti and Garcia were First Team All-KCAC honorees, while Mika Wernicke ’27 and Cole Walgren ’25 earned second team honors.
The squad also earned the KCAC Champions of Character team award, given to the program that best exemplifies integrity, respect, sportsmanship, servant leadership and responsibility among the KCAC ranks. The Coyotes served in a variety of ways in the community, including volunteering at Salina Parks and Recreation’s Soccer Fest and dedicating two hours every Friday night from August into November to work with 80 local youth players.
CATCHING ON IN THE BULLPEN
Cilladi ’09 shows versatility in long baseball career
It is a fantasy played over and over, year after year, day after day, in backyards, on streets and ballfields all across the country. A youngster, bat in hand, is standing at the plate, hoping to drive in the winning run for his favorite baseball team. As this is all a fantasy, it’s never a single or a double that wins the game, but rather a deep drive over the outfield wall for a walk-off home run to win the World Series.
After rounding the bases and calling it a day, the youngster returns again the next day expecting to do it all over again. The World Series ring may never come, but the joy — oh, the joy — is unmatched.
Stephen Cilladi ’09 may not have driven in a World Series-clinching run, but he does have a ring, thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. That ring pales in comparison with the lifetime of memories, friendships and growth the game of baseball gave back to him.
From the desert to Salina
Originally from Arizona, Cilladi played baseball throughout his younger years. His father, Dave, was an athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies before leaving the big leagues for a job in Arizona.
The younger Cilladi was all baseball, all the time, as well. His introduction to Kansas Wesleyan came through a tryout at the Chicago Cubs spring training site.
“(Former KWU coach) Tim Bellew made a point of coming out to watch me work out,” Cilladi recalled. “It was basically a one-onone deal. The rest is kind of history.”
Scholarship offer accepted, what drew Cilladi to KWU was the small class sizes and his ability to play baseball all four years.
“I really appreciated the idea of being able to play all four years
as well as from an educational standpoint, having a good studentto-teacher ratio. That was important to me,” Cilladi said.
A catcher, Cilladi worked himself into an MLB prospect, ultimately being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 33rd round of the 2009 draft, after earning his degree in Athletic Training.
Casey Barnes ’10, also from Arizona, also would end up in Salina pitching for the Coyote baseball team. A year behind Cilladi, the two would form a friendship that stands the test of time, beginning with a previous connection they didn’t know existed.
“His dad actually worked on my arm as a pitcher as a 12-year-old,” Barnes said. “As a baseball player, (Cilladi) was constantly hungry to learn, hungry to work. Nobody works harder than that guy. If you’re
down, Cilladi wanted to help out and absorb as much information as he could from those around him. When it came time to hang up his cleats, he didn’t retire them. He just moved them to a different locker.
Under-appreciated job
Cilladi took on one of the least recognizable, but intrinsically important, roles on the baseball field. In 2014, he became the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen catcher.
The bullpen catcher does not get showered with appreciation.
“A lot of grunt work,” Cilladi said. “I would compare it to the sparring partner of a boxer, basically. My job was very physical and there wasn’t a lot of coaching involved.”
Cilladi was there to “help the players practice,” as he said. He would throw batting practice; he was there to throw with the pitchers; he was there to catch the bullpens and warm up the pitchers going into the game and do all the unseen and in-between work between all 162 games, plus spring training. He was there not to be seen.
raising a young kid to play sports, all the attributes that you would want in somebody would be in him.”
Life in the minors
From 2009-13, minor league baseball was Cilladi’s job.
Cilladi never became a regular in the lineup, spending most of his time in Rookie League and with Single-A affiliates over his first three years. He was with the AAA team in Albuquerque in both 2012 and 2013, but he made just eight plate appearances across those two seasons.
As time wore on, and with playing time becoming more and more scarce, it became apparent to him that catching big league pitching was not in his future, so he studied for the athletic training exam and took on substitute teaching roles in the offseason to prepare for his future. With his playing career winding
One year turned into two and two into four. Before he knew it, Cilladi was in year 11, evolving into more than just a guy behind the catcher’s gear and mask. He became an ear for the pitchers, a reliable source of information for the coaches and a valued member of the Dodgers coaching staff, all the while maintaining relationships without sharing information between the two.
The names of the guys he caught is long and distinguished. There’s Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the Dodgers career leader in strikeouts. There’s Max Scherzer, also a threetime Cy Young Award winner. The list goes on and on, as one would expect from an 11-year career.
“The players absolutely loved him because he never said no,” current Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebell said. “He had a daily routine that he made sure that he was never caught off guard.”
Courtesy photo
Stephen Cilladi ’09 makes a catch at Dodger Stadium. Cilladi had a long career as the LA Dodgers’ bullpen catcher.
“I didn’t have any kind of decisionmaking power but … The experience I had, had built up to a perspective that people could appreciate.”
— Stephen Cilladi ’09, former bullpen catcher for the LA Dodgers.
“I didn’t have any kind of decision-making power, but I feel that at the very end, the relationships I had established with the coaching staff, with the players, with the front office, that my opinion was valued,” Cilladi said. “The experience I had, had built up to a perspective that people could appreciate.”
Living in Los Angeles, Cilladi’s family was beginning to grow. He and his wife, Laine, whom he met during his fourth year of pro ball, had established a home base in Arizona. The two are parents to two girls, and he began to see how being away from them was affecting him.
“Emerson being 3, 4 years old and starting to recognize the fact that I’m not home a lot, that really tore at me,” he said.
So Cilladi did what very few people in his position might do. He made his days longer, turning his free hours into personal classroom hours, learning all about economics and day trading while continuing to soak up as much baseball knowledge as possible.
“Six in the morning and the last guy to leave,” Ebell said. “He was willing to learn the strategy stuff that I do at third base or the managerial stuff; in the outfield he would always bring up situations of baseball.
After leaving the Dodgers, Stephen Cilladi moved back to Arizona to care for his daughters while his wife teaches. When he wasn’t catching, Cilladi used his time to study economics and athletic training to contribute to the family’s support.
The learning never stopped, he just wanted to get better.”
While not living a minimalist lifestyle, Cilladi did pare out a lot of unnecessary things from his life in LA, selling his truck and moving into a small space a mile away from the stadium. This afforded Laine and the girls a chance to live comfortably in Arizona. It also allowed Stephen time to focus on learning new skills to take with him when he went home to Arizona.
Life after baseball
Life after baseball can be scary. Going to the fields and playing catch is all you know, after all. For Cilladi, there was a 45-minute meeting that he says, “changed the course of my life forever.”
That meeting was with the FBI after the 2018 World Series.
It all started after a conversation with a good friend, whose father had once held a prominent role within the FBI. Encouraged by his recommendation, Cilladi explored the possibility of applying for a special agent position.
Researching the FBI, diving into its history and studying accounts of others who had attempted — and failed — to become agents, his goal was to understand why they didn’t
make it to best prepare himself.
Though he would ultimately withdraw himself from consideration for the position, the personal growth taken from the experience changed him in ways he didn’t know were possible at the time.
“Sitting there and interviewing with special agents and having them ask me the questions that they were asking really enlightened me,” Cilladi said. “To this day, I don’t think they understand how much I got out of that interview. That was a huge push.”
The push altered Cilladi’s outlook for his post-baseball life. Now he was walking to the stadium at 5:30 a.m., getting to know the security guards at the gate, seeing the night crew rolling out, and studying economics in the bowels of Dodger Stadium all by himself.
“That was kind of a three-year endeavor, working up to the decision I ended up making. I could still bring the income into the family and I could provide and be home and do those things.”
Now a stay-at-home dad while his wife teaches, he spends most of his time learning when he’s not attending to his children.
He has already obtained his
strength and conditioning specialist certification and a nutrition certificate, he has dug into the technology behind AI and how to utilize it, and he has caught on to day trading and economics.
“You have all these things that actually come from economics and trading that completely overlap everything I was doing in baseball,” he said. “When I left the Dodgers, I was very open to the fact that I wasn’t leaving because I disliked baseball, I wasn’t leaving because I was tired of it. It got to a point in my life where now my family is my priority,” he said.
“There’s always going to be a part of me that misses the camaraderie, the teamwork aspect to it, the things that people don’t ever get to see unless you’re on the inside,” he said.
For now, Cilladi will keep up with his teammates when they pass through Arizona, but as far as dayto-day life, he will embrace where his feet are planted right now.
“I reflect back on it, and I have nothing but positive things to say,” Cilladi said. “Yet, I am happy to be with my family and happy with my decision that I left. Sometimes you just know it’s a good time to do it.”
By Dan Froehlich
Cilladi holds the World Series trophy his team, the LA Dodgers, won in 2020.
Courtesy photos
CROSS COUNTRY ENJOYS BEST SEASON EVER!
Women finished 14th at the NAIA National Championships
Men finished 22nd at the national championships
The cross country programs enjoyed their best seasons ever this fall! Both programs were nationally ranked for much of the season, which marked the first time they had achieved that feat in the same year.
Both the men’s and women’s teams qualified for the national meet, which, again, marked a KWU first! Both programs finished second in the KCAC, as well.
The women’s team finished a program-best 14th at the NAIA National Championships in November. Madisyn Ehrlich led the pack with a 49th-place finish, an improvement of more than 50 spots from her 2023 nationals effort. Kierra Jensen also finished in the top100, placing 77th.
The Coyote men earned their second straight top-25 national finish with a 22nd-place result. Julian Avila led the way with an 86th-place finish, nearly 200 spots better than he finished at nationals a year ago.
Class Notes
1980s
Roger Wilson ’87, recently earned his Master of Education with an emphasis of choral conducting from Wichita State University and will begin teaching music at St. Joseph Elementary School in McPherson. Roger and his wife, Darlene, have two daughters and four, soon to be five, grandchildren.
1990s
Marty Kramer ’97 became president of EmberHope Foundation at EmberHope Youthville in Newton, Kansas.
2000s
Tori Stukey ’07 began a new position as Environmental Compliance Specialist II for Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline.
Heidi Feyerherm-Smith ’08, was name the winner of KSN TV’s 2024 Remarkable Women initiative. Feyerherm-Smith is the founder and executive director of the Love, Chloe Foundation, a Salina nonprofit that helps children and their families in the fight against cancer. KSN made a $1,000 donation to the Love, Chloe Foundation. Feyerherm-Smith traveled to Hollywood for an allexpense paid trip to be recognized on the national level. She started the Love, Chloe Foundation after losing her 7-year old daughter, Chloe, to brain cancer in 2007. The foundation provides financial assistance to families in Kansas and helps children across the nation with the Monkey In My Chair program.
2020s
Taylor Lang ’23 became the director of human resources at Salina Area Technical College.
Stephanie Harrison G’20 is excited for her new position as the Revenue Cycle Manager for the Family Service & Guidance Center of Topeka.
Bella Allison ’25 has accepted a position as associate broker with Aon in Los Angeles, California.
In Memoriam
Charlotte A. Shaffer ’51, Bunker Hill, Kan., passed away Aug. 21, 2024.
Peggy L. Sondergard ’51, Wichita, Kan., passed away Sept. 25, 2024.
Zula B. Harding ’51, Cheney, Kan., passed away Oct. 1, 2024.
Lois Bertrand Warders ’53, Fort Collins, Colo., passed away May 22, 2024.
Dixie May Lanning, ’53 New Cambria, Kan., passed away Oct. 3, 2024.
Delma (Meall) Hitchcock ’57, Baldwin City, Kan., passed away June 26, 2024.
Katherine K. “Kitty” Thyfault ’62, Omaha, Neb., passed away Nov. 6, 2024.
Larry L. Hall ’62, Bunker Hill, Kan., passed away July 22, 2024.
Marshall L. Crowther ’62, Lawrence, Kan., passed away June 1, 2024.
Marlene K. “Mollie” (Atkinson) Haberer ’63, Russell, Kan., passed away July 17, 2024.
Al Franzen ’65, Des Moines, Wash., passed away Nov. 5, 2024. Al was one of the oldest of four Franzen siblings (including current KWU Trustee Dr. Karen Franzen Johnson ’68) to attend KWU and establish a legacy that continues to the present day with the Franzen Family Endowed Scholarship. An additional memoriam will be published in the next edition of Contact
Larry E. Homeier ’66, Salina, Kan., passed away Aug. 8, 2024.
Sandy L. Parsons ’66, Wakefield, Kan., passed away Sept. 2, 2024.
Kenneth J. Lee ’69, Salina, Kan., passed away June 10, 2024. Lee was a trailblazer, athlete, war hero, leader, and world traveler. In the 1950s, Lee was one of a very few Asian American child actors, performing in national touring companies. A gifted athlete, he was a running back on the Kansas Wesleyan football team until a knee injury ended his career. Lee won or placed in eight Salina Y racquetball competitions. He finished 20 halfmarathons, and he and his daughter Jeni were finishers at the 2006 New York City Marathon. After he graduated, Lee was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam, where he was awarded two Bronze Stars for valor. Lee worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 33 years and retired as postmaster. A memorial has been set up with the Advancement Office in Lee’s name.
Dr. Donald L. Williams ’70, Great Bend, Kan., passed away Oct. 11, 2024.
If you have updates for class notes, please contact the Advancement Office at 785-833-4392 or alumni@ kwu.edu. Every effort is made for the below information to be accurate. However, due to the necessary use of outside sources, errors are possible. We encourage you to email alumni@ kwu.edu with any corrections.
James R. “Jim” LoVullo ’74, O’Fallon, Mo., passed away June 26, 2024. LoVullo was a longtime Salina coach and teacher. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., he moved to Salina to attend Kansas Wesleyan University. During the next 40 years, LoVullo taught English language arts and physical education and coached six sports (tennis, softball, football, basketball, track, swimming) across four different schools (Sacred Heart, RooseveltLincoln, Salina Central High and Lakewood Middle School). His coaching highlights included winning seven state tennis titles at Salina Central High School, a sport that he and his college buddies taught themselves how to play “just for fun” one summer. He was named Kansas Coaches Association Girls Tennis Coach of the Year twice, Midwest Section Coach of the Year and KCA’s Boys Tennis Coach of the Year. LoVullo was inducted into the Salina Central Hall of Fame, the Jerry Jones Kansas Wesleyan Hall of Fame and the Kansas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.
David P. May ’75, Hot Springs Village, Ark., passed away Aug. 5, 2024.
Kendee F. Heck ’80, Oskaloosa, Kan., passed away July 8, 2024.
Joseph M. Fassler ’81, Montrose, Colo., passed away Sept. 4, 2024.
Beth Carlgren Whisler, Concordia, Kan., passed away July 20, 2024. She was a member of the KWU Board of Trustees from 1993-2000.
Fred “Keith” Rowe ’94, Salina, Kan., passed away July 3, 2024.
Melinda J. Gibson ’95, Salina, Kan., passed away July 18, 2024.
Ronald M. Dale ’95, Haven, Kan., passed away June 24, 2024.
Marianne Werner ’97, Codell, Kan., passed away Aug. 11, 2024.
Jorge Luis Varela ’00, Garden City, Kan., passed away June 23, 2024.
Mindi M. Carlson ’06, Salina, Kan., passed away July 30, 2024.
