K A N S A S W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y
CONTACT
100 E. Claflin Ave. Salina, KS 67401-6196
Volume CXIX • Issue 1 • FALL 2014
KWU BY THE NUMBERS
2,231 who have liked Kansas Wesleyan University on Facebook
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people who watched the live streaming of Baccalaureate, Commencement and Nursing Pinning Ceremony in May 2nd place among 36 Kansas schools with the highest percentage of Hispanic students
increase in Alumni Association memberships between Sept. 2013 and Sept. 2014
LEARN. LEAD. SERVE. KWU TAKES LEARNING GLOBAL KWU.EDU/ALUMNI
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Kansas Wesleyan University Volume CXIX, Issue 1 Fall 2014
Q&A
Contact is the official magazine of Kansas Wesleyan University and is published by the office of Marketing and Communications Editors: John Elmore Paula Hermann
with KWU President Matt Thompson
Vice President for Institutional Advancement: Bill Grevas
What sets KWU apart as a forward-thinking university?
Senior Director of Marketing and Advancement: Paula Hermann Director of Alumni Relations: Jennifer Rein Director of Annual Giving/ Stewardship: Sara Nettleingham Director of Marketing and Communications: John Elmore Development Officer: Andy Fadenholz Office Manager: Linda Baumberger KWU President & CEO: Matt Thompson, Ph.D. Executive Vice President & Provost: Dr. Nancy H. Cummings, Ed.D. Executive Committee of Board of Trustees: Randy St. Clair ’66, Chairman Charles G. Grimwood, Vice Chair Steven B. Michel, Treasurer Donna McKinley ’66, Secretary KWU Alumni Association: Randy Lamer ’06, President Rick Dahl ’99, Treasurer Lori Trow ’82, Secretary
The 2014–15 school year kicked off with the traditional freshman class photo, the blessing of the hands ceremony in Nursing and a jam-packed schedule of events during Welcome Week.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Send address changes to: Jennifer Rein Director of Alumni Relations 100 E. Claflin Avenue Salina, KS 67401-6196
1 Q&A with KWU President Matt Thompson
16 Chorale Performs On World Stage
2 Global Service Learning
17 Growing Excitement for KWU Fine Arts
4 College of Distinction
18 Pioneer Society
Contact Information: Website: www.kwu.edu Alumni Email: alumni@kwu.edu Contact: contact.magazine@ kwu.edu
6 KWU Internships
19 New IA Staff Members
7 KKWU Radio
20 New KWU Staff Members
8 Jamie Townsend Mixes It Up
22 Board of Trustees Adds New Members
Design: Rushing & Associates Design, Inc.
9 Where Are They Now?
23 Alumni News 2014
10 Alumni Update
24 A New Era of Football
11 Homecoming 2014
25 Coyote Pride: Mike Malone
12 Award-winning Alumni
26 Fall Sports Preview
13 Homecoming Hall of Fame Inductees
28 Champions of Character
Photo Credits: Tanner Colvin John Elmore David Toelle The Parish Group
Q&A MATT THOMPSON
This is a great time to be at Kansas Wesleyan. We are moving forward on some very exciting projects. One is the establishment of The Center for Global Service Learning. The Center works with faculty to create curriculum and credit-bearing courses that include a service component. We live in an ever-changing, global society, and we must offer opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom, in other U.S. cities or countries around the world. Doing so will expand their perspective and understanding of other cultures. These courses, called Wesleyan Journeys, are set to launch this fall. Beginning in Fall 2015, every student who completes four semesters at KWU will have the opportunity to take a Wesleyan Journey course at no additional cost. Nearly 180 students will qualify for a Wesleyan Journey next year. That’s exciting. We are also moving forward on developing online classes and distance learning opportunities for KWU students. As a result of our curriculum review, there will be new and innovative course offerings. The concept of studying in another country is not new, nor is service learning. How is what we are doing at KWU unique? Kansas Wesleyan is proud to be the first institution in the country to combine every one of its academic off-campus courses with intentional service-learning experiences. Further, the fact that we are gifting one to each student is unique. We are all called to serve, and this initiative provides many opportunities to broaden perspectives, stretch minds, grow in faith and learn from others.
How is the curriculum review progressing? The faculty have made tremendous progress on the new curriculum, and I’m thrilled that our new Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Nancy H. Cummings, is leading the effort to ensure that it is ready to roll out in fall 2015. Five competencies will be embedded into every course: Teamwork and Problem Solving, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Inquiry & Analysis, and Effective and Global Communication. These competencies will prepare students with skills that will make them solid communicators, problem solvers and global thinkers—all qualities that employers desire. What is the significance of the College of Distinction award? We are student-centered, and The College of Distinction designation reflects this commitment. It shows our dedication as an institution to develop the whole person with well-rounded graduates who are prepared to succeed. This is an honor, and I am proud to be working at a university that has great teaching, engaged students, a vibrant community and successful outcomes. What keeps you up at night? There is so much potential here. We are located in a community in which many businesses and organizations have built solid relationships with our university staff, faculty and students. But there are still many opportunities and partnerships to be explored and developed. I am anxious to see the Sports Complex project completed, as we have many other projects that are waiting to be launched. We have so much momentum right now and so much to offer. I feel like we are an undiscovered gem in the middle of Kansas, and I dream about the day when we have 1,000 students studying at KWU.
“I am proud to be working at a university that has great teaching, engaged students, a vibrant community and successful outcomes.”
— KWU President, Dr. Matt Thompson
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of our (qualified) students to take their learning outside of the classroom— into areas of the country, and the world—that they may never otherwise have the opportunity to experience.” Wesleyan Journeys are typically five to seven days and are offered during fall, spring, and summer breaks. Each Wesleyan Journey will be aligned with academic courses and will support service-learning outcomes. These will be one- to six-credit-hour courses. Faculty from a variety of disciplines have already submitted curriculum. Examples of courses include: Speaking Up and Speaking Out, a religion and ethics course offered in Washington, D.C.; Biology and Psychology courses offered in Costa Rica; Leadership and Business courses in Key Largo, FL; and several courses in Germany for the fine arts division. Each of these courses is customized with the professor to align with their course objectives and support the serving aspect.
THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME By Vanessa Puleo Director, the Center for Global Service Learning
Can you remember waking up from a dream and wondering if it was real? That’s what happened to me in 2006. After nearly two decades as a successful business owner, I awoke to realize that my world had become increasingly small and self-focused. It was after I returned from a mission trip to Egypt when I faced the fact that my life was without legacy. The corporate world was no longer enough. This one journey changed my heart and life forever. It not only brought me back to a relationship with Christ, it opened my eyes to the rest of the world and helped me find my life calling. At that time I closed my business and began to design opportunities for people who wanted to make a difference in the world and experience a “Journey” of their own. I began taking them to meaningful places linked with purpose and passion. The skills learned while creating companies now became focused on building people. I dedicated myself to the efforts of equipping, inspiring and mobilizing teams, local to global. In 2009, I launched a non-profit organization with a dear friend and tenured professor who had a similar desire to create these Journeys for students and add course credit. I focused on mobilizing mission teams in our first year, while her desire for student opportunities only grew stronger. We blended the gift of administration with the gift of purpose and took the first service-learning team to Germany.
Kansas Wesleyan University is the first four-year institution in the country to include an intentional and meaningful service-learning component with every travel course involving students—domestic or abroad. “We are called to serve, and as we focus on educating the whole student— mind, body and spirit—we want to offer meaningful service experiences to help broaden our students’ perspective and understanding of other cultures and to serve those who are needed in communities close to home, throughout the nation and around the world,” said Thompson.
THE WORLD IS OUR CLASSROOM
Wesleyan Journey Courses Invite Students to Learn and Serve Domestically, Globally Kansas Wesleyan University has recently launched the Wesleyan Journey, a new initiative that will take learning outside of the classroom and into such places as the rainforests of Costa Rica, the shorelines of Florida, and the historic districts of Washington, D.C.
After visiting Kansas Wesleyan University last year and meeting its faculty, it was clear that God has something very special planned for KWU, and I wanted to be a part of it. It was time to relocate. We’ve dedicated all of our service-learning efforts to Kansas Wesleyan University and the launch of the Wesleyan Journey. I believe that these course offerings, which include intentional service components combined with travel, domestic and abroad, will not only impact the communities we will serve, but enrich each faculty member and their students who join a Wesleyan Journey.
The new Center for Global Service Learning, located in the Hall of Pioneers, has opened doors for exciting new curriculum for KWU students. The Center works with faculty to develop credit-bearing coursework that is combined with intentional service in destinations in the United States and around the globe. It also assists with innovative internship opportunities, vibrant learning experiences and meaningful, life-changing service projects.
Kansas Wesleyan University and led2serve have partnered to create The Center for Global Service Learning. This allows us all to take education and serving to the next level. The Wesleyan Journey will not only be a signature offering at The Center, located on the campus of KWU, it will also be the Journey of a lifetime.
The Center is a partnership between the University and led2serve, an organization that has been mobilizing service-learning journeys for nearly six years. The unique partnership allows KWU to offer service-learning journeys in places that led2serve has developed strong partnerships and service initiatives. “This is so exciting for the University,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president, who joined a Service Mission with led2serve over spring break. “Their experience and established partnerships allow us to immediately begin writing curriculum and offering courses to our students.” Thompson announced in May that the University will offer every qualified student, who has completed four semesters at KWU, a Wesleyan Journey at no additional cost. “It’s our way of thanking them for being a part of our campus,” said Thompson. “Many universities offer study abroad programs that are costly to students, and most don’t involve meaningful service. This is a chance for all
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Photos from Service Journey to Costa Rica February 2014 (LEFT). Alternative Spring Break 2014 (ABOVE).
Students don’t have to wait until they qualify for a free Wesleyan Journey to register for a life-changing service-learning course. While the funded option is available to all students after they have completed four semesters by the University, they may register for a course as early as their freshman year. This fall, a group of students are heading to Costa Rica for a course entitled, “Friend or Foe? Survival of the Fittest In the Tropics” led by Dr. Welter and Dr. Kraft. In addition to faculty members traveling with their students and teaching the course, a led2serve Journey Leader will accompany them into established partner locations. They will support the faculty and oversee all logistics, serving initiatives and communicate with community partners in each location. Students who register for the Journeys, along with the teaching faculty, will be required to attend a series of training sessions prior to their departure. There will also be a time of de-briefing and reflection when they return. Vanessa Puleo, executive director of led2serve and director of The Center, is working closely with faculty to be certain that all Wesleyan Journeys will support established community partners at each location and allow for a customized curriculum. Wesleyan Journeys for the 2015–16 academic year will be announced in December 2014. Funded Wesleyan Journeys will begin in the fall of 2015. For more information, visit www.kwu.edu/wesleyanjourney.
ALUMNI SERVICE MISSION TRIP TO COSTA RICA Imagine embarking on a life-changing, eight-day journey that includes engaging in meaningful service projects in local communities, whitewater rafting and hiking in one of the most breathtaking countries in the world. Kansas Wesleyan University's office of Campus Ministries is inviting alumni to join a Service Mission to Costa Rica, July 18–25, 2015. The Service Journey, offered by Kansas Wesleyan in partnership with led2serve, will include serving with the ministry of KWU alumnus Marion Woods ’42, and his wife Mary, who serve as directors of the Methodist Rural Center in Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica. The group will also serve at a school in Nuevo Arenal and enjoy a day of adventures in La Fortuna. Participants can choose activities such as cooking for the team, leading Bible school with kids, teaching music or arts, doing construction or landscaping and joining reforestation efforts, just to name a few. Led2serve is a non-profit that has been leading service journeys for the past five years and is now partnering with KWU on service-learning initiatives through The Center for Global Service Learning. All fundraising activities and donations for team members are tax-deductible. “This is another great opportunity for us to share our partner organizations with the students and alumni of KWU,” said Vanessa Puleo, Director of The Center for Global Service Learning and the Executive Director of led2serve. “The chance to serve with Marion and Mary makes this journey even more special for this group.” Last spring led2serve facilitated a Service Mission to Costa Rica that included students, staff, President Thompson, Dr. Stephanie Welter and Dr. Gerald Gillespie. For the details about this trip, including costs and how to register, visit www.kwu.edu/alumni. Marion Woods, a 1942 alumnus and long-time missionary, was given the KWU Alumni Achievement Award in 1992. He and Mary were appointed in 1994 by the United Methodist Church Bishop for Costa Rica to serve as the directors of the Methodist Rural Center in Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica. It was founded in 1950, the year Marion became a Methodist church planter in Costa Rica. After more than sixty years in the mission field, he continues to serve and to be an inspiration to others.
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COLLEGE OF DISTINCTION
Ministry Studies
The new Ministry Studies program is designed to prepare students to engage in hands-on ministry. More than biblical or philosophical studies or theological scholarship, the program also prepares students with real-life experience in the field. “We want to encourage more of our graduating seniors to enter seminary,” said Dr. Phillip S. Meckley, Department Chair and Professor of Religion and Philosophy. “This Ministry Studies degree program will give them the practical experience they need to succeed in ministry.” This distinctive major combines coursework in four core areas: Bible; Religion and Philosophy; Ministry; and Educational and Social Sciences. These are designed to prepare well-rounded leaders to meet the challenges that the Church faces today. Students will participate in ministry under the guidance of ordained clergy or other mentors via placements in meaningful local and regional internships. For more information about the Ministry Studies program at Kansas Wesleyan University, visit www.kwu.edu/ministry.
3+2 Engineering Dual Degree Program
KWU NAMED A COLLEGE OF DISTINCTION™ Kansas Wesleyan University was recently honored for its outstanding reputation in higher education by being named a College of Distinction™ for the 2014–15 academic year. KWU joined the ranks of 294 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and is one of just five in Kansas to receive this honor. The Colleges of Distinction designation recognizes select schools for excellence in studentfocused higher education. “We are student-centered at KWU, and this honor reflects the passion and care of our faculty and staff who ensure that our students succeed academically, develop spiritually and grow individually,” said President Matt Thompson. Schools selected must excel in four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes. KWU stood out in all four areas, receiving a profile on the Colleges of Distinction website. Kansas Wesleyan was also included in Kansas Colleges of Distinction and Christian Colleges of Distinction categories. Tyson Schritter, executive editor of Colleges of Distinction, explained the value of its recognition for high school students who are choosing a college. “We focus on colleges that are the best places to learn, grow and succeed,” Schritter said. “Schools designated as ‘Colleges of Distinction’ create well-rounded graduates and are among the very best in the country.”
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NEW MAJORS
Environmental Studies and Community Resilience
Increasingly complex changes, in our society and in our surroundings, are impacting the world we live in today and the one we will have in the future. In response, Kansas Wesleyan University has put together a unique degree program to produce a new generation of thinking leaders, men and women with a broad skill set to understand the natural and physical sciences—but who will also carefully manage the impact of humans on our environment. This exciting, forward-thinking new major, Environmental Studies and Community Resilience, combines science and technology with social action and sustainability, all presented within an ethical context. It combines coursework in four core areas: Biological/Environmental Sciences, Environmental Social Sciences (which includes individual and group behavior as well as public policy), Environmental Economics and Ethics. The University’s close proximity to and strong relationships with The Land Institute, The Salina Area Resilience Group, and other environmental agencies provide students with a variety of hands-on experiences, exposure to field experts and relevant national research, and exceptional local and international internships. Find out more about this program at www.kwu.edu/environment.
Kansas Wesleyan University students now have the opportunity to earn an engineering degree from one of the best schools in the country, thanks to Dr. Kristin Kraemer and her vision to pursue a partnership with Washington University in St. Louis, MO. The new 3+2 Engineering Dual Degree program allows KWU students to pursue a liberal arts and sciences major and take pre-engineering courses at Kansas Wesleyan. After three or four years at KWU, they transfer to Washington University for two years of extensive engineering studies. Washington University seeks liberal arts-trained students for its engineering programs because it gives them a well-rounded background for better problem-solving and people skills often lacking in the engineering world. The Dual Degree Program allows students to earn both a liberal arts degree from KWU and an engineering degree from Washington University. The School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University occupies seven buildings and is a research institution exploring crossdisciplinary technologies of alternative energy, environmental engineering & sustainable technology, biotechnology, information technology, and nanotechnology/materials science. KWU students may choose from Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Science & Engineering. Often referred to as the “Ivy League School of the Midwest,” Washington University is No. 14 in the 2014 Best Colleges National University Rankings from U.S. News and World Report, and No. 30 in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Washington University is ranked among top 50 Engineering Schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Kraemer, assistant professor of Physics, is Kansas Wesleyan’s liaison with Washington University. For information visit www.kwu.edu/32engineering.
Dr. Lonnie Booker Jr., Director of Emergency Management program
Emergency Management 2+2 Degree Agreement with Garden City Commmunity College
Forward-thinking Fire Science students at Garden City Community College now have the option of following a course track that will qualify them to bring their applied science associate’s degree to Kansas Wesleyan University and complete the Emergency Management bachelor’s degree in just two years. The specialized 2+2 degree articulation agreement between the schools is just the beginning, according to Dr. Mark Bandré, KWU Vice President for Enrollment Management, who hopes to bring this program to other community colleges. The KWU Emergency Management program, unique for a Christian liberal arts university, is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It offers specialties in Homeland Security, Victim Services or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Graduates who hold a Fire Science associate’s degree and an Emergency Management bachelor’s degree will have unique qualifications when applying for jobs. “This combined curriculum will greatly enhance their marketability in both fields,” said Dr. Bandré. For details about the Bachelor of Arts in Emergency Management offered at Kansas Wesleyan University, visit www.kwu.edu/emergencymngt.
Articulation Agreements Make it Easy to Turn A.A. into B.A. Community colleges are a great starting point for some students. Kansas Wesleyan University wants to be their finish line by making it easier for them to come to KWU. Bringing more students to campus was the vision behind establishing articulation agreements to accept qualified students from two-year schools who have completed an associate’s degree.
Dr. Mark Bandré, Vice President for Enrollment Management, anticipates seeing many students with their associate’s degree continue their education at KWU. Thus far 36 KWU articulation agreements have been signed with communuty colleges located across Kansas, and in Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He has also established two memorandums of understanding with technical schools and one of the community colleges. Those students who earn an A.A. or A.S. from a partner school, with a minimum of 45 general education credit hours, are guaranteed admission to KWU as a full-status junior. To see all of the stipulations for students, including transfer of credits, and for a list of the schools with which KWU has one or more articulation agreements or an MOU, visit www.kwu.edu/transfertokwu. KWU.EDU/ALUMNI
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A TASTE OF THE POSSIBLE
STRETCHING THEIR WINGS ON-AIR
Internships Offer KWU Students Hands-on Work Experience College is a time to prepare for real life in the working world. An internship can put students in a place they’ve never expected, doing something they’ve never before attempted. It is an opportunity to network with and to show skills to potential employers, to explore a particular career field, and to affirm or reassess one’s educational and career path. Here are some highlights from a few KWU students who took advantage of summer internships.
rehabilitation of injured players, transporting players to doctor appointments, setting up for daily treatments/practices/walkthroughs, and taping players for practices/games. It was a valuable education for Brady, who saw from the inside how a professional organization is run. “What I learned broadened my knowledge of the athletic training profession. KWU did a great job preparing me for this internship, and I feel that I did very well there.”
Lindsey Weaver ’16, Makes an Impression Communications and Public Relations, minor in Emergency Management
Jessica Hauschild ’15, Does It by the Numbers Mathematics
As the Communications Intern for the City of Colorado Springs this summer, Lindsey Weaver worked in the Mayor’s Office alongside five communications specialists. Her responsibilities included creating social media campaigns for issues such as floods, tornadoes and fires. She also created an extensive Twitter database with hashtags and handles for the city and tweeted for every city-hosted event. Weaver also was the “face” of the City Events Calendar, a weekly video piece that aired on the Springs TV station, and taped PSAs and other promos for them. “I’m particularly proud of all the on-camera work I did,” Weaver said. “I was very excited that my work was broadcast to the entire city where I have lived my whole life. It was crazy to turn on my TV at home and see myself doing something that actually mattered to the city.”
Jessica Hauschild was involved in a specialized summer program that has propelled her career path. She was just one of four (out of 200 applicants) accepted into a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at Fresno State University.
After two weeks of training in Salina, he began coaching in Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita, KS stores. He represented district leadership, with authority over store managers and their operations, problemsolving, coaching staff and making sure they were meeting sales goals.
Weaver credits her successful summer to her experience on Newsdesk for Working so well in retail management, and enjoying it, surprised Diaz, the KWU campus TV station. She also credits Production Manager Paul who is re-assessing his major. He now sees that his leadership abilities, Green for teaching her how to act on camera and read a teleprompter which resulted in him being elected student body president for 2014–15, were also very helpful in his internship. He discovered it was much like being co-captain of the Coyote football team. “I never knew I could apply my passions for sports to retail and business,” Kenny said. “Basically I’m coaching—teaching people how to do their best to reach their goals. It’s like preparing the team for Saturday.” Brady Harwell ’14, Reaches the NFL Athletic Training and Pre-Physical Therapy Playing football as a linebacker for the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes, and before that, in high school in Vega, Texas, the closest Brady Harwell thought he’d get to the NFL was watching games on TV. This summer he was thrilled to make it to the Cleveland Browns sidelines as an athletic trainer intern.
Kenny Diaz had a plan: become a high school teacher and fulfill his dream of being a football coach. Working in retail management was never a part of it.
The Coyotes head athletic trainer, Eric Gillberg, went to Texas Christian University with one of the assistant athletic trainers for the Browns. At the summer 2013 National Athletic Trainers’ Association conference in Las Vegas, Eric told him about Brady and heard about the eight-week Browns internship opportunity.
Then, last spring at the Etiquette Dinner, sponsored by KWU Career Services, a Target store team leader encouraged Diaz to apply for the company’s paid summer executive internship position.
Brady’s duties included assisting the athletic trainers with what they needed to help the camp run smoothly, including hydration,
Kenny Diaz ’16, Coaches a Different Team Secondary Education
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Hauschild and her research partner spent eight weeks involved in mathematics research in Finite Geometries. They are in the process of submitting a paper about their results to a journal for publication, but a copy of their paper, titled “On the Levi Graph of Point-Line Configurations,” is available at ww.arxiv.org/abs/1408.2879. Hauschild was provided housing and paid a stipend for the summer, plus travel. “We also get $500 to travel to the Joint Mathematics Conference in San Antonio in January, where my research partner and I will display and present a poster on our work,” she said.
Do you know of an internship possibility for KWU students at your company or organization? Contact Shelby Dickson, director of Career Services, at shelby.dickson@kwu.edu or 785-827-5541, ext. 1162.
Kansas Wesleyan University operates a 24/7 radio station that is on the air 365 days a year and is heard by people all across the country. KKWU is an online streaming radio station (www.kkwuradio.org) with programming entirely created by KWU students. “In the summer of 2010, I repurposed an older retired iMac computer into a streaming audio interface, established a feed to a streaming Internet service provider, and launched what became KKWU,” said Paul Green, production manager and adjunct faculty for Communications Studies. “Our students began hosting shows on that service during the spring 2011 semester, and we’ve essentially operated non-stop since then.” Shows on the station are primarily hosted by students in the Digital Publications and Media Performance classes. But any student at Kansas Wesleyan is welcome to a programming slot of their own, as long as they can consistently commit to their show for at least an hour every week. Communications, Speech and Sociology major Amber Benning discovered that hosting a radio show is not as easy as she thought. She wanted to give up after three weeks. “Then Paul told me he listened, and his wife did, too,” Benning said. Green let her know that others had told him they loved Benning’s show. “I decided to continue hosting after that.” She and a co-host have a talk show, “T.H.A.T.”—Totally Hot Adventure Talk, heard 6 p.m. Wednesdays. Non-Communications majors have also gotten involved, including Graphic Design student Zach Richter, whose show “Rockin’ with Richter” is a hit, according to Green. Percussionist and Music major Landon Livingston hosts “Metal Mondays” for two hours on Monday nights. In 2011, the station launched the tradition of presenting a student radio drama at Halloween, starting with an adaptation of “War of the Worlds” set in Salina. In 2013, Benning helped with the first Halloween radio drama performed live at Ad Astra Books and Coffee in downtown Salina. She is excited about doing it again this year. “I would love to see a huge crowd there to watch!” she said. “Live radio drama is almost completely extinct. We are bringing it back.” The streaming station allows friends and families back home to listen in on the shows of the students. Green says there is also a small international listenership in Northern Europe, in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. KWU.EDU/ALUMNI
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Why did you choose Kansas? Townsend: My alma mater, Nottingham Trent University, had links with K-State, and I came over with several friends, so I was not alone in this adventure. Also, with my dad being in the Army when I was younger, moving to new places never concerned me, so Manhattan became the next city in a new country to add to my “been there and done that” list. Where else have you lived? Townsend: My dad was a Royal Engineer in the British Army, a driver and crane operator, and we lived in Germany, all over England, and also in Northern Ireland from 1985 to 1990. After getting out of the military after 22 years, my dad was a truck driver there. But because it was so dangerous with bombings and attacks on British military and civilians, he moved the family back to England. I have also visited Morocco, France, Cyprus, Canada, Scotland and Wales. What brought you to Kansas Wesleyan? Townsend: I was just about to finish my Ph.D., when one of my professors told me that KWU was looking for someone to stand in for the previous organic chemist. He never came back, and Dorothy Hanna would not let me leave. (To this day I cannot get the explosive collar off!) I have enjoyed my time at KWU and have felt great pride in seeing my students achieve their goals. My wife ended up getting a Nursing degree here (Markie Townsend ’13), so Kansas Wesleyan has become an important part of both of our lives. How do you get college-age students excited about Chemistry? Townsend: The best way is to be excited about it myself. I also try to link chemisty to examples they might relate to, which always helps. Dr. Townsend spent the better part of last year setting up an exchange contract with his alma mater Nottingham Trent University in England. KWU may send three students per year for placement in the chemistry department for the next three years, and Nottingham Trent has the option to send students to Kansas Wesleyan. This past summer, KWU sent chemistry/biomedical chemistry students—Rumi Mamenari ‘15, Rachel Rheaume ‘16, and Apryl Saunders ‘16—to NTU to perform lab-based research for six weeks. “They did a fantastic job, and I have heard nothing but praise from their advisors,” said Dr. Townsend. 8
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JAMIE TOWNSEND MIXES IT UP Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dr. James “Jamie” Townsend, wanted a change of scenery, so he left England and came to Kansas for graduate studies. When he started teaching at Kansas Wesleyan, it was supposed to be for just a year. That was in 2009. Five years later, he is still here, making chemistry fun and finding global partnerships to enhance learning opportunities.
I SPY A COYOTE Every so often, in places far and wide, KWU Coyotes bump into each other. Turns out, it really is a small Kansas Wesleyan world, after all. Report your Coyote sightings to contactmagazine@kwu.edu, SUBJECT: I Spy A Coyote, take a photo and post it on Twitter using @gokwu, or share it on the university Facebook page, Kansas Wesleyan University or the alumni page, Casey the Coyote. Thanks to Kay Quinn for the idea of sharing stories like these with our alumni and friends.
DR. JOHN N. KERNAN, Coyote Sighting in Florida: A Chance Conversation Kay Quinn had just stood up to stretch during a Wichita-to-Atlanta flight when she saw that the middle-aged man behind her was wearing a cheerful FORMER COACH AND tropical print. She commented on his shirt, and in the conversation that she worked for the City of Salina. He asked her if she had FACULTY MEMBER, 1976–1985 mentioned ever heard of Kansas Wesleyan University. Kay said she had attended in John N. Kernan, Ed.D., has been an educator and scholar, as well as an accomplished coach, for the past four decades. He was a professor at KWU from 1976 through 1985, teaching in the HPERA program (Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics) and coaching cross-country and track and field teams, under legendary coach and athletic director Gene Bissell. Most notable among them were the 1977 and 1978 KCAC Championship cross-country squads, which were inducted into the Coyotes Hall of Fame in 2008. Thinking back to his KWU days, he said, “Ted Zerger, a math professor, and his wife helped me with the kids in cross-country and track and field, and we had many goat barbecues at his home. I served on several committees and lived on campus for a short time with my family.”
the early ’80s, and as it turns out, the fellow passenger was a 1975 KWU graduate, Jerome Garofalo from Newton, KS.
Coyote Sighting in Colorado: Roadside Assistance
Tom Martin, executive director of the Salina Regional Health Foundation and a good friend of Kansas Wesleyan, was vacationing in Colorado this summer. He was experiencing some back trouble, so he got out of his car and was lying on the side of the road, stretching, when a truck pulled up. A man got out to see if he needed help. The man was wearing a KWU Coyotes shirt and turned out to be Rick Troiano ’73, who played baseball at KWU!
Coyote Sighting at Pikes Peak: Mountaintop Meeting
Dr. Kernan earned an associate professorship and tenure during his time in Salina. In addition to his work at Kansas Wesleyan, Dr. Kernan taught Physical Education and coached track and field at several colleges, including Adams State College (Alamosa, CO), Baylor University (Waco, TX) and Brigham Young University (Provo, UT). After KWU, Dr. Kernan published four Apple iBooks for children in grades K–3, which have sold in more than 50 countries and are available in several languages. He also edited “Track & Field Omnibus,” a best-selling sports book published by Track & Field News. He is currently director of Special Education at John Hancock Charter School in Pleasant Grove, Utah, where he teaches special education, conducts research, publishes, and coaches several local athletes in preparation for the Paralympic Games, the U.S. National Championships, the Utah Summer Games, and local USATF (United States Association of Track & Field) championships. His team won the 2014 5A Track & Field title last spring. Dr. Kernan uses puppets to engage his students in Special Education math and reading classes. Are you a former KWU faculty member? Or, do you know one? We’d like to know where our former professors are, and a little about their life after KWU. Please fill us in with an email to Contact.Magazine@kwu.edu.
President Matt Thompson and Neil Ward, new KWU assistant professor of Art and Graphic Design, sit together at 14,110 ft. elevation. While vacationing in Colorado in July, the Thompsons ran into Ward at the top of Pikes Peak.
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HOMECOMING 2014
ALUMNI UPDATE
ALUMNI UPDATE On July 5, 2014, I celebrated my three-year anniversary at Kansas Wesleyan University! What a fantastic three years it has been. I have enjoyed meeting alumni all over the country at alumni gatherings in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, and Kansas. If you have not had the opportunity to attend a Kansas Wesleyan gathering in your area, please consider coming back to campus for Homecoming 2014! We have a fantastic weekend of events Jennifer Rein planned, including the Class of 1964 induction Alumni Director into the Order of the Golden W, the W Club Breakfast/Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Alumni Awards ceremony and luncheon. If you are unable to attend Homecoming, but are interested in hosting an alumni gathering in your area, please let me know. Let’s make Homecoming 2014 the best one yet… Beat Bethany!
Alumni, parents, friends and family will gather in Salina for Homecoming 2014 on October 17–19. A jam-packed weekend of activities will provide numerous opportunities to reminisce, recapture your years as a Coyote and connect with KWU students. View the entire schedule, read about the Alumni Award Winners and Hall of Fame Inductees, and register for events at www.kwu.edu/homecoming.
UPDATE COMPLETE Alumni Directory Project — A Big Success
In January, the University embarked on its first alumni directory since 1986, and the response was tremendous. There were 1,227 emails and 1,541 job titles added, plus 234 addresses updated. Nearly 350 directories were ordered, and 258 alumni joined or renewed their Alumni Association membership. Directories will be mailed in early October. Thank you to all who participated in this very important project!
Thursday, October 16
Fall Theatre Production, Proof 7:30 p.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium
Friday, October 17
Honorees:
Morning Artist Meet & Greet: Priti Gulati Cox 9 a.m. The Gallery, Sams Hall of Fine Arts
Alumni Award Winners:
Alumni Open House 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Tent on the Quad and Alumni Lounge, lower level of Hall of Pioneers
Golden W Induction: Class of 1964
Young Alumnus: Jeremiah Webb ’03 and Brandon Cheeks ’05 Alumni Achievement: Dr. Steven Blair ’62 MBA Alumni Awards: Danielle Brown ’09, Eric Brown ’09, Betty Day ’98, Oscar Yu ’04, Ruby Feng ’98 and Alan Tung ’98
Hall of Fame Inductees: Alumni fun fact: Did you know that Memorial Library has an archive room full of Kansas Wesleyan history? If you have photographs or other pieces of Kansas Wesleyan history that you would like to preserve, please contact Dr. Ruth Mirtz, Director of Library Services, at 785-827-5541, ext. 4170 or ruth.mirtz@kwu.edu.
HOMECOMING 2014 SCHEDULE
1971 Football Team 1986 Men’s Basketball Team 1996 Men’s Soccer Team Vicki Kerbs ’73, Volleyball, Basketball, Softball Lyle Walter ’64, Football Greg Watson ’81, Basketball
Special Alumni Reunions:
Sport & Exercise Science (HPER) Cheer and Dance Alumni Basketball Scrimmage
Highlights: * Fall Theatre Production, Proof, a Tony Award-winning play * KWU Homecoming Concert * Special Art Exhibit by internationally acclaimed artist, Priti Gulati Cox * CampusServe opportunity for alumni * Soccer and Football games vs. Bethany, Volleyball vs. Southwestern * Historic Video Shoot—share your favorite Wesleyan memory * Friday Night BBQ with The Blades
Women’s Auxiliary Luncheon 11:30 a.m. Student Activities Center, Room 203 Dance/Cheer Alumni Clinic Noon Muir Gymnasium Women’s Soccer vs. Bethany Noon Salina Stadium Reliving our 1963 Adventure 1 p.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium
Golden W Luncheon 12:30 p.m. Muir Gymnasium
Men’s Soccer vs. Bethany 2:30 p.m. Salina Stadium
Golden W Tennis Match 2 p.m. Bradley Tennis Courts
Volleyball vs. Southwestern 2:30 p.m. Junior Varsity, 4 p.m. Varsity
BBQ Patio Party 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Student Activities Center & Patio Gather Round for S’MORE Fun 7:30 p.m. West side of the Hall of Pioneers Fall Theatre Production, Proof 7:30 p.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium
Saturday, October 18
CampusServe 8 a.m. to Noon Meet on front steps of Hall of Pioneers at 8 a.m. W Club Breakfast/Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 8 a.m. Muir Gymnasium Gallery Exhibit: Artist Priti Gulati Cox The Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Alumni Basketball Scrimmage 9:30 a.m. Mabee Arena
Sport & Exercise Science (HPER) Alumni Reunion 10 a.m. Brown Mezzanine Alumni Awards Ceremony 11 a.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium
Homecoming Showcase Concert 3 p.m. Sams Chapel Campus Tour 4 p.m. Begins at front steps of the Hall of Pioneers Alumni Historic Video Shoot 4 p.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium Beat Bethany Tailgate 5:30 p.m. Salina Stadium Football vs. Bethany 7 p.m. Salina Stadium Yotes on the Patio 9:30 p.m. Speakeasy
Sunday, October 19
KWU Church Service featuring the KWU Chorale 8:30 a.m. Coffee & Donuts, 9:30 a.m. Service University United Methodist Church Fall Theatre Production, Proof 2 p.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium
For more information, contact Jennifer Rein, director of alumni relations, at (785) 827-5541, ext. 1129 or email alumni@kwu.edu. Register at www.kwu.edu/homecoming.
Alumni Luncheon The Gallery, Sams Hall of Fine Arts
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2014
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
2014 ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS Steven N. Blair, P.E.D., ’62 Alumni Achievement Award Dr. Steven N. Blair is an accomplished scientist and highly regarded public health expert who has been involved in research on physical activity and health for more than four decades. He is currently a professor in the departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He has published more than 650 papers and chapters in the scientific literature, and is one of the most highly cited exercise scientists with over 40,000 citations. Brandon Cheeks Sr., ‘05 Young Alumnus Award The 2014 USD 305 Master Teacher of the Year, Brandon J. Cheeks Sr. earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and a Secondary Teaching Certification in 2005. Cheeks is a 7th grade teacher at Lakewood Middle School in Salina. In addition to teaching, he is the sponsor for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the head basketball, cross country, and track coach. He currently serves as the Youth Pastor at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church and is a Youth Advisor for the NAACP.
1996 Men’s Soccer Team: KCAC Champions 1996 marked the first year for Kansas Wesleyan’s intercollegiate soccer team. Fellow KWU Hall of Famer Brian Berner was selected as the program’s first coach. The team made history winning the KCAC in its first season with a 6–1 record in the conference and an overall season record of 14–3–1.
1971 Football Team: KCAC Champions The 1971 Kansas Wesleyan Football team rolled through the conference portion of the schedule with a perfect 8–0 record. Coach Gene Bissell was named the NAIA District 10 Coach of the Year.
Yen-Hui (Oscar) Yu ’04
Jeremiah Webb, J.D., ’03
Eric Brown, MBA ’09 Professor Carol A. Ahlvers, Ph.D. Distinguished International Alumna Award Eric Brown is a Workforce Development Director for the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, Danielle Brown, MBA ’09 responsible for organizing and implementing Workforce Development Programs to provide Salina area employers with sufficient quantity and quality of labor. He is instrumental in the creation, oversight and facilitation of the Salina Area Young Professionals organization.
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Team Members include: Brad Carne, Harold Calvo, Mark Chaney, Mike Dibbini, Dennis Guernsey, John Hendrick, Lauren Humphrey, Max Iselin, Greg McMillan, Rory Mesner, Chris Miller, Matt Pearson, Jimmy Ranieri, Tony Ranieri, Preston Seymour, Keith Stoner, Craig Stranathan, Jason Szyba, Eric Tran, JC Walsh, Head Coach Brian Berner and Assistant Coach Phil Miller.
Steven N. Blair, P.E.D., ’62
Jeremiah Webb, J.D., ‘03 Young Alumnus Award Jeremiah Webb was a dual-degree recipient at KWU, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, with a minor in Criminal Justice. Webb earned a Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in International & Comparative Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is currently a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, one of the largest firms in the nation, and the largest firm in Los Angeles, CA. Danielle Brown, MBA ’09 Professor Carol A. Ahlvers, Ph.D. Distinguished Alumna Award Brown graduated May 2009 with a Master of Business Administration. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Fort Hays State University. In the years following, she has earned Sloan-C Certification, became a Strengths Quest Educator, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Kansas State University.
KANSAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Dr. Bih-Yann (Betty) Day, MBA ’98 Professor Carol A. Ahlvers, Ph.D. Distinguished International Alumna Award Dr. Betty Day earned her bachelor degree in Chinese Literature from Tunghai University in Taichung City, Taiwan, and both a Master of Chinese Literature and a Doctorate of Chinese Literature from the National Kaohsiung Normal University in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. She is currently a lecturer and assistant professor in Language at the National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences.
Yen-Hui (Oscar) Yu ’04 Professor Carol A. Ahlvers, Ph.D. Distinguished Alumnus Award 2014 During his time in grad school at KWU, Yu found his passion in teaching and became a tutor in accounting and statistics. After graduation he attained a math teaching position in a large cram school in Taipei. Four years later, he established his own cram school named Watson After School, specializing in Math, including elementary and junior high levels. Hsin-Yi (Ruby) Feng ’98 and Chien Hung (Alan) Tung ’98 Professor Carol A. Ahlvers, Ph.D. Distinguished International Alumni Award Feng served as a teaching assistant at Taiwan National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Tung is chief executive officer of HomeSee Digital Multimedia Co., Ltd. in Zhubei City, Taiwan. The company provides several large companies in Taiwan’s e-commerce shopping platform design and Internet marketing. Tung, who is married to Feng, said that the Hsin-Yi (Ruby) Feng ’98 and Chien Hung (Alan) inspiration and operation for the business evolved when Tung ’98 he was studying graduate marketing at KWU.
Team Members include: Steve Schrader, Dave Gans, Rusty Hinde, Tony Draft, Laroy Slaughter, John Hartshorn, Richard Gerner, Bill Graves, Steve Jessamy, David Finocchario, Ken Kreisberg, Dan Corutky, Charles Sargent, Harry Disbrow, Jerry Garofalo, Bill Paprota, Paul Hulsey, Mike Lindsay, Chuck Janelli, Jim LoVullo, Jack Sheahon, James Brown, Ed Brewer, Joel Barkalow, Loren Roth, John Sergi, Charles Jessamy, Bill Young, Mike McCrory, Dale Garrison, Frank Limanni, Joe DeLuise, Mark Delorenzo, Ken Apisa, Greg Stratton, Bob Loersch, Charlie Grillo, Ron Smith, Ralph Ascione, Tom Shoebridge, Henry Ford, Calvin Ward, Mike Claves, David Monares, Tom Proulx. Coaches Gene Bissell, Dennis Beck, Anton Seals, Bob Reynolds, Dee Kozlow. Trainer Greg Mathena. Manager Greg Hubbard. 1985–86 Men’s Basketbal: KCAC Champions KWU won its first KCAC Basketball Championship in ten years in 1985–86 when Jerry Jones led the Coyotes to the conference title. The Coyotes went 19–8 overall and 14–4 in the conference, advancing to the NAIA District 10 Playoffs. Jones was named the KCAC Coach of the Year. Team Members include: Stan Wyatt, Paul Walters, David Frederick, Terrence Phox, Eric Smith, Chris Hutzler, Barney Gray, Gus Deering, Billy Smith, Jeff Tillman, Gary Upshaw, Tripp Harris, Kevin Brown, Russ Pleiman, Scott Bennett, Ray Kujawa, Jacques Porter, Laurindo Crockett, James Gibson, Terry White, Ed Spear, Joe Brown, Gary Apperson, Parrish Hammer, Brian Mitchell, Tom Lennon, Herbert Bryant, Tim Lorey, Chris Dorsey, David Linden, Tom Pitts, Travis Witman, Akim Jones-Portaye, Dell Upshaw, Garrett Krueger, Chris Harris, Doug Key and Simon Emidy. Coaches Jerry Jones, Al Tiller, Brad Bingesser, Mike McDongald, Gary Waugh and David Roesner. Trainers Bobby Jones and Paul Anderson.
1971 Football Team
Greg Watson ’80: Men’s Basketball Watson was a three-year letter winner for the Coyotes, earning All-KCAC honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and All District 10 NAIA First Team his junior season. Watson still has some of the top marks in Coyote Basketball: third in career field goals (508), seventh in career points (1206), and eighth in season field goals (210). While at KWU, Watson also lettered in track and football. He spent 20 years (1992–12) as the Director of Recreation for the Illinois Department of Corrections. He has been officiating high school football and basketball for the past seven years. Lyle Walter ‘64: Football Lyle Walter arrived on campus in the fall of 1960, originally as a quarterback, switching to running back prior to his sophomore campaign. As the season progressed Walter found his niche on defense, leading the Coyotes with four interceptions as a freshman. He was named Team MVP in 1962 and was a team captain as a senior. Walter began a career as a high school official in basketball and football in the state of Kansas and has served as an official for over 50 years. He has officiated over 100 state post-season assignments. He also has officiated football in the KCAC and Jayhawk Conference and also worked in the MIAA for five seasons. Vicki (Hedges) Kerbs ‘73: Women’s Athletics Postgraduate Service Vicki Kerbs was a Title IX pioneer. She was part of the women’s athletics programs in the late 1960s and early 1970s as women’s athletics was gaining strength around the country. She coached at Marymount College in 1979 and has remained active in athletics in the Salina area, teaching and coaching at Ell-Saline High School. Kerbs is very involved in the Salina Juniors Volleyball program and is a certified volleyball official for both high school and college.
1985–86 Men's Basketball Team
Lyle Walter, ’64
Vicki Kerbs, ’74
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Brandon Cheeks ’05 History/Secondary Education
Heidi Fyerherm-Smith ’08 Visual Arts
Brandon Cheeks is taking what he learned in the classrooms at KWU down the street to Lakewood Middle School, where he is being recognized for excellence in teaching. This winter he was named the USD 305 2014 Master Teacher of the Year for outstanding community service, continuous professional growth, exceptional school service and participation in professional organizations. The district noted, “His classroom is rich with inquiry learning, integration, technology and cooperative learning. He brings history to life for his students, demonstrating a zeal for teaching and a passion for social studies.”
Heidi Fyerherm-Smith was a single mother of two, pursuing an Art Education degree, when she had to withdraw from school after her 6-year-old daughter Chloe was diagnosed with brain stem cancer. Chloe died in Oct. 2007, and Fyerherm-Smith began the Love, Chloe Foundation (www.lovechloe.org ) to support families and to raise money for children’s cancer research.
Cheeks is in his 10th year of teaching at Lakewood and is president of the National Education Association-Salina. He is also the youth pastor at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. He started a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group at his school, where he coaches cross country and basketball. He is one of two recipients of the 2014 KWU Young Alumnus Award to be presented at Homecoming.
She returned to KWU and earned a degree in Visual Arts, which helped her to create a children’s book that explains child cancer in terms young people can understand. When Chloe was absent due to her illness, the teacher put a stuffed animal in Chloe’s chair to help her students remember her. The book, illustrated by Chloe’s classmates, is called “There is a Monkey in My Chair.” Fyerherm-Smith partners with The Care Starts Now in Cincinnati, OH, to supply “There’s a Monkey in My Chair” kits to more than 130 hospitals for families who have children with cancer to give to their schools.
Nicole (Heptig) Dekat ’07 Criminal Justice
Rafael Mendez ’08, Business Administration and Accounting
Nicole Dekat was in high school in 2000 when CSI: Crime Scene Investigation aired its first episode. The show sparked a frenzy among college-bound students wanting to pursue forensic science, and, Dekat was among them. The KWU Criminal Justice major not only landed in the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) upon graduation, she has also earned accolades along the way. She supervised the Registered Offender Unit, and in 2011 she helped to pass a law that made Kansas the 11th state to be federally compliant with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, earning her KBI’s Jack H. Ford Exceptional Service Award in 2012. Dekat and her unit received the Director’s Unit Citation Award in 2013 for developing a database Kansas uses to register and track offenders.
A college degree wasn’t something Rafael Mendez ever dreamt he would attain. The son of Cuban immigrants, Mendez spent time in foster care and was a troubled teen. It wasn’t until he played football at Kansas Wesleyan University that he was able to turn his life around. He earned a business administration degree from KWU and a law degree from Washburn University School of Law (KS).
She was promoted in 2013 into the Cyber Crimes Unit, where she is a Digital Forensic Examiner, collecting and analyzing data from electronic devices.
A job with Denver-based Acosta Sales and Marketing, the largest food broker in the nation opened the door for his latest venture. Mendez has opened a new office for Acosta’s sister company, Natural Specialty, in Bentonville, AR, the national headquarters of Wal-Mart. As Director of Natural Specialty (NS) Sales to Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Consulting, Mendez and his team consult with WalMart to decide which natural, organic and ethnic food lines to bring to market. Natural Specialty also works directly with food manufacturers in developing new items specifically for Wal-Mart.
Matt Royal ’12 Communications
Megan Hagaman ’07, Speech/Theatre and Secondary Education
Melissa (Meier) McCoy ’12 Public Relations
An internship that allowed him to be a play-by-play announcer for Coyote athletics is what launched Matt Royal’s career as a sports journalist. A pitcher/ outfielder for the KWU baseball team, Royal managed to play and
Megan Hagaman knows what it takes to win. As a founding member of the KWU Debate and Forensics team, she won 124 awards at regional and national tournaments during her time at Kansas Wesleyan. She is now molding high school debate students into champions.
“During my senior season, I would call play-by-play for the first five or six innings, then go down to field, pinch hit, or do something else in the game, then go back up and finish,” said Royal.
As director of Debate and Forensics at El Dorado (KS) High School for the past seven years, she led her teams to two 4A State Debate Championships (2012, 2014) and placed second in 2013. Her forensics teams finished fourth overall in the state five years in a row, with state championships in Oration and Extemporaneous Speaking. Hagaman has taken at least 75 qualifiers to National Forensics Leagues (NFL) and National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) tournaments.
As a former U.S. Marine, Melissa McCoy is devoted to serving her community and her country, and she knows what it takes to get things done. She is the manager of Public Affairs and Communications for the Salina Airport Authority and a member of the Salina Military Affairs Council. She recently approached the Salina Chamber of Commerce with the idea to start a Patriot discount program for those with a current military identification card.
called the baseball games.
Ranked second for all-time wins as a pitcher/ outfielder for the Coyotes, Royal played professional baseball for the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League in spring 2013. When he returned to his hometown of Chandler, AZ, he became a sports writer for the national office of 24/7 News, part of Clear Channel Media. He covers sports for the Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis media markets, edits post-game audio interviews and writes game recaps for the “Big 4” (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL).
Kristopher Schneider ’12 Computer Science
She also lectures and leads labs at the Heart of America Debate Institute at KWU. This fall she is the new Debate and Forensics coach for Abilene (KS) High School, where she hopes to build another winning program.
In August 2013, she and Rachel Hinde (’09), then Communications and Military Affairs Director for the Chamber, turned the Patriot discount program into a standalone nonprofit. Today, more than 300 businesses offer Patriot discounts in Salina and Minneapolis, KS. McCoy is pursuing a master’s degree in Online Education from Baker University. The Patriot Business Program has partnered with the U.S. Army National Guard’s Joining Community Forces program, and the two alumnae have periodically been touring other Kansas cities, teaching leaders how to start up the program.
Krista (Marsicek) Blaisdell ’06 Sociology
Meriah (Forbes) Moore ’11 Biomedical Chemistry
Schneider graduated with a degree in Computer Science and was accepted into the Information Assurance master’s program at Dakota State University (SD), where he received the coveted DSU Cyber Corps Scholarship, funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense’s Information Assurance Scholarship Program. The DSU scholarship covers the student’s full tuition and provides a stipend. Students also complete a security internship with a government agency.
Krista Blaisdell excelled as a studentathlete at KWU. A utility player for the softball team, she was named a 2006 Daktronics/NAIA Softball All-American Scholar Athlete for her perfect 4.0 GPA. And she has continued to excel ever since. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Valparaiso University School of Law in May 2009, and in 2010 she joined the criminal defense firm Addair Thurston, Chartered, in Manhattan, KS, as an associate attorney. In July 2012, she became Junction City Municipal Court Prosecutor, handling all misdemeanor and traffic-related offenses within the city limits, about 4,500–5,000 annually.
Meriah Moore’s work with the elderly has encouraged her to be a lifelong learner. After graduating from KWU, she began the Gerontology graduate program at Kansas State and worked at the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, assisting Medicare enrollees to navigate their insurance options and helping older adults find home health resources.
After earning his master’s degree, Schneider worked for six months as a technology engineer for the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication in Pierre, SD, before accepting the position of networking instructor at Barton Community College in Great Bend, KS. Schneider has applied to enter the doctoral program at Dakota State for fall 2015.
She is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Missouri and teaches legal training classes for local law enforcement. Blaisdell is a Big Sister with Kansas Big Brother Big Sister and serves on its Geary County Board. She also coaches a 10-andunder competitive softball team. Blaisdell's mother, Kathleen (Moravek) Marsicek, ’82, was also a utility player for Kansas Wesleyan.
Kristopher Schneider has come full circle. He excelled as a student in the college classrooms and is now back in the classroom, teaching.
She was accepted into the KU School of Medicine, and is attending classes at the Wichita campus. Moore’s classmates nominated her for the KU School of Medicine’s Honor in Medicine Award, which recognizes integrity, selflessness and high moral character. She received the Arthur M. Miller Scholarship in 2012, served on the Academic and Professionalism Committee, and is now vice president of the Student Coordinating Council. She is in her third-year clinical rotations at Via Christi, Wesley and the VA medical facility. Her training involves taking patient histories, developing a differential diagnosis, and observing procedures. KWU.EDU/ALUMNI
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CHORALE PERFORMS ON WORLD STAGE They have listened to the brilliant compositions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They have read about the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. And, they have seen the grandeur of baroque-style opera houses in movies and on television. But in May, 2014, members of the KWU Chorale had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live history and take their talents to the world stage when they embarked on a 10-day performance tour of Europe. Thirty-two students, faculty and staff, along with 28 alumni and friends, explored the architectural, artistic and cultural treasures of the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. The Chorale performed in five beautiful churches to warm and welcoming audiences who, despite language barriers, showed tremendous hospitality. The KWU students’ voices resonated in the unspoiled treasures that are part of the daily fabric of Central and Eastern Europeans. The tour began in Prague, which was hosting its annual spring music festival. The choir performed in two churches, Panny Marie Snezné Church and St. Nicolas Church in Old Town Square. Vienna, the capital of classical music and proud home of Mozart, was the second stop on the tour. The group was treated to a concert at the Musikverein, “The Great Hall,” home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra and highly regarded as one of the finest concert halls in the world. One of the most memorable experiences for the group took place in the beautiful mountain village of Gumpoldskirchen, Austria. They were greeted with a reception, hosted by the mayor,
Jesse Henkensiefken, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras
and villagers packed the quaint town church for the KWU concert. A plaque displaying the KWU Chorale Concert was added to the wall, which was adorned by signs from other visiting choirs. The group was entertained by local strolling musicians while enjoying “heuriger,” a traditional Viennese meal in a Renaissance-style local tavern. The group travelled by double-decker coach bus, following the meandering Danube River through Slovakia to its final destination, Budapest, where the choir sang at the Franciscan Church and performed a joint concert with the Nagykovácsi choir. “These countries have strong choral traditions,” said Ken Hakoda, chair of the Department of Music. “It was amazing to perform in churches with magnificent architecture and acoustics, but it was also fascinating to be present in places that are thousands of years old.” The cobblestone streets, majestic buildings, spectacular bridges, magnificent statues and breathtaking views created a canvas for students to experience the history of Eastern Europe. And, in the midst of differences in language, history, architecture, music, customs and cuisine, students discovered that shared human characteristics transcend all of these cultural differences. “We were able to explore new cultures and communities, and have meaningful conversations with people of all ages,” said sophomore, Elizabeth Nims. “The best part was sharing our music. Although we couldn't speak their language, our music was our translator. Music is amazing in that it brings people together.” For many, like senior Hannah Antholz, it was their first experience on an airplane, which was the biggest hurdle of the trip.
Ken Hodoka is greeted by the mayor of the village of Gumpoldskirchen in Austria.
“There were many amazing things that I liked about Europe,” said Antholz, “but I was blown away by the magnificent cathedrals. I was so blessed to be able to sing with the choir, in a duet, and even play a hand drum, in these giant, beautiful places!” Marla Beikeman, a 1964 alumna and member of the Board of Trustees, joined the tour with her husband Lee and daughter Melanie.
Rebecca Copley Director of Vocal Studies
The new Fine Arts faculty have brought fresh ideas and excitement to campus in the areas of music (Dr. Jesse Henkensiefken, assistant professor of Music and director of Orchestras, and Rebecca Copley, director of Vocal Studies), visual arts (Neil Ward, assistant professor of Art and Graphic Design), and theatre (Dr. Kurt Edwards, assistant professor of Theatre Arts).
“Having an intergenerational sharing experience together strengthened all of our feelings of being a true Wesleyan family,” said Beikman. “Being able to reconnect with, and hear stories from, alums from various decades was a delightful treat—and one special evening of dining, singing, and dancing together made it a Coyote highlight!” Six of the alumni on the trip were former members of the choir, including Marlene Lee, ’61, also a member of the Board of Trustees. “I was extremely proud of our choir‘s musicianship and friendly interactions with European audiences,” said Lee. “I loved driving through Europe in a double-decker bus with students and alums, chatting and listening to conversations. One particular moment I'll never forget is when our bus crossed into Austria and Wesleyan students spontaneously broke into ‘Edelweiss’ from The Sound of Music." Alumni travellers included: Marla Beikman, ’64; Dixie Brown,’71; Warren “Joe” Green, ’60; Laura “Lori” Green, ’63; Brian Hogan, ’63; Nira Jones, ’59; James Joyce, ’50; Pamela Junk, ’70; Gary Kindler, ’67; Joy Kindler, ’74; Marlene Lee, ’61; Erik Peterson, ’10; Steve Scofield, ’65 and Barbara Thompson, ’75. The KWU Choir tours U.S. cities each year and traditionally takes a tour outside of the states every four years. In March 2015, the choir will be singing in Western Kansas and Colorado.
GROWING EXCITEMENT FOR KWU FINE ARTS
Neil Ward Assistant Professor of Art and Graphic Design
Dr. Kurt Edwards Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts
This fall Sarah Bernard-Stevens, assistant professor of Music, realized a dream with the launch of her new Marching Coyote Pep Band and KWU Drumline. The band pumped up the crowd at campus events and performed a pre-game show before home football games. On Aug. 29, the KWU Drumline ventured off-campus to play in public for the passers-by and raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The Gallery at KWU in Sams Hall of Fine Arts has a new director, Peggy Medina, who had her own downtown gallery for many years. In October and November, The Gallery will host a solo art show by Priti Gualati Cox, a native of India who lives in Salina. Her paintings and mixed-media installations integrate Indian cultural art forms and tackle the social issues of corporate globalization, the treatment of women and the consequences of war. The fall theatre production in mid-October is the play Proof, which in 2001 won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Best Play. In early March, KWU will present the 1971 musical Godspell, drawn from the parables of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke with contemporary songs set to lyrics from traditional hymns.
FALL 2014 FINE ARTS HIGHLIGHTS Solo Art Exhibit: Priti Gualati Cox Thursday, October 2–Thursday, November 13 The Gallery at KWU, Sams Hall of Fine Arts Meet the Artist Gallery Reception Thursday, October 2 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Gallery Talk Tuesday, November 11 at Noon Fall Play: Proof Wednesday, October 15–Friday, 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 19 at 2 p.m. Fitzpatrick Auditorium, Sams Hall of Fine Arts Homecoming Wesleyan Showcase Concert (Band, Choir and Orchestra) Saturday, October 18 at 3 p.m. Sams Chapel, The Hall of the Pioneers Christmas By Candlelight: First Nowell Sunday, December 7 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sams Chapel, The Hall of the Pioneers Old English Themed Dinner 5:30 p.m. Hautpli Student Center $20 per person Concert tickets are free, but reservations are recommended. For more information, visit ww.kwu.edu/christmasbycandlelight. Visit www.kwu.edu/finearts for a full schedule of events.
On December 7, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., the long-running holiday tradition, Christmas by Candlelight, returns to Sams Chapel with hymns, carols and choral works celebrating the birth of Christ. Between the concerts, there will be a dinner in the Hauptli Student Center.
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NEW IA STAFF MEMBERS
MEET THE NEW IA STAFF MEMBERS Linda Baumberger: office manager
Dr. Wes ‘58, and Joan Jackson, members of the Pioneer Society, joined nearly 80 members at a reception on June 6, 2014 at the home of Dr. Byron and Paula Tomlins. Joan is a member of the KWU Foundation Board.
KWU Students Call Donors—Just To Say Thanks
On Thursday night, June 26, four KWU student-athletes—basketball players Zach Koppelmann and Michael Johnson and football players Kenny Diaz and Braxton Peck—made phone calls for two hours to thank about 75 donors to the KWU Annual Fund. The students also wrote handwritten thank-you notes to donors they were not able to reach. Sara Nettleingham, Director of Annual Giving & Stewardship, said, “We didn’t ask for money. Our students just called to say ‘thank you’ for their gifts.” Kenny Diaz said they caught a lot of people by surprise. “After I introduced myself and thanked them for their gifts to Kansas Wesleyan, there was a long pause,” he said. “They were waiting for us to ask them for a donation, and I would have to say, ‘No, no, we just want to say thank you.’ It was great for us as students to be able to do that.” The Annual Fund ensures that KWU has adequate resources to meet daily operational needs.
Celebrate KWU and Join the Pioneer Society
The Pioneer Society is the University’s annual giving recognition society showcasing the generosity of alumni and friends with giving of $1,000 or more annually. Pioneer Society members set an example and inspire other Coyotes to make a difference for the University at a leadership annual giving level each year. To join the Pioneer Society, you can make a single $1,000 gift or several gifts throughout the year that total $1,000 or more. You automatically earn your membership into the Pioneer Society each year your giving total equals $1,000 or more. Best of all, you decide how your gift makes a difference. Join other dedicated Coyote supporters and show your loyalty to Kansas Wesleyan with your gift today. Your annual support helps KWU meet its goal to achieve academic excellence. Interested in learning more? Contact Sara Nettleingham at sara.nettleingham@kwu.edu, Bill Grevas at bill.grevas@kwu.edu, or Andy Fadenholz at andrew.fadenholz@kwu.edu, or call 785-827-5541, ext. 1125 for more information.
Linda Baumberger joined the Institutional Advancement staff as Office Manager in January 2014. She came to KWU after nearly 19 years as administrative assistant for a medical office, supervising eight employees. Her organizational skills and administrative experience are strong assets for the IA office. She has been active at St. Mary’s Catholic Church as a second-grade catechist aide, and has taught many students who are now at KWU!
Sara Nettleingham: Director of Annual Giving/Stewardship
Sara Nettleingham came on board in February. Her responsibilities include overseeing annual giving for the University and coordinating stewardship of donors. Her recent work includes regional manager and regional development manager for Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland in Salina. Nettleingham holds a B.A. in English Literature, a Women’s Studies Graduate Certificate, and an M.A. in English from Kansas State University, where she also completed doctoral coursework in Student Affairs in Higher Education.
John Elmore: Director of Marketing and Communications
John Elmore joined KWU in June. His duties include writing and editing content for the website, Contact magazine, news releases, social media posts and printed materials, and working on marketing plans, radio advertising, photographic duties and public and media relations. His past employers include Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, Cornerstone University and Children’s Bible Hour (Grand Rapids, MI), and Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO). Elmore holds a B.F.A in Dramatic Arts from the University of Connecticut and a M.A. in Communications from Wheaton College Graduate School (IL).
Andy Fadenholz: Development Officer What is the Annual Fund?
Annual fund donations are unrestricted, budgetrelieving gifts that allow KWU to maintain and reach goals in education excellence. There are many ways you can make your annual gift this year—online gifts, recurring credit card gifts, checks and others.
Why give to the Annual Fund?
Kansas Wesleyan University Foundation Board 2014–15
•Y ou think changing the life of a student is a pretty good return on investment.
Dale Bradley ’59 Ken Ebert Dennis Berndt ’92 Joan Jackson Frieda Mai Weis Pete Peterson Morrie Soderberg
There are so many reasons to give to the Annual Fund. Here are just a few:
•Y ou understand that alumni giving ratios affect college rankings, and a higher ranking will make your KWU degree more valuable. •Y ou know that KWU depends on the Annual Fund support because student tuition funds only cover part of KWU's yearly operating expenses. •Y ou want to give back to KWU because KWU has given so much to you.
Andy is the newest member of the IA team, having made a transition from the KWU football coaching staff in August. He works closely with Bill Grevas, vice president for Institutional Advancement, developing and nurturing relationships with current and prospective donors. His past work experience includes serving as a juvenile corrections officer for Lorain County Domestic Relations Court/Detention Home Facility (Elyria, OH). Fadenholz has a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Political Science from Heidelberg University (Tiffin, OH), and is finishing his M.B.A. program at Kansas Wesleyan with an emphasis in Sports Finance.
Linda Baumberger
Sara Nettleingham
John Elmore
Andy Fadenholz
LEADING THE PACK
David and Susan Laha Receive the 2014 Gerald Lilly Award
On Aug. 16, during the 4th Annual Night with the Yotes fund-raiser, Dr. David and Susan Laha were presented with Kansas Wesleyan’s 2014 Gerald Lilly Award. The Lahas were chosen for their dedication to Kansas Wesleyan athletics that includes a leadership gift to the KWU Sports Complex project. David, a 1979 alumnus of KWU, led the charge to add the eight-lane track to the project. David was an outstanding track and cross country athlete at Kansas Wesleyan. He held several outdoor track records in the Decathlon, Marathon and four-mile relay, and he also held four indoor track records. He was a two-time All-KCAC performer in cross country and a nine-time All-KCAC performer in track. The pinnacle year of his career was 1979 when he was a four-time conference champion at the KCAC Championships and was named the Outstanding Performer of the KCAC. He qualified for Nationals where he finished 68th out of a field of 430 runners and was named a TAC/USTAFF All-American. David was a member of three KCAC
Championship teams while at KWU (basketball 1976, and cross country 1977 and 1978, the latter teams inducted into the Coyotes Hall of Fame in 2008). Susan Laha is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. A critical care nurse, she met David during his residency training in Hayward, CA. Susan loves gardening and is a Johnson County Master Gardener. She is a member of the Shawnee Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is an active community volunteer with the Johnson County Young Matrons. She has also become a big Coyote fan! David, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from KWU, is a Podiatric Surgeon who founded Kansas City Foot Specialists. He has served as a member of the Kansas Wesleyan University Board of Trustees since 2011.
Matching Gifts Can Double Your Donation Your gift can change a life. Your company’s matching gift can change another. Hundreds of companies across the country match employee contributions to nonprofits. Check and see if your employer will match your gifts to Kansas Wesleyan University, and double your impact on the lives of our students. Or you can ask Institutional Advancement to look into it for you. For more information, contact Sara Nettleingham at sara.nettleingham@kwu.edu, or call 785-827-5541, ext. 1131.
NEW KWU STAFF MEMBERS
Debra Logan Named Chair/Director of Nursing
Debra M. Logan, Ph.D., R.N., of Dallas, TX, is Kansas Wesleyan University’s new chair and director of Nursing. She brings a wealth of experience as both a nurse and a nurse educator, having been a registered nurse for 30 years, a nurse educator for 28 years and an education administrator for 17 years. She has served as a coordinator of academic partnerships and is a strong supporter of blended learning that incorporates both academic and clinical settings.
Meet KWU Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Nancy H. Cummings
Dr. Nancy H. Cummings has spent much of the past decade immersed in curriculum transformations, establishing stellar academic programs of excellence and creating robust international partnerships. She became Executive Vice President and Provost for Kansas Wesleyan University on June 9, 2014.
The field of nursing is one she takes very seriously. At the “Blessing of the Hands” ceremony for new students on Aug. 18, 2014, Dr. Logan said to the incoming class of future nurses, “This is not a career, this is a calling.” She pointed out that what these men and women learn while at KWU and how well they can apply that knowledge in their work is going to directly affect the well-being of their patients, those who are at their most vulnerable. Unlike other majors at Kansas Wesleyan, this one makes them responsible for the lives of the people they serve.
“Kansas Wesleyan is positioned to be a pioneer in education, one that mentors and graduates students to be world changers,” said Dr. Cummings. “I not only believe in being involved in the community, I believe we should be exemplars to those around us.” Coming into the position, one major priority for Dr. Cummings was the revision of the university curriculum, including making courses and degree programs suitable for both campus classroom and distance learning. That three-year process has entered its second year. Dr. Cummings is excited that KWU is a student-centered university, and is pleased to apply her experience in creating unique majors and programs, reinventing curriculum across all majors, developing online learning courses, designing international internships and implementing Wesleyan Journey academic courses with intentional service and travel, domestic and abroad. All of these areas will be instrumental to propelling KWU forward. Before starting this key leadership position for Kansas Wesleyan, Dr. Cummings was awarded a special honor on May 15, 2014, by the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. For her many contributions to their Industrial Engineering and Management Systems program, she was named a Graduate Faculty Scholar in UCF’s College of Graduate Studies. Ten years ago, in 2004, Dr. Cummings became an adjunct professor for UCF, teaching Biomechanics and other courses. She was asked to preside on a number of dissertation committees in the College of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems. She also partnered with faculty members to acquire substantive grants supporting work with the U.S. Department of Defense and Boeing, along with projects in mixed media virtual reality applied to medical innovations and rehabilitation. While working on these projects, Dr. Cummings was encouraged to apply her expertise in the areas of biomechanics, injury prevention and rehabilitation for various special populations, and predicting factors of injuries. Dr. Cummings holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education (B.S.P.E.) from the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL), a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Health/Physical Education with a specialization in Athletic Training from Valdosta State University (Valdosta, GA), and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL). Most recently she was a tenured professor and former department chair of Physical Education at Florida Southern College. She has been an adjunct instructor and approved clinical instructor for the Athletic Training program at UCF and for Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA). Dr. Cummings is also the co-founder of led2serve, a non-profit organization focused on serving others around the world that is now based at Kansas Wesleyan University.
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College students may think life has either too many choices… or limitless possibilities. Shelby Dickson, the new director of Career Services at Kansas Wesleyan University, can help them sort through their options and set a path that will prepare them for their future.
Are there opportunities at your place of employment for a KWU student to participate in an internship? Contact Dickson at shelby.dickson@kwu.edu or call 785-827-5541, ext. 1162.
“Call me Rob,” said Kansas Wesleyan’s new vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Effectiveness. Dr. Scott doesn’t stand on formalities with anyone—students, faculty or fellow cabinet members. He prefers to eliminate the barriers to connecting with people. He began his new role at KWU June 9 following seven years at Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, the last four as dean of the College of Education and Applied Technology. There he employed imagination as a guiding force in planning and development, leading to the creation of an Innovation Task Force to foster faculty-driven instructional initiatives. Dr. Scott also developed the Kansas Center for Innovative Education for the professional development of teachers.
“Strategic initiatives are those things we are not doing, but could and should be doing,” he said.
“My hope is to be able to provide the students with every opportunity out there to make their career dreams come true,” she said.
“My favorite part of this job is getting to know the students,” Dickson said. “Every student has such a unique story to tell and it is so great to watch them transform into professional adults. This job is the perfect seat for watching students’ dreams come true!”
Innovative thinking—that’s what Dr. Robert Scott brings to campus. It’s not about the “Why can’t we?” question, but it is about asking “How can we?”
“There are so many interesting new things to develop, to implement,” said Dr. Scott. “Things need doing.” His responsibilities at Kansas Wesleyan begin with focusing on assessment, accreditation, retention and online learning. But after that, the sky is the limit. He is going to be looking at developing programs with China, working closer with the military, and creating new majors by combining and repackaging the coursework we already have in place for other programs in various disciplines.
Pointing Students Toward Their Future —Shelby Dickson
Dickson earned her Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Human Relations from Kansas State University in Salina, KS, in 2013. For a year prior to coming to KWU, she was heavily involved in networking with community partners on behalf of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland in Salina. She also worked closely with girl and adult members of the organization. She brings strong interpersonal skills and experience to her position on campus. She relates easily with the students, in part because she is close to their age, but also because she knows the power of encouragement to dream big.
Dr. Scott Brings Strategy
Dr. Logan has experience in both undergraduate and graduate level nursing education. Her plans for KWU Nursing include the development of a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree program. She will also be working with Dr. Robert Scott, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Effectiveness, to create a fully online version of KWU’s R.N. to B.S.N. degree program that is expected to launch fall 2015. Dr. Logan most recently was founding Nursing Administrator/Director of Nursing Programs for Brown Mackie College (Bedford, TX), and previously served as Campus Dean of Nursing and Assistant Professor of Nursing for West Coast University (Dallas, TX), as well as Clinical Education Specialist for Texas Health Resources (Dallas, TX). Dr. Logan earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Nursing from Wichita State University (KS), and she holds a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Once online courses are up and running, he wants to explore accelerated coursework for undergraduate degree programs, developing block classes during school breaks, and turning summer into a third semester of distance learning online courses. “This would get people from other schools taking summer classes from Kansas Wesleyan instead of taking them at their own schools,” he said. “And some of them would like us and stay.” His goal is for entire degree programs to be available online, hence the rationale for the rewriting of the curriculum at Kansas Wesleyan University. He said the first four of these to be rolled out for fall 2015 will be Criminal Justice, Emergency Management, Registered Nurses seeking their Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and the M.B.A. program. “These are our efficiencies. We are able to do this without a huge investment,” he said. “It is important to me to be doing things that are meaningful and impactful. This is a big draw for me, here at Kansas Wesleyan. And one thing I like about small schools is that one person really can make a difference.”
The Nursing Program at KWU The four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing is one of KWU’s signature programs. Nursing and pre-nursing majors make up 21 percent of the KWU student body, nearly double the next two closest majors, Sciences and Teacher Education. One-hundred percent of Nursing program graduates are employed in the field of nursing and 100 percent of the employers surveyed report being satisfied with KWU B.S.N. graduates both one year and five years after graduation. The KWU Nursing program students received a pass rate of 93.55 percent for the 2012 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The nursing classes of 2013 and 2014 each had 37 graduates, the most in school history.
NEW TRUSTEES
ALUMNI NEWS 2014
ALUMNI NEWS 2014 Weddings, births, promotions, retirement announcements, major anniversaries, special honors or awards, outstanding accomplishments? Share it with your classmates. Submit your alumni news to alumni@kwu.edu
BOARD OF TRUSTEES ADDS NEW MEMBERS Leaders are chosen for their vision, integrity, expertise, confidence, courage, ability to collaborate, persistence and good judgment. They must facilitate a coming together of hearts and minds for the common good.
Rev. Delores “Dee’’ Williamston
Julie Sager Miller
On June 6, 2014, the Kansas Wesleyan University Board of Trustees made such key choices in electing two new board members for a three-year term. The University welcomed Rev. Delores “Dee” Williamston, UMC Salina District Superintendent since July 2014, and Julie Sager Miller, president of Advantage Trust Company, both of Salina, KS. Also elected for a new three-year term was Emily May Richards, CFO and COO of The Shoptaw Group (TSG) in Atlanta, GA, who previously served on the board from 2003 to 2010. Local Salina businessman D. Kent Lambert was elected for a five-year term as the first Kansas Wesleyan University Trustee Emeritus. Rev. “Dee’’ Williamston is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and a member of the UMC Great Plains Conference. She holds a B.S. in Management Ethics from Manhattan Christian College and a Master of Divinity degree from Saint Paul School of Theology, specializing in Black Church Ministries and Evangelism. In 2004, she retired from the Kansas Army National Guard with 22 years of service. Rev. Williamson began her church ministry in 2000 in Topeka. Since May 2007, she has ministered full-time to UMC congregations in Mentor, Salina and Independence. Julie Sager Miller has served as president of Advantage Trust Company in Salina, KS, since 1997. The Kansas native earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics from Austin College (Sherman, TX). While earning her M.B.A. degree from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX), Miller began her banking career at First National Bank of Dallas, and followed that with 21 years in banking in Salina.
Emily May Richards
D. Kent Lambert
Emily May Richards is Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of The Shoptaw Group (TSG) in Atlanta, GA, a real estate investment and assets management firm. She earned a B.S. degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Delaware and an M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University. Her past work in finance includes serving as the corporate controller for KSL Recreation Corporation with $1.5 billion in resort properties and real estate, as well as CEO of her own firm, The Richards Group, P.C, and vice president for The First National Bank of Atlanta. D. Kent Lambert is the owner of Lambert Insurance Agency in Salina. He was a member of the KWU Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2013, serving two years as vice-chair, two years as chair, and one year as immediate past chair. Lambert continues to be a faithful supporter of KWU athletics and academics; and he is the first Kansas Wesleyan University Trustee Emeritus.
PEOPLE 1950 Wilma (Taylor) Jones of Tulsa, OK, has become a certified United Methodist Lay Servant. 1951 Keith V. Muirhead of Dresden, KS, has retired after 62 years of farming. 1953 Wanda M. (Alcorn) (Anderson) Thummel, a retired teacher, serves as lay speaker with Jewell County United Methodist Parish in Mankato, KS. She and her husband Theodore live in Esbon, KS.
1987 Carol Dixson is in her 28th year of teaching sixth grade at Oberlin Elementary School in USD 294. She lives in Oberlin, KS, where she is also a partner in Dixson Farms Inc., raising and selling Simmental cattle, a versatile breed of cattle originating in western Switzerland.
1956 Glenn D. Young Jr. is senior partner of the law firm Young, Bogle, McCausland, Wells & Blanchard, P.A. in Wichita, KS, where he lives with his wife Julie.
Linda (Avis) Kornegay lives in Castle Hayne, NC. She is a clerk for the Division on Criminal Information (DCI) of the City of Wilmington (NC) Police Department. Her granddaughter is Cassandra Wuest (’14).
1961 Marlene Lloyd Lee released two novels in 2013, and two more are coming out in 2014, published by Holland House Books in England. She serves on the KWU Board of Trustees. Lee has a blog called “Writing From Where I Live” (www.marlenelee.wordpress.com).
Cecelia (Bieber) Sanford received the 2014 Excellence in Teaching Award. She is a physical education teacher for Cherry Creek Schools at Heritage Elementary in Centennial, CO. She and her husband Jeff live in Aurora, CO.
Nancy R. (Larsen) Sanders lives with her husband John in Colby, KS. Under her pen name Nancy LarsonSanders, she wrote the five-book Earth’s Memories historical fiction series and the novel All Stubborned Up. More atwww.nancylarsen-sanders.com. 1965 Nadim F. Haddad is now Term Professional Engineer for the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) at Vanderbilt University. He was named a Fellow by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in Jan. 2012. He is twice retired, from IBM in 1997 and BAE Systems in 2012.
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1998 Amy (Oard) Jacobs and her husband Kevin in El Dorado, KS. She recently became Wound Care Certified for her work as a staff nurse at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital in El Dorado. 2003 Kyle Hemstreet has started his own business, Edgewater IT, as an independent contractor providing IT services and consulting in Tuba City, AZ.
1967 Faye (Alsobrooks) Fedlam and her husband James live in Louisville, KY. She retired in Oct. 2013 from the pastorate in the Presbyterian Church (USA). 1969 Albert S. Lossinsky, Ph.D. has retired from his work as a biochemical research scientist, blood-brain barrier expert and professor of Neuroscience at New Jersey Neuroscience Institute in Edison, NJ. He and his wife Georgette, an LPN, live in Passaic, NJ. 1970 Mike Fardella and his wife Tina live in Lincoln, NE, where he is president of Financial Partners Inc. He serves of the board of directors of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and is treasurer of University of NebraskaLincoln Friends of Opera. 1975 Brad Hamilton lives in Hoyt, KS, and is self-employed as a Western music entertainer. One of the songs he recorded, “Streets of Laredo,” was released on the CD “Kansas Cowboy.”
Karissa Kent-Collins and her husband Shane Collins were married Dec. 21, 2013. They live in Huntington Beach, CA. 2013 Zachery Brown ranked #11 out of 231 first-year law students at Texas A&M University School of Law (Fort Worth, TX), putting him in the top five percent of his class.
Kent Cox ’65, Jim Harvey ’64 and Dave Fancher ’64 returned to Kodiak, Alaska this summer to relive a summer of 1963 adventure when they worked together at King Crab, Inc. The group will share their adventure at Homecoming. Visit kwu.edu/ homecoming for more information.
IN MEMORIAM 1950 Donald Carper of San Antonio, TX, died on May 24, 2014. For 50 years he served as a pastor for United Brethren, Evangelical United Brethren and United Methodist churches.
1966 Janet (Evins) Carman lives in Saint Francis, KS, where she now serves on the founding board of the Cheyenne Center for Creativity.
1976 Joe Corby lives in Salina, KS, with his wife Helen. He recently marked 35 years of employment with Westinghouse-Philips and works in the Mastergroup at Philips Lighting Corporation. 22
1984 Ann (Waters) Dahl lives in Joplin, MO, where she and her husband Doug have opened a business, Plato’s Closet, which buys and sells gently used clothing for teens and young adults.
Master Deputy Greg Vickers (’03, Criminal Justice, CENTER) receives the Life Saving Award from Johnson County (KS) Sherriff Frank Denning. He and another patrol deputy were nominated by Lt. Christopher Lafferty for pulling a driver from his burning car following a traffic accident. 2005 Sarah (Vanek) Kromer of Garden City, KS, married Ryan Kromer on June 14, 2014. The couple resides in Tulsa, OK. 2008 Tiffany (Davis) Keegan has become a licensed daycare provider and opened Keegan Childcare in Merriam, KS, where she lives with her husband, Joe. Amanda (Ingram) Little and her husband Austin are expecting their second child Oct. 1, 2014. She teaches English and sponsors drama and forensics for USD 307. The family lives in Brookville, KS. 2009 Stephen Cilladi was hired this year by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a major league coach and bullpen catcher. Prior to the new job, he lived in Mesa, AZ.
Ruth Ross died on August 14, 2014. A longtime Goodland, KS, resident, Ruth taught at a rural one-room school in Saline County, KS after graduating from KWU. She and her husband of 65 years, Chester, raised five children. 1956 Mary Jo (Hamilton) Bahe of Oceanside, CA, died on March 14, 2014. Donations may be made to the “Hamilton Family Scholarship” at Kansas Wesleyan University. 1957 Ken Blasé of Camas, WA, died on Feb. 21, 2014. He worked in TV-radio news journalism and was journalism professor and associate dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts at San Jose State University. 1973 Larry Keller of Olathe, KS, died on July 29, 2014. He was a UMC minister for 37 years. STAFF Zach Kindler, former KWU track and cross-country coach (2004–07), died on Aug. 4, 2014 in Gardner, KS. Zach is the son of Gary ’67, and Kris Kindler of Esbon, KS, nephew of Joy Kindler (’74) of Salina, KS, and cousin of Alida Kindler (’07), also of Salina. KWU.EDU/ALUMNI
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MIKE MALONE and His 50-year Love Affair with KWU It has been almost a half a century since Mike Malone donned a KWU football jersey, but he’s been close to the action at every game since 1986. Malone is the chief of the “chain gang,” a group of friends who have been working the sidelines together for the past 28 years. Malone, ’70 was working at Sports Connection in Salina when he asked for a volunteer job on game day.
A NEW ERA OF FOOTBALL Developing Men On and Off the Football Field
A new era of Coyote football is taking shape. With the first head coaching change in 17 years, Kansas Wesleyan has new faces on the sidelines, the team is sporting new uniforms, there are more than 40 new players suiting up, and there is even a new marching pep band. However, the most significant change in the program won’t be visible on game day. In his first month at the helm, Matt Drinkall proved not only his recruiting prowess, but also his commitment to making his players better men. “Their experience is not all about football,” says Drinkall, “I have a tremendous responsibility to the students, and to their families, who are entrusting me with their sons' well-being. That means helping them reach their potential—on and off the field.” In the off-season his players participate in a leadership program that forces communication, encourages community outreach, and helps them learn skills that will help develop character. It has nothing to do with football. “While you can learn many life skills in this sport, it is impossible to learn what it feels like to serve the community on a football field. These men spend 22 hours each day OFF the field— football is just a tiny part of their lives.” Service hours are not optional in Drinkall’s program, and the team immediately bought in to the new requirements. From assembling care packages for soldiers deployed in Afghanistan, to flipping hamburgers at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center and helping feed young adults 24
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who were biking across the country to raise money for cancer, the Coyotes have made a strong presence in the Salina community. Forty-five Coyotes from last year’s team remained with the program, 25 stayed through the summer for workouts and classwork. While Drinkall and his new staff were getting to know their players, they were also hard at work filling the remainder of the roster—quite a task since the coaching staff arrived after the national signing date. But their youth has proved to be on their side when relating to prospective players, and the coaches (average age 25) brought 41 new players to KWU this fall. “Kansas Wesleyan University is an easy sell—it is outstanding academically, it is committed to athletic success, it’s in a great community, and we work with our students to make it financially viable,” said Drinkall. Drinkall’s motto is “You win with winners.” He would know. He has only played on or coached winning teams since he began his football career. He played high school ball for one of the winningest programs in Iowa—Bettendorf, and then played under Kirk Ferentz at the University of Iowa. An injury forced him behind-the-scenes, where he spent three years as a student coach learning football operations. After college, he coached defensive backs and wide receivers and was the recruiting coordinator for his high school alma mater. He later coached tight ends and then became offensive coordinator at Western Illinois under legendary coach Don Patterson. Most recently, as offensive coordinator, he helped lead Saint Ambrose College in Davenport, IA, to two
conference titles and three appearances in the NAIA National playoffs. Drinkall says he has been positively influenced by his mentors, but he likes bringing his own style to the program, even if it is a little “outside the box.” For example, he decided that practicing at 6 a.m. during the school year would prevent overheating in the late afternoon Kansas sun. It also gives the student-athletes time to participate in other activities, visit a professor or study after classes. And when they are at practice, the atmosphere is fun. “Football should be fun,” said Drinkall, who keeps the tempo up at 6 a.m. with loud music blaring. “Practice should be something the players look forward to, so we laugh and smile a lot, but we also work very hard.” Their strategy has three components: Be the smartest, the most physical, and the most resilient team on the field. “You win with winners,” says Drinkall. “Our athletes are great students in the classroom and men of character. We expect accountability, discipline, leadership, organization and teamwork, on and off the field.” It is too soon to know whether the characterbuilding success of this year’s team will be proven by wins and loses on the field. Whatever the outcome, it is evident that those associated with the program will be winners, as they are taken to new heights in their leadership abilities, moved toward greater compassion for those in their community, challenged to be better students and empowered to be individuals of character.
“I started out running the game clock,” he said. “But I found myself watching the game instead of focusing on the clock duties. I made some mistakes, and the coach and I both decided that probably wasn’t the best job for me.” He was thrilled to get the sideline assignment and recruited his co-workers, Neal Saskowski ’78, and Dave Wilson, to join him. The original threesome is still intact, and along the way, they added Bob Reynolds, ’72 and Jim Raubenstine ’94, both 20-year chain gang vets, and Neal’s son, Kyle Saskowski. The crew has a combined 130 years of football sideline knowledge. But most of them have been around the gridiron since they were kids. Malone and Reynolds played football together at Salina High School and at KWU, where they led the Coyotes to the 1969 KCAC championship (the team was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004). In 1970, Malone served as a grad assistant coach under legendary coach Gene Bissell, who was Malone’s Sunday school teacher. He also served as offensive line coach in 1973 and 1974. Neal Saskowski came to KWU from Buffalo and played for the Coyotes from 1974–78, and Raubenstine played from 1990–94. “We all love the game, and we love KWU,” said Malone, who can’t recall missing any home games in his 28-year stint on the chains. “KWU football has just become part of who we are. We look forward to the season every year.” Malone feels fortunate to have close-up view of the action, even if it’s from the opposing sideline. “We hear a lot of banter from the opposing teams and coaches—and some choice language. The hardest part is keeping our emotions intact when Wesleyan has an explosive play.”
The crew doesn’t wear protective pads, and the men occasionally get knocked over. According to Malone, Reynolds once did a backwards summersault after being plowed into, but he says none of them has ever gotten seriously hurt. Malone, admits that the men are slowing down a bit, but that they aren’t quite ready to pass on the chains to the next generation. Football isn’t the only tie Malone has with the University. He lives just a half a block from the University and can be seen walking through campus in the mornings and at various events throughout the year. “I have had a 50-year love affair with KWU,” said Malone. “I have been a part of this place since 1965. I brought my kids to the well to make wishes. Now I bring my grandchildren to campus. It is beautiful, and I just love this place.”
From left to right: Neal Saskowski ’78, Kyle Saskowski, Bob Reynolds ’72, Dave Wilson, Mike Malone, ’70 and Jim Raubenstine ’94.
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ALUMNI NEWS 2014
FALL SPORTS PREVIEW By David Toelle, Sports Information Director FOOTBALL
2014 marks the start of a new era for KWU Football. Matt Drinkall was hired in January as Wesleyan’s new coach and brought in new staff for the upcoming season. KWU was selected to finish seventh by the conference coaches and ninth by the media covering the KCAC at KCAC Football Media Day on Aug. 6 in Wichita. The Coyotes will have a new face at quarterback as senior Sam Vaughan and junior Jake Curran will split time at signal caller. Returning tailback Taylor Sachs, a Second Team All-KCAC selection from 2013 and a preseason All-KCAC pick, will look to repeat his breakout season from a year ago.
VOLLEYBALL
The Coyotes look to repeat as KCAC Champions in 2014. Wesleyan lost only two starters from a year ago, but have reloaded and are ready to have another strong season. Wesleyan was the favorite by a fair margin in the preseason poll conducted in August. Look for returning players Taylor Elkinton (2013 Setter of the Year), Melissa Blair (Second Team All-KCAC 2013), and Taylor Klover (2013 First Team All-KCAC) to lead the Coyotes, with a very talented group of incoming freshmen and junior college transfers.
MEN’S SOCCER
The KWU Men’s Soccer team was picked a surprising second in the KCAC preseason poll in August. The Coyotes are the four-time defending KCAC Regular Season Champions and the five-time defending KCAC Tournament, and have a 42-match unbeaten streak in regular season KCAC play that dates back to October 2009. New head coach Phil Bohn has brought an energized attitude to the team for the upcoming season. Watch for returning players Blessing Ngwa (2013 Goalkeeper of the Year), Mario Villafana (2013 Newcomer of the Year), and sophomore Jesse Lennon (Second Team All-KCAC) to lead the way. Wesleyan has an abundance of talented returners to compliment a very strong group of newcomers, including three lads from England, that should make many contributions to the team.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Second-year head coach Blake Reynolds looks to repeat last year’s successes in 2014. Despite losing a couple of key players through graduation and attrition, the Coyotes have a strong core of returning players from 2013. These include seniors Mitzi Ibarra and Kelsey Strang, and junior Breanna Bodiford, who were all named to the preseason All-KCAC team. The Coyotes have a talented group of newcomers led by Rachel Cardwell in goal, who replaces now-graduated Emily Tielrooy. Just as with the men, the women were picked a surprising second by the conference coaches in the preseason poll, despite having won three straight KCAC Regular Season Championships and riding a 28-match unbeaten streak during the regular season.
CROSS COUNTRY
The KWU cross country teams hope to build on last year’s successes. The women look to repeat as KCAC Champions, following coach Brent Bailey’s first KCAC Championship at KWU last season. The women have to deal with the loss of a couple of last year’s top runners, but a strong group of returners as well as improvements through recruiting will make the Coyotes a contender again. The KWU men have retooled their lineup and are building a talented squad.
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CULTIVATING LEADERS —Phillip Bohn, Men’s Soccer Head Coach
Phillip Bohn, who was hired in July as the new head coach for KWU men’s soccer, is emphasizing the importance of building character on and off the field.
Jessica Allen Administrative Assistant Lorenzo Araujo Head Cheer and Dance Coach
“Off the field, you will see our student-athletes be respectful, and we will put the classroom first and soccer second,” said Bohn.
Carolyn Davis Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Jeremy Gathright Assistant Track & Field Coach Brianna Gonzalez Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Ryan Meeks Assistant Baseball Coach Joe Morrissey Assistant Football Coach Kamie Rash Assistant Golf Coach
Even while balancing those priorities, Bohn wants to win. “We will bring high energy, be well organized, disciplined and well-prepared, and we will play hard,” he said. “We will be a possession team, and we will play good defense and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Last season, as men’s and women’s coach for Central Baptist College in Conway, AR, Bohn led the Mustangs’ men’s program to the quarterfinals of their conference tournament. His women’s team had two NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
Before that, Bohn was at Jamestown College in Jamestown, ND, coaching the men for four years, and added coaching the women for three years. In 2012, Bohn guided the Jimmies men to a school record 16 wins, a No. 16 ranking in the NAIA Top 25 coaches’ poll and a trip to the NAIA National Championship. Under his push toward excellence, his teams’ GPA rose, from 2.0 for the men to 3.16 and from 2.4 for the women to 3.17. Bohn also coached at NCAA Division III Wesleyan College in Macon, GA for two seasons, guiding the women's program to the most wins in program history in 2008 while improving the team’s GPA to 3.3. He also served as sports information director at Wesleyan College. Bohn holds a USSF National ‘B’ Coaching License and has NSCAA advanced regional coaching diplomas. Bohn holds a B.S. in Mass Communications with emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising from St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, MN) and is working on his Master of Sport Science degree online from the United States Sports Academy (Daphne, AL).
Caitlin Santefort Assistant Softball Coach Caleb Wade Assistant Baseball Coach
ON THE DIAMOND —Bill Neale, Baseball Coach A reputation for molding excellence of character, both in and away from the game, is what drew Bill Neale to Kansas Wesleyan University. It’s something he intends to emphasize with the members of his 2015 Coyotes baseball roster, who hail from Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, Illinois and Iowa. “Kansas Wesleyan has had an outstanding tradition and has prided itself on its successes not only on the field, but in the classroom,” said Neale. “KWU has done an exceptional job of bringing out the best in its student-athletes.” For the last three seasons, Neale was an assistant coach for pitchers and catchers at NCAA Division II Northwestern Oklahoma State
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NEW ASSISTANT COACHES AND STAFF IN ATHLETICS
University in Alva, OK. In four seasons, Neale helped the Rangers drop their team Earned Run Average from 6.68 to 4.60. Prior to Northwestern Oklahoma, for four years Neale was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Bacone College in Muskogee, OK, and then became head coach. As an undergraduate, Neale played four seasons as a catcher for Bacone, and was named First Team All-Conference three times. During his career there, he caught a perfect game and caught Johnny Spencer’s NAIA record 25-strikeout performance in 2004. Neale, a native of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, also played for the Ontario Blue Jays, an elite traveling team. He holds a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Bacone College, and a M.S. in Kinesiology from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK.
All in the Family
Many teams talk about being a family, but several of the Coyote volleyball team members are actually related. Twins Sabrina and Sadrina Hallahan are newcomers this season. Caitlin Chamness, a sophomore, is the sister of Lauren, ’14, a former Coyote. Senior Melissa Blair is following the footsteps of her sister Jessie, who played on the 2012–13 team. Senior Kayla Dearden welcomed her sister Krissa Dearden to the team this fall. In addition, two other pairs of sisters have donned the Coyote jersey— Pauline ’12, and Marlene Yang, ’14, and Allie (Myers) Johnson ’14, and Chelsea Myers, who played on the 2011–12 team.
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CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER STEPPING UP TO THE LINE
STILL GOING FULL SWING Kamie Rash Has New Source of Strength When asked how she was able to win seven of 10 tournaments this season, place second and sixth in two others, and win the first-ever KCAC women’s championship, Kamie Rash ’14, doesn’t talk about her improved golf game. “Costa Rica changed me,” she says emphatically. “I’m a completely different person than I was last year.” Rash joined a led2serve service mission in February, with a few others from KWU—Campus Ministries Director Cameron Jackson, Jan Shirk, Executive Assistant to the President, and some students. “That was a huge life-changing experience for Kamie,” said Vanessa Puleo, leader of the trip and director of The Center for Global Service Learning at KWU. Kami later explained in her powerful speech at the 2014 Baccalaureate service, “I learned a whole new meaning of the word ‘commitment,’ and what it was like to see the world from a different view point. And I became aware of how desperately I was in need of spiritual
enlightenment.” Rash recalled a woman who shared with the rest of the team about being wrapped up in her own little world, focused on possessions, money and success. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘Hmm, I have my own little world too.’ In that moment I realized that I wanted nothing more to do with the life I had, and everything to do with the life I wanted. I realized the biggest thing I was missing in life was God.” She began devoting the first part of her day to God, serving others and exploring God’s creation, and gradually realized she was happier than she had ever been in her entire life. This past summer, Rash traveled again with Vanessa Puleo to Costa Rica for 12 days to participate in led2serve’s International Leadership field training program. She will be leading a service mission team to Costa Rica in July. Until then, Rash will be an assistant coach for KWU men’s and women’s golf. And as an M.B.A. graduate student at KWU with another year of eligibility, she will rejoin the women’s golf team and play alongside her freshman sister, Kiah. Rash almost missed out on all of this. An allaround athlete, she medaled at high school state track championships, and played basketball and volleyball. As a senior, she was girls’ state golf champion by eight strokes, dominating Class 3-2 and 1-A, the smallest schools in Kansas. She was recruited by KWU Golf Coach Randy Bemiss but chose to put away the clubs and focus on her first love, basketball, at Pratt Community College. Two years later, a friend who was playing golf for KWU contacted Rash and encouraged her to join her. She hadn’t touched her clubs in two years, but Coach Bemiss saw
Dylan Hidalgo Leads His Team, and Fellow Students, Toward Excellence
something in her. “It was a little rough at first, but I started improving right away, Rash said.” Her hard work has paid off. On April 14, 2014, she was named KCAC Women’s Golfer of the Week for the second time during the 2013–14 season, after winning seven of nine tournaments, and was ranked 29th in the country for NAIA Women’s Golf. One of those victories was as the only NAIA player at the NCAA Division II Nebraska-Kearney Tournament in the fall. She capped her season when she won by three shots the first-ever KCAC Women’s Golf Championship, a victory that also earned her All-KCAC honors. In June, Rash was one of 10 students named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America College Division Women’s At-Large First Team. She worked just as hard in the classroom. She was named three-times to the President's Honor Roll at KWU, was Academic All-Conference and is a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete. Rash graduated Magna Cum Laude from Kansas Wesleyan, majoring in Exercise Science— Corporate Fitness, was in Alpha Chi Honor Society, and received the Sport and Exercise Department Achievement Award during Honors Convocation for completing her degree with a 3.93 GPA. Finally, on August 6, 2014, she and KWU men’s basketball player Dylan Hildago were presented with the KCAC Champions of Character Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year. It is highly unusual for both awards to go to the same school, so this is a great honor for KWU.
It’s a common sports axiom that a team will go just as far as the leadership from the point guard will take it. If that’s true, there are signs that the Kansas Wesleyan men’s basketball program is headed in a great direction. First, KWU Junior point guard Dylan Hidalgo was elected vice president of the Student Government Association this past spring, demonstrating his positive example and leadership, on and off the court. Then, this past summer Hidalgo was named the male recipient of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Champion of Character Award in recognition of his leadership. The award recognized him for embodying the NAIA Champion of Character Core Values of Sportsmanship, Servant Leadership, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility, on and off the court. “Strong leadership skills are an important part of what makes Dylan successful as the starting point guard on our basketball team,” said Mike Hermann, director of Athletics. “He’s done a great job complementing his leadership with service to the community.” Hidalgo is a Resident Assistant and serves on various committees, including the Wellness Fair Committee, which he will co-chair for 2014–2015. He is active in KWU’s Student Government Association (SGA) and was selected student body vice president for 2014–15. The Tucson, AZ, native is majoring in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Personal Training, and holds a 3.93 GPA. He has earned President’s Honor Roll status and has retained the Trustee Academic Scholarship. This year he was chosen to speak at the Kansas Wesleyan Scholarship Appreciation Dinner. This past year, Hidalgo volunteered with KWU’s Annual Phonathon, Family Marathon Night at Heusner Elementary, and at Meadowlark Ridge Elementary for Math Madness Day. He was also a volunteer for Project HERO and Project HUNT through the SGA. KWU Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Fear said, “Dylan is very active in a variety of areas of campus life and has still been able to perform at an elite level in the classroom. He is the rare individual who can balance many different activities and thrive in each one.” The best news is that Hidalgo is a junior on the KWU campus this fall, meaning he’ll have the opportunity to lead the Coyotes on the basketball court, on campus through the Student Government Association and in the community for the next two years.
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