Contact Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024

The next step:

Longtime professors leave legacy of student preparation, success

Bryan Minnich, associate professor of Sports and Exercise Science; Dr. Anita Specht, professor of History; and Dr. Dorothy Hanna, professor of Chemistry, retired in May

80-plus years teaching at Kansas Wesleyan.

Celebrating the future for our students and our campus

This fall marks a new era for us at Kansas Wesleyan, and as we like to say, “It’s a great time to be a Coyote.” We have worked together to accomplish so much these past 10 years, and one of the most special achievements in that work will be revealed at Homecoming in October.

So many consider Sams Chapel the soul of our campus, with the spirit and accomplishments that have marked that hall shining for nearly a century. Now, with the renovation of the space nearly complete, we are counting the days to Homecoming.

That’s right, the new Sams Chapel — and Bieber Hall — will be unveiled Saturday, Oct. 19, as part of Homecoming 2024. This has been a project years in the making, and it is something that is personally close to my heart. Understanding all that’s happened in that chapel, and knowing that now it will be preserved for generations to come, is a true testament to the hard work of countless supporters, including our lead donor, Jeff Bieber ’71.

2024 A message from President Matt Thompson

Kansas Wesleyan University

Spring/Summer 2024

Contact is the official magazine of Kansas Wesleyan University and is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

Managing Editor: Brad Salois

Design: Jean Kozubowski

Theresa Stevens

Writing Assistance:

Bob Davidson

Dan Froehlich

Larry Moritz

Photo Credits:

Ashley Bissell ’25

Karen Bonar

Tanner Colvin ’11

Jean Kozubowski

Brad Salois

Executive

Ken Oliver

Send address changes to:

Many of the standout Coyote musicians of the past will return for this great moment, and we hope you’ll join them. We are anticipating one of the largest Homecoming crowds ever, as we embrace this year’s theme: Come Home. Everyone who returns to campus will also be able to see the new Bieber Dining Hall (bon appétit) — a complete renovation of the former Shriwise Dining Hall — and enjoy numerous other events.

Moments like these are possible because of the faithful, dedicated work of so many, including our supporters. The Scholarship Gala, held in April, raised more than $2.7 million in support of student scholarships! That included numerous gifts in excess of $100,000, with Dr. Kent Cox ’65 and wife Adrienne providing the lead gift, $1 million. It was another shining moment in the rise of our institution, and the greatest fundraising night in school history.

Finally, I want to lift up the mission-centered work of our faculty. Every day, these dedicated individuals give of themselves to advance the futures of our students. The three individuals pictured on the cover — Dr. Dorothy Hanna, Dr. Anita Specht and Prof. Bryan Minnich — retired at the end of the spring semester, having exceeded a combined 80 years of teaching Coyotes. Eighty years! Dr. Hanna retires by equaling the longest faculty tenure in KWU’s 138-year history, 40 years.

This trio of professors has always been committed to serving our students, and the stories you’ll read in this issue show that. The work they have done has helped Coyotes embrace their calling, help others and find footing in our world. It has helped them find their futures, and for that, I — and all our staff, faculty and administration — thank them.

It’s my honor to help lead this pack, and I hope countless members will soon Come Home and be a part of everything happening at Kansas Wesleyan.

All the best,

Matt Thompson, Ph.D. President and CEO

The first semester at Coyote Village is a success!

Pictured are members of the first group of students to live in the innovative tiny homes, which opened in January.

Students moved into the first seven houses of Coyote Village, a new approach to student housing, for the spring semester. Each tiny house contains living space for five students and provides a transition from residence hall life to full independent living. (Not all residents are pictured in the photograph) First residents of Coyote Village

Scholarships celebrated at

Kansas Wesleyan revealed more than $2.7 million raised in support of student scholarships at the university’s second Scholarship Gala, which took place the evening of April 20 in Mabee Arena.

The biennial gala is a key driver in student success, as more than 99% of the university’s students receive some type of scholarship assistance.

Dr. Rebecca Chopp ’74, the Gala’s keynote speaker, spoke on the value of a liberal arts education. She retired in 2019 after an illustrious career as an administrator, educator, author, scholar and United Methodist pastor (see story, pages 6-7).

KWU’s international students began the program, marching out to a stirring rendition of “We are the World,” and carrying the flags of their home countries.

Scholarship donors and recipients talked about what the scholarships mean to them.

Music, a Kansas Wesleyan tradition, also highlighted the evening, with a jazz trio of KWU faculty entertaining during the social hour. The KWU Philharmonic Choir sang two selections, including “Beautiful Savior,” and students performed a cello solo and a piano solo.

Gifts announced

The main event, however, was the announcement of several gifts in excess of $100,000, including $350,000 from Bob Meyer ’73 and $1 million from

Dr. Kent Cox ’65 and wife Adrienne.

“So many students and corporate partners stepped up in support of our students,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “Individuals at different points in their lives, with different occupations and different histories, gave. Businesses saw what investing in scholarships could mean for their talent pool and for the community, and they gave. This level of support can truly change the futures of our students, and for that, we are grateful.”

Longtime supporters Ken and Karen Ebert ABC ’14, along with their family members, gave $100,000, as did the Kia Gruber ’99 family and Chopp and her husband, Frederick Thibodeau.

Foundation Board member Steve Scofield ’65 and wife Jewelda donated $125,000.

Title sponsor Mahaska gave $100,000, as did Bennington State Bank and Mike and Debra Berkley.

The Noonan family spearheaded an endowed scholarship in honor of the

late Kevin Noonan ’71, with a gift of $40,000.

Numerous other corporate partners, including Salina Regional Health Center and its foundation, Ryan Roofing, Nex-Tech Creative, CAD Law, and Pestinger Heating and Air gave a combined $215,000.

“To see such support for our students is truly inspiring,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “We hope that people see the way that KWU changes lives, how it betters north-central Kansas and how it makes Salina a better place to be! It did for each of these individuals and businesses, and it will for many more in the years to come.”

1) Festive tables were set with a purple and gold theme, of course.

2) The Ken and Karen Ebert ABC ’14 family poses at the photo booth.

3) Dr. Rebecca Chopp ’74 gives the keynote address.

4) The social hour gave attendees a chance to mingle and listen to the KWU jazz trio.

5) The KWU Philharmonic Choir entertained with two selections.

6) Kent Lambert ’71 (left), trustee emeritus, and Bob Meyer ’73, KWU Foundation chair, toast $2.7 million in scholarships.

7) Mabee Arena goes glamorous for the evening.

8) Students present the flags of all the nations represented by the KWU student body.

Kent ’65 and Adrienne Cox reflect on million-dollar gift

The Kansas Wesleyan community is still celebrating the events of April 20’s Scholarship Gala, when the university announced more than $2.7 million in gifts and pledges. It was the single-largest fundraising night in school history, highlighted by a million-dollar gift from Dr. Kent Cox ’65 and wife Adrienne.

Cox was part of the “Gang of Eight,” a well-known group of Physics students from the classes of 1964 and 1965. The group helped shape support for the sciences, athletics and even the building of the Student Activities Center. Cox was an integral part of those efforts, including contributions to the

Creager Physics Lab and the Stucky Optics Lab in honor of two of his professors.

Cox and one of the group’s other leaders, Dr. David Fancher ’64, remain close friends to this day.

“After I graduated from Salina High School, KWU offered me a full tuition scholarship,” recalled

Cox. “While it was not my first choice, my lifelong friend — Dr. David Fancher — strongly encouraged me to attend KWU. I quickly began to appreciate what a wonderful educational opportunity I had received, and to this day, I believe that my professors were lifelong examples for learning, achieving and contributing. It is our hope that this gift provides those same opportunities for students in the coming years.”

The Coxes’ gift is believed to be the sixth million-dollar gift by an individual or family in KWU history, five of which have come in the past five years. It is thought to be the

first-such gift to be bolstered by the rise of cryptocurrency.

“KWU is deeply thankful to Kent and Adrienne Cox for their support,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “Their gift will open doors for future Coyotes and enable STEM-focused students to realize their educational goals. It is our hope that their leadership will inspire others to lift up programs, disciplines and opportunities that can fuel the next generation of KWU greats.”

The gift is in support of Kansas students pursuing careers in science, medicine and nursing.

JOY Liberal arts, Alzheimer's &

Rebecca Chopp ’74 finds ways to still be herself despite diagnosis

Bemoaning an unhappy fate is not for Rebecca Chopp ’74.

The result of a classical, liberal arts education is coming to her aid and helping to put her monsters in their place. The biggest monster is named “Alzheimer’s.”

In Greek mythology, Perseus used gifts from the gods to slay the Gorgon Medusa. Chopp sees orders from her doctors as the gifts of exercise, nutrition, creativity and sleep to keep her Gorgon — memory loss — at bay.

By any measure, Chopp was one of the top educators in the country. She was the first female to hold the top leadership position at the University of Denver (DU), Colgate University and Swarthmore College, in addition to leadership positions at Emory and Yale universities. Indeed, Chopp has had a number of careers: ordained Methodist minister, professor of theology, scholar and author, and university administrator. Her latest career is Alzheimer’s advocate and activist. That quest was thrust upon her when she was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the early stages of Alzheimer’s in March 2019.

“When I was diagnosed, it was very depressing, very scary,” Chopp said. “My mother and both grandmothers had dementia. Each had different types; they were all scary to me.”

The diagnosis forced her retirement from DU in 2019 at age 67, after five years as chancellor. The stress of such a high-profile job was detrimental.

She and her husband, Fred Thibodeau, mourned what the loss of a mind like hers could mean, but only briefly. Then she did what Rebecca Sue Chopp always does when faced with a problem: She researched it and faced it head on.

She’s put the results of that

Dr. Rebecca Chopp ’74 finds new meaning in her life after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's by writing about the illness in her latest book, Still Me. Helping her live her best life is her hiking companion Buhdy, a Pomeranian-Husky.

research into her latest book, Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer’s Without Losing Yourself, published in February.

Book about liberal arts

“You may not have realized you were reading a book about the liberal arts, but I think this book is the most important act of a life and career dedicated to the liberal arts,” Chopp writes in Still Me

Growing up in Salina instilled habits and attitudes early on in her life, mindsets that have served her well. Her family lived in town but also farmed — the best of both worlds.

“I think there is something to the

Midwest, being raised in that rural life, that you just have to accept what life gives you,” she said.

She learned that from listening to her farmer -grandfather talk about the weather and its effect on crops.

Her father, too, and his “enormous work ethic” was an inspiration. “My father, especially, was a man who, you had to seize an opportunity,” she said. “He had no education in terms of college, but he built a couple of small companies, and he always knew how to see around a corner, see an opportunity and grab it.”

He would get up in the middle of the night, she said, and work. She often got up with him and read or worked on her own projects. That

established a habit of sleeping only four or five hours a night. It enabled her to add about 20 hours of work to every week, although now she’s not so sure it was her best idea. Research has shown a link between lack of sleep and Alzheimer’s, and Chopp now gets about 12 hours of rest a day.

Her liberal arts education is fundamental to her, besides providing mythological role models. She sees all her careers as promoting the liberal arts, considering herself a teacher even while an administrator.

“For me, education was so enlarging, and I loved the liberal arts education I got at Kansas Wesleyan,” she said. “I devoted much of my life to liberal arts education. It’s not only about job skills, it’s also about the perspectives you learn in sociology and anthropology about human beings, what you learn in religion about what drives people, the perspective you learn in psychology. I really think, for me, helping others get a basic liberal arts education has been a huge driver.

“As an educator, I have had great teachers, from first grade on,” she said.

She took Latin in eighth grade. She checked out all the books on spirituality, western and eastern, she could find in the library. Although her family wasn’t religious, “I was always interested in religion and spirituality,” she said.

KWU ‘a fabulous idea’

When her minister at First United Methodist Church, Everett Mitchell, suggested she go to Kansas Wesleyan to study religion, “I thought it was a fabulous idea!” she said.

Mitchell and the church had some scholarship money to get her started. Her parents weren’t supportive.

“My parents at that age and place really saw me as getting married and having a bunch of kids, which would

Courtesy photo

have been wonderful,” she said. “Nothing wrong with that.”

But it wasn’t for her.

“I took my first class on environmentalism and religion with Wes Jackson and Wayne Montgomery in January 1972,” Chopp said. “I was just enthralled. There was earth, farm, land, care for that, religion, Hebrew scriptures. I just jumped fully into Kansas Wesleyan.”

She was very, very busy, with a double major — religion and speech — living off-campus and often working two jobs.

“Everyone was just so supportive. I had never thought of myself as particularly smart. By the time I graduated I had a lot more confidence,” she said.

She graduated magna cum laude and spent her senior year at St. Paul Seminary in Kansas City.

Strongly called

She was still exploring.

“I hadn’t been raised in the tradition of faith, but I felt strongly called,” Chopp said. “It was a great experience intellectually, but maybe I wasn’t quite ready.”

She married her first husband after her first year of seminary and took a break.

“Sometimes a break is so important,” she said. “When I returned, I was gung-ho.”

The United Methodist Church was less gung-ho about women ministers, having first ordained them only about 20 years earlier.

Chopp was one of only two or three Methodist women clergy in Kansas at the time. She loved serving churches with her husband, but the bishop preferred advancing his career over hers.

“I probably would not have gone on my own to get a Ph.D.,” she said. “I liked serving local churches. I loved the people. I liked preaching. I liked teaching. I liked pastoral care. But the bishop said no to my career. You know what they say, when a door slams shut, another one opens.”

The door to academia swung open to the University of Chicago Divinity School, where she earned her Ph.D. and taught for several years. Then Emory University in Georgia recruited her. By then, she was divorced, with a son.

“After 10 years of living in cold, cold Chicago, the sunny South sounded interesting,” Chopp said.

She was at Yale briefly before becoming the first female president of Colgate University in 2002 and the first female president of Swarthmore College in 2009.

In 2014, she took the job at DU, because she wanted to live in Colorado.

She still lives in Colorado, near her son and his wife and an older sister, all of whom help her carry out her doctor’s orders.

Living with joy

Her neurologist told her to live with joy — confusing, at first, but she makes it possible.

She was also told to try lifestyle interventions: a Mediterranean-style diet, a couple of hours of exercise a day and something creative to do.

Hiking was a long-time interest of hers. Now, though, instead of hiking in mountains in foreign lands, she hikes with Buhdy, a PomeranianHusky mix, in the Rocky Mountain foothills near where she lives. Besides hiking, she has taken yoga, ballet, strength-training and kick-boxing classes, among other activities.

To create new neural pathways in her brain, she learned to paint, with her sister. After trying several artistic styles, learning mostly through classes on Zoom, she has settled on portraits, which also helps her memory. Chopp writes about what each subject means to her, and the subject will receive the portrait and essay after her passing.

Chopp has her new career as an advocate and activist. She’s active in Alzheimer’s groups, helping to start one, Voices of Alzheimer’s, in Colorado that is just for people dealing with Alzheimer’s. She serves on boards; has spoken on podcasts, such as BrainStorm, by Us Against Alzheimer’s; and filmed a TEDx talk in November about her diagnosis and living with joy.

In the four years since her diagnosis, her MCI symptoms have worsened little, she said.

The gods – and demigods like Perseus – willing, helped by her lifestyle changes, that will be the case for a long time.

By Jean Kozubowski

Dr. Rebecca Chopp ’74 signs one of her books Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer's Without Losing Yourself for Steve Richards ’73 after her talk April 20 about her experience.

Chopp ’74 writes book about Alzheimer’s

Dr. Rebecca Chopp ’74 was generous with her time on campus. Besides giving the keynote address at the Scholarship Gala the evening of April 20, she spent time that morning speaking about her life since a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and the book she wrote about it, Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer’s Without Losing Yourself.

She has become an advocate and activist for treatment. She helped start an organization, Voices of Alzheimer’s, and serves on the board of Colorado and national organizations.

As an activist, she campaigns for better treatment options, especially drugs now being developed that can slow progression.

Early intervention is the most effective, she said, and urged audience members to take a simple memory test at their next regular check-up. That was how her mild cognitive impairment was discovered, she said, before her symptoms were obvious.

Still Me has been well received since it was published in February by the Morgridge Family Foundation.

It is recommended by the Mayo Clinic and is an Amazon

Best Seller. Chopp received her diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s in 2019, when she was chancellor of the University of Denver. She resigned from her high-stress job and made lifestyle changes to slow the progression of the disease. She adopted the Mediterranean and Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Disease diet. She took up painting, to encourage growth in the creative side of her brain. Chopp sleeps more now and exercises regularly, experimenting with a variety of styles, from ballet to kick-boxing and yoga to hiking. Her favorite hiking companion is the puppy she had always wanted but never had time to train, Buhdy, a Pomeranian-miniature husky. Buhdy also helps her to follow one neurologist’s advice: Live joy.

Yotee’s Spirit Store carries the book, online at yoteeonline. com, or call 785-833-4350 to pay over the phone. The cost is $20, plus tax and shipping. All proceeds are contributed to a KWU scholarship fund in Chopp’s name.

PROGRESS CONTINUES!

The Cloud Street entrance to Pioneer Hall is taking shape! With a glassed-in lobby that allows entrance directly to Sams Chapel, Bieber Hall will help raise the profile of the renovated Sams Chapel as an elite performance venue. Work also continues on the chapel itself, with plans to officially open both at Homecoming in October.

These photos show work on Bieber Hall this spring, shortly after the first glass was installed.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE THE LATEST PHOTOS FROM CAMPUS!

Friday, Oct. 18

9–11 a.m. | KWU Author Panel and Coffee Red Fern Booksellers, downtown Salina

10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Alumni College

10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Art Gallery Display The Gallery, Sams Hall of Fine Arts

11-11:45 a.m. | Veterans Recognition Ceremony Bevan Green

11 a.m.–Noon | Campus Tours Check out what's new and exciting since you graduated! Steps of Pioneer Hall

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. | Coyote Cookout Kickoff Luncheon and Pep Rally with The Howl; Cost: $10, $5 for ages 3-8. Muir Gym

1–2 p.m. | 7x7x7 Faculty Lecture Series Seven speakers, seven minutes, seven different topics. Peters Science Hall 201

1 p.m. | Coyote Golf Outing Play a round of golf with your classmates, friends, or KWU faculty and staff. Salina Country Club

2 p.m. | KWU Men’s and Women’s Basketball Mabee Arena

4–5 p.m. | Golden W 50-year and Beyond Alumni Social Location TBD

5–7 p.m. | All-Alumni Social Class Reunions — 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2024 Location TBD

7 p.m. | Theatre Production Fitzpatrick Auditorium

Homecoming Headquarters Student Activities Center

10 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday

7 p.m. | KWU Alumni and Friends Outdoor Social The Library Sports Bar & Grill

4 p.m. | Women’s Developmental Volleyball v. TBD Mabee Arena

6 p.m. | Volleyball v. Oklahoma Wesleyan University Mabee Arena

Saturday, Oct. 19

8 a.m. | Jerry Jones Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Alumni Award Winners Recognition Muir Gym

9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Art Gallery Display The Gallery, Sam’s Hall of Fine Art

10–11 a.m. | Campus Tours Check out what's new and exciting since you graduated! Steps of Pioneer Hall

10 a.m. | All Alumni Photos Steps of Pioneer

10 a.m. | Men’s Volleyball scrimmage Mabee Arena

10:30 a.m. | Alumni Flag Football Laha Practice Field

10:30–11:30 a.m. | KWU Keeps Singing rehearsal Meet with fellow choir alumni to prepare to sing The Star-Spangled Banner before the football game. Location TBD

10:30 a.m.–Noon | Multicultural Alumni, Community and Student Gathering East of SAC tent

10:30 a.m.–Noon | Parent and Family Association Gathering East of SAC

10:30 a.m.–Noon | KWU Coyote Tailgate Cost: $10, $5 for ages 3-8. East of SAC

11 a.m. | Baseball Alumni Game East Crawford Recreation Area

11 a.m. | Softball Alumni Game Bill Burke Recreation Area

Noon | KWU Keeps Singing (Choir alumni perform The Star-Spangled Banner.) Graves Family Sports Complex

Noon | KWU Football v. Avila Alumni Award Winners, Hall of Fame Inductees, and Golden and Purple W are presented at halftime. JRI Stadium

6 p.m. | Pre-Concert Social East of Devotional Garden area

7 p.m. | Come Home Concert –Opening of the newly renovated Sams Chapel

8:30 p.m. | KWU Alumni and Friends Outdoor Social The Library Sports Bar & Grill

Sunday, Oct. 20

11 a.m. | Worship Service UUMC

1:30 p.m. | Developmental Football Game v. TBD JRI Stadium

2 p.m. | Theatre Production Fitzpatrick Auditorium

Scan here to view the latest schedule at KWU.edu!

Renovated cafeteria ready to serve this fall

Kansas Wesleyan, in February, announced a significant change to its Bieber Dining Hall (bon appétit) project. The university is renovating its current dining facility and will use the formerly planned dining hall site as student parking. Renovations are well underway and phase one of the project will be completed before students return in August.

“Our initial work showed that the earliest we could open a newly built dining hall would be the spring of 2026,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “The first phase of this revised project will be completed by the fall of 2024. When paired with the ability to add student parking, and to do both at a price that made financial sense for KWU, the way forward was clear.”

The other key factor was financial, as initial bids for the project came in significantly higher than expected.

Artist rendering

Phase one of the new Shriwise Cafe at Bieber Dining Hall will be completed before the students return in the fall.

“We have a responsibility to act in the long-term interests of our university,” said Thompson. “When initial bids came in substantially higher than planned, we took time to consider a way forward and found this to be the best solution. We then sat down with Jeff and Margie Bieber, the lead donors for this

project. They were very flexible and willing to make this change for the betterment of KWU. We are deeply appreciative of that and believe we have found a great solution.”

New seating will be added,

including long, narrow tables with stools on a second tier inside. The entire interior of the facility will be expanded and renovated.

“A new dining hall is an important asset for the future of Kansas Wesleyan,” said Jeff Bieber ’71, whose gift provided the impetus for the project. “I remember that meal breaks were something I always looked forward to as a student. They enabled me to take a few moments to forget about class concerns, student requirements and other pressures, and simply to enjoy time with good friends. I’m pleased to be able to help provide an enhanced and expanded location, but more than that, I’m excited about the future of Kansas Wesleyan. The legacy of our beloved KWU is strong, and I’m proud to be a part of it being even stronger for generations.”

The new facility will be known as Bieber Dining Hall, with the full name of the eatery inside being Shriwise Café at Bieber Dining Hall.

KWU, JRI Hospitality announce food service agreement

Kansas Wesleyan University and JRI Hospitality announced a new collaboration in early April, one that will see JRI partner as the university’s new food service provider.

“We’re excited for this next chapter in building the student experience,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “The food we serve our students is critical to the student experience. As we explored how best to serve students, we looked for an unparalleled partner who prioritized the source, quality and variety of the food we would serve our students. JRI Hospitality is an excellent community partner, a well-known representative of the region and a true friend of Kansas Wesleyan.

“More importantly for this project, however, they provide great products and services with exceptional customer service. Our students know JRI Hospitality’s brands and understand the quality those brands may provide. As we open the renovated and expanded Bieber Dining Hall this fall, we’re thrilled to welcome them to the KWU family in this new fashion and to continue to develop the relationship between our organizations.”

Kevin O’Brien will serve as JRI’s lead on the project. O’Brien is known in this region as an

Dr. Matt Thompson, president of Kansas Wesleyan University, and Jason Ingermanson, CEO and president of JRI Hospitality, announce in April that JRI will become the university’s food service provider.

innovator in food service and brings a breadth of experience to this role. He was the lead chef in opening the Renaissance Café and Barolo Grille and was previously food and beverage director at the Salina Country Club.

JRI Hospitality is known by many for its brands such as Mokas Coffee & Eatery and the Salina Country Club, as well as its status as one of the

top franchisees of the Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburger brand in the country. In Phoenix, Ariz., JRI is known for Chompie’s.

However, it also prioritizes community involvement and giving back. As such, it is the naming-rights partner for JRI Stadium, KWU’s football, soccer and track and field facility at the Graves Family Sports Complex, and has assisted with improvements to Mabee Arena in the past, as well. The firm is also part of KWU’s Community Resilience Hub by way of its Quail Creek Family Farms and has supported other regional events and organizations, including Abilene’s Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, the Salina Arts Center, Salina Skyfire and more.

“JRI continues to find ways to be involved in supporting the Salina community, and this is another example,” said Jason Ingermanson, president and CEO of JRI Hospitality. “We’re thrilled with our partnership to support and facilitate the elevation of Kansas Wesleyan student dining and look forward to the impact of healthy, hearty meals for all student dining and KWU campus activities as well as providing specially designated nutrition for each of the sports programs at KWU.”

Dolan takes on new role as head of Music Department

Kansas Wesleyan has selected an individual wellknown in the community to serve as its executive director of music, as Michelle Dolan G’24 moved into the role in June. Dolan will lead all efforts surrounding the department, including recruiting, performances, community involvement and collaboration, music alumni relations, and scheduling.

“It is a true privilege to announce Michelle Dolan as the university’s executive director of music,” said Dr. Damon Kraft, KWU provost and executive vice president for student success. “She is wellrespected in the community, has a great deal of experience and understands the vibrancy of the Salina arts scene, because she is an

active part of it! Her strong relationships with our faculty will bring out new levels of collaboration across campus, helping us showcase the tremendous talent that resides in the department, and she understands the student experience, as well.

I look forward to seeing

the department continue to blossom under her leadership.”

Dolan is no stranger to KWU’s Music department, having served as an adjunct voice instructor for the Coyotes for nearly 15 years. She left that role shortly before coming to KWU full-time to work in the Advancement Office, where she rose to the position of director of development, stewardship and alumni.

In addition to her work in those areas, Dolan helped lead Music’s collaboration with Admissions, Advancement, and Marketing and Communications, ensuring that the business of the Music Department continued to move forward.

“Kansas Wesleyan’s Music

Department is a true passion of mine, and it is an honor to assume this role,” said Dolan. “We have a great group of faculty, wonderful students and supportive administrators. Add our new facilities, including the renovated Sams Chapel that will open in October, and this department is ready to reach new heights. I look forward to working with everyone associated with KWU Music to make it all it can be.”

Dolan has served as the choir director at Sacred Heart Cathedral since 2007 and was the Sacred Heart Junior/Senior High School director of vocal music for nearly 20 years (1998-2017).

During her time at the junior/senior high school, Dolan was a two-time chair of KMEA’s North Central

District Choir. She was awarded a Continuing Artist Grant by Salina Arts and Humanities twice, helped form Sacred Heart’s music booster organization and directed the institution’s high school musical.

Dolan became director of development for Sacred Heart in 2017 and held that position until moving across Cloud Street to join KWU in 2020.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Marymount College in 1990 and went on to earn a Master of Music (Music Theatre) from Oklahoma City University in 1995. She earned her Kansas Teaching Certification from KWU in 2013 and is a member of the university’s latest class, 2024, having earned an MBA.

Michelle Dolan

Who’s Who in KWU’s Music Department

Ms. Michelle Dolan G’24 Executive Director of Music

Prof. David Corman Assistant Professor of Music/Director of Vocal Music

Dr. Gustavo do Carmo Assistant Professor of Music/Collaborative Pianist

Dr. Leonardo Rosario Assistant Professor of Music/Director of Strings/ Conductor, KWU String Orchestra

Mr. Jake Montoya ’05 Director of Athletic Bands, Jazz Bands and Wind Ensemble

Prof. Karen Brassea Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Director & Choreographer

Prof. Daniel Albertson Assistant Professor of Music

Mr. Matthew Schwan ’10 Music Alumni and Recruitment Representative

Ms. Chrissy Swagerty Music and Fine Arts Events Coordinator

KWU FineArts

It was a busy spring for KWU Fine Arts, filled with performances across the region and at important university events!

Theatre performs ‘Working — A Musical, Localized’ during the Spring semester.

KWU students take the stage at concerts during the Spring 2024 semester.

The Philharmonic Choir performs at Baccalaureate 2024, held May 10 at University United Methodist Church.

Musicians perform at the 2024 Scholarship Gala, held April 20 in Mabee Arena.

The department is under new leadership, with Michelle Dolan becoming the inaugural executive director of music. In addition, Music will open the fully renovated Sams Chapel and Bieber Hall (music entrance lobby) at Homecoming.

Recent CJ grads walk across stage into dream jobs

The Criminal Justice major at Kansas Wesleyan prepares students to put theory into practice in real-life situations. Graduates of KWU’s Criminal Justice program have become judges, city prosecutors, practicing attorneys, investigators and police officers, to name just a few of the many career opportunities available after graduation.

Devlin Davis ’23 went from KWU’s campus straight into training with the Kansas Highway Patrol, also in Salina, ready for what was ahead of him, based on what he had learned during his time at KWU.

“Criminal Justice is one of, if not the most, professionally demanding fields you can join,” Davis said. “It is a career where you are constantly scrutinized, ‘Monday morning quarterbacked,’ and are expected to show the utmost respect, honor and professionalism when conducting your daily duties. Because of this, I believe you should have years of schooling before joining. Learning from the experts, studying cases and the experiences that KWU provided me are the things every new officer,

sheriff, trooper, federal agent, lawyer and emergency manager should go through.”

Davis took what he learned in the classroom and his summer internship and became a leader during his time in the KHP Academy, voted class president by his peers and instructors. Davis was so well-respected that he was placed in his first choice of Douglas County, a rarity for someone fresh out of the academy. On his third day on the job, he received a Commander’s Commendation for his work with a kidnapping in Lawrence.

the things I do every day prove my reputation. That’s why I was class president.”

Steven Solis ’23, a Salina Police Department patrol officer, had a similar experience. While Davis came to KWU from Spring Hill, Kan., to play football, Solis moved from Houston to play baseball for the Coyotes, knowing that he would enroll in the Criminal Justice program. After his initial visit to campus, there was little chance he would go anywhere else.

“So far, this experience has been everything I dreamt of and full of obstacles I thought I’d never face,” Davis said. “Your reputation starts Day 1 when you join the academy. I saw a transition to the road. My supervisors had high expectations for me, so did my co-workers, and

“I was a big fan of the smaller class sizes, and meeting some of the professors (during recruitment) was nice,” Solis said.

He took every advantage offered to KWU students, including ride-alongs with the Salina Police Department, the established relationships the faculty already had in the community and their overall knowledge of the field.

“Particularly with the professors, they showed me their side of the story, and they connected me with some people that they worked with in the past, in the sheriff’s department and the police department,” Solis said. “Once I did my first ride-along, I started the process of getting hired on through the Salina Police Department and that was with the help of professors Bernie Botson, Kendra Pratt and Dave Lanning.”

The biggest return on the KWU investment for its Criminal Justice students is the bump up the line as they advance in their careers.

“I was hired before I graduated,” Solis noted. “Besides the pay increase (for having a four-year degree), promotions are not as accessible to those without degrees. You cannot be a captain or lieutenant without a degree. I wanted this to be a career, not a job. Having my foot in the door with a four-year degree boosted my resumé before lots of other people’s.”

By Dan Froehlich

Criminal Justice programs get major upgrades with grants

Kansas Wesleyan’s Criminal Justice program continues to grow with the help of two significant grants this winter.

A $90,000 grant to expand its law enforcement officer (LEO) certificate program came from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. It is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to states and units of local government. These funds are in addition to the $150,000 KWU received a month earlier from the Jack Wilson Charitable Trust, which were used to open a crime lab and experiential learning center.

KWU’s Criminal Justice certificate program began in 2022, helped by grant funding and a partnership with Saline County. The Byrne grant opens the program to LEOs statewide, who will be able to earn the certificate free of charge. In

addition, the coursework will count toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree.

In honor of the facility-related grants, that program is now called the Jack Wilson Continuing Adult Education Program.

The Jack Wilson Forensic CSI Lab and the Jack Wilson Criminal Justice Experiential Learning Center includes renovated study space and features an elite simulator, designed to emulate situations that LEOs could encounter in the field.

This provides a safe space to practice real-life de-escalation and decision-making tactics. The simulator can also be used for other majors, including Social Work and Nursing, to practice responses in the field.

Steven Solis

Devlin Davis

Criminal Justice students learn about fingerprints during a lesson in the Jack Wilson Forensic CSI Lab, just opened this spring.

Campus Ministry promotes Jagodzinske to full-time position

Campus ministry has always been a cornerstone of the KWU experience, as growing and understanding the spiritual self has been key to what it means to be a Coyote. Programs in support of that goal have grown in recent years with the advent of such programs as team chaplaincy and a student-focused intern program.

The man, in large part, tasked with those programs is Scott Jagodzinske, who became KWU’s full-time campus minister in May. Jagodzinske came to KWU in August 2015, but prior to May’s announcement, had worked at First United Methodist Church in Salina along with his work at the university.

Scott Jagodzinske leads a prayer at the 2024 Commencement service in May.

“It’s an honor to recognize the great work of Scott Jagodzinske,” said Bridget Weiser, vice president for student and community engagement. “He has always been an important part of our campus community, working alongside Coyotes to help them grow

spiritually and find meaning in their faith journeys. We could not be happier that he’s going to join us fulltime!”

Jagodzinske is among those responsible for the increase in ministry-related programs and, at different times, the leadership of such groups as Rise Up!, KWU’s campus ministry praise band.

He also fostered the Yotes Alive podcast and other virtual opportunities during COVID-19 and has been an important part of one-on-one discipleship and counseling provided by campus ministry.

Significant news regarding KWU’s campus ministry program is scheduled for the Fall/ Winter issue of Contact magazine.

KWU is exploring options for a child-friendly, cartoon-style version of Casey the Coyote, and you could submit the winning design!

All concepts must be submitted to the Marketing and Communications Office (marcom@kwu.edu) prior to Aug. 20, with a final decision to be made by Oct. 1. The winner will receive bragging rights, 2024-25 men’s and women’s basketball season tickets, a place in KWU history, and $500! For more information, visit www.kwu.edu/cartooncoyote.

Marcom Office Wins pair of national Awards

The Kansas Wesleyan University Marketing and Communications office won a pair of national Communicator Awards recently.

Led by Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications Brad Salois, the office won two Awards of Distinction, which are presented to projects that exceed industry standards in quality and achievement.

The first award was for Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Jean Kozubowski’s feature story on Della Schwindt ’84, whose great-grandfather was hanged in 1886 for the murder of a man found very much alive four years later. That story appeared in the Fall/Winter 2023 Contact magazine and won in the General-Profile or Tribute category.

The second award was for the entire office and its community-focused television commercial, KWU and Salina — The Place to Be. It won in the Commercials-Educational Institutions category.

“It’s always a great honor to win these awards,” Salois said. “Our team does excellent work, and the recognition is appreciated, but more than that, we are thankful to be able to share the message of Kansas Wesleyan in a quality way. It’s our hope that more students and alumni see the great things happening on campus as a result.”

KWU’s MARCOM office has won 14 awards, 12 of which have been national recognitions, since May 2020, when Salois was chosen to lead the department.

For Hanna, world works on chemistry

She will give up the office she’s occupied for more than 40 years, but Dr. Dorothy Hanna’s retirement won’t have her completely disappear from the Kansas Wesleyan campus.

The university’s venerable chemistry professor is leaving her position after the 2024 spring semester, but Hanna has agreed to take on a less time-consuming role when the school year begins next fall.

“I turned 70 last summer and this was my 40th year here, so I just felt that was a well-rounded number,” Hanna said. “There comes a time in your life that you say, “OK, I enjoy doing this, but maybe there are a few other things I’d like to do.

“I’m not planning to disappear entirely. I plan to, on a fairly regular basis, be available in the laboratory and stockroom area to help prep or meet with students one-on-one if they need help with something. But I like the idea of not being locked into particular days of the week or particular hours. If there’s a conference I’d like to go to, or if it’s a beautiful day and I want to work in the garden, or if it’s a lousy day and I want to stay home in bed, I have that option.”

Hanna arrived on the Salina campus in 1983, almost a year after earning her Ph.D. in Organic

Chemistry from the University of Kansas. Wesleyan administrators were looking for someone to teach computer science and programming classes but also to fill some openings in the chemistry department.

Hanna smiles as she recalls being hired before she submitted her resumé.

“I taught the liberal studies computer classes and basic programming,” Hanna said. “I did that for a few years, and the enrollment increased enough that they needed me full time in chemistry. I enjoyed the computer classes, but that wasn’t my first love.”

Although her office has been in the same location — fourth floor, Peters Science Hall — throughout her four decades at Wesleyan, Hanna has witnessed widespread changes to the campus grounds and structures.

That could also be said about the students who have filled her classrooms since the mid 1980s.

“The culture is different and, consequently, the students are different,” Hanna said. “When I came here, primarily the students we got in the physical sciences had an interest in that area, which is why the classes were smaller.

“Now at the freshman and sophomore level classes, by far the largest portion of our students are in the health science areas or in sports and exercise science.”

That has meant working with more students who aren’t interested in chemistry or biochemistry as a career but are taking courses as part

of the requirements for their major.

“It can be challenging for a teacher, and I mean that in a positive way,” Hanna said. “You want to make this interesting and draw connections, where before you could get down into the theoretical stuff and you wouldn’t have to think about, ‘How does this apply, apart from somebody whose love is for chemistry?’ I don’t know why everybody doesn’t love chemistry. It’s all about how the world works.”

Hanna also taught astronomy classes, is a member of the Salina Astronomy Club and is the liaison for the local Skywatch program, so she looks forward to having more time for that science.

More time for outreach

She also hopes the additional free time will allow her to share her interest in chemistry with younger potential scientists.

“In my early years here, I had time to do more outreach, and that’s another thing I’d like to do in my retirement,” Hanna said. “One of the local teachers and I had a summer chemistry workshop for grade school children and middle school kids, and we did that for five or six years. It was just a lot of laboratory work and the kids loved it. It was handson stuff. It was real and physical and they could see what was happening.”

Hanna lost her home, her pets and all her possessions to a house fire in February 2019. But the devastation of that tragic day was followed by an outpouring of support from her

Wesleyan family, and for that she will always be grateful.

“That was tough, but the support I got from the campus community, fellow faculty members, staff members, students and graduates was really very moving,” said Hanna.

“I appreciated the financial support because I did lose everything, but just the idea that I had made a difference to that many people … sometimes you don’t know.

“I was surprised that students I had in classes years ago, and never really seemed thrilled with my chemistry class, contacted me and said, ‘You made such a difference,’ and let me know that I was appreciated.

“I think a lot of times we don’t even realize the impact we have on people’s lives. It’s like a family here and sometimes it feels like we’re a dysfunctional family, but when there was a real need like that, the whole community pulled together. It was pretty amazing.”

The list of things Hanna won’t miss isn’t particularly long.

“I won’t miss faculty meetings and other committee meetings one little bit,” Hanna said. “I’ll still have interactions with colleagues in the chemistry or math and physics departments, but what I’ll miss is the people across campus that I won’t see as much anymore.

“There have been times when I thought a year would never end, but looking back at it, it’s been a fast 40 years.”

By Larry Moritz

Specht has history with her students

Dr. Anita Specht can’t exactly remember her first lesson as a professor at Kansas Wesleyan University back in the fall of 1999, and it has nothing to do with her memory. It’s because she was too nervous about the syllabus being correct, reading the roll without messing up anyone’s name and

making sure the map pulled down correctly — the nuts and bolts of being a professor.

“I do remember my first faculty retreat, because that’s where a faculty member’s year starts,” Specht said.

“I remember going to Rolling Hills Zoo, and we had special access to the zoo. Just being aware of how

different it is to be a faculty member versus being a graduate student, that really struck me.”

Her uneasiness disappeared as the days turned into months and then into years, allowing her to become an institution of the institution for the past 25 years.

As Specht prepared to clean out

her office, lock the door and turn in her keys after the end of the spring 2024 semester, it’s not the students and lesson plans that will keep her busy but the projects she has let build up over time and the free time that will allow her to enjoy traveling to “see the green grass and flowers instead of being stuck behind a desk

Dorothy Hanna

grading a paper.”

“I have some research projects that have been on the desk for a long time, so I’m anxious to get those into print,” Specht said. “I have been working on a women’s suffragist who had been active in Salina, and her story needs to be told. And I have a project of Kansas history explored through food, so I want to get that done, and I’m doing research through the Eisenhower Library and developing lessons they can put on their website.”

southeast Kansas, Specht became a fan of history at a young age.

Born and raised in Iola in

“I was always good at history,” Specht said. “I loved social studies when I was in grade school. I just had that natural talent for it because I have a good memory, like to learn about people, like to learn about the past. To me, it explains why things are the way they are.”

First job as a chemist

Starting out at a community college before enrolling at Kansas State University, she graduated with degrees in both Chemistry and History. While in Manhattan, her love of learning more about the past grew. However, her first job out of college was as a chemist, which she described as “boring.”

“I was an analytical chemist and it’s important work, but I wanted more human interaction, more discussion about big ideas,” Specht said.

Needing a change and still enthralled with history, Specht went on to earn her master’s from Kansas State and earned her doctorate at Notre Dame. She accepted her job at Kansas Wesleyan in 1999 while still finishing her dissertation, earning her Ph.D. in 2001.

If you ask Specht to list the names of the courses she has taught over the past 25 years, get ready to take notes. There is World Civilization I and World Civilization II, American History I and American History II, Religion and Politics, U.S. Constitution and Government,

and a whole host of others. Her specialization was American religious history from the late 1800s to early 1900s, but teaching a class about the Roaring ’20s was a favorite of hers, as was a class on the 1960s.

As is the case with most people in the teaching profession, interacting with students and leaving a lasting impression on their lives is what brings her joy. During 25 years, she has interacted with hundreds of Coyotes.

“The thing that I appreciate the most is when my former students come back and visit and we talk about the impact that their education has had on them,” Specht said. “That’s what I love.”

By Dan Froehlich

Minnich relates to next chapter in life

Relationship building is at the core of everything Bryan Minnich does. Always has been.

It was at the core of his careers in business and most definitely in his teaching career at Kansas Wesleyan.

Minnich is retiring this academic year after 17 years at KWU as associate professor of Sports and Exercise Science.

His students have done well. Several have gone on to careers in physical or occupational therapy. Others went into sports management for the 49ers, the Nationals baseball team, and the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, when those teams were in those cities.

“We have a lot of coaches out there, personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches,” Minnich said. “We’ve had them graduate from all different places, and I like that. I think it represents us well, as a university and as a department.”

For Minnich, it all started in high school, Sunshine Bible Academy in Miller, S.D., where his father taught and where he attended.

He was inspired by a woman coach and physical education teacher.

“She was unbelievably good at her job,” he said. “I always liked sports, I was fairly coordinated, and I enjoyed the challenge of learning skills. I saw what she could do, and I knew right then and there I was going to get my degree in health and physical education.”

Interest in science

Toward the end of his undergraduate degree at what is now Liberty University, he became interested in the science aspect.

“Exercise physiology was tough, it was a challenge, but I liked it,” he said. “It started to become fun.”

He went home to teach and coach at Sunshine Bible Academy and took summer classes at South Dakota State University.

From there, there was a graduate assistantship and a fellowship, where he managed a cardiac rehabilitation unit and adult fitness programs. Then he spent time managing highend athletic clubs before a return to teaching and coaching, both at an inner-city middle school and an inner-city high school.

Then, his best friend from high school contacted Minnich about

an opening where he was, Central Christian College in McPherson. Minnich turned the job down the first time, but when a second call came about 18 months later, “God’s maybe telling me something,” he said.

At Central Christian, Minnich was both coaching and teaching, but he wanted to concentrate on teaching. So when one of his assistant coaches, Gordon Reimer, moved to Kansas Wesleyan, Minnich told him to let him know about any openings. Reimer, who was inducted into the Jerry Jones Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 for his record as women’s basketball coach, did. In 2007, Minnich started teaching at Kansas Wesleyan.

More than the subject

“I did so many different things that I’m able to share with students,” he said. “I come from working, management, starting a company. I’m trying to teach more than just the subject. I want them to be ready to master all the challenges that take place and not be surprised.”

Minnich has been department chair, division chair and faculty athletic representative, sometimes all at the same time. He started an internship program and made it part

of the degree.

The most important thing he teaches, though, is how to connect with other people.

“Relationship building is important, one of the cornerstones of the philosophy I hope to build here,” Minnich said. “Students go into health science fields — athletic training, physical and occupational therapy, some go into coaching, but they’d better be into relationshipbuilding, any way,” Minnich said.

One thing he had never done is just teach — no coaching, no administration. So he asked the university if he could do just that and advise students his last three semesters at KWU. He’s been enjoying the change, but it won’t last.

He and his wife will move to Bella Vista, Ark., after they leave their current jobs. Retirement is not an accurate term for Minnich’s plans.

“I’ve got a couple things I’m interested in,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. I don’t feel like I’m done yet.”

“I’ve been here 17 years. I must have liked it,” he said. “It’s been an unbelievable ride. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.”

By Jean Kozubowski

Anita Specht

Bryan Minnich

Commencement Weekend 2024

Congratulations, graduates!

KWU graduated 184 Coyotes at the 2024 Commencement ceremony May 11, 2024, at Tony’s Pizza Events Center. Actor Jernard Burks ’90 offered the Commencement address before a crowd of family, friends and community supporters.

KWU congratulates all these Coyotes on this tremendous achievement and wishes them the best in all they do moving forward!

CRH set to ‘farm in place’

One fact that astounds the people working with the Community Resilience Hub (CRH) at Kansas Wesleyan is that 90 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed by Kansans are grown outside the state. Even most of the corn and soybeans grown here go for nonhuman uses.

CRH takes the “Community Resilience” in its name seriously and is working to encourage more local food production using sustainable, regenerative agriculture.

The National Resources Defense Council defines regenerative agriculture as an approach to land management that “asks us to think about how all aspects of agriculture are connected through a web — a network of entities who grow, enhance, exchange, distribute and consume goods and services — instead of a linear supply chain. It’s about farming and ranching in a style that nourishes people while restoring the soil and ecosystem health, addressing inequality, and leaving our land, water and climate in better shape for future generations.”

“It’s more than just growing food,” said Sheila Kjellberg, CRH coordinator.

The third member of the team is Director Sabrina do Rosario.

“We’re doing farming differently,” Kjellberg said.

“It’s a way of life — no separation between growing food and life.”

“What does it mean to farm in a place?” asked Alex Hurla, CRH regenerative agriculture farm instructor. “It’s a small-scale oriented way of doing agriculture. We’re really focused on feeding our

community right here.”

Hurla is attending the Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training (RIFT) program this summer on location in Kutztown, Pa., to shadow the instructor, “as we keep crafting the curriculum and working on preparing the farm here,” Rosario said.

Rodale at KWU

Starting next March, Hurla will offer the Rodale course through Kansas Wesleyan. Students participating in the program — 12 courses from March through October, one growing season — will earn 16 credit hours and a certificate.

Students will sign up for RIFT through Rodale, then take the program in Pennsylvania or in Salina.

“We’ll be teaching our students what it means to farm using regenerative practices,” Hurla said.

CRH has the generous loan of 10 acres from Quail Creek Family Farms, to use for training.

Hurla and his students will use cover crops, livestock, rotational grazing and rotational planting to help build the soil back.

Many of the courses will be

typical, agriculture-related fare: Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Hydroponics, for example, and will be taught by Hurla and other experts.

“The one we’re really excited about is Agricultural Humanities,” Hurla said. “Instead of separating the liberal arts from the trades, we’re combining both of those together. The phrase that gets tossed around is ‘keeping culture in agriculture.’”

As research for the course, Kjellberg and Hurla are touring agriculture operations in Kansas. They recently completed a tour in northwestern Kansas.

They saw many of the ways agriculture can be utilized, from industrial agriculture to a beanpacking plant to farm-to-table restaurants with herbs growing in the dining room.

Along the way, they visited Jane Philbrick ’90, a member of the Board of Trustees, and her daughter, Samantha Windle ’10. Windle is the director of High Plains Museum in Goodland, and her husband farms with Philbrick, tying the humanities and agriculture together in one family.

The CRH team expects to be providing fruits, vegetables and meat to the community as soon as next year.

On a blustery day in March, Alex Hurla visited Quail Creek Family Farm, where he will teach and farm for the KWU Community Resilience Hub.

Teacher, farmer ready to dig in

Alex Hurla is grounded. He’s digging deep. He wants to get his hands dirty — in actual dirt.

To that end, he sees a major part of his job with Kansas Wesleyan as improving soil.

“The main part is building the soil,” he said. “Everything starts with the soil.” Hurla came on board during the spring semester as the regenerative agriculture farm instructor with the Community Resilience Hub (CRH).

He will teach the Rodale Institute Farmer Training (RIFT) certificate program in Kansas and farm on acres donated at Quail Creek Family Farm. Hurla attended a RIFT program for veterans last summer because he was in graduate school for creative writing at Wichita State University. This summer, he is attending RIFT again to learn from the instructor’s point of view.

Hurla sees creative writing and farming going hand-in-hand, following the lead of such agriculturists-writers as Wendall Berry and Wes Jackson ’58.

“It sounds like they wouldn’t fit at all, but the way we’re approaching it is to incorporate the humanities with farming,”he said.

A seventh-generation Kansan, Hurla’s love of farming started in high school in Topeka, when his parents kept pigs and chickens and goats.

When he left the U.S. Marines Corps in 2018, after four years as a radio operator, he took advantage of a transition program and enrolled in a course in hydroponics.

“All that made me realize I wanted to focus on regenerative,” he said. “Going to the Rodale Institute last summer and learning from them solidified that.”

Jean Kozubowski

Sheila Kjellberg

Sabrina do Rosario

Alex Hurla (right) meets with Samantha Windle ’10, director of the High Plains Museum in Goodland, while on a tour of agriculture-related sites in northwest Kansas.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MINOR

• OPEN TO ALL MAJORS

• 18-21 CREDIT HOURS

• STUDY IN PUERTO RICO

KWU’S NEWEST MINOR includes a carefully curated compilation of courses in ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL SCIENCES and SOCIAL WORK that will equip students with values, knowledge and skills to contribute to organizations that are creating a more resilient, just and healthy world. Because of the structure of the program, students may have already taken courses that count toward this minor!

An optional three-credit-hour experience, centered on the student’s area of interest, can take place near Salina or in Puerto Rico (additional fees may apply).

A social work major who wants to improve community health by creating equal access to healthy food.

A biology major who is looking for better solutions for preserving our land.

A communications major who can use words and videos to advocate for the rights, health and well-being of all.

A business major who wants to enter the finance world and help people understand green investing.

A math major who geeks out on data and facts and has a passion for protecting the planet from the effects of climate change.

Composition class hones skills by producing book

Seventeen students came to college to play a sport, and … … to their astonishment, they wrote a book.

That’s the name of the book, 17 Students Came to College to Play a Sport, and …, that the students in Tissa Salter’s English 120 class wrote this spring semester.

It might be unusual for students in an introductory composition class to write a book, but that is not the most remarkable part of the story.

Almost everyone in the class was repeating the course from the previous semester. Salter said she usually has two or three repeats, but not the entire class.

The first day of class, she asked them what she could do to make the semester better for them.

“Well, you could give us no homework and we don’t write any essays,” said one young man in the back, who already had plans to drop

out of KWU this spring.

Salter took a beat or two, then asked, “If I said that could be done, would you commit to being in class every day?” They did.

Salter was up to the challenge. She’s an English instructor threefourths of the time and a student success coach the other quarter, so part of her job is helping students navigate the challenges of college. All first-year students have success coaches.

“Success for a student often hinges upon their comfort level and motivation to engage with a topic,” said J.D. Koons, assistant vice president for student engagement and success. “As success coaches, our job is to help them navigate the discomfort by establishing new responses.”

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Salter said the next Monday in class. “Since we’re not going to write any essays, I thought we’d just write a book.”

They were “alarmed,” she said. Not only had they failed at writing at Kansas Wesleyan, they hadn’t had any significant writing experience in

high school.

“They had always been told they couldn’t write, and they agreed,” Salter said. “I think they felt discounted and only valued for their athletic ability in high school.”

She knows about private publishing, having published two books, with a third almost ready to go, about travels with her dog in the Middle East, Kansas and China.

She brought in a list of chapter headings, one for each week of the semester, to serve as writing prompts, like did you make a new friend, did you make a project, did you make progress in your game.

The assignment was to write a 100-word vignette in class for each chapter. Salter helped them with sentence and paragraph structure.

She also introduced them to AI, artificial intelligence. AI can give them instant feedback, it can suggest “describe this” or “add details,” she said.

“You can ask AI to improve what you have already done — not write it for you, Salter said. “AI is everywhere right now. They have to learn how to use it and how to use it judiciously

so it doesn’t make them look stupid. AI can be real stupidity. It’s artificial, it’s not real — you have to use your real brain.”

When all the vignettes were written, Salter assigned each student a chapter to compile, edit and write an introduction.

Salter has gathered all the chapters and done some light editing.

“It’s their book,” she said.

They even designed the cover — rows of athletic balls. The book will be out late in June, published on Amazon. “It’s from-the-heart-writing that 17 students are so proud of,” Salter said.

But the really most remarkable thing about the class is that every one of the students said they would return to KWU in the fall, even though most had planned not to. With a normal class, Salter would have expected just two or three to return.

“It’s just amazing,” Salter said, “the work that is done by students who thought they couldn’t write. But they just wrote a book and they are so freaking excited!”

By Jean Kozubowski

How hard can it bee to spell ‘ahuehuete’?

Casey the Coyote helped Kansas Wesleyan welcome 88 students and their families from across the state on Saturday, March 23, when the university hosted the annual Kansas Press Association Sunflower State Spelling Bee in Mabee Arena. The event featured winners of county-wide spelling bees.

Carey Chesire, 13, (right photo) of Andover, won the bee by correctly spelling “ahuehuete,” a cypress tree that is the national tree of Mexico, to win the state competition. Standing behind him is Maci Perrins, of Lawrence, who came in second.

Carey did well at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May, making it to the semifinal round.

KWU will host the state bee again in March 2025.

Tissa Salter

Thank you!

A record-breaking crowd of more than 500 attended Night with the Yotes 2024, as the university raised more than $165,000!

Sixty tables were sponsored and proceeds are supporting a number of areas across the university, including continued work on Sams Chapel and a complete renovation of the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center, KWU’s weight room (see below).

A NEW ERA IN KWU FITNESS

As part of its focus on the student experience and commitment to student health, KWU is conducting a complete renovation of the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center!

All new equipment, including branded weights and new machines, will be installed, new flooring will be added and the university will hire its first strength and conditioning coach to oversee the space. The Center will continue to be open to all students for usage throughout the year.

If you’d like to give in support of the renovation, please visit www.kwu.edu/give or call Ken Oliver, executive vice president, at 785-829-6430.

Yotes win KCAC, state awards

Paredes chosen as KCAC Athletic Director of

the Year

Kansas Wesleyan University Athletic Director Miguel Paredes has been selected as the 2023-24 Athletic Director of the Year by the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.

In 2023-24, Paredes led the Kansas Wesleyan Athletic Department to a second straight KCAC Commissioner’s Cup title and

Five named

KCAC

Coaches of the Year; Monson earns statewide recognition

With four Commissioner’s Cup victories in the past five years, Coyote Athletics is getting used to hoisting trophies. The coaching staff is no exception.

KWU coaches captured four KCAC Coach of the Year and one KCAC Assistant Coach of the Year honors during the winter and spring seasons, as head coaches Bill Neale (baseball), Dustin Sahlmann (men’s volleyball), Melinda Nguyen (women’s flag football) and Coleman Houk (golf) won KCAC Coach of the Year awards in their respective sports. Anthony Monson (men’s basketball) joined the group with an honor from the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA).

“All of our coaches are tremendous leaders, but this group takes it to another level,” said Miguel Paredes, athletic director. “Their hard work and dedication to their craft is top-notch, and their mentorship of student-athletes — including a lead-by-example mentality — is a great reason why our department is flourishing.”

Garrett Young ’17, G’19

Garrett Young ’17, G’19, KWU head cross country and assistant track and field coach, was named the KCAC Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year during the outdoor track season.

Young earned his honor after a season that saw his distance runners

Miguel Paredes

the fourth win in the past five years by KWU.

KWU won 134 games during conference play, with a .713 winning percentage (13454-3). The Coyotes captured seven KCAC championships in football, women’s volleyball, baseball, competitive dance, women’s golf,

win two KCAC titles (Carter Huyser in the 1,500-meters and four Coyotes in 4x800-meter relay).

Young’s charges also won the college (non-Division I) 4x800 at the Drake Relays in April, an impressive achievement at one of the most prestigious meets in the country. Their time was the seventh-fastest in the NAIA this year at press time, and Huyser’s open 800 time at that meet, 1:51.09, was the eighth-fastest in the country.

Dustin Sahlmann

In just his second season, Sahlmann led the Coyotes to new heights. KWU finished with its first winning season and claimed four conference victories in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Coyotes were the fourth seed in the conference tournament and hosted the program’s first postseason contest, where they picked up the first postseason win in program annals.

Bill Neale

Much like his team, Neale captured KCAC honors for a second straight year, as he led the Coyotes to their first NAIA World Series appearance. KWU earned the

men’s bowling invitational and esports Overwatch.

The KWU baseball team won a conference record 32 games and became the first KWU team to advance to the NAIA World Series.

Kansas Wesleyan also became the first KCAC institution to host NAIA first- and second-round basketball games and play a game inside its own facility.

Success on the field and court is mirrored by academic success.

KWU’s overall athletic department

honor (see page 26) after sweeping its Opening Round bracket, including defeating two other top-25 programs, Concordia (Neb.) and LSU-Shreveport.

Neale’s team entered the national tournament ranked second in the country in home runs, first in extrabase hits, third in runs scored and second in total bases. They were far from just an offensive juggernaut, however, as they were also in the top15 in team ERA.

Melinda Nguyen

Nguyen won her first coach of the year honor, thanks to a historic season for the flag program. The team handed national power Ottawa its first-ever conference loss in March and went on post a 19-4 overall mark.

KWU won the B bracket at the NAIA flag football finals in Atlanta, Ga., in May and advanced to the KCAC championship game for the third consecutive year.

Coleman Houk ’19, G’21

Houk ’19, G’21 led his team to a dominating win at the KCAC Women’s Golf Championships, where they cruised to a 40-shot victory. Hannah Hart won the

GPA improved from a 3.14 in 202223 to a best-ever 3.23 in 2023-24. Twenty teams achieved better than a 3.0 GPA for the academic year, earning them NAIA Scholar Team status.

Paredes has also seen a great deal of renovation of Coyote athletic facilities. This summer, the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center is receiving a complete overhaul with new equipment, flooring and a renovated look.

tournament as KWU easily qualified for the national championships, which were held shortly after press time.

Houk’s team also won its fourth straight KCAC match play championship in the fall.

Anthony Monson

Monson earned KBCA honors as the top coach at a men’s fouryear program in the state after the Coyotes posted their third straight trip to the NAIA tournament, a first in program history. The program won 23 games, clearing the 20win barrier for the third straight year. That mark is also a first in program annals. KWU hosted the first and second rounds of the NAIA tournament in Mabee Arena, allowing the Coyotes to become the first KCAC school to play a tournament game on their home floor since the NAIA’s postseason championship expanded to 64 teams.

“With this group leading their programs and the rest of our great coaches on board, as well as tremendous support from throughout the community, it’s a great time to be a Coyote,” said Paredes. “We can’t wait to see what happens next for our department.”

Dustin Sahlmann

Anthony Monson Coleman Houk

Melinda Nguyen

Bill Neale Garrett Young

KWU keeps KCAC Commissioner’s Cup again

KWU Director of Athletics Miguel Paredes took a “phone call” at the podium during the annual Yotee Awards ceremony May 6. Then he announced that Kansas Wesleyan had won the KCAC Commissioner’s Cup for the 2023-24 academic year.

That’s when confetti and cheers filled the air in Mabee Arena.

KWU athletics has become synonymous with success. This marks the fourth time the Coyotes have taken home the KCAC Commissioner’s Cup in the award’s history (dating back to the 2012-13 academic year), and the fourth time in the past five years that Kansas Wesleyan has earned this honor.

“This is a victory achieved by so many in the Coyote family,” Paredes said. “From the community of Salina to our alumni, to our faculty and our leadership, including Ken Oliver and President (Matt) Thompson, countless people have come together

to support our programs and cheer them on to victories. Our staff, coaches and trainers are secondto-none, and their tireless dedication and unwavering commitment to our studentathletes are the cornerstones of our success. Each of these groups — and each of these people — are different, but

they have come together as one to achieve a remarkable feat. I am proud to share it with each and every one of them.”

Leading the KCAC

The Coyotes led the conference with 189 total points, with 67 accumulated in the fall season, 53 picked

up in the winter, and 69 accumulated in the spring. Second through fourth place in the standings were separated by only a single point, as Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary were both tied at 178.5 points. Friends University was right behind the Braves and Spires in the

Men’s Basketball Hosts Opening Rounds of NAIA Tournament

KWU’s men’s basketball program became the first KCAC school to play a national tournament game on its home floor since postseason expanded, when the Coyotes hosted the first and second rounds of the NAIA Championship in Mabee Arena in March. KWU dropped a hardfought contest to LSU-Shreveport 95-89 in the first round game March 15. The Pilots would go on to win the bracket and advance to the final site in Kansas City for the Sweet 16.

The Coyotes would go on to record four All-KCAC honorees, including point guard Jun Murdoch, who earned Third Team All-American laurels, as well. Murdoch averaged 18.3 points per game to go along with nearly five rebounds and four assists per contest.

“I think it’s pretty amazing, it’s a blessing,” Murdock said about his All-American honor. “Everybody doesn’t get that opportunity to be on that team and it’s just amazing to me.”

Murdoch will play professionally in England next season. He was joined on the All-KCAC squad by Alex Littlejohn (First Team, along with Murdoch), Izaiah Hale and Thurbil Bile (Honorable Mention). Head coach Anthony Monson earned Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s (KBCA) four-year men’s Coach of the Year honors, as well.

All told, the Coyotes won 23 games, clearing the 20-win barrier for the third straight year. That mark is also a first in program annals, as is the team’s third straight trip to the NAIA national tournament. The majority of the team, sans Murdoch, returns in 2024-25, including Littlejohn, who is projected to break the school’s all-time scoring record during first semester action.

Visit KWU.edu/basketballstory for more information on Littlejohn and a look at the man whose record he hopes to break!

standings, sitting in fourth with 177.5.

To put it a different way, if KWU had scored its 2022-23 Cup-winning 166.5 points, it would have finished fifth.

“Our commitment to continuous improvement is why we’ve achieved such great things,” said Paredes. “It’s a great time to be a part of the KWU family, and I look forward to seeing our greatness continue to grow in 2024-25!”

“Congratulations to Kansas Wesleyan for winning its fourth KCAC Commissioner’s Cup in the last five years,” said Ted Breidenthal, commissioner of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. “The Coyotes have developed a successful broad-based athletics program with character, high expectations and outstanding leadership. Congratulations to all the coaches and student-athletes who have thrived while building a strong culture of excellence.”

Women’s golf qualifies for NAIA national championship

Kansas Wesleyan women’s golf finished in 27th place at the NAIA National Championship and saw their season end after the second round, Wednesday, May 15.

KWU had a successful season in 202324, highlighted by a victory in the KCAC Championship that sent them to the NAIA National Championship. There, Abby Donovan was the top finisher for the Coyotes, as she was 21st at the conclusion of the two rounds. Donovan was tied for the lead after day one, posting a 74 in that opening session. Sarah Krenowicz was 117th, Hannah Hart was 120th and Chaney Littell tied for 143rd.

One of the highlights of the athletic year was KWU hosting the first and second rounds of the NAIA tournament for the first time.

Celebrating Baseball’s Historic Season!

Baseball had an incredible 2024, advancing to the NAIA World Series for the first time.

The Coyotes swept through the opening round bracket undefeated, including a 2-1, title-clinching victory against fourth-ranked LSU-Shreveport.

Jarrett Brannen led the KWU pitching staff with 11 victories, which was tied for second in NAIA entering the World Series. Jarrett Gable paced the offense with a .383 batting average, hitting 19 home runs and driving in 77 RBIs. Gable ranked in the top 20 in the nation in homers and RBIs prior to World Series play, which was still ongoing at press time.

The Coyotes had 12 individuals honored by the KCAC during postseason action, including Head Coach Bill Neale, who earned KCAC Coach-of-theYear laurels.

Dual-sport athlete finds a way to do it all

Ja’Daa Wilson played basketball and flag football throughout four

years at KWU

Life as a college athlete is a rigorous, demanding, timeconsuming, frequently exhausting existence.

Practices, team meetings, conditioning, travel and games are coupled with academics and accompanying hours of study and class preparation. It’s not easy.

A small handful of student-athletes want even more, however. They have a passion for a second sport and are willing to make the sacrifices it requires to compete in both.

Ja’Daa Wilson ’24 is a prime example. Wilson played basketball and flag football for four years at Kansas Wesleyan, since arriving on campus as a freshman from Crawfordsville, Florida.

She was a member of the varsity basketball team the past two seasons after two years on the junior varsity. She has played flag football since the program began four years ago and is constantly on the field as a defensive back and wide receiver.

Away from her athletic endeavors, Wilson pursued a major in PreAthletic Training and received her degree during graduation ceremonies May 11.

No one, starting with Wilson, will say it has been easy, but she made it thanks to her discipline, perseverance and a big assist from her coaches.

“There were a few times when I was tired,” Wilson said, “but I worked through it. It’s something you have to do if you’re going to play two sports. I tried to not let it bother me and did the best I could.”

Her efforts did not go unnoticed.

“Being a college athlete is not for everyone, especially a dualsport athlete, which is something special,” flag football coach Melinda Nguyen said. “Just a lot of time management, commitment, priorities, communication — it’s a huge balancing act. Ja’Daa found

Ja’Daa Wilson ’24 (left) was on the flag football field most of every game, playing both offense and defense. She played basketball, as well.

that sweet spot where you can balance both.”

“Just watching her show up every day and play hard and give everything she has for her teammates and coaches, that’s something when you say ‘Ja’Daa Wilson’ that I will always remember,” women’s basketball coach Ryan Showman ’04 said. “Her approach was wanting to be really great, whether it was academics, basketball or flag. She poured everything she had into all three of those.”

Communication was essential, particularly during the times when activities in the two sports overlapped.

“She always did a great job of communicating with me, and we were always on the same page,” Showman said. “I never told her no. I knew how important flag was, I knew how important she was to the flag team, and I wanted to be able to work with her because that was part of the deal we talked during the recruiting process.”

“Of course, there are times when you get overwhelmed, and that’s where the communication comes in. She does a great job communicating

with me: ‘Hey, I need a day, a mental break,’ and I can put it in,” Nguyen said.

Wilson has played basketball as long as she can remember but didn’t take up flag football until her freshman year in high school. She was hooked immediately.

Her passion for both convinced her to enter the Pre-Athletic Training program. She is unsure, though, where her career path will go and is considering her options – returning to play flag football for a fifth season one of them.

“I want to stay involved in sports in any aspect I can,” she said. “It might be in training, or it might be in coaching. I feel like my personality is really good for coaching. I love to help and give back to my community.”

Athletic training remains a possibility.

“It’s really just doing what’s best for the athlete before and after the game so that they can perform at their best,” she said. “Every sport is different. You’ve got different injuries, you’ve got different techniques. It just depends on the athletes’ preference and where their injury is.”

“I know it wasn’t easy, but Ja’Daa made it look easy, and I think that’s a tribute to her and just the person she is.” Ryan Showman ’04, women’s basketball coach

“A student-athlete that graduates is in a really great position, because they’ve done the balancing act,” Nguyen said. “They’ve done academics on top of hours and hours of film study and practices and games, and all of those skills translate.”

For Wilson, the path to success was clear early on.

“It starts in the classroom; you’re a student first and then an athlete,” she said. “You have to get into your books and make sure your grades are good. All of our teachers and professors are really good at teaching us and getting us hands-on experience.”

Nguyen and Showman have no doubts Wilson will succeed.

“College is supposed to be that middle ground between school life and real life,” Nguyen said. “I think being an athlete is a prime example of having to learn those life skills early on. She’s got a wide range of experiences so she can explore whatever she’s interested in and succeed at all of them.”

“I know it wasn’t easy but, man, Ja’Daa made it look easy, and I think that’s a tribute to her and just the person she is,” Showman said.

By Bob Davidson

Math team explains why dog can’t catch

KWU students win ‘Meritorious’ award in math competition

Fritz the golden retriever can’t catch the treats his owner throws at him. The YouTube videos of him being smacked in the face with pizza, donuts, steak, hot dogs and sliders went viral several years ago.

But why can’t Fritz catch?

“Dog Cannot Catch” was the physics/engineering problem in a math modeling competition, the SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations Modeling (SCUDEM), an international contest for college undergraduates.

Three Kansas Wesleyan freshman received a “Meritorious” certificate for their answer. This was the second-best result possible, the competition’s equivalent of a silver medal.

Data Science majors Barry Neff Jr., Pensacola, Fla., and Matthew Redden, Gypsum, Kan., along with Physics major Elijah Resano, of the Philippines, won the award with their 10-minute video examining the problem. They looked at it from the point of view of the owner, who would profit from continuing to make the videos with his clumsy dog. Other entries tried to help Fritz out.

“All three worked very hard, even during weekends and holidays,” said their coach, Dr. Suman Kundu, assistant professor of Mathematics and Physics. “Considering they are first years, this is a very nice accomplishment indeed.”

As first-year students, they hadn’t yet had the classes that would teach them how to address the problem, he said.

“They never had a programming course,” Kundu said. “Those are skills you learn after coming to college.”

One skill they had to hone was organization. Besides adjusting to being first-semester students, keeping up with their courses and learning coding on the fly, the three are busy. Neff is on the men’s volleyball team. Redden sings with the Philharmonic Choir and plays saxophone with

the Wind Ensemble and The Howl spirit band. He is also on the esports team and captain of the chess club. Resano will be the president of the new STEM Club on campus and is involved with a robotics group offcampus.

Kundu taught them as much advanced calculus and coding as he could before Oct. 19. That’s when the physics/engineering SCUDEM problem was revealed and he had to step back.

“It explicitly says you cannot have help from any living being,” Neff said, so no more coaching. “That means we couldn’t have tested it on a dog, even.”

Kundu had no input — and none of the fun of working on the problem — until the team submitted the 10-minute video on Nov. 13.

“It was really hard,” he said about not being able to participate. “But at the same time, it was a joy to see them pulling ideas, bouncing them off each other, the way you work in real research.”

The team looked at different angles, velocity, distance from the dog and air resistance.

“They had gone through every possibility of doing that with the computer,” Kundu said. “They wrote the code for it. They did everything for it in less than a month. They

“Teamwork is the most important skill. No research is done single-handedly; you have to have that skill of collaborating with people. You can’t do your science alone.”

Dr. Suman Kundu, assistant professor of Math and Physics, coach of award-winning math-modeling team

really worked hard on this.”

To continue making the Fritz videos, the owner should throw the food at angles between 30 and 40 degrees for the treat to land just short of the dog, the team demonstrated.

“We had absolute zero knowledge how to use the program they offered to us,” Redden said. “We had to self-teach.”

In the end, they didn’t use it.

“Trying something new was what the judges enjoyed,” Neff said.

The math was hard and the coding harder, they agreed. But those weren’t the most difficult pieces of the competition.

“The biggest problem was putting what was in our heads on paper so other people could understand it,” Neff said.

Resano agreed: “In the competition, there is no wrong answer; it was how you present your answer and defend it.”

“As much as it’s heavy on math, it’s more heavy on how well you can be creative,” Redden added.

And that was the point, as far as Kundu is concerned.

“As I say to the boys, the end result is not the main goal,” he said. “It’s the fun you have working with your friends. Teamwork is the most important skill. No research is

done single-handedly; you have to have that skill of collaborating with people. You can’t do your science alone.”

It was a “big surprise” to learn they had earned a Meritorious certificate. The KWU team was competing with experienced teams from all over the world.

“Looking at past years, we saw a lot of names that came back, competing last year and this year,” Resano said.

The team credits Kundu and Dr. Kristin Kraemer, chair of the Math and Physics Department with their success.

“Suman played a big role,” Resano said.

“He prepared us very well for this competition,” said Neff. “As much as he denies it, he put a lot of work into it.”

Kraemer also helped prepare the team with books and tips while coaching was permitted. They are planning to compete again next year and hope to encourage other teams from KWU to compete, too.

Fritz, also, has learned. Eight years on, he finally catches his treats — sometimes.

By Jean Kozubowski

Dr. Suman Kundu, back, coached a freshman team of (from left) Barry Neff Jr., Matthew Redden and Elijah Resano for an international math contest, until the problem was revealed. At that point, the team was on its own, Kundu not able to help.

DECA team brings back world championships again

The KWU DECA team is sitting on top of the world. Again.

More than half of the team are world champions in their categories and all of the KWU competitors earned top-10 results at the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference in Austin, Texas, April 20-23.

Undergraduate and MBA students from KWU competed with more than 100 universities and colleges, from Division 1 to junior colleges. Guthrie Burch and Kyla Ohlson claimed the world championship in Event Planning, while Oriana Botz and Abigail Palmer did so in Marketing Communications. Courtney Beers and Heidi Jones were the final duo to win a world title, as they accomplished the feat in Business Research.

“KWU DECA continues to get better each year,” said DECA Coach Dr. Trish Petak. “The team continues

Members of the KWU DECA team pose after all the competitors placed in the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference in Austin, Texas, in April.

to not only impress me, but also Collegiate DECA members and coaches at the conference, as we are

KICA Student Day at the Capitol

Multiple Kansas Wesleyan students had an opportunity to interact with state senators and representatives in March, as part of KICA Student Day, at the Capitol. The students discussed policies, career opportunities and more during visits with Rep. Clarke Sanders, Salina (seated, below), Rep. Susan Humphries, Sen. Ty Masterson and Rep. Les Mason.

one of the most recognizable teams there.”

The team stands out in purple

blazers, she said.

Burch, meanwhile, is closing out her DECA career with honor. With three top-three international results and four top-three state finishes, she is the most-decorated DECA competitor at Kansas Wesleyan. She is also the only one to have brought home a podium finish in two events at the international meet this year.

“DECA taught me so much about who I am and my abilities and gave me so much confidence to speak up,” Burch said.

Burch’s major is Marketing Communications.

DECA is an organized business competition that provides students with problems and requires them to present solutions. Some disciplines require a report written beforehand, while others involve an exam taken prior to the competition. All involve presentations with varying amounts of time to prepare, some as little as 30 minutes.

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Pioneer Society members Drs. Trent and Pamela Braxton Davis (center) observe a moment of prayer at a KWU event with Claire Houk (left) ’17, G’21 and Marilyn Foster Kirk ’68, chair of the KWU Board of Trustees.

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Mike Baumberger ’96 (left) laughs with Joyce Volk, KWU community relations representative, at the Pioneer Society social during Homecoming 2023.

Mac Steele ABC ’23 (left) talks with John Betterson ’69 at the Pioneer Society social during Homecoming 2023.

Power of AND campaign surpasses $40M

It has been a spectacular year at Kansas Wesleyan, filled with new facilities, on-field successes and academic honors. The latest accomplishment came in May, as the university announced that the Power of AND fundraising campaign had exceeded the $40 million mark.

One of the linchpins of this portion of the campaign was April’s Scholarship Gala, which saw more than $2.7 million raised.

The university has also received $450,000 in additional gifts since that time. Those recent donations include a number of local corporate partners, numerous anonymous contributions, multiple estate planning gifts, and investment from several foundations, each of whom preferred not to be named. That total notably included a gift from Jack and Dorothy Phipps that totaled more than $200,000.

“To see this much additional support follow the Scholarship Gala is truly special,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president. “It means the gifts generously offered by so many that night, such as Dr. Kent Cox and his wife, Adrienne, have encouraged others to give, as well. It means that more individuals, businesses and friends are believing in the Power of AND at Kansas Wesleyan and what it can do in the life of a student.

Two north stars

“Perhaps most of all, it means that many want to invest in the ways we support both students and our community. Those two factors are north stars for everything we do at Kansas Wesleyan, and we are

thankful that so many share that mindset.”

The recent investment has included funding for the renovation of the Everett Morgan Strength Training Center (weight room). The facility will be completely changed, and space for the university’s first dedicated strength and conditioning coach will be added.

The campaign will also help Campus Ministry, which, for the first time in recent history, will have a

full-time, on-campus minister.

“The student experience is at the heart of so much at Kansas Wesleyan,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “We provide chances for improving the physical self, with the new Bieber Dining Hall and our agreement with the YMCA, and now, with an improved weight room. We offer opportunities for mental

experience, and we look forward to continuing to improve each area.”

Other areas that will see benefit from the campaign’s success include Criminal Justice, which continues to have substantial momentum after opening two new facilities this spring (see Page 14). The department also saw a notable increase in students in its certificate program, which is offered to law enforcement officers throughout the region free of charge.

DECA, coming off multiple world championships in April, will receive additional funding, as will the Community Resilience Hub (see pages 20-21), which most recently aided in the development of KWU’s newest minor, Environmental Justice.

Annual giving record

KWU’s annual fund also exceeded $2 million for a third straight year, a first in university history, allowing for the hiring of additional faculty.

growth and encouragement, both through mental health services like TimelyCare and through academic support services, such as our student success coaches.

“We also offer ways to lift up the spiritual side of the person, both through the programs offered by Campus Ministry and now, the full-time campus minister. This integration and acknowledgment of all sides of a person is a unique part of the KWU

“With the substantial growth in enrollment these past five years, it’s clear that students embrace what Kansas Wesleyan has to offer and that it is the place to be,” said Oliver. “The growth in our annual fund has enabled us to shift our scholarship model to focus on recruiting a higher-level, academic-minded student, and that strategy is working! We are excited to put additional faculty in place who will create additional learning pathways for those students.”

“It’s a great time to be a Coyote,” said Thompson. “Our campus is improving in every way, and successes have followed. We can’t wait to share what’s next!”

Top: Masons brick the facade of Bieber Hall, the new lobby and entrance to Sams Chapel in Pioneer Hall. Above left: Dr. Matt Thompson, KWU president, speaks at the Scholarship Gala in April. Above right: Scott Jagodzinske, campus pastor, leads Worship on the Lawn.

Kansas Wesleyan promotes quartet to assistant vice president

Kansas Wesleyan has promoted four individuals to assistant vice president, helping create an example of a second level of campus leadership.

“This is an important step in optimizing our leadership structure,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president for advancement and university operations. “By doing this, we not only foster additional creativity — by moving these talented individuals up in our organization and giving them higher-level responsibilities — but we create an environment where KWU is less likely to be reliant on one decisionmaker in a particular area. That better sets the university up for the long term.”

J.D. Koons was the first to be promoted, as he

became the assistant vice president for student engagement and success in the summer of 2023. Koons oversees the Student Development office, including housing and student engagement, and also supervises Memorial Library. Under his leadership, the student success coaching program has grown from two workers to 10 and the housing application process has been streamlined significantly.

Jerrica Wright ’06 became the assistant vice president for finance in January. She oversees the budgeting process for Athletics, Debate and Forensics, and DECA, and upon her promotion, became the supervisor to additional business office staff. Wright also processes payroll and assists with various financial transactions across the university.

Justin Taylor ’16 rose from computer technician to assistant vice president for

information systems during his 10 years as a KWU employee. He is overseeing the university’s Jenzabar conversion, a nearly 18-month process that is expecting an August launch date. On a daily basis, Taylor’s department oversees all the university’s technology needs, including hardware, software and network management.

Brad Salois became the university’s first assistant vice president for marketing and

communications (MARCOM) in April, after serving as the department’s director since May 2020. With him as director, the university has won 14 regional or national honors for its MARCOM efforts, and marketing has expanded into numerous new areas. KWU’s social media has been particularly successful, often posting some of the best engagement rates per follower in the state, including the public universities.

KWU alums earn doctorates at same time & place

Brandon Cheeks ’05 and Ralita Cheeks ’07 do everything together. Many couples say they do, but few of them earn their doctorate degrees in Educational Leadership at the same time, this May from Kansas State University.

Both came to Kansas Wesleyan from large cities, he from Memphis, Tenn., she from Fort Worth, Texas, to play basketball. He majored in History Education, she doublemajored in Criminal Justice and Religion.

They both went to St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church as students.

“Brandon played ball and went to church. That’s when I knew I was going to marry Brandon,” Ralita said.

The wishing well on campus sealed the deal.

“We did the whole tradition — the kiss at the

well,” Ralita said. “Don’t mess with tradition. I’m just saying, if that’s not who you want, leave the well alone.”

It’s been togetherness ever since.

Both went into education, and both earned master’s degrees from K-State.

Brandon is a principal at Sunset Elementary School in Salina. Ralita, who said her heart is that of a school counselor, is a specialized learning services supports consultant with Greenbush Education Center. The position is hybrid, requiring some travel and some online consulting.

Both are active with St.

John’s, he as assistant to the pastor and she as director of the youth program.

Ralita is chaplain for the KWU women’s basketball and cheer teams, and Brandon is chaplain for the men’s basketball and football teams. They also are active in the Campus Ministry program, giving talks and meeting with groups. Brandon has an office on campus in his capacity as a student success advisor.

For their Ed.D. degrees, both wrote autoethnographies. His is Autoethnography Reflections on Kansas Redesign and African American Male Perspective in Predominantly White Communities.” Hers is If You Don’t Know My Story, Please Don’t Judge My Walk.

Brandon will present his dissertation this year at the University Council for Educational Administration

(UCEA) conference as a 2023-25 Jackson Scholar.

Named for Barbara Loomis Jackson, the Jackson Scholars Network is a twoyear program of the UCEA designed to build a robust pipeline of graduate students of color who plan to work in the field of educational leadership in K-12 or higher education.

Cheeks said that the program has fueled his passion for making a difference in students’ lives.

“Many people don’t understand the importance of offering support and opportunities for people of color that wouldn’t happen at this level without an intentionality,” he said. “Being in this environment gave me hope and empowered me to become a bigger advocate for social justice and positive change concerning diversity.”

Social justice is a concern for both. Ralita earned a social justice education certificate from K-State. Neither is in a hurry to see where their doctorates take them.

“We’re waiting to see what doors God opens,” Brandon said.

In the meantime, they don’t lack for ways to keep busy. Besides their jobs, they have five daughters and a son living, two in high school, two in middle school and two in elementary school. They have a nonprofit foundation, God Over Everything, that combines sports and faith.

They have their church, their family and their KWU family.

“So many alumni are everpresent in our lives,” Ralita said. “We’re a part of the church they’ve been a part of for years.”

Brad Salois

J.D. Koons

Jerrica Wright ’06

Justin Taylor ’16

NICK PETRON ’68

a live re-wire

SRO — Standing Room Only — is a sign every theatre likes to see on performance nights.

It was SRO when alumni, students and colleagues at Adelphi University gathered at a Toast and Roast for Nick Petron ’68 when he retired. He recently let the curtain fall on his 50-year teaching career at Adelphi. An icon at the Long Island, New York, institution, he mentored students in theatre, film and television, as chair of the Department of Theatre for the past 30 years and teacher for 20 years before that.

Petron will not allow the end of his teaching career to keep him from indulging his love of the arts in a different manner.

“A few years ago, while I was still teaching, (NCCRS) contacted me and asked me if I wanted to work for the state every once in a while. I said, ‘As long as this doesn’t include prison, sure,’ ” Petron said with a laugh.

In his role with the National College Credit Recommendation Service, he consults with the state of New York to approve nontraditional courses and their credit equivalencies, which allows him to stay up to date with the changing business.

“I don’t like to use the term ‘retired.’ I like to say I’m ‘rewired,’ ” Petron said. That would be in character for him. The 1968 KWU yearbook described him as a “ubiquitous bundle of energy.”

Besides consulting, Petron keeps active in the field by providing voice-over work

for commercials and films. He was spotted on the big screen earlier in his career. His last feature film was alongside Bruce Willis in Acts of Violence. Some of his commercial credits include Ponderosa Steak House and Eagle Brand snacks. The first production he directed was The Fantasticks while a senior at KWU, the first student-directed and student-produced musical to be performed at the university. That preceded 12 years of stage work, when his biggest roles occurred. He performed as Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and as The Prince in The King and I. He directed Uncle Vanya; Holy Ghosts; The Rimers of Eldridge; Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean; Moonchildren; Steel Magnolias; subUrbia; and Uncommon Women and Others. Listing Petron’s complete resumé would require some time, as he received his Actors Equity card at age 19. A member of SAGAFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation

of Television and Radio Artists), he has worked with Al Pacino, John Cusack, Tim Matheson and Kate Capshaw.

Petron’s influence and commitment to his students in and out of the classroom never wavered, mentoring hundreds who have gone on to successful careers in and around the stage and screen. The best-known of those students is Jonathan Larson, a composer, lyricist and playwright who wrote the Pulitzer Prize and Tonywinning musical Rent and Tick, Tick … Boom!

While keeping his hand firmly in showbiz and academia, Petron and his wife of 42 years, Regina, also will focus on their other love, a farmhouse on 40 acres in Jefferson, New York.

“We love to go to it,” he said. “It’s relaxing. We get to do a garden, and it’s a 140-year-old farmhouse that we have been restoring forever.”

Originally from Bogota, N.J., Petron attended a summer camp run by the Fresh Air Fund on a farm in

Lewes, Del., as a youngster, allowing him to get out of the city every summer. That is where he developed his love for farm life.

Petron credits much of his success and happiness to the four years he spent in Salina as a student at Kansas Wesleyan.

“Kansas Wesleyan changed my life,” he said. “They made it possible for me to learn how to teach, to love the theater, and they gave me my first directing job. I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the university.”

During his time on campus, Petron was the president of the Fine Arts Club and Pi Sigma Upsilon social and service activities fraternity, and president of the KWU chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theater Honor Society.

He wrote a column for the Advance student newspaper and was involved in intramurals, the International Fellowship of Christians and Salina Community Theatre.

The 1968 yearbook wrote of Petron, “A thespian at heart, a politician by avocation and a journalist because he has a lot to say, he has made a substantial contribution to the campus and has deservedly been elected to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.”

In 2014, Petron was named KWU’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. In 2018, he returned to campus to deliver the keynote address at Commencement.

By Dan Froehlich

Courtesy of Adelphi University

Nick Petron laughs at the Roast and Toast his students, colleagues and friends presented at Adelphi University when he retired. At left is Petron’s wife, Regina.

Nick Petron at Kansas Wesleyan University from the 1968 yearbook.

Courtesy of Adelphi Nick Petron greets some of the many friends at his retirement celebration.

Class Notes

If you have updates for class notes, please contact the Advancement Office at 785-833-4341 or alumni@kwu.edu.

1960s

Wayne Brindle ’69 has published two books, The Best Joke Book Ever (2019) and Radiance and Fury: A Poetry Collection (2023). Both are available on Amazon.com and most other online booksellers.

1970s

Arega Ali ’77, Los Angeles, Calif., retired after 33 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He taught music for 28 of those 33 years.

1980s

Rosemary Whitley ‘82 began her 24th year as a special education teacher for USD 305 in Salina.

1990s

David Brian Smith is retiring after 40 years in the ministry. Smith served as KWU's dean of students from 1987-98. His last call was at First United Methodist Church in Winfield, Kan.

2000s

Jeremy Coombs ’04, men’s basketball head coach for Barton County Community College Cougars, led the men’s basketball team to the 2024 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

Amanda Edgar ‘04 recently moved to Topeka, Kan., and expanded her publishing company at pageandpodium.com.

Sara (Vanek) Kromer ’05 and her husband, Ryan Kromer, opened their fifth and sixth Scooter’s Coffee Shops in Arkansas City and Bel Aire, Kan.

Brie Campbell ’09, Alabama, started a new position as coordinator of college and alumni relations at the University of Alabama.

2010s

Tessa Giammona ’13 was promoted to senior manager for external communications and media relations manager at Verizon.

2020s

Austin Odom ’20 is business development manager for Super Team Services in the commercial and residential division in the DallasFort Worth area.

Will Dryburgh ’22, California, joined the team at MAR Lighting as an inside sales representative.

Abby Wray ’23 is a reporter for KAKE TV in Wichita, Kan., and recently did a story that was aired by ABC World News and other national news groups.

Sydney Mitchell ’26 is attending the NAACP National Conference in Las Vegas this summer as the president of the NAACP Kansas College and Youth Chapter.

In Memoriam

Dorothy Phipps ’47, Wichita, Kan., passed away on June 16, 2023.

Rev. Harold E. Nelson ’49, Manhattan, Kan., passed away on April 4, 2024.

Dr. E. Keith Michal ’54, Medina, Ohio, passed away Oct. 8, 2023.

Dr. Elva (Tice) Michal, ’55, Medina, Ohio, passed away Oct. 12, 2023.

Marlene Selden ’55, Greeley, Colo., passed away in September 2023.

Larry Houdek ’57, Salina, passed away Dec. 6, 2023.

Richard D. Heble ’57, Denver, Colo., passed away March 8, 2024.

Robert Pinkall ’58, Pratt, Kan., passed away March 8, 2024.

Jack Jay Kersenbrock ’58, Norton, Kan., passed away March 18, 2024.

Wayne Spohn ’58, Bellevue, Wash., passed away March 5, 2024.

Robert D. Conley ’60, Salina, passed away Dec. 21, 2023.

Barbara DeAnn (Cousins) Shirling ’61, Overland Park, Kan., passed away Dec. 2, 2023.

James D. Anderson Sr. ’62, Clyde, Kan., passed away Sept. 30, 2023.

Kenneth A. DuBois ’63, Salina, passed away Dec. 14, 2023.

Shirley Isin ’64, Salina, passed away Sept. 24, 2023.

John F. Hoffman ’64, McPherson, Kan., passed away Jan. 26, 2024.

Rev. Sharon A. (Hart) MacVean ’65, Phoenix, Ariz., passed away Feb. 10, 2024.

Rev. Victor Calcote ’66, Haysville, Kan., passed away Nov. 8, 2023.

Joyce E. (Hoffman) Gorton ’67, Salina, passed away Feb. 20, 2024. She received the Alumni Service Award at Homecoming 2023.

Kelly L. Rudolph ’69, Salina, passed away Dec. 7, 2023.

Lorraine L. (LaRue) Sherman ’69, Manahawkin, N.J., passed away Feb. 25, 2024.

Sammie Claire Sheppard ’70, Salina, passed away March 20, 2024.

Patricia “Trisha” Ann Marietta ’71, Salina, passed away June 11, 2024. She was a two-time member of the KWU Board of Trustees.

Kevin Noonan ’71, Wichita, Kan., passed away Jan. 5, 2024.

Dorinda Scobee ’71, Dallas, Texas, passed away April 7, 2024.

John J. Sergi ’72, Lancaster, N,Y., passed away March 4, 2024.

Francine Gates ’73, Tulsa, Okla., passed away Jan. 19, 2024.

Eric Kindlesparger ’77, Salina, passed away Dec. 10, 2023.

Shirley McWilliams ’77, Salina, passed away Feb. 16, 2024. She taught at Kanopolis Middle School for 31 years.

Gaylene L. (Springer) Spears ’81, Garden City, Kan., passed away March 2, 2024.

Randi (Johnson) Gifford ’86, Lindsborg, Kan., passed away April 13, 2024.

Joedy (Zimmerman) Pruett ’86, Mentor, Kan., passed away Dec. 13, 2023.

Rodney L. Elliot ’92, Concordia, Kan., passed away Oct. 6, 2022.

Beverly Hawkins ’98, Joplin, Mo., passed away April 24, 2024.

Jaime (Timm) Lohmeyer ’03, San Antonio,Texas, passed away April 30, 2024.

Alex Wyatt ’12, Hollywood,Calif., passed away June 22, 2023.