12 minute read
Homecoming 2021 34 Planned Giving Spotlight
Panther Football vs. William Jewell
Panther Football dominated William Jewell with a final score of 41-21 at the Homecoming game.
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Paige (Kramer) Crisp '15 returns to campus for the 5K
Panther Pride 5K
Sponsored by Southern Star
The second annual (and first inperson) Panther Pride 5K was a blast! Participants enjoyed the route that offered a behindthe-scenes tour of campus, including the opportunity to run through Panther Park baseball stadium, around the quad and front lawn with the finish line at the goal post of Steele Stadium. Proceeds of the race will go toward the Class of 2022's Senior Gift.
Co-Head Women's Basketball Coach Caleb Nieman takes a pie in the face to raise money for his program
Back Together Bash
Sponsored by Foreman Watson Holtrey, LLP
The inaugural Back Together Bash is certain to become a Homecoming tradition. Alumni and friends gathered on the front lawn for live music, inflatables, food trucks and Panther reunions hosted by
various campus organizations. Members of Alpha Omicron Pi host a bake sale
Classes of 2020 and 2021
After a less-than-ideal ending to their senior years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Alumni Relations offered special programming for our newest classes of alumni, including a One-Year Reunion at Bar Louie hosted by Vice President of Student Affairs Becca McQueen-Ruark. The Class of 2020 also had the unique opportunity for walk-across-thestage photos that were not possible during their Virtual Commencement.
Mayson Hurtt, Dagan Massimino '20, Jamie (Tempel) Winkler '20, Jessica Arnold '20, Jacob Winkler '19, David Adams, Kristina Canary ‘20, Jess Legg ‘21, Tesa Bell '20 and Dylan Johnson Jessica Arnold '20 and President Mitzel
Anthony Eiras '21 and members of Wesleyan Theatre
In Meeting We Are Blessed: A Fine Arts Showcase
The Wesleyan Singers, Wesleyan Band, Wesleyan Theatre and Wesleyan Gospel Choir worked together to host "In Meeting We Are Blessed: A Fine Arts Showcase," in the Jack Wells Activity Center. Guests enjoyed performances by all groups, as well as delicious breakfast refreshments and the opportunity to sing the alma mater together at the end of the event. A special Homecoming Art Exhibit presented by current art and graphic design majors was the cherry on top of a wonderful event.
Doug Matthews '70, Carol (Hendren) Matthews '70, Alice (Hardesty) Brauns '71, Garry Lillpop '71 and James McKinney III '71
Classes of 1970 and 1971
Members of the Classes of 1970 and 1971 returned to campus to celebrate their 50th Reunions throughout the weekend. Celebrations began with their official induction into the Golden Jubilee Club at the Alumni Hall of Fame and Awards Celebration and ended with a delicious brunch with President Mitzel at the Country Club of Owensboro.
Alumni Hall of Fame and Awards Celebration
Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Inductee Joel Utley '74 President Mitzel and Joel Utley
Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Inductee Barton D. Darrell '84 Bracken Darrell, Barton D. Darrell '84, J.D. and President Mitzel
2020 Alumni Awards
Outstanding Alumnus Mitch Major '92 (1969-2021)
Alumni Achievement Award Adam Hancock '05
Gus E. Paris Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Gene Tice
Roy Pickerill '75 Alumni Service Award
Dr. BC Childress '05
Outstanding Young Graduate Dr. Kyle Blackburn '10
Honorary Alumna Jennifer "Miss Jennifer" Taylor
Tanesah Taylor, Miss Jennifer Taylor, Jason Gaither and Aiden Taylor
The Rogers Foundation and Kentucky Wesleyan College Transforming Lives Together
by Summer (Crick) Aldridge '14
Cozy. Green. Welcoming. Humid.
Rogers' Fellows, a half a continent away from their Las Vegas homes, typically choose these descriptors for Owensboro and Kentucky Wesleyan.
"The large, grassy fields and impressive brick buildings were how I had always imagined a college campus," remembered Megan Flanagan '21. "I was also impressed by the hospitality I immediately encountered, both at Wesleyan and in Owensboro. People are very friendly here in a way you don't see as often on the West Coast."
Twenty Rogers' Fellows have earned Kentucky Wesleyan College degrees, and 11 more students will receive their diplomas in April 2022.
The scholars' majors have ranged from chemistry to business to psychology, and their involvement on campus has been equally broad, from athletics to Student Activities Programming Board to Greek Life and more. When asked if she was involved in any student organizations, Chloe Lubag '20 laughed. "I don't think there was much I wasn't involved in! I was a student ambassador, STAR caller in Admissions, supplemental instructor, Student Government Association member, president of the Stanley Reed Pre-Law and Politics Society and a resident assistant."
Outside the classroom, Rogers' Fellows enjoyed the beauty of the Bluegrass State. "Watching the first snow fall and then the last icy remains of winter melt was something very special to us," said Isabel Mendez '20. "I loved swings around the quad to enjoy Kentucky's natural beauty, and I want to always live in a place where I can look out my window and see the seasons change."
Kentucky Wesleyan was a springboard to experiences far beyond the campus. Chloe Glantz '21 studied abroad in "Receiving the scholarship meant everything, not only to me, but to my family. A quality education, and especially one in another state, felt like such a pipe dream. I was so lost at the end of my senior year of high school, but The Rogers Foundation gave me a gift that has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I will never be able to wrap my head around that, and I will truly never be able to thank them, and Wesleyan, enough."
Chloe Lubag '20
Isabel Mendez ‘20
Brooklyn Stepro ‘19
Chloe Glantz ‘21
Megan Flanagan ‘21
"While attending college, I realized how lifechanging it was to have a full scholarship and how blessed I was to receive it. There was never a time where I was stressing over how to pay for college, so I was able to fully enjoy my college experience. Had it not been for The Rogers Foundation, I would not have earned my degree, nor would I be one step closer to fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a pediatrician."
Eva Sampson ‘20
London and Paris, and Brooklyn Stepro '19 interned at the Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort, Ky. Lubag and Mendez found fulfillment through service to others by volunteering at Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, Fla., and with the VITA Tax program that offers free tax preparation in Owensboro.
Rogers' Fellows graduates have followed their dreams after commencement, well-prepared for successful and rewarding lives, thanks to the generosity and commitment of The Rogers Foundation. Here is a look at the exciting paths of several fellows:
Megan Flanagan ‘21 is in graduate school at Texas State University, where she will earn a master of science in ecology and evolutionary biology. She is an instructional assistant.
Chloe Lubag '20 is self-employed and has started her own business, Vich Mode, which sells hand-sewn and hand-knit clothing made by Chloe and her mother.
Isabel Mendez '20 is in the MBA program at Western Governor's University.
Eva Sampson '20 is working as a virtual medical scribe while prepping to enroll in graduate school to earn a master's degree in forensic science.
Brooklyn Stepro '19 graduated with a master of public administration from the University of Nevada, Reno and began her career as a compliance coordinator for the Nevada Volunteers State Service Commission.
The Rogers Foundation was founded by Jim Rogers (1938-2014) and his wife, Beverly. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Rogers was the son of Wesleyan graduates Frank Rogers '36 and Lucille (Savage) Rogers '37. In October 2015, The Rogers Foundation announced awards of over $10 million in scholarships to college-bound students from Southern Nevada to Kentucky Wesleyan. The first students arrived in the fall semester of 2016. The Rogers' Fellows have transformed the campus, and through the power of the strong partnership between The Rogers Foundation and Kentucky Wesleyan, Rogers' Fellows will help transform the world.
Student Success Coach Peggie Greer (administrative assistant to the provost/vice president of academic affairs) with Josiah Benner-Eslit '25
In spring 2021, KWC received funding through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) to provide the new Summer Bridge Program. The grant's intention is to expand summer bridge programs with the goal of increasing the number of Kentuckians with a postsecondary education, easing the transition to college, and supporting postsecondary success by providing students with the academic skills and
social resources needed to succeed in
a college environment.
Building Bridges to College Success
by Kelly Flick and Rebecca McQueen-Ruark
The transition to college can be exciting, yet often daunting and overwhelming. Kentucky Wesleyan proactively sought to help prepare students meet these challenges through the Rising Scholars Program, introduced in the fall of 2020, to provide academically at-risk students with success coaches. The coaches met with students throughout the academic year to check in, connect them to appropriate resources and offer encouragement.
The program includes students who do not meet standard academic admissions requirements but show capabilities for success. Other participants are first generation college attendees and/or students from families with limited financial resources; many of whom lack previous exposure to the challenges of college life.
The College enhanced the Rising Scholars initiative in August 2021 by adding the Summer Bridge Program, a week-long academically focused boot camp. Students lived on campus, attended practical workshops and met staff and faculty - an introduction to the people and places of Kentucky Wesleyan College prior to the excitement of Move-In Day and the beginning of classes.
Students learned time and stress management techniques and note-taking, study, writing, and math skills, as they became accustomed to the academic environment. They were assigned Student Success Coaches, staff members who will help guide them beyond the initial boot camp and throughout the academic year in organized and informal settings. They also set goals for their first semester and beyond.
Scholars enjoyed time together outside the classroom as they explored downtown Owensboro, attended Friday After 5 and bowled with their Success Coaches.
"Our goal was to help build the students' confidence in their abilities to succeed academically and access and utilize campus resources, as well as their confidence that they made the right decision to attend Kentucky Wesleyan," said Rebecca McQueen-Ruark, vice president of student affairs and coordinator of the Rising Scholars Program. "Our post-program assessment showed that our students' confidence improved in all three areas."
Upon completion of the program, participants received a $250 book stipend with an attendance stipend to offset lost time from summer jobs.
Students ended the week with new tools for their college journeys and a celebratory luncheon and certificate presentation with family members.
Jordan Jackson '25
Owen Pulliam '25
A Spirit of Adventure
by Lawson Glasergreen '91 and Katherine Rutherman
Lawson Glasergreen '91 deployed by icebreaker, the Lawrence M. Gould, on a four-day journey from the tip of Punta Arenas, South America, to Palmer Station, Antarctica, in October 2014. He served there until May 2015 (the summer months) as a preventive maintenance coordinator and supervisor for on-site infrastructure and operation management practice and program management leadership with Pacific Architects and Engineers/Lockheed Martin (United States Antarctic Program and National Science Foundation).
He was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal by the United States Secretary of Defense "in recognition of valuable contributions to exploration and scientific achievement under the United States Antarctic Program," according to the citation issued in June 2021.
Glasergreen says a maximum of 50 persons stay at Palmer Station, and tourists often visit to experience the seventh continent. University professors and students study climate change and animal species including seals, penguins, whales and creel.
A conversational Spanish speaker, he enjoyed meeting people from around the world and was often called upon to serve as an interpreter and tour guide. Palmer Station is subject to drastic changes in weather, and Glasergreen recalls, "It was important to always be prepared with food, maintenance supplies and redundant operating mechanical systems."
Residents and visitors enjoyed art displayed throughout the station, and he contributed his artwork for the on-site collection.
Glasergreeen graduated from Daviess County High School with industrial art honors in 1977 and earned an associate of applied science in communication in 1985 and a bachelor of arts in business and fine art in 1991, both from KWC. He was an on-site coordinator for David Hocker and Associates for ten years, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in 1991 and a Peace Corps volunteer as an appropriate technologist in Guatemala from 1994 to 1996. He is a FEMA contractor.
