FOCUS Focus On Growth FRIENDS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2021 FOCUS | CONTENTS MORE EVENTS President Friends University Board of Trustees AND NEWS Dr. Amy Bragg Carey Craig Bay Dr. John Lewis Dr. Kneeland Brown Regina Miller Check friends.edu Vice President of Bob Casper Paul Moore Enrollment Management Kim Dugger Attwater Jim Nagy for more news Deb Stockman Brent Edmisten Jeff Ramsey Purchase tickets for Associate Vice President Lynn Ghormley Renae Ryan of Advancement Kevin Henderson Dr. Thayne Thompson FINE ARTS EVENTS Brie Boulanger Dr. Kevin Hoppock Dr. Kent Walkemeyer Dr. Jace Hyder C. Patrick Woods at friends.edu/event-features Director of Alumni Relations Michael Walz ATHLETICS EVENTS Public Relations & Follow the Falcons at Communications Manager Laura Fuller friendsathletics.com 2 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FOCUS | CONTENTS Focus on Growth Garvey Rises Up 4 to the Next Level Exceedingly 8 and Abundantly Overflowing at Friends Giving the Gift 10 of a Lifetime LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE COVER Friends University students (front, Growth is a journey. It is often in the donors. And most importantly, we have l to r) Porter Wilkes, Noah Barajas times of challenge, in the rub of life, grown in communion with God. He has and Casey Mosley. that we experience the most growth. continued to show us steadfast love and At Friends University, we were met faithfulness. He continues to bless us PHOTO BY STEVE RASMUSSEN with a crossroad this past year. We and show where His brilliant light lies in could either recoil in intimidation at the the midst of uncertain darkness. Come challenges before us, or press forward grow with us! VOL. 43 | NO. 2 in faith. Our growth journey began with Focus magazine is published two times per year by University Advancement/Marketing that step toward faith. and Communications, 2100 W. University The number of students who Ave, Wichita, KS 67213. It is published for the have made Friends their home has alumni and friends of Friends University. significantly increased. We have seen Dr. Amy Bragg Carey friends.edu an increase in the generosity of our President, Friends University [email protected] SPRING 2021 | 3 FOCUS | FEATURE n a tired and worn, small-town weight room a young Bailee Passmore felt an GROWTH IN THE GARVEY CENTER air of freshness, an excitement. With a deep breath in, pressing her palms into the barbell bar, she was ready to push her first lift. Though Powerlifting isn’t commonly on the athletic roster, Garvey Rises Passmore was hooked. Her successes in the weight room over the next two years gained the attention of Friends University IPowerlifting Head Coach Joe Belden. Up to the Passmore was the first female recruit to the new Friends Powerlifting team and became the first female national qualifier. But her attraction to Friends wasn’t a Next Level state-of-the-art athletic facility or elite physical education program, it was the sense of small-town community that she BY ANNA CAREY was often homesick for. Coach Belden became her mentor, and her teammates became her family. The athletic community at Friends 4 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FOCUS ON | GROWTH University has seen significant growth room prevents the Powerlifting team Capital Campaign, which was quickly in the last few years with the addition from performing certain lifts or getting halted when the pandemic swept of new sports like Powerlifting, Men’s access to specialized equipment. through. “The volunteer leadership team Golf, and Men’s/Women’s Wrestling. The solution according to Ramseyer is had been formed, gifts were beginning Associate Vice President of Athletics, put simply: “We need space.” to come in, and COVID hit,” Dr. Carey Rob Ramseyer, expects these growing sports will bring an additional 130 students on campus within the next Growing sports will bring an four years. While this growth stirs new excitement and energy, the main athletic building on campus, the Garvey Physical additional 130 students on campus Education Center, has reached beyond its capacity to house the training, within the next four years. rehabilitation and performance needs for all student athletes. For lifters like Passmore, the weight University President Dr. Carey and recalls. What was initially devastating, room isn’t just a training space, it’s her the Board of Trustees saw the growth opened up new opportunities for powerlifting equivalent of a court or field. opportunities in athletics and started to renewed vision. The comprehensive The tight weight room schedules mean dream about what an updated facility campaign was scaled back to individual Passmore’s team has limited training would look like. In February 2020, the projects and the Garvey Physical time. Even the size of the current weight board launched a $15 million RISE UP Education Center was the first on the list. WEIGHT ROOM When Coach Belden first arrived on campus nearly two years ago, he deemed the weight room: “the wild west.” To eliminate the “free for all” mentality, Belden established new equipment and maintenance rules. The students not only adapted, they were proud of the sense of ownership and responsibility gained. But that still didn’t solve the packed training schedule that ran from 5 a.m. to midnight. The solution will be an expanded weight room with updated equipment, relocated in the Northwest corner of the building. SPRING 2021 | 5 With a goal of $2.3 million, the allow us to maximize the space we have.” cared for, where she has academic renovations on the Garvey P.E. Center In order to house the growing athletic success, where she is challenged to grow will help nudge the athletic facility department, training room, weight room, in all areas of her life, where her character into the 21st century and could break administrative spaces/team meeting is getting cultivated, and she happens to ground as soon as May 2021. Only room and main lobby will be expanded win athletic events as well! minor improvements have been made and renovated. But in order to keep that vision and environment thriving, it’s time for the spaces like the Garvey Physical Education Center to match the quality of It’s time for the spaces like the the community-driven experience. Garvey Physical Education Center TRAINING ROOM The current training room sits on the second floor of the Garvey building. For to match the quality of the injured students, this requires a painful trek upstairs to receive treatment. A community-driven experience. larger training room will take over the current first floor weight room. But Belden reminds that “if you’re looking to the space in the last few decades, so Student athletes like Bailee Passmore at training more athletes, you need a renovation project of this size will be have found a home in her Powerlifting additional equipment too.” Therefore, truly remarkable. When reflecting on team. She has landed in the exact high tech training equipment will ensure the future construction plans Ramseyer environment that Associate Vice every athlete gets the best treatment, says, “There’s nothing about it that’s President of Athletics Ramseyer desired allowing coaches and trainers to address extravagant; it is functional. It is going to to create: a place where Passmore is weaknesses to prevent injuries over time. 6 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FOCUS ON | GROWTH ADMINISTRATIVE SPACES / TEAM MEETING ROOM Though not necessarily flashy, the heart of the Garvey P.E. Center lies in the new office spaces and meeting rooms. As disjointed as the building itself has been, trying to track down a member of the coaching staff can prove challenging-they office all around campus. “I’m really excited to get all our coaches into one building!” Rob Ramseyer says. Dr. Carey also feels that having everyone under the same roof will “offer a greater sense of community among our coaches and their teams so that we can make a lasting impact, focused on life goals and purpose.” There are currently no common spaces for students to gather as a team, which is why a team meeting room is another critical, community-centric space. Here they will be able to study and review game footage. But Ramseyer’s true hope is that it builds authentic relationships. “Athletics is so much more than competition,” Dr. Carey says, “It provides all the great skills of teamwork, accountability, fair play and achievement that prepares us for life.” LOBBY A refreshed lobby will welcome Friends sports fans with a sense of expectation and a reminder of the Friends University legacy. Trophies and accolades of past victories will line the new athletic Hall of Fame. And the space will be more community-friendly with conveniently located handicap accessible restrooms. SPRING 2021 | 7 FOCUS | FEATURE GROWTH IN ENROLLMENT Exceedingly and Abundantly Overflowing at Friends BY AMY GEISZLER-JONES chwien, a freshman from the Denver suburb of Arvada who wanted to go to a small college, and Simoneau, a junior who transferred from a Division For Isabelle Schwien and Kayna I California university that proved too big and too far away from home, Simoneau, a pandemic was not going are among the students who helped to thwart their plans to start their first Friends University achieve its highest fall enrollment for new incoming semester at Friends University in fall 2020. students since 2011. S Friends had a 6% increase in all new students, including transfers, with an impressive increase of 20% among first-time freshmen students, according to Deb Stockman, vice president for enrollment management at Friends. 8 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FOCUS ON | GROWTH Having growth like that took a lot of effort and careful strategizing, said Stockman and Jordan Audette, director “I’ve always pictured myself going to a of recruitment.