Friends University Spring 2020 Focus | Contents
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FOCUS FRIENDS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2020 FOCUS | CONTENTS MORE EVENTS President Friends University Board of Trustees AND NEWS Dr. Amy Bragg Carey Dr. Kneeland Brown Regina Miller Bob Casper Paul Moore Check friends.edu Vice President of Kim Dugger Attwater Jim Nagy Enrollment Management Brent Edmisten Jeff Ramsey for more news Deb Stockman Lynn Ghormley Renae Ryan Purchase tickets for Associate Vice President Kevin Henderson Dr. Kent Walkemeyer of Advancement Dr. Kevin Hoppock Dr. David Williams FINE ARTS EVENTS Brie Boulanger Dr. Jace Hyder C. Patrick Woods Dr. John Lewis 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 Teamwork Community 4 partnership is a grand slam New program 6 is a hit on the gridiron PHOTO BY MICKEY SHANNON Building community in 8 the huddle LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE COVER Friends University athletes, Teamwork. Leaders constantly talk defining factor in our ability to educate Junior, Hannah Watkins and about the importance of a great team students throughout the semester using Senior, Juan Valdes, train in the and effective teamwork. God created us remote formats. We have an amazing newly remodeled weight room. to be in relationship with one another Friends Falcon team. Just like the bright and we do our best work when we work and beautiful lights on the Davis tower, PHOTO BY STEVE RASMUSSEN together. Athletic programs like ours at together we will strive to be a beacon Friends University are successful because of hope and encouragement in our VOL. 42 | NO. 2 we foster a culture of excellence and community. Go team! Focus magazine is published two times per year by University Advancement/Marketing teamwork. Melding together as a team and Communications, 2100 W. University has positive implications on the field and Ave, Wichita, KS 67213. It is published for the in the classroom. Teamwork is critical. alumni and friends of Friends University. As we experienced the crisis of the Dr. Amy Bragg Carey friends.edu COVID 19 Pandemic, teamwork was the President, Friends University [email protected] SPRING 2020 | 3 FOCUS | FEATURE Ricky Hockett 4 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FOCUS ON | TEAMWORK a generous donor provided additional funds to cover the other areas as well. Having artificial turf allows the team to play and schedule tournaments and games without as much worry about the Kansas weather. The more attractive the facilities are, the greater opportunities the university has to fulfill their mission. The Friends baseball players, coaches and volunteers put in some sweat equity as well, working evenings and weekends to gut and convert old locker rooms under the grandstand into the team’s clubhouse, noted Head Coach Adam Neisius. Star Lumber donated the materials for the renovation, while volunteers Dustin Pulliam, a relative of a player, and Art Hollingshead, Neisius’ father-in-law, provided carpentry and When the Friends University baseball handyman supervision. team practiced and played its home director. According to university archives, “It was a cool project,” said Neisius. games this spring, it had a new home- Friends University fielded its first “It helped provide the team with field advantage. baseball team in the spring of 1899. experiences that reflect the university’s In November 2019, Friends The team has always been rather core values of respect, inclusion, service University partnered with the City nomadic for home field play and there’s of Wichita for an up to 30-year lease agreement that allows the Falcons baseball team full use of the West Side Athletic Field at FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FIELDED 571 N. McLean Blvd. for practices and games. ITS FIRST BASEBALL TEAM IN City and university officials THE SPRING OF 1899. called the agreement a win-win situation; it furthers the city’s and excellence. The team learned further Park and Recreation Department no room for a field on campus. West Side lessons on working and cooperating goal of creating community Athletic Field is close to Friends so it’s together and improved a community through people and programs a very convenient field for games and amenity in the process.” and Friends now has a long-term practice. The university can also use the “I think that’s important,” said Neisius, home field. As a reflection of its field to host potential tournaments. who took over the Friends baseball service core value to care for the As part of its agreement with Wichita, program in 2010. community, Friends is making Friends University has improved the Friends University athletics will also improvements to the field through field, including installing nearly $400,000 be the manager for additional West fundraising and donation efforts. worth of artificial turf on the infield, foul- Side Athletic Field activities. Other users “We had baseball teams for a long line territory and bullpen. Initially, Friends include some USD 259 (Wichita) high time and there’s always been a struggle athletics had received $300,000 in school teams, city summer league teams with having a home field,” said Rob donations to cover costs for the materials and occasional tournament use. “It’ll be Ramseyer, Friends University athletic and installation of turf on the infield, but a very busy place,” Neisius said. SPRING 2020 | 5 FOCUS | FEATURE Mannie Aguilar Zach Witzanski Stephen Acosta 6 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY FOCUS ON | TEAMWORK For prospective students, it’s a big announcement the day before he visited deal to have the Christian environment, that Friends was adding engineering. athletics and coaching staff who believe On Acosta’s first visit, from watching “you can be in mechanical engineering practices to meeting with admissions, and play sports.” he felt “like I was being called to come Friends began the bachelor’s here.” Since then, he’s appreciated the program last fall, recognizing what it small classes, approachable instructors had heard for years: Students would love and not feeling like “a number in the to pursue the field at a smaller, Christian system.” He’s told friends back home college but there wasn’t one nearby. about his Friends’ experience off and New mechanical engineering About 1 in 8 of Friends’ traditional on the field. program attracts students students play football, and more play Like Acosta, Witzansky was interested other sports. So having the program — in engineering. The Sapulpa, Okla., who want to both play led by Dr. Teresa Miller — fits well with native knew he was size-challenged so football and study students’ desires to succeed on the field pitched himself as a long snapper. and in the classroom. His four years on the football team For Acosta, the emphasis on taught lessons in teamwork and Like a defensive line on the football academics attracted him to Friends, a leadership he’s used in the classroom, field, adding a mechanical engineering school he had not heard of until lessons that reflect the university’s program at Friends University gives more being recruited. He’d been opportunity for students. interested in engineering from For some prospective student- a young age, liking its hands-on athletes, engineering at Friends was nature and problem-solving. a late-game surprise. For senior Zach He had been considering the Witzansky — to take the football analogy University of New Mexico, New across the goal line — the new program Mexico State, Texas A&M and was a “Hail Mary” pass that’s allowing Eastern New Mexico, and they him to become an engineer at Friends all had engineering. instead of attending graduate school. “THERE ARE A LOT MORE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO WANT TO BE ENGINEERS. BEING AN NAIA SCHOOL, IT MIGHT BE ONE OF OUR GREATEST RECRUITING TOOLS.” ZACH WITZANSKY Still, he was intrigued Witzansky and two freshman players by Friends, where he — Stephen Acosta of Clovis, N.M., and could study math and play football Mannie Aguilar of Wichita, Kan. — are and had been offered a good financial beliefs of inclusion, respect and working among students working on engineering aid package, something important as together. “Mechanical engineering lends degrees. Coach Dion Meneley and Dr. the oldest in a big family and the first itself well to those values because of the Rob Ramseyer, the athletic director, to attend college. The fact that it’s a sheer amount of group work we do.” expect engineering will continue to be a Christian college mattered a lot to the “There are a lot more football players draw for student-athletes. young man active in church. Acosta’s who want to be engineers,” Witzansky “It’s a unique offering for a small campus visit and what he heard from said. “Being an NAIA school, it might be school like Friends,” said Dr. Ramseyer. coaches sealed the deal. As did the one of our greatest recruiting tools.” SPRING 2020 | 7 FOCUS | FEATURE For freshmen cross- country student- athletes Caroline Giles and Josiah Bolton, a new opportunity to continue and grow their involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes convinced them to attend Friends University. Josiah Bolton Caroline Giles 8 | FRIENDS UNIVERSITY Last fall, Giles and Bolton were awarded Friends-FCA partnership the first internships in a pilot program would serve as a model between Friends University and FCA. for similar FCA internships By teaming up to create the Friends- programs at other universities.” FCA scholarship internship program, “We’re pleased to have a both organizations are furthering their dynamic and important athletic respective missions, while the interns partnership with the Fellowship are allowed to grow their faith, develop of Christian Athletes,” said leadership skills and be of service to Friends University President Amy Bragg refine philosophical ideas, Townsend others and the community.