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Enclosed is your class newsletter MAT • Spring 2011
Friends University Issue 32 Spring 2011
Campus Connection
MAT
From Your Class Agent Laura McLemore drhalfpint@yahoo.com
Greetings Friends! “Upon a sunny Kansas plain Our college towers rise high…” Since its beginning as Garfield University in 1890, the tower of the Davis Administration Building has risen above the skyline of Wichita. However, it has never looked as beautiful as it does now. In July 2009, as you may know, the west side of Wichita was hit by a vicious hailstorm. The Friends’ campus took a major beating in this storm and the slate roof of Davis was especially hard hit. It has taken almost a year but the roof and clock tower are now repaired. The week before Christmas, the lights on our beloved clock tower were turned back on and it now once again shines above the western skyline of Wichita. I noticed the tower as I drove west on Kellogg the week before Christmas. I was amazed at its beauty but more than that, I was proud of my alma mater. When I first attended Friends in 1979, they had just moved beyond the brink of closing due to low enrollment and lack of funds. In the past 30 years, Friends has become the leader in graduate and adult education. The undergraduate program continues to flourish as evidenced by the new student housing on campus and ever-increasing enrollment. Many liberal arts colleges across the country are suffering during these difficult economic times but Friends is holding strong. Yes, I am proud of my alma mater.
On a completely different note, I am a “Facebooker,” if there is such a word. It is fun to reconnect with old friends and classmates. I have especially enjoyed reconnecting with my old friend and former Friends education instructor, Marti Watson Garlett. Marti and her husband Fred are living in California. Their son Kyle just competed in an Iron Man competition in Hawaii— an amazing accomplishment for him. In Other University News... Friends named four finalists in its search to replace long-time president, Dr. Biff Green, who will retire June 30, 2011. The candidates were selected from an original pool of more than 70 applicants. The finalists are as follows: • • • •
Dr. Deneese Jones Dr. Tom Keon Dr. TJ Arant Dr. Willam Berry
The Board of Trustees will make its final selection this spring, and the new leader of Friends University will start July 1. In closing, may this winter and spring be kind to you. Be sure to send me your news at drhalfpint@yahoo.com.
Laura McLemore, G’83/M’89