There is much to celebrate at Friends University as Dr. Amy Bragg Carey completes her first year as president. The University implemented a Revitalization and Growth Plan shortly after Dr. Carey arrived last summer.
“Good things have been happening at Friends during the last year, and it’s due to the hard work and dedication of everyone on campus,” Dr. Carey said. “We have made great strides in strengthening the University’s mission and enhancing our academic programs, student and career services, and enrollment management. The progress has been remarkable.”
Some of the more noteworthy accomplishments include:
Affirmation of mission
- Friends University reaffirmed its mission as a faith-based Christian university dedicated to its founders’ desire to include the Quaker values of inclusion, pursuit of truth, grace and love of God and people.
New and re-focused academic programs
- Two new master’s degree programs were approved to begin this fall, including:
- The first cyber security program in Wichita that meets a growing need to defend critical information infrastructure of businesses, government and the military.
- A special education program that is the most innovative in the state and responds to the increasing need for special education teachers. The program allows licensed teachers to earn their special education licensure within one year.
- The University is also planning to launch a new master’s degree in Spiritual Formation in the fall under the direction of Friends University’s Dr. James Bryan Smith. A national leader in Spiritual Formation, he serves as associate professor of religion and executive director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends. He is also the author of the Good and Beautiful book series.
- The Spanish bachelor’s degree program has been retooled to focus on translation and interpretation, giving it a unique focus compared to other programs in the state.
- Some programs have recently ranked highly in the nation, such as the Master in Health Care Leadership (No. 22 by onlinecolleges.net and No. 30 by healthcareadministrator.org) and the MBA with a supply chain concentration (No. 3 most affordable online master’s degree in Supply Chain or Operations Management by BestCollegeValues.com).
Enhanced student services
- The University has placed an emphasis on creating a new program “Pathway to Profession” and enhancing career services for all current students.
- Improvements to student housing options have made facilities more attractive and allow students to lower their housing costs. Friends University’s student housing was ranked No. 1 in the state of Kansas based on student satisfaction and continues to be among the most affordable housing in the state.
- The University also implemented several “green” initiatives that are popular with students, including the installation of solar panels on Edmund Stanley Library this spring.
Enrollment
- Friends partnered with many Kansas community colleges to establish articulation agreements that make it easier for community college students to transfer. This work resulted in Friends University being one of 40 institutions nationwide named to the Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll.
- The University also earned a ranking at No. 44 in LendEDU’s 2016 College Risk-Reward Indicator and was the only Kansas university listed in the top 250. This indicator ranks institutions in terms of average student loan debt (risk) and average early career salary (reward), showing that Friends University graduates typically earn a good salary soon after graduation.
- Some first-impression improvements have been made to provide a welcoming environment for prospective students, including special parking for Admissions visitors, better signage for the Admissions Office, and the addition of new banners and historical photos in the Davis Administration Building.
Athletics
- Women’s golf and competitive cheer were added to the athletic roster and will begin competing this fall, and a new pep band will play at many athletic games.
- The Friends University Falcons claimed the top Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) spot in the 2015-16 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings at the national level (finishing in 50th place). Teams competing at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championship events included women’s cross country, women’s basketball, women’s indoor track and field, men’s indoor track and field, softball, women’s outdoor track and field, and men’s outdoor track and field.
- The Falcons also won the highly coveted KCAC Commissioner’s Cup for the second year in a row. Among the teams that placed first in the KCAC conference were women’s cross country, women’s indoor track and field, men’s indoor track and field, softball, women’s outdoor track and field, and men’s outdoor track and field.
Friends University, a Christian university of Quaker heritage, equips students to honor God and serve others by integrating their intellectual, spiritual and professional lives.