Wichita & KC: Classes and work will be remote tomorrow Monday, Jan. 6 due to weather. Family Therapy intensives will continue online tomorrow

The art department opened in September with Miss Ruth Sturgeon instructing in crayon, watercolor, pastel, oil, china painting, and decorative work.

A year after the pandemic’s surge, the university hosted in-person music and theatrical performances once again.

Alan Irwin replaced Roy Campbell as department head. Described as a “jolly little round man with a great love for opera,” Irwin led the Singing Quakers through seven years of opera performances that included elaborate staging, lighting effects, and costumes.

In 1959, the beloved Singing Quakers conductor, Fred Mayer, announced his resignation. To express appreciation for the director’s commitment to excellence, the alumni association honored Mayer by making him the first honorary alumnus.

The Singing Quakers performed Handel’s “Messiah” alongside the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

In March 2024, the Singing quakers were the featured chorus and soloist with the Wichita Grand Opera, directed by guest conductor Dr. Rayvon T.J. Moore in a performance of Fauré Requiem.

The university invested $2,000 in Alumni Auditorium, adding ten custom-designed stained glass windows and a large rose window at the west end.

Kansas Public Television televised the annual Christmas Candlelight Concerts in December. A collection of ensembles including Friends University Singing Quakers, bands, orchestra and student dancers performed.

Irwin started producing annual holiday concerts. The first concert was a collaborative effort between the Singing Quakers and Wichita’s First Presbyterian Church Choir. The 130-member chorus and five soloists performed sections of J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

Alum and former Singing Quakers student president, Cecil J. Riney assumed the position as the head of the Friends University School of Music, taking over the duties as the director of the Singing Quakers.