Academics Archives - Page 12 of 21

Posted On: July 23, 2018
By: MC Admin

The Chronicle Names McPherson College to 2018 ‘Great College to Work For’ Honor Roll for the 3rd year in a row.

McPherson College is a great place to work and it’s been confirmed by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The 11^th annual report on The Academic Workplace named McPherson College to its “Great Colleges to Work For” for the fourth year in a row and to its Honor Roll for the third year in a row.

The Honor Roll is an elite group of institutions that are standouts within their respective enrollment sizes. McPherson College was the only Kansas college to make the Honor Roll list and the only Kansas college included on the report.

“All of us work very hard to make McPherson College a great college, and it’s exciting to be recognized again this year by one of the country’s leaders in higher education,” McPherson College President Michael Schneider said. “The fact that we’ve earned this distinction four years running – and three times been named to the Honor Roll – speaks volumes about the strong, collaborative relationships among our faculty, staff, and administration.”

President Schneider points to programs like the Horizon Faculty Fellow that encourages entrepreneurial faculty, the college’s health insurance plan that has not had a premium increase for several years, and annual pay raises, as reasons why people like working for McPherson College.

“I like that the college gives faculty freedom to design our own courses. I think we’re better teachers because we can find our own way to teach our subject,” Dr. Kim Stanley, professor and chair of modern language at McPherson College, said. “That freedom helps us to reveal our passion for our subject, so students can better connect with us and with what they’re learning.”

While this is the college’s third year on the Honor Roll, it is the college’s fourth year overall to be named to the Great Colleges to Work For list. This year, it was one of only five institutions nationwide to earn top honors in 11 or more of the report’s 12 categories, which include areas like compensation and benefits along with work and life balance.

“One of the things that attracted me to McPherson College was the fact that they were listed on the Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll,” Khalilah Doss, vice president of student life, said. Dr. Doss oversees student experience and started working at the college prior to the fall of 2018.

“Our campus truly values the importance of faculty and staff having a healthy balance between work and home. This level of harmony is critical to my success as an employee as it allows me to do a job I love while being able to be present for my family. One of the most amazing feelings to ever have is showing up to a space that makes you feel welcomed, supported, valued and wanted. The McPherson College leadership has figured out how to create this environment for all staff and faculty.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education – one of the nation’s top trade publications for colleges and universities – surveyed 253 two-year and four-year institutions nationwide. Only 84 institutions were selected for the Great Colleges to Work For list, and only 10 of those made the Honor Roll in the small-college category.

“Making the Honor Roll for the past three years is a great accomplishment,” Brenda Stocklin-Smith, director of human resources, said. “The quality of our pool of applicants has improved, which is a direct result of being named to this prestigious list. Many of those who now apply tell me they knew of McPherson College because of this recognition.”

McPherson College was also singled out in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s special issue on the workplace in an article that focused on creating community. In the article, McPherson College was cited for its monthly campus “huddle,” which replicates a town hall meeting, and for its Campus Communicator, a weekly newsletter for faculty and staff.

“We’re all working toward the same goal—to provide a life-changing educational experience for our students—and are given a great deal of autonomy on that journey,” Ben Coffey, associate dean of students, said. “It helps that we’ve got some pretty great people here, so our colleagues become a family.”

Community is central to McPherson College’s identity, according to President Schneider. “As our college community continues to work through the challenges of an intense yet innovative strategic plan, Community by Design 2021, faculty and staff are actively implementing our plans. Community by Design drove decision making and much of the work we did over the last year. In addition, we did all of it while balancing our operating budget and maintaining our overall student retention. By working together, these plans will nurture the creative processes to sustain innovative academic ventures that will shape the future of our residential campus community.”

Great Colleges to Work For is one of the largest and most comprehensive workplace studies in higher education. For more information and to view the survey results, visit The Chronicle’s website at: https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/greatcolleges18.

Posted On: June 26, 2018
By: Tina Goodwin

McPherson College is featured in an article appearing in Automobile Magazine touting the college’s four-year bachelor degree in automotive restoration, the only degree of its kind in the nation. The article, “Cradle of the Restoration Craft,” is featured in the magazine’s online version now and will be included in its August print edition.

“It’s always great to be recognized on a national level,” Amanda Gutierrez, vice president of Automotive Restoration, said. “This article not only validates what we do in terms of automotive restoration, but also what we do in terms of a liberal arts education and its value to all of our graduates.”

While on campus, the magazine, interviewed several students and faculty members and photographed several aspects of the program. The article states, “an increasing number of these future artisans come from a small liberal arts college…and many of them are eagerly snapped up by some the country’s finest restoration shops.”

Among the 2018 McPherson College graduates, 88 percent who were employed, had jobs in their major prior to commencement, 96 percent of automotive restoration students had jobs in their field, and 64 percent of all MC graduates reported having a job or graduate school plans prior to commencement, compared to a national average of 21 percent.

(Photography by William Walker for Automobile Magazine)

Posted On: June 20, 2018
By: MC Admin

Transformational is the word Dustin Wilgers, associate professor of biology at McPherson College, uses to describe the travel experience class he led to Ecuador this spring to study issues of the Amazon rainforest. The nine-day trip took Professor Wilgers, three students, and one guest deep into the Amazon rainforest where they met with people from four different indigenous tribes to learn how globalization, particularly oil exploration, has changed their culture.

“The goal of the trip was to understand how industry affects other people,” Wilgers said. “We literally followed a giant oil pipeline along the road that took us to the rainforest. It was a constant reminder of why we were there.”

Students taking the class and traveling with Wilgers included Morgan Abbott and Nathen Jones, environmental stewardship majors. Jaden Hilgers, winner of the McPherson College Global Enterprise Challenge, earned a spot on the trip after his proposal was selected by the New Community Project, the organization that coordinated the learning tour. Hilgers’ project will use photos, video and branding to give voice to the marginalized people of the Ecuadorian rainforest for the New Community Project.

After arriving in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, the travel group road a bus over the Andes Mountains and then took a motorized boat through the Cuyabeno Wildlife Preserve and into the rainforest. They slept in tents for several nights during their trip and were without phone service and only limited electricity daily. They hiked into five different communities and were able to meet with the shamans in each one.

“The shaman is the leader of each community and would perform protective rituals over us,” Wilgers said. “We visited with them about how they lived and heard an over-arching theme that oil was not welcome. They communicated that the connection to a monetary system was moving them away from the life style they had known for hundreds of years.”

Wilgers said many of the shamans were concerned that younger generations of their community were not interested in learning about the traditional ways of their culture and fear that their knowledge and information of nature and culture is at risk of being lost.

“I think one of the most interesting parts of the experience was the complicated relationship between oil and outside influences with traditional culture and conservation,” Jaden Hilgers said. “Oil companies would initially offer jobs and communities to local people but often at the expense of their way of life and conservation efforts.”

The travel experience class focus was to study the effects of globalization; however, there was no escaping the beauty, wonder, and richness of the rainforest. And although they had all seen photographs of it, Professor Wilgers said the rainforest was much more diverse than he ever expected and found it difficult to take it all in.

“It was impossible to process,” Wilgers said. “You could stand in a single spot and see thirty different species of trees. The rainforest is so dense it was really hard to spot animals. You really had to look hard to see the wildlife. It was impossible to see everything.”

One of the highlights of the trip for Hilgers was photographing the Cascada Magica waterfall early on the trip. Taking in the spectacular view, Hilgers said he realized the Amazon is an amazing place.

“As I took in the sights and sounds of the Amazon, I also tried to capture as much of it as possible in photos and video to provide to the New Community Project and promote not only conservation in Ecuador, but also this learning experience,” Hilgers said. “Fortunately, there were plenty of opportunities to capture the tremendous beauty of the landscape as well as the lives of the people who live there.”

This was the first international travel class for Professor Wilgers, but he hopes it will not be the last. He would like to make the trip to Ecuador a regular course offering and is looking at other learning tour opportunities to add in the future.

McPherson College students had the opportunity to experience different cultures and environments that spanned the globe during the 2018 academic year. In January, students traveled with Herb Smith, professor of philosophy and religion, to Rwanda; with Matthew Porter, assistant professor of business, for a business focused trip to Australia; and with Rick Tyler, professor of speech and theatre, for a theatre trip to New York City. Individual students also spent semesters abroad in London and in Germany.

Posted On: June 9, 2018
By: MC Admin

An article and photographs by a McPherson College student were recently featured by a national publication in its online magazine. Automobile Magazine, part of the MotorTrend publication group, published the work of Charles Hoehaver, a current student at the college.

During a visit to campus by one of the magazine’s contributing editors, Hoehaver was asked to cover the annual student-organized car show. The result was the article titled, “Nine Cool Cars from the 2018 McPherson College CARS Club Motoring Festival,” along with several photographs. Hoehaver of Auburn, Alabama, is majoring in automotive communications.

“Opening doors to high profile learning experiences outside of the classroom is an opportunity for many McPherson College students,” President Michael Schneider said. “And, many of these experiences result in employment opportunities when these students graduate.”

Among the 2018 McPherson College graduates, 88 percent who were employed, had jobs in their major prior to commencement and 64 percent reported having a job or graduate school plans prior to commencement, compared to a national average of 21 percent.

Posted On: June 5, 2018
By: MC Admin

McPherson College recognizes its highest academic achievers in the spring 2018 Honor Roll and Honorable Mention. To qualify for the Honor Roll, students must be a full-time student and earn a grade point average of 3.55 or higher during the previous term. Students earning a grade point average from 3.25 to 3.54 are named to the Honorable Mention Roll.

Students named to the McPherson College Honor Roll for spring 2018 include:

Francis Abate, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Morgan Abbott, Fr., Decatur, Texas
Nicole Abunaja, Fr., Phoenix, Arizona
Kento Aizawa, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Zackary Alexander, Soph., McPherson, Kansas
Cori Alexander, Fr., Roanoke, Texas
Esther Tibaidjuka Amuli, transfer, Kinshasa, Congo
Ane Archuleta, Sr., Sacramento, California
Shelby Augustine, Sr., Hutchinson, Kansas
Aziza Aziza, Fr., Kinshasa, Congo
Aaron Bachura, Sr., Wilsey, Kansas
Destiny Bacon, Fr., La Mesa, California
Reganne Barker, Soph., Tipton, Kansas
Walter Behrens, Fr., Crested Butte, Colorado
Anthony Bernal, Fr., McKinney, Texas
Davis Bint, Jr., Glendora, California
Diamond Blaylock-Norris, Soph., Flower Mound, Texas
Julien Bodin, Fr., Cartagena, Spain
Kevin Boeckman, Fr., Wamego, Kansas
Zoe Bouwmeester , Jr., Zutphen, The Netherlands
Kody Bowden, Sr., Wichita, Kansas
Reven Bradbury, Fr., Castle Rock, Colorado
Riley Bradbury, Fr., Castle Rock, Colorado
Victoria Broers, Sr., Ottawa, Kansas
Jonathan Bubnis, Sr., Del Ran, New Jersey
Ashley Burch, Jr., Pittsburg, Kansas
Rola Bwalya, Jr., Hoisington, Kansas
Robert Calkins, Jr., Rowlett, Texas
Kellan Callahan, Fr., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Bradley Campbell, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Ian Canevari, Sr., Valencia, California
Hector Carrillo, Sr., Sant Joan Despi, Spain
Naomi Cartmell, Soph., McPherson, Kansas
Calvin Cassida, Soph., Louisburg, Kansas
Nicholas Chappetta, Sr., Sunnyvale, Texas
Nicole Cheek, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Brittany Childs, Jr., Junction City, Kansas
Justin Cochran, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Chelsea Conrad, Jr., Ione, California
Daan Coppelmans, Fr., Waalre, The Netherlands
Haven Cordova, Sr., Enid, Oklahoma
Timothy Cowan, Soph., Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Emma Critz, Sr., Woodstock, Virginia
Taylor Cunningham, Soph., Wellsville, Kansas
Rashida Davis, Soph., Liberal, Kansas
Dominic DeLuca, Sr., Hutchinson, Kansas
Tyler Depperschmidt, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Jonathan Dominguez, Sr., Salina, Kansas
Austin Dowler, Sr., Mashpee, Massachusetts
Samantha Dowler, Sr., Plymouth, Massachusetts
Taylor Dreiling, Sr., Ness City, Kansas
Nicholas Eggleston, Sr., Westfield, Wisconsin
Taylor Ellison, Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma
Greggory Elvin, Jr., Marquette, Kansas
Erik Espinoza, Jr., San Ysidro, California
Cain Fowles, Soph., Solomon, Kansas
Erin Fralick, Jr., New Palestine, Indiana
Jesse Freeman, Sr., Castle Rock, Colorado
Lori Friesen, Sr., Lindsborg, Kansas
Lacy Fry, Sr., Severance, Colorado
Rinaldo Gagiano, Soph., Sydney, Australia
Alejandra Galindo, Sr., Roma, Texas
Micah Gilbert, Jr., Elkhart, Indiana
Elle Gillen, Soph., Castle Rock, Colorado
Cali Godwin, Soph., Wichita, Kansas
Emerson Goering, Fr., McPherson, Kansas
Cullen Grabast, Soph., Osborne, Kansas
Ana Guerrero, Sr., Graton, California
Alicia Hall, Soph., Aurora, Colorado
Brittni Harlow, Jr., Lincoln, Kansas
Heather Haxton, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Alexander Heikamp, Sr., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Kaitlyn Heinis, Jr., Oviedo, Florida
Jaden Hilgers, Sr., Wichita, Kansas
Joshua Hoerner, Fr., Lindsborg, Kansas
Madison Hoffman, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Aubrey Hollinger, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Andreas Huber, Fr., Forstinning Bayern, Germany
Cara Hudson, Jr., Wasco, California
Florine Ibale, Fr., Kinshasa, Congo
Lionel Ibonga, Soph., McPherson, Kansas
Navid Istanbullu, Fr., Bremen, Germany
Jennifer Jacobitz, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Ashley Jensen, Jr., Indianola, Indiana
Juan Jimenez, Jr., Pereira, Colombia
Destiny Johnson, Fr., Arlington, Texas
Jessica Jones, Soph., Brentwood, California
Andrea Kadeba, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Yann Kadeba, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Danielle Kakebeen, Sr., Alta Loma, California
Sebia Kalambayi Kabedi, Soph., Lake Bluff, Illinois
Thara Kalambayi Kapinga, Soph., Lake Bluff, Illinois
Choucranie Kayembe, Fr., Lubumbashi Haut Katanga, Congo
Kendahl Kelly, Sr., Svendborg, Denmark
Christopher Kelly, Sr., Glasgow, United Kingdom
Jessica Knoeber, Jr., Hutchinson, Kansas
Justus Clemens Kohler, Fr., Prosselsheim, Germany
Timothy Kortebein, Sr., St Joseph, Missouri
Rhiannon Kuhn, Sr., Windsor, Colorado
Lance Lagasse, Fr., New Sweden, Maine
Ahmed Lahlou, Sr., Casablanca, Morocco
Jessica Lane, Jr., Weatherford, Texas
Nicholas Lechner, Sr., Wichita, Kansas
Cierra Lee, Soph., Goodyear, Arizona
James Lee, Fr., Royston, United Kingdom
Alexander Lehn, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Morgan Little, Sr., Henderson, Nevada
Amanda Lolling, Sr., Haysville, Kansas
Andre Guillaume Lubaya, Fr., Young America, Zaire
Esther Lubiba, Fr., Kinshasa, Congo
Lual Magot, Soph., Tucson, Arizona
Amy Makovec, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Kylee Martin, Jr., Larned, Kansas
Aventino Martinez-Garcia, Fr., Wichita, Kansas
Brent Masters, Soph., Howe, Texas
Tabitha Maumau, Fr., Aurora, Colorado
Arzell McCray, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Aaron McCready, Fr., Raphoe, Ireland
Morgan McIntosh, Sr., Great Bend, Kansas
Ellie McKinney, Jr., Newton, Kansas
Nathaniel McLaughlin, Soph., Ticonderoga, New York
Gerardo Mendez, Soph., Wichita, Kansas
Matthew Tyler Miller-Wells, Jr., Leavenworth, Kansas
Maressah Milum, Sr., Douglass, Kansas
Abigayle Morgan, Jr., Lansing, Illinois
Peyton Morris, Fr., Burleson, Texas
Ivanna Moyer, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Ilanna Moyer, Soph., McPherson, Kansas
Joyce Muhizi, Soph., Dacula, Georgia
Billy Muhizi, Soph., Dacula, Georgia
Juliana Munoz, Jr., Antelope, California
Whitney Murray, Sr., Kansas City, Kansas
Nicholas Navarro, Soph., Paramus, New Jersey
Samantha Nelson, Jr., Clearfield, Utah
Olga Perside Ntumba, Fr., Kinshasa-Ngaliema, Congo
Matthew Nutting, Fr., Foxboro, Massachusetts
Lillian Oeding, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Julianna Olvera, Jr., Bakersfield, California
Kaonnye Opazo, Sr., Lancaster, California
Garrett Owen, Jr., Woodward, Oklahoma
Louis Parker, Sr., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Katherina Paulson, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Tina Payne, Jr., Limon, Colorado
Taylor Perez, Fr., Tulsa, Oklahoma
David Phillips, Sr., La Grange Park, Illinois
Julia Pierce, Fr., Newton, Kansas
Alexander Polakow, Fr., Glenview, Illinois
Mason Polston, Sr., Emporia, Kansas
Kristin Potter, Soph., Houston, Texas
Brooke Racette, Jr., Hutchinson, Kansas
Grant Raleigh, Sr., Hesston, Kansas
Dominick Ramos, Sr., Fresno, California
Philip Reinhardt, Jr., Tenants Harbor, Maine
Bailey Reinoehl, Sr., Olathe, Kansas
Roberto Reyes, Sr., St. John, Kansas
Peyton Reynolds, Soph., Adrian, Missouri
Ian Rhoten, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Rianne Richard, Jr., Kechi, Kansas
Cami Richardson, Soph., Hesston, Kansas
Dylan Riley, Soph., Lake Ozark, Missouri
Valerie Romero, Sr., Lakewood, California
Juan Salmeron Rattana, Soph., Dodge City, Kansas
Logan Schrag, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Justen Schroeder, Fr., Newton, Kansas
Jacob Scruggs, Jr., Pearland, Texas
Morgan Sechler, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Amber Shuey, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Jamie Siess, Jr., Tecumseh, Kansas
Christie Silber, Fr., Simi Valley, California
Tomi Simmons, Fr., Las Vegas, Nevada
Rhianna Smith, Sr., Lindsborg, Kansas
Zadie Smith, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Alison Smith, Soph., Lockeford, California
Bryce Snodgrass, Soph., Peyton, Colorado
Luke Snyder, Soph., New Cambria, Kansas
McKenzie Stalnaker, Soph., Wichita, Kansas
Winston, Stauffer, Sr., Southampton, Pennsylvania
Stevie Stockham, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Cheyenne Stout, Fr., Kempner, Texas
Bryce Strecker, Sr., Hutchinson, Kansas
William Strickler, Sr., Manakin Sabot, Virginia
Hunter Sury, Jr., Katy, Texas
Lane Sutterby, Sr., Savonburg, Kansas
Chantelle Theron, Sr., Randburg, South Africa
Cortney Toothaker, Sr., Dodge City, Kansas
Juan Torres, Sr., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Ashley Unruh, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Italia Venegas, Soph., Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Joshua Wade, Fr., Olathe, Kansas
Erik Wallace, Sr., Richwood, Ohio
Micah Waugh, Sr., Lindsborg, Kansas
Myriah Webster, Soph., Lindsborg, Kansas
Courtney Weesner, Soph., Hutchinson, Kansas
Adam Whalen, Sr., Spring Valley, Ohio
Madison Whaley, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Shaelah White, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Dalton Whitfield, Sr., Cleveland, Georgia
Elizabeth Williams, Soph., Miami Beach, Florida
Evan Willow, Sr., Victoria, Canada
Parkes Wolters, Jr., Osborne, Kansas
Logan Worswick, Jr., Garland, Texas
Julianna Yanez, Fr., Wichita, Kansas

Students named to the McPherson College Honorable Mention for spring 2018 include:

Samuel Arant, Jr., Liberty, Missouri
Brevin Baessler, Jr., Gilbert, Arizona
Olivia Baldner, Jr., Johnston, Iowa
Brittany Baroni, Soph., Galt, California
Treighton Bender, Jr., Abilene, Kansas
Julia Berger, Jr., Arlington, Virginia
Shelby Bonn, Fr., Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Luke Borton, Soph., Independence, Kansas
Trey Brand, Soph., Maize, Kansas
Alex Burger, Soph., Sedan, Kansas
Jorge Calleros, Fr., St. John, Kansas
Diego Cantu, Sr., Roma, Texas
Garrett Carroll, Soph., Conroe, Texas
Christian Casados, Fr., Flagstaff, Arizona
Chloe Cloud, Sr., Wichita, Kansas
Amanda Cochran, Fr., Wichita, Kansas
Brooklyn Coe, Sr., Corvallis, Oregon
Amanda Connell, Sr., Wichita, Kansas
Garrett Connor, Soph., Littleton, Colorado
Jordynn Corea, Soph., Amarillo, Texas
Deiah Curtis, Sr., Great Bend, Kansas
Puneet Dave, Sr., Sharjah, United Arab Emerates
Payten Davies, Jr., West Jordan, Utah
Matthew DeVoe, Soph., Chanute, Kansas
Scott Dowell, Fr., Ottawa, Canada
Tyler Dunn, Fr., Lawton, Oklahoma
Benjamin Falconer, Soph., Greeley, Colorado
Dylan Fontenot, Sr., Carencro, Louisiana
Rachel Foreman, Jr., Holcomb, Kansas
Jerod Fuller, Jr., Polk City, Florida
Victoria Gonzalez, Soph., Keller, Texas
Michael Groll, Fr., Kettering, Ohio
Nora Grosbach, Sr., Evergreen, Colorado
Samuel Harris, Sr., Bentonville, Arkansas
Curren Harris, Jr., Hiwassee, Virginia
Daniel Hartman, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Amari Heisser, Soph., Palmdale, California
Seamus Hnat, Sr., Toledo, Ohio
Danielle Holt, Soph., Glenpool, Oklahoma
Christopher Hughes, Sr., Eugene, Oregon
Abigail Jantz-Allison, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Lucas Jez, Jr., Westfield, Massachusetts
Anthony Johnson, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Codi-Lane Jones, Soph., Salina, Kansas
Daniel Journey, Soph., Olathe, Kansas
Neville Kabangu, Fr., Kinshasa, Congo
Gracia Kasereka, Fr., Commune De Selembao, Congo
Samuel Kayembe, Fr., Kinshasa, Congo
Tatelyn Lasley, Soph., Springfield, Colorado
Jacob Latta, Fr., Washington, Kansas
Mitchell Ludinich, Fr., Braggs, Oklahoma
Timothy Lydon, Sr., Taylorsville, California
Kyle MacKinnon, Sr., McPherson, Kansas
Neema Matabaro, Fr., Saint Louis, Missouri
Paige Milem, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Killian Millner, Jr., Abilene, Kansas
Myron Moncur, Jr., San Jose, California
Jadah Moore, Fr., Moundridge, Kansas
Karl Moritz, Sr., Columbia, Pennsylvania
Grant Munsen, Soph., Manhattan, Kansas
LeaAnn Myers, Jr., Loveland, Colorado
Jeffrey Oxford, Fr., Claremore, Oklahoma
Allison Penalva, Fr., Oakton, Virginia
Taylor Precht, Jr., Longmont, Colorado
Aysia Pryor, Jr., Wichita, Kansas
Alexander Ramsier, Jr., Wooster, Ohio
Kendryk Rankin, Soph., Fountain, Colorado
Luke Robichaud, Sr., Concord, Massachusetts
Megan Rockey, Sr., Robinson, Kansas
Rachel Rodriguez-Cluff, Fr., Wichita, Kansas
Kaleb Rogers, Jr., Falun, Kansas
Gregory Roller, Sr., Topeka, Kansas
Brooke Russell, Jr., Hays, Kansas
Dejalynn Saili, Fr., Meriden, Kansas
Judith Salazar, Sr., Santa Maria, California
Rachel Salazar, Jr., Bel Aire, Kansas
Myles Sample, Soph., Mont Belvieu, Texas
Eilish Samuelson, Jr., Hutchinson, Kansas
Jacob San Martin, Sr., Perris, California
Leia Seiler, Jr., Brighton, Colorado
Ryan Swiggart, Soph., Haysville, Kansas
Brett Sykes, Soph., Coldspring, Texas
David Tanner, Sr., Charlotte, North Carolina
Jacob Tiernan, Jr., Abilene, Kansas
Kimberly Trice, Jr., Oakley, California
Grant Tuttle, Sr., Lewiston, Nebraska
Kaitlynn Usdansky, Jr., Olathe, Kansas
Jay Wagner, Sr., Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hannah Wedel, Sr., Halstead, Kansas
Albert Wegener, Soph., Kansas City, Missouri
Sierra Werries, Jr., McPherson, Kansas
Sonerka White, Jr., Houston, Texas
Chelsie Whittier, Sr., Lyons, Kansas
Cordell Wingerd, Soph., Bettendorf, Iowa
Brandt Wolters, Sr., Portis, Kansas
Ellis Woodruff, Fr., Princeton, Texas
Isabella Zacchia, Jr., Lakeland, Florida
Brittany Zipf, Soph., Rockhampton, Australia

Posted On: May 31, 2018
By: MC Admin

McPherson College’s newest coach is looking forward to leading a team that will be highly involved on campus. At a college where participation is part of its mission, Josh Nichols, the new head women’s basketball coach, hopes his team will set an example.

“I want my team to get as involved in campus as possible,” he said. “And, not just by going to other athletic events. There’s not a better place to do that than at a school like McPherson College where there are so many things going on, from music, art, and theatre, to car shows.”

Nichols said he had the opportunity as a student to get involved in activities outside of his comfort zone and believes that students might never know what they enjoy until they get a chance to experience it.

“Part of the goals for my team will be personal growth, not just as a player, but as a whole person,” he said. “I think at a smaller college where everybody is so supportive you get an opportunity to do that and I am excited to be a part of it. I’m also excited to be part of a college that offers students an opportunity to attend with competitive scholarships for both athletes and non-athletes.”

Nichols comes to McPherson after three seasons as Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director for Native American Recruiting at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he has directed the Warriors to 36 wins and three straight Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) postseason berths. The 2017-2018 team went 16-14 overall for the program’s first winning season since 2010. Under his guidance, six players received All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors. Nichols’ teams were also successful in the classroom, maintaining a team GPA over 3.0 the last three years, while two individuals earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.

He is looking forward to continuing his coaching success at McPherson College and about competing in the KCAC. “I’m exciting about being part of the success that the women’s team had before I got here,” he said. “The cupboard is not bare. There is a lot of talent on this team. Our goal will be to finish in the top half of our conference.”

A native of Blackwell, Oklahoma, and a member of the Chickasaw Nation, Nichols served as athletic director for the Oklahoma Indian All-State Basketball Game from 2011 to 2015 and helped found the Oklahoma Native All-State Association in 2016. He earned a Bachelor of Science in history and social science with a minor in psychology from Oklahoma Wesleyan in 2003 and a Master of Liberal Arts with a concentration in history from Baker University in 2005.

While serving as assistant director for Native American recruiting at Bacone, Nichols looked for pockets of under-recruited Native American students across the country and offered them opportunities to further their education at college.

Nichols and his wife DeAnn have two children – Luke and Katie.

Posted On: May 22, 2018
By: MC Admin

With wise words delivered from a long-time faculty member, McPherson College conferred bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees on 125 seniors in its 130^th Commencement Ceremony, Sunday, May 21, 2018.

Dr. Rick Tyler, professor and chair of the performing arts department, who retires this year after 41 years at McPherson College, delivered the commencement address. Knowing a little something about commencements, after attending the very first one held in Brown Auditorium at the age 8, Dr. Tyler said despite their age difference, he and the members of the graduating class of 2018 were both starting out on new paths in their lives.

He drew his words of advice to the students from a quote by Maya Angelou that says, “If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present…gratefully.”

Dr. Tyler spoke to the students about finding out what they are good at and getting better at it and not to forget there is life outside of work.

“Appreciate being present gratefully and be thankful to those who have helped you get this far,” he said. “As you experience the rest of today do so with the same anticipation as that eight-year-old boy in back of this auditorium who so much just wanted to be on this stage, because he got so much more than he dreamed of. I have the same hope for you today that you get so much more than you ever dreamed possible.”

Whitney Murray, senior class representative, also spoke to the graduating class. She shared her experience studying abroad in Spain while attending McPherson College and encouraged students to “embrace change” and find opportunities to learn more about themselves.

A bachelor of science degree was also given posthumously to Braden Lee Bush, who would have graduated on Sunday. Bush was a member of the football team and passed away on June 16, 2017. A moment of silence was recognized in his honor.

The commencement ceremony concluded with Dr. Michael Schneider, president of McPherson College, reminding the students of words he shared with them as freshmen – show up, and ask for help. He added one more piece of advice before sending them out.

“Use your education to take risks. There is a world full of people who will tell you no,” he said. “Put yourself out there and remember that McPherson College told you yes.”

Names of the graduating class of 2018, the commencement video, and photos of the day can be found at: www.mcpherson.edu/graduation.

Posted On: May 3, 2018
By: MC Admin

For the third year in a row the McPherson College Visual Arts Department has brought home the first place award for overall graphic design portfolio from the Wichita AIGA Student Portfolio Forum.

AIGA is the professional association for graphic design and is the largest membership organization promoting the advancement of design. The Wichita AIGA chapter hosts the annual competition where college students have their design portfolios reviewed by professionals in the industry and get an opportunity to network and participate in competition with students from other schools. This year’s event was on April 21.

“There was great student portfolio work represented by all the competing schools this year,” said Dee Erway-Sherwood, professor and program director of graphic design, said. “We are very proud of the work showcased by our participating majors.”

In addition, McPherson College also brought home a second place award, for the second year in a row along with other honors. Students receiving awards for their work include:

Chloe Cloud, senior, Wichita, Kansas, first place, overall portfolio
Killian Milner, junior, Abilene, Kansas, second place, overall portfolio
Micah Gilbert, sophomore, Elkhart, Indiana – Best Photography
Jaden Hilgers, senior, Wichita – Best Packaging

Posted On: March 30, 2018
By: MC Admin

McPherson College’s commitment to developing graduates who are career focused and life ready can be seen in businesses, schools and organizations throughout McPherson County. Students with an entrepreneurial mindset like Jose Angulo ’17 can be found living and working in McPherson.

When you ask Angulo what it takes to turn a part-time assembly line job into a management internship that leads to a full-time management position after graduation, he will say, “you just have to put in the time.”

It may sound easy enough, but for this McPherson College business department graduate, “putting in the time” meant many hours at work, in the classroom, and pushing himself to step outside of his comfort zone.

He started working his first year in McPherson for the CertainTeed Corporation, a manufacturer of internal and external building projects including molded vinyl housing siding. His assembly line job helped him pay for his college expenses and the salary enticed him to volunteer for extra shifts and work for others needing time off.

“This job was paying for me to stay at college,” he said. “I felt like I needed to be committed fully to it. I probably missed out on a lot of fun at college, but there’s always time for that.”

When he started thinking about getting an internship as part of his business education, Angulo wanted to stay with CertainTeed but the company had never offered management internships.

“I decided to talk to my manager about it. I figured what was the worst thing that could happen,” he said.

Plant Manager Todd Dearinger was impressed with his pro-active attitude. “He came to us with the proposal and we saw great potential in him.”

The company created an internship and during the summer of 2016, Angulo worked with management supervisors learning about the company’s process and operations.

“It was a really cool opportunity for me,” he said. “I was still working on the assembly line and working with management so I really got to be in the middle of both worlds.”

That experience coupled with his strong work ethic helped land him a management position with the company after graduating. Today he manages two of the four shifts and is in charge of 15 to 20 employees. Angulo hopes to stick with the company and sees opportunity with its plants across the country and around the world.

“We see Jose as someone who can move forward within CertainTeed and our parent company,” Dearinger said. “We employ several graduates of McPherson College and we have seen a good relationship with flexible schedules to meet the needs of both the student and the plant. I think having McPherson College in our community is a benefit to businesses and it could be better utilized in the future to help fulfill our seasonal needs as well as potential candidates for internships and future employees.”

Born in Dallas while his family was visiting the United States, Angulo was from El Salvador and he spent his first 12 years there. He and his family moved to Oceanside, California where he completed middle and high school.

Although he initially was initially unsure about attending a small school like McPherson College, adjusting to the campus and the community turned out to be easy for him. He credits McPherson College for giving him the support he needed to be successful. He specifically points to the attention students, including himself, receive from the faculty.

“The relationships I developed with faculty really helped,” he said. “They take time to know you and give you great advice based on their real-world experience. I feel like I could call up a teacher and go have coffee with them. But even though we had a friendship, they were still brutal with grades!”

The entrepreneurial mindset, career-focused education, and attention to students at McPherson College, turned out to be the right combination for Angulo.

Posted On: March 13, 2018
By: MC Admin

The work of three McPherson College student photographers has been selected as finalists in the annual national college and high school photo contest conducted by Photographer’s Forum magazine. One photograph by Micah Gilbert, a sophomore from Elkhart, Indiana, received honorable mention in the contest. Other entries accepted as finalist were submitted by Jaden Hilgers, a senior from Wichita, and Lisa Koehn, a senior from McPherson.

More than 12,000 photos by students from the United States, Canada and around the world were entered this year and just 100 college entries were selected for honorable mention. Professional photographers selected the best photos for the finalist group that went on to compete for first through fourth place awards and honorable mention. All the finalist will be named in the hardcover book “Best of College & High School Photography 2018,” and as an honorable mention award winner, Gilbert’s name will be included in the May issue of the magazine and his photograph will be published in the book.

“This is an extremely competitive competition. Having three students from McPherson College whose photographs were chosen as finalists is very exciting and speaks highly of their abilities,” said Ann Zerger, associate professor of art and photography professor at McPherson College. “Going on and receiving an honorable mention at this level is quite an accomplishment.”

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Category: Academics

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