From the Arbor... @ Baker University… Monthly news from Jerry Weakley, VP for Endowment and Planned Giving

Numbers of Importance:

ecial Interest:

Volume 15, Issue #9 November, 2015

Admissions 785.594.7891

Alumni Office 888.781.2586

Make a donation 800.726.1554

Create a planned gift or create an endowed scholar-

ship- 785.594.8332 /913.449.9540 (Jerry Weakley)

Baker Orange www.thebakerorange.com

Baker’s Newest Online Degree Program…Master of Science in Nursing…

Since the early 1990s, Baker has offered a traditional bachelor-level program in nursing through its Topeka campus in conjunction with Stormont-Vail HealthCare. Recently, the Higher Learning Commission approved the university for offering and granting degrees at the master’s level in nursing as well. This robust online curriculum integrates advanced nursing theory with evidence-based nursing practices. Graduates will apply these skills to careers in nursing education and nursing administration. Students selected for this program will choose from two tracks: nursing education and nursing administration. The nursing education track prepares nurses for the role of educa-tor in academic or staff-development settings. This track reflects the nurse educator competencies developed by national organiza-tions. The curriculum integrates core master’s-level concepts, ad-vanced clinical foundations (assessment, pharmacology, patho-physiology) and education-focused courses. The advanced theory and practicum-focused courses provide a strong foundation in the content areas students will teach, and the education-focused courses provide an exceptional understanding of how to teach. The nursing administration track prepares students to serve in a variety of leadership and managerial roles within the health-care system. Students will develop skills in communication, conflict resolution, personnel development, team building, employee man-agement, critical-situation analysis, and financial management. Graduates will be able to analyze health-care needs of groups of patients, use resources, and organize and implement the delivery of nursing services to meet the needs they have identified. Online courses have for several years been a growing part of edu-cation delivery. Time constraints, work schedules and geograph-ical limitations can often make it difficult to earn an advanced de-gree. Baker is dedicated and committed to finding innovative ways to extend quality educational opportunities to working profession-al adults. Online learning at Baker's School of Nursing closely aligns with the MSN mission to meet the lifelong learning needs of nontraditional students. A 2015 study conducted by the American

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Wildcat Watch…

See for yourself what is new on the Baldwin

City campus by going to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap4upvr

GdSQ&list=UUpYdUtchg_j51KCM

Help Baker recruit it’s next class

(It’s NEVER too early to begin)... Please consider those in your family, friends, church or social activities groups who may have a student(s) that would benefit from and find future success by enrolling at Baker’s Col-lege of Arts and Sciences in Baldwin City. For more information, contact Mr. Kevin Kropf, Senior Director of Admissions, at 785.594.8327. Baker’s Newest Online Program cont...

Association of Colleges of Nursing indicated that the average age of a tenured nursing facul-ty member in the United States is now 57 years of age. With so many individuals approaching retirement, there exists a great opportunity for skilled practitioners to transition into educa-tion and shape the next era in nursing in this country. Baker will be there to assist in bring-ing this educational opportunity to those who may greatly benefit from successfully complet-ing this program. If you have an interest in gaining more specific information about this program, contact Dr. Carol Moore, Associate Dean at 785.354.5837 or Carol.Moore@bakerU.edu.

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Trivia Question for October, 2015... The Question: What was the Baker Blueprint? Who designed it and what was it used for? The Answer: I received answers from several individuals...I will allow three of them to answer in the order received…

“The Baker Blueprint was Dean Ben Gessner's list of classes, days and times that we used to decide our class schedule for the semester. No computers for us!” — Jan Hoch Boyd, ’69

“I’m sure many have answered before me but here goes... When I arrived in the fall of ’58 as a freshman, there was a large (probably 36” by 36”) compilation of ALL the courses, their times and instructors given in a chart fashion. It was printed on blue paper much resembling a “blueprint.” It was easy to read as you could see the classes for each day and time period and work out your schedule for the coming semes-ter. Each sorority and fraternity were issued one, which was posted in the house. I can remember standing in the second floor hall of the OLD Tri Delta house looking at the Blueprint, which was always taped to the large mirror.”— Pat Cassity Dunnavant, ’62 “Hi Jerry: My dad always made a blueprint of the year's clas-ses.” Emmalie Gessner Cowherd, ’61, (Emmalie is the daugh-ter of former Dean Benjamin A. Gessner, is a former Baker coach and professor and is currently serving on the universi-ty’s Board of Trustees and was inducted in 2003 into the uni-versity’s Athletic Hall of Fame).

The Baker Blueprint 1964/1965...

Reader Responses…

This next response comes from nearly a year ago. It comes as a response to the request I had issued to alumni and former students to send the titles and synopses for books they had authored. At that time I received a num-ber of replies, so add this to them! “When I was in the active ministry I always wanted a book to use in membership training classes that would help folks understand the United Methodist Church. That’s why I wrote “Tell me about the United Methodist Church: An Introduction to the United Meth-odist Church.” The book covers the organization of the UMC, the history of the UMC, the beliefs of the UMC following the Articles of Religion which Wesley sent over to the United States and which are found in our Disciplines, and What Must I do as a Member of the Church. After each chapter is a scripture and prayer with questions for the person to answer. The answers to these questions are in the back. Right now it is available through Amazon.com. and Cokesbury. I am a mem-ber of St. Mark UMC in Mobile, Alabama.” Grace and Peace, J. Robert (Bob) Ewbank ’55

Seen on Campus Recently…

Over 50 former Wildcat football players and former coaches gathered for this picture at Homecoming this year...I hope this contin-ues as a tradition in future years! This photo-graph was taken by Baker student, Khadijah Lane.

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Did You Know These Facts and Figures?

100% of Baker’s future teachers in 2014 were placed into school districts within 6 months of graduation. Baker-educated teachers have been nominated for the prestigious Kansas Teacher of the Year Award in 7 of the last 9 years! For the past 4 years, Baker athletes have earned the #1 team grade point average in the Heart of America Ath-letic Conference, and Baker led the entire NAIA in the number of athletes designated as Scholar-Athletes (the equivalent of All-American status). Baker has a 79% medical school acceptance rate for the past 10 years! (The national average is 44%). Baker’s nursing graduates have posted the highest first-time pass rate on the NCLEX at 96.15% in 2013—well above the state and national averages! 2 classrooms in Case Hall have been converted into “Technology Heavy” classrooms. Baker’s Instagram followers have tripled over the past 6 months! 600 visitors registered during the first weekend that the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center was open! The Economist called Baker University one of the best-value universities in the nation by ranking it in the top 50 of more than 1,200 institutions. And, finally, 98% of our graduates who completed the university’s postgraduate survey stated that they were either in full-time employment or in graduate school within 6 months of receiving their diplomas! (These are 10 things we can ALL talk about with a pro-spective student!)

Maple Leaf Festival Out-takes…

Festival officials estimated that nearly 40,000 people de-scended upon Baldwin City during the festival that was held October 17-19. If accurate, this would represent one of (if not THE) largest crowd in the festival’s nearly 60-year life. Congratulations to everyone in Baldwin City and at the university who annually cooperate to make this a true TOWN-GOWN festival of such high caliber and regard!

Professor Grant Receives Award…

Baker Professor of Business and Economics Alan Grant is one of 17 college faculty members in the state receiving the Kansas Independent College Associa-tion’s Faculty of Distinction award. Grant and the oth-er honorees were recognized at a workshop and award reception on Nov. 3 in Newton, Kansas. The KICA Faculty of Distinction honor is awarded on the basis of faculty excellence and achievement, simi-lar to Baker’s own Jennie Howell Kopke and Verda R. Kopke Award for Distinguished Teaching, which Grant received in May. KICA President Matt Lindsey specifically cited “a gift for balancing a commitment to hold each student accountable for real, meaningful learning and a strong sense of empathy for the value of each student as an individual” as key factors in deter-mining recipients. Congratulations Alan!!!

From the Baker Orange…

Nearly every school district in the Kansas City metro-

politan area canceled classes for Tuesday, November

3rd’s World Series parade, leading to the massive at-

tendance. Baker didn’t cancel classes, however, caus-

ing some students to skip class to attend the celebra-

tion ceremony. Based on posts in Twitter, Facebook

and Snapchat, plenty of BU students were there.

Senior Megan Henry, a native of Mansfield, Texas, at-

tended the parade and loved the entire day despite not

being a Kansas Citian. “I thought it was really cool to

be a part of something that you don’t know if it will ev-

er happen again,” Henry said. Henry went on to say

she was astounded at the number of people filling the

lawn in front of Union Station and the Liberty Memori-

al. Tori Paul, a lifetime Kansas City (Blue Springs) na-

tive, put on her Royals attire and drove up I-35 for the

parade and rally. For Paul, this event was way overdue.

“Being from Kansas City, I’ve been a fan ever since

they were horrible and losing almost every game,” Paul

said. “It was good to see the team come together and

come back from last year.” Paul arrived downtown

around 9:15 a.m. She enjoyed the family feel of the

day’s events. “It was great to see everybody come to-

gether to celebrate a team that came from nothing to

now having something that they haven’t had in a long

time,” Paul said.

The Wildcat Nation adds its congratulations to the

World Champion Kansas City ROYALS!!!

Alumni and Campus Activities… Stay in Touch...and Get Engaged with BU!!!

NOV. 12...TOPEKA AFTER-HOURS, 5:30-

7:30PM...Blue Moose Bar & Grill, 3030 SW Wanamak-

er, Topeka, KS RSVP by Nov. 10

NOV. 12-15… “Murder in Green Meadows” THEATER PRODUCTION...Nov. 12-14, 7:30PM,

Nov. 15, 2PM Rice Auditorium, Baldwin City, KS

NOV. 17… FALL ORCHESTRAL CONCERT,

7:30PM Rice Auditorium, Baldwin City, KS

NOV. 19...JAZZ CONCERT, 7:30PM Rice Auditori-

um, Baldwin City, KS

NOV. 21-22...MUSICAL THEATER WORKSHOP,

7:30PM McKibben Recital Hall, Baldwin City, KS

DEC. 1 ...SYMPHONIC WINDS CONCERT,

7:30PM Rice Auditorium, Baldwin City, KS

DEC. 2...ULRICH JOHANNING SENIOR CELLO

CONCERT, 7:30PM McKibben Recital Hall, Baldwin

City, KS

DEC. 4...KATHERINE STUEVE SENIOR PIANO

RECITAL, 7:30PM McKibben Recital Hall, Baldwin

City, KS

DEC. 6...85th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS VESPERS,

Rice Auditorium, Baldwin City, KS

2:00PM | 5:00PM

DEC. 8...NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY AFTER-HOURS, 6:00-8:30PM. Corporate offices of Deloitte Consulting at #30 Rockefeller Center. This event is being hosted by Greg Stoskopf, ’86, a partner at Deloitte. We look forward to hearing your Baker story during an enjoyable evening with friends from your alma mater and from the greater NYC area. (You will also see a letterman’s jacket earned nearly 40 years ago presented to the athlete who earned it!)

Did You Know??? Alumni Advisory Council meetings

are open to all alumni. If you would like to join the

Alumni Advisory Council, please contact the Office of

Alumni Relations at alumni@bakerU.edu or

888.781.2586. The next meeting of the Council is

scheduled for:

Saturday, January 30, 2016 9:00-11:00AM

Wetlands Discovery Center

1365 N. 1250 Road, Lawrence, KS

Have a great Month of November...

I’ll write one final time in December...

Jerry L. Weakley, ’70/MBA ’92

Vice President for

Endowment and Planned Giving

P.O. Box 65,

Baldwin City, KS 66006

785.594.8332 /913.449.9540

Jerry.Weakley@bakerU.edu

Baker is proud to be accredited by and

affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

The Question: For nearly 30 years Baker has been sending students to Harlaxton College in England. The “campus” for the college is in fact an 1848 English country manor known as Harlax-ton Manor. Name the movie of 1990s fame that had numerous scenes filmed in and around the manor. The Answer: Will be featured in the next issue of From the Arbor… (This question was inspired by Lisa Schuetz Johnson, ’93, who studied at Harlaxton in the fall of 1991.)

If you have a question or a topic that you believe would make a suitable Trivia Question for my final Arbor next month please send it to me at

Jerry.Weakley@bakerU.edu.

Friend the Baker “Official” Facebook site and

receive all the news as it happens on the univer-

sity’s several campuses and athletic fields or with

students and alumni!!! Friend us today!!!

2015-2016 Giving Opportunities...Ways to make a Significant Impact at Baker…

I have traveled a few hundred thousand miles (probably getting close to a million) for this school, trying to ad-vance its cause by obtaining annual fund gifts, capitol project gifts, scholarships, endowment, planned gifts and various other types of program and activity support. During my travels it is my great joy to reconnect with alumni and friends of Baker as I try to involve each of you in activities and events, as most any other traditional university does. And although some of you joke that Baker only contacts you when we need support, I know you understand that a university MUST constantly find ways to support all that it is and all that it does. And more than likely, a typical person off the street is not the person who will find it in their hearts—or pocketbooks—to support our im-portant educational mission! Therefore, that task is left to you and me, the people who love Baker and know how special it is! So, I am taking the chance in this issue to bring to you—the more-informed and hopefully engaged alumnus or alumna, former student, friend, parent or donor—some of the ways YOU can make a difference in 2015-2016! Here’s a list prepared by the Advancement staff of major projects that are on our radar for both immediate and fu-ture support. For more information about any of these, please contact Amy Piersol, Senior Director of Develop-ment, at 785.594.7866 or Amy.Piersol@bakerU.edu. State-of-the-art equipment and information technology for the science department and school of nursing Renovation and improvements for Rice Auditorium Athletic facility upgrades and general support for athletics in general Renovation of the second floor of Denious Hall (currently not being used) Renovation of Joliffe Hall (currently closed) General support of the Baker Fund for student scholarships and for study abroad and service learning Professorships and endowed chairs and departmental naming opportunities You may contact me before December 31, 2015, at Jerry.Weakley@bakerU.edu or by phone at either 785.594.8332 or cell at 913.449.9540. I look forward to further discussing these or any planned gift with you as well!

As Dr. James Chubb, ’22, used to say when he visited classmates and alumni while on the road for Baker… “Please remember to leave something for Baker in your Will!”...and, if you do, send a copy of your plan to us! Or , call me to discuss the BEST way for you to achieve your goals for Baker’s future! 785.594.8332.

Jerry Weakley VP-Endowment/Planned Giving

Thank you for your continuing support of Baker...YOU CAN AND DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!