Dear Friends,  Each year I look forward to this time when we pause to thank our many alumni and friends who so generously supported Baker University the previous year. As we look back on 2021, we have much to be proud of.   On campus, our routines and activities are returning to normal. In addition to students engaging in thoughtful classroom ...

Last year, 98 percent of Baker students at the College of Arts and Sciences received financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants. Nearly $24 million in aid was awarded, making our students’ education more affordable and their dream of attending Baker a reality.  A significant amount of these funds came from donors who understand the importance of supporting ...

The topic of lifelong friendships comes up over and over when alumni talk about their time on the Baldwin City campus. Two couples who met at Baker have forged an enduring friendship and strong commitment to their university.   Murray, ’69, and Diane (Wilson), ’70, Blackwelder and Gary, ’71, and Connie (Mangun), ’72, Sollars recognize the profound impact Baker has made ...

Chartered in 1892, Baldwin State Bank is the oldest continuously operating business in Baldwin City, and from the beginning, the bank has been a generous supporter and partner of Baker University.  “The community benefits from having such an excellent educational opportunity right here at home and from recreational and cultural opportunities that most small communities don’t have access to.” Bryan ...

Eric Conaway, ’95, is the seventh member of his family to attend Baker University, and it is where he met his wife, Wendy (Zimmerman) Conaway, ’93, MSM ’98. Because of these deep ties and the value the couple places on their Baker education, they were eager to serve as active committee members on the Forever Orange fundraising campaign to help ...

August 2021 – March 2022 Football The Baker football team finished the 2021 season ranked 13th in the NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Postseason Poll, with an overall record of 9-2. Running back JD Woods was named an AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-American as announced by the American Football Coaches Association for the third consecutive year. He finished his career with 1,057 ...

Honors & Awards Dr. Regena Aye, Assistant Professor of Education and Chair of IDPT, was selected as the CAP’s National Vice Commander and promoted to Brigadier General. Her primary duties as National Vice Commander are to help General Phelka lead the CAP’s 56,000 volunteers in fulfillment of the organization’s three primary missions of emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs.  ...

A versatile and talented communicator through her writing, editing, art, and photography, Melinda Hipple, ’16, has always wanted to be known as an author. “It’s a moniker I’ve aspired to since I was very young,” she said. “For me, the most appealing aspect of storytelling is drawing the reader into someone else’s life in the hopes they will either connect ...

December 2021 – January 2022 1960s Duane Gabrielson, ’66, was inducted into the Shawnee Mission South High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Gabrielson, a retired math teacher and coach, was inducted for his 35-year coaching career with boys and girls tennis. 1970s Greg Goff, ’71, and Helen Elliott (wife of Nelson Elliott, ’66) were on hand for a ceremonial ribbon ...

For LaTasha (Roberts) James, ’07, connecting with the Baker University community by participating in multiple clubs and organizations became a way of life. The skills and habits she gained in Baldwin City have continued in her personal and professional life since she graduated 15 years ago. Last spring she was named president of Greater Kansas City Alumnae Panhellenic. Recruited to ...