Friends University: A Legacy of Quaker Heritage and Academic Excellence

Friends University, a private nondenominational Christian university rooted in the Quaker tradition, stands as a beacon of education in Wichita, Kansas. Founded in 1898, the university's mission is to equip students to honor God and serve others by integrating their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives. This article explores the rich history of Friends University, its academic programs, and its enduring commitment to its founding values.

From Garfield University to Friends University: A History of Transformation

The story of Friends University begins with Garfield University, which opened its doors in 1887. Led by W.B. Hendryx, the Christian Churches of Kansas aimed to establish a Christian college in the Wichita area, naming it after President James Garfield. The university boasted an impressive enrollment of 500 students in its first year and 1,070 in its second, housed in what was then the largest single building for educational purposes west of the Mississippi River.

However, Garfield University faced financial difficulties and closed in 1890 after graduating its first and only senior class. It was reorganized and reopened in March 1892 as Garfield Central Memorial University, but continued to struggle financially due to crop failures and unpaid pledges. The university closed for good on Nov.

For five years, the building became a haven for owls, birds and bats. Until James M. Davis, a businessman from St. Louis, saw an advertisement in a St. Louis paper and purchased the building and surrounding lots. Davis, a Quaker, offered the entire holding to the Kansas Society of Friends on the condition that they raise $50,000 for the permanent endowment of the college. The conditions were accepted, and Friends University officially opened its doors in September 1898.

A Quaker Vision Endures

President Edmund Stanley, during the opening meeting, shared his vision for the university: "The purpose of this school shall be to give to the world and to give our country a class of citizens that will be in every sense loyal citizens." This vision reflected the Quaker values of integrity, service, and commitment to the common good.

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Friends University continued operating as a Quaker institution until the 1930s when governance of the school was vested in an independent board of trustees. Since then, the University has continued to operate in an amicable but independent relationship with the Society of Friends. The University continues to reflect much of our Quaker founders’ vision and values. Even with the shift in governance, the university has remained committed to reflecting the vision and values of its Quaker founders.

Academic Programs: A Focus on Arts, Sciences, and Professional Development

Throughout its history, Friends University has remained committed to our central core: the arts and sciences. A broad-based education - one that truly expands the horizons and frees the mind - is our purpose for every student. This is also expressed in our commitment to teaching and to the personal growth of every Friends University student.

Friends University has continued to grow and develop throughout the years. Friends University offers a diverse range of academic programs designed to meet the needs of traditional and adult learners. CBASE, Friends' undergraduate school, offers degrees in Business, Education, Fine Arts, Natural Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Religion and Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

In 1985, Friends University began offering a new degree completion program for adults wishing to complete their bachelor’s degree while maintaining their busy lives. In 1986, the University received approval to offer two new master’s programs. In 1989, Friends University opened its first Kansas City site to serve adult students in the area. After 15 years at several different locations (including a secondary site in Independence, Missouri, from 1995 to 2005), the University moved to a location in Lenexa from 2004 to 2015. The University operated a site in Topeka from 1993 to 2016 that focused on adults seeking bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Unique and Innovative Programs

Friends offers a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security and a Bachelor of Science in Zoo Science, both of which are rarely offered by other institutions. These programs reflect the university's commitment to providing students with cutting-edge skills and knowledge in high-demand fields.

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Arts and Culture

The Friends Art Department has a track record in the Wichita area of producing professional contemporary artists as well as being the home of the Epsilon Rho chapter of the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity. The Christian Spiritual Formation program is one of the main reasons I came to Friends University. I wanted to be part of the CSF program because I wanted to learn as much about Jesus as possible.

History and Politics

The History and Politics major aims to instruct students on the historical and political dimensions of their own citizenship, and sharpen their ability to contribute meaningfully to the never-ending struggle to understand and improve the conditions of their fellow human beings and societies in which they live. A degree in History and Politics can be used in more ways than you may think. The path to your future career starts long before graduation.

Athletics: The Falcons Soar

The Friends athletic teams are called the Falcons. Friends competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. The athletic program plays a vital role in the university's identity and provides students with opportunities for competition, teamwork, and personal growth.

Leadership and Transformation

When Amy Carey became president of Friends University in 2015, the school was deep in debt and enrollment was declining.Ten years later, the school is financially stable and undergraduate enrollment has set records each of the last four years.Friends was founded in 1898, and Carey became its 14th president in June 2015. She also was the first woman to lead the school.Carey, 62, came to Friends from University of Northwestern, a private school in St. Paul, Minnesota. She also has her undergrad and graduate degrees from private universities in that state.

Carey talked with The Range about how Friends has turned things around, its rebranding as a Christian university and her father’s impact on her career path.

Reclaiming Christian Mission

Part of your work at Friends has been to rebrand the school as a Christian university. Why was that important to you? Well, it's not only important to me. It's important to our board of trustees, and they made that determination before bringing me on board as president that Friends University was going to reclaim our Christian mission. It's been a part of our history and our DNA for 127 years now. So, it's been a part of who we are as an institution, but we lost our way for a little bit. … I think that's important that we continue to live out our legacy as a Christian university of Quaker heritage. And it's also been a part of our growth plan, as we have seen students that are interested in traditional values, the kind of education that we offer. Not all of our students that come to Friends University have a faith background … but they recognize that these are some important values, and that we treat every person with respect here at Friends University and really enjoy being together as a community, and have that kind of family feel here at Friends.

In that same report about the school's turnaround, you said that mistakes were made during the process. Can you talk more about that?I think it's a balance between a visionary approach to set the stage for the way forward, and at some times having to make very difficult decisions to ensure that we stayed on track with our Christian mission and trying not to be too heavy-handed in those situations. But I think there are times that it was viewed that way, and maybe we could have approached it differently. I'm sure there are people that didn't appreciate some of the decisions, and those are difficult things to to work through. So, I think it's that balance that's very difficult to manage. As you know, we want to be a place that's winsome and welcoming and also maintaining a certain level of standard as it relates to our mission.

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