Alex Phillips is the first Kentucky Wesleyan student to enter the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in the 3 + 3 program between the two institutions. After three years at KWC, he will enter law school and his first year of law school will also count as his senior year at Wesleyan.

“It has been my life-long dream to become an attorney, and I get to go to law school a year early. I was sitting down for a class a few weeks ago, and checked my status with UofL on an app. It had changed from pending to admitted. I was overwhelmed, and the first thing I did was call my dad.

“I want to be a trial lawyer and work in family practice with my dad and my two older brothers. KWC prepared me.

“It was very liberating after I arrived here to learn that my professors and classmates supported me academically and personally. I am so thankful, and I encourage any prospective student who is considering KWC to make the KWC choice and embrace the tight-knit community here.

“I chose Kentucky Wesleyan because I knew the College’s reputation and that I would get the academic foundation I needed for admission to graduate school. I was very fortunate to get a softball scholarship, too.

From Abba to Aerosmith to Ariana Grande, Panther Radio listeners enjoy an eclectic mix of music, along with local news and weather. The community-based radio station is also a training ground for future broadcasters, under the direction of station manager Derik Hancock.

Certified with the Society of Broadcast Engineers, Derik is an instructor of communications, and he currently guides and coordinates the 20+ students who are interns and volunteers at the station, located in the Ralph Center for Fine Arts and Communications Arts.

WKWC 90.3FM recently participated in the Broadcast Education Association’s “2021 Festival of Media Arts,” and communication arts major Lain Taleno ’22 won second place in the category for Best Comedy or Drama in Student Audio Production. Taleno produced and directed a radio broadcast production of “Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Tolling Bell” for broadcast on Halloween 2020.

Kentucky Wesleyan College has named James Cousins, Ph.D., as its vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College, President Thomas Mitzel announced Thursday. Dr. Cousins will officially begin his duties on July 1, 2021.

Dr. Cousins brings over 16 years of higher education experience to KWC. He currently serves as associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University, overseeing student success, faculty engagement, assessment and curriculum development. Prior to this role, Dr. Cousins was a faculty member and director of undergraduate studies in Western Michigan University’s Department of History. At Western, Cousins has been instrumental in the creation of new academic programs, general education reforms, extra-institutional partnerships and a number of initiatives designed to increase student engagement and success.

“We are ecstatic that Dr. Cousins is joining our Panther family,” said President Mitzel. “James brings a strong background and diverse portfolio to this position. His insight and leadership will help Kentucky Wesleyan College continue to build upon its rich academic reputation while making necessary changes to ensure the College remains a global leader in education.”

KWC during the pandemic

The transition to remote learning in mid-Mar 2020 was painful for everyone. Very few of the faculty were trained in how to teach remotely or had even considered teaching in that manner. Likewise, our students were not prepared to have the teaching-learning enterprise shift more responsibility for learning to them.

Our faculty are dedicated to our students and helping them to succeed.  They quickly galvanized the resources we had available to help them transition spring classes from face-to-face to remote instruction. The faculty who teach in our online programs as well the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL – Dr. Christine Salmon), the associate dean and director of online education (Dr. Rebecca Francis) and the learning management coordinator (Savannah Travis) all stepped up and offered helpful tips and encouragement, which enabled the faculty and students to complete the semester remotely. 

We all recognized the need to be well prepared for what might happen in fall 2020 if we were remote. In preparation for our fall hybrid model, Drs. Salmon and Francis developed a five-week course for faculty to enable them to learn how to be effective and engaging in the virtual environment. Fifty faculty took this course, which started shortly after commencement.  The work and time required to create and deliver an engaging, high-quality experience in a remote environment was monumental. The majority of our faculty prepared four courses for the fall, as we have very few multi-section courses, which meant little time for rest, reflection, and recharging during the summer. During the academic year, our faculty – many who were also managing schooling for their children, caring for parents, dealing with COVID themselves or within their families – their commitment to their profession and to the well-being of our students cannot be recognized enough. Several were teaching entirely remotely, several had students who were entirely remote, and all managed to not only teach their courses but also reached out to make sure our students had help navigating the environment. They provided one-on-one conversations, helping students get resources (food, books, shelter, mental health services, etc.), and offered encouragement and reminders when students were getting behind or not turning in work, etc.

“As soon as I stepped on campus, KWC felt like home. I didn’t want to be just another number at a big university; I wanted the staff and students to truly know me. When I came for my first visit, the president of the school already knew exactly who I was. You’re not going to get that anywhere but Kentucky Wesleyan.

“My advisor, Andrew Bolin (assistant professor of communications), has really impacted me. He began at Wesleyan my sophomore year and took all of his students under his wing. He continued to look for internships and job openings that fit what I wanted to do after graduation. He truly cared about my future.

“Another person who has impacted my college experience is my coach, Miles Mallette. College athletics can be intense and hard to juggle with your everyday life. He made sure our academics came first and that we were able to have lives outside of softball. That was important for me because I was a student-athlete who worked a job, as well.

Chelsea Adams ’13 is a member of the Young Alumni President’s Circle. She shares her KWC connection and reasons for giving back to her alma mater in such a significant way.

“I cherished my time at KWC and always look back fondly on those years in Owensboro. KWC gave me many learning experiences, lifelong friends and more great memories than I can count. Even as a student, I knew I wanted all young people to have college experiences as amazing as I had, which is why I worked as a Phonathon caller and Student Ambassador. I give now to help make those dreams a reality for other young students.

“I encourage others to give to KWC so we can share The Wesleyan Way with as many young students as possible.”

Kentucky Wesleyan College President Dr. Thomas Mitzel has announced a return to in-person classes on Tuesday, Mar. 23 and resumption of campus activities and events as of noon on Mar. 22 as the College moved back to Level 2 (yellow) on its threat level indicator table.

“Thanks to your vigilance and concern for the safety of those around you, the campus was able to move back to Level 2 (yellow) today, Monday, Mar. 22, 2021,” President Thomas Mitzel shared in a campus-wide communication. “Classes will remain virtual through Mar. 22, 2021 but will return to normal on Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2021. All other activities are able to resume on campus at noon Monday, Mar. 22, 2021. Campus food services will remain grab and go through this evening and will return to normal operations Tuesday morning.”

To learn more about Kentucky Wesleyan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.kwc.edu/coronavirus. The microsite includes the College’s COVID-19 tracking dashboard, a threat level indicator table, resources and answers to frequently asked questions pertaining to operations amid this pandemic, and campus and community updates.

Kentucky Wesleyan College experienced a Network Security Incident, resulting in the temporary loss of availability to its files and systems.  We have since resolved the Incident and implemented additional security measures.  Although there was no direct evidence of any misuse of personal information, this Incident may have resulted in unauthorized access to the personal information of certain Kentucky Wesleyan faculty, students, staff records and potentially others.  Accordingly, Kentucky Wesleyan will be providing direct formal notice to all individuals whose personal information may have been impacted by the Incident.  We value our members of the Kentucky Wesleyan community and thank you for your understanding.  For more information, please see our FAQs at the link below.

If you have any questions about this Incident or questions regarding the content of the formal notice, please telephone our dedicated call center at 1-866-752-0071 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.

Frequently Asked Questions