KWU Welcomes Numerous New Faculty

In the midst of numerous campus capital improvements, KWU has also invested in its faculty members. Twelve new full-time faculty members began their first full semester in those roles on Aug. 19.

"These faculty members are great additions to KWU," said Dr. Damon Kraft, KWU provost. "The depth of their experience and knowledge make them excellent instructors for our students. We're glad to have each of them as members of the Coyote team."

The new faculty members are: Daniel Albertson, assistant professor of music; Andrew Baker, assistant professor of graphic design; Derrin Broome, assistant professor of criminal justice; Dr. Michaela Carlson, associate professor of chemistry; Dr. Tonia Compton, assistant professor of history; Sheila Coomes, assistant professor of accounting and assistant department chair; Dr. Bill Doria, associate professor of chemistry; Jolene Dreher, assistant professor of nursing education; Dr. Kiley Hicks, assistant professor of biology; Summer Huber, assistant professor of mathematics; Dr. Vicki Schmidt, director and assistant professor of teacher education; and Bonnie Welty, assistant professor of sport and exercise science.

Welty moved from a position in Teacher Education, while Albertson was previously an adjunct instructor who has moved to a full-time position. Schmidt and Dreher were also employed by KWU last semester.

Below are brief bios of the 12 new, full-time faculty.

Daniel Albertson, Music (B.A., Washburn/M.M., Delaware)

Joins KWU full-time after leading the university's percussion efforts as an adjunct last year. Is the secretary of the Kansas Percussive Arts Society and coordinator of the Sunflower Music Festival, an annual chamber orchestra event in Topeka. Has extensive performance experience in different regions and traveled to Prague, Czech Republic in 2022.

Andrew Baker, Graphic Design (B.S., Indiana Wesleyan/M.F.A., Rochester Institute of Technology)

Previously served at Southern Nazarene, Cameron, Washburn, Baylor and one of his alma maters, the Rochester Institute of Technology. Served a four-year stint on Cameron's Digital Arts Initiative Committee and a five-year term on the university's long-range planning committee during his time in Lawton.

Derrin Broome, Criminal Justice (B.S., Linfield College/M.S., Grand Canyon University)

Came to KWU after wrapping up a 26-year law enforcement career that included 20 years of investigation and case management experience. Spent 20 years as his agency's main instructor for topics including defensive tactics, de-escalation, use of force, firearms and other topics.

Dr. Michaela Carlson, Chemistry (B.S., Grinnell College/Ph.D., Illinois-Champaign)

Comes to KWU from Northland College, where she had served as an assistant professor since 2018. Was part of the college's freshman advising committee and the recipient of its faculty merit award for outstanding scholarship and professional activities in May 2021. Will play a critical role in KWU's student success ventures.

Dr. Tonia Compton, History (B.A., Columbia College/M.A., Texas A&M/Ph.D. University of Nebraska)

Joins KWU after a stint as a consultant to the University of Nebraska, where she managed review of all conflict of commitment and nepotism management plans for faculty. Was a long-time professor of history at Columbia College of Missouri and the chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Odessa College. Also spent just over 18 months as the director of institutional effectiveness and planning at Missouri Valley College, which included the oversight of accreditation and assessment practices.

Sheila Coomes, CPA, Accounting (B.A., Kansas State/M.Acc., Kansas State)

Comes off an eight-year stint as an instructor at her alma mater, Kansas State, following 15-plus years in public accounting and industry. Her time as a Wildcat included serving as the director of KSU's Herbel Accounting Academy. Prior to higher education, she worked in a senior role for both a publicly traded and privately-held company. She was also an audit manager at Kansas City's Ernst & Young. At KWU, she will serve the roles of assistant chair of the department of business and accounting and assistant professor of accounting.

Dr. Bill Doria (B.S., Lynchburg College/M.S., Vanderbilt/Ph.D., Middle Tennessee State)

Has spent more than 20 years as a university professor, with that time divided between University of the Ozarks and Rockford University. Served as Rockford's chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, during which time he spearheaded the development of 2+2 agreements with three local community colleges.

Jolene Dreher, Nursing (B.S., Kansas Wesleyan/M.S., Fort Hays State)

A KWU alumna, she was an adjunct clinical instructor for the university last year after two years in the same role at the University of Kansas. Has spent more than 20 years in the field with experience ranging from nurse's aide, emergency medicine, home health, hospice, long-term car to medical/surgical nursing.

Dr. Kiley Hicks (B.S., Washburn University/Ph.D., Portland State)

Has more than a decade of instructional experience in the Sunflower State, including four-plus years as an assistant professor at Newman and more than two years as the undergraduate laboratory coordinator at Wichita State. There, she was the runner-up in a campuswide competition to create a multidisciplinary academic program.

Summer Huber (B.S., Utah State/M.A.S., Eastern Michigan)

Boasts nearly two decades of post-secondary experience, including time at Eastern Washington, Utah State and Brigham Young - Idaho, among other institutions.

Dr. Vicki Schmidt, Teacher Education (B.S., Fort Hays State/M.S., Baker/Ph.D. Cumberlands)

Has been teaching at the university level since 2015 and joined KWU in Spring 2024. The chair of the Kansas Independent Colleges Professional Development Council, she began her teaching career at Cottonwood Elementary in Salina in 2010.

Bonnie Welty, Sport & Exercise Science (B.S., Bethel College/M.E., Wichita State)

Joins the KWU faculty full-time after initially coming on as the Education Coordinator in 2021. Was a middle school principal from 2012-21 and an associate principal prior to that (2008-12), serving the Shawnee Mission and later Salina school districts. Began her career as an elementary, middle and high school PE and Health teacher.

Thanks to continually investing in faculty, KWU's student/teacher ratio has remained relatively static (14:1) despite the university's 44% growth in enrollment since 2019.

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