KWU Homecoming speeches unlock exciting experiences
Written by Brandon Redic on October 19, 2026
Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas, brought together alumni, faculty, staff, and student leaders to share diverse perspectives. It did so during its annual 7x7x7 Speech Session in Peter Science Hall, as part of Homecoming weekend festivities. Additionally, seven presenters took the stage to offer concise talks on experiences, research, creativity, and campus engagement.
Zachary Daley, a junior in biomedical chemistry, serves as KWU SGA president and plays on the men’s tennis team. Daley addressed the varied dimensions of campus involvement during his remarks.
“School spirit can be viewed many ways,” Daley said. “It can be students cheering loud at a sporting event, or it can be a student supporting a friend at a concert.”
The lineup spanned generations of KWU history, including retired criminal justice professor John Burchill, a 1980 graduate. Moreover, Burchill brought 16 years of criminal justice experience and 27 years of teaching to his presentation. Furthermore, he remains a longtime speaker for Humanities Kansas and a published author, focusing on research. In retirement, however, he pursues music performance, volunteer work, and family.
They represented earlier eras of Coyote heritage through their connection to Dunbar. Dr. Jennifer Gordon, a 1976 graduate, offered reflections. Bill Salmon, a 1957 graduate, offered reflections drawn from decades of professional and creative leadership.
Gordon is a poet, singer, and retired elementary school principal. She earned her undergraduate degree in education from KWU. She completed master’s and doctorate degrees in curriculum and instruction at Kansas State University. Her creative work has appeared in publications such as Kindred Spirit, and she previously toured as a soloist with the international group Up With People.
Salmon returned to his alma mater following his graduation to serve in student recruitment, as chaplain, and in the advancement department. After pastoring United Methodist congregations across western Kansas and earning graduate degrees from Southern Methodist University, he expanded his work internationally through a bishop’s assignment focused on community renewal and has authored three books on the New Testament.
Military veteran and attorney Kris Heck, a 2020 KWU alumnus, detailed a career spanning active service in the U.S. Air Force from 1983 to 1991, dual deployments to Iraq and Kuwait as an Army Reserve Judge Advocate, and service as a chief attorney for the U.S. Army. Heck holds degrees from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, KWU, the University of Southern California, and Washburn University.
7x7x7 Speech in PSH
Current staff and faculty contributions highlighted ongoing academic exploration on campus. Jen Moran, a student success coach holding degrees in psychology and English from Emporia State University, presented research drawn directly from the KWU Archives.
Moran noted that her archival investigations frequently inform displays created for the campus Learning Commons.
Rounding out the panel, adjunct instructor Jennifer Toelle shared insights from her work as curator of collections and research at the Smoky Hill Museum, owner of Janine Chellington Press, and author of Kansas Wesleyan University: A Fictional History.
