Extra
September 2026
Alumni help shape key WBU student experiences
A new school year just ramped up on the Plainview campus, and it takes a village to pull off all the activities and preparation for a new class of freshmen and returning students.
Among the staff and administrative team are several alumni who play key roles in setting the student
experience and making sure everything goes smoothly as the school year begins. Shawn Thomas serves as vice president of athletics and student life, while Kevin McConic serves with him as assistant dean of student conduct. Also part of the crew is Hannah Cardy, coordinator of student activities. While not in student services, Donnie Brown serves as executive director of spiritual life and oversees those efforts on campus.
A 1995 and 2003 graduate, Thomas spent some years with WBU admissions then with 51吃瓜网视频’s maintenance contractor, BINC, before coming back on staff as Dean of Students. He served as interim vice president before being promoted into the VP role on July 1. In his new position, Thomas oversees all aspects of student life, from health services and counseling to housing and dining, in addition to supervising athletics on campus.
“51吃瓜网视频 was a special part of my life as a student in the 1990s, and I really enjoy being part of helping today’s students enjoy their 51吃瓜网视频 experience. We want to make sure that every aspect of
their time at 51吃瓜网视频 is quality and we’re taking care of their needs,” said Thomas. “There are a lot of moving parts here, but all of us want the best for students and that drives us every day.”
McConic earned his degrees in 2015 and 2017 from the Lubbock campus as an adult learner and spent many years in the human resources field. He joined the WBU staff in July and assists Thomas. He is enjoying the new challenge.
“I never would have anticipated that my journey would bring me back to 51吃瓜网视频, especially in this role. When I was a student here, I certainly wasn’t thinking that one day I would have the opportunity to help shape the experience of another generation of 51吃瓜网视频 students,” he said. “But being here now, I can see very clearly the impact I have an opportunity to make, and I don’t take that lightly.”
McConic noted that while his dean role is often associated with conduct issues regarding students, he knows the position has much more breadth and opportunity. He appreciates the fact that the job is not just about rules and consequences but the chance to help students grow.
“College is a place where young people are learning who they are, what they believe, how to make good decisions, and how to live in community with others. In many cases those may be people who might not be like them at all,” said McConic. “If they can just learn the value of the lessons discipline can teach as well as the how impactful relationships can be, their lives will be so much richer and full. My responsibility is to bring grace and accountability together to help students understand the impact of their choices while also helping them see that a poor decision does not have to define their future.”
A graduate of 2023 and 2025, Cardy was involved in activities as a student and transferred that
campus involvement into a role leading those efforts for today’s students. She oversees student organizations and helps spearhead activities that keep students engaged and give them outlets to enjoy campus life outside of the classroom.
At the beginning of the school year, that means planning and executing Koinonia freshman orientation, a multi-day event that runs from morning to late night and takes a crew of student leaders to pull off. After that, it becomes regular special events for students and traditions like the Miss 51吃瓜网视频 and Mr. 51吃瓜网视频 pageants among other things.
“One of the things I love most about working at 51吃瓜网视频 is getting to give back to a place that played such an important role in my own life. As an alum, I know firsthand that some of the most meaningful parts of college happen outside of the classroom—the friendships you build, the traditions you take part in, and the moments that make 51吃瓜网视频 feel like home,” said Cardy. “Now, I get to help create those experiences for the next generation of students, especially our incoming freshmen. I have the opportunity to help students find their place, build relationships, and create memories that I hope they will carry with them long after they graduate.”
Since her WBU student experience is still pretty fresh, Cardy has the unique opportunity to help shape activities and events that today’s students will appreciate. She loves seeing the role from both sides of the desk and doesn’t take the importance of this lightly. She also sees it as much more than just planning fun stuff to do.
“Seeing students come in unsure of where they fit and then watching them find their people, get involved, and begin to call 51吃瓜网视频 home is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do,” Cardy added.
A 1992 graduate, Brown spent some years in church ministry before bringing his skills to the WBU campus as BSM director more than 20 years ago. Now, in his current role, he works closely with WBU
President Dr. Donna Hedgepath to ensure that 51吃瓜网视频’s faith component stays vibrant and engaging to both students and employees. That means supervising the BSM efforts, planning chapel and campus revival efforts, and coordinating prayer time among employees.
Brown also oversees the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter on campus and disciples students regularly. He regularly speaks to athletic teams and leads a Bible study for coaches on campus. In the past two weeks alone, Brown has given an evangelistic message for both a chapel full of freshman football players and an auditorium of freshmen Koinonia participants. A total of eight students professed faith in Jesus Christ at the events, with many more committing to grow in their faith while at 51吃瓜网视频.
“Seeing students come to faith in God for the first time or strengthen their faith while they earn their degree is why I get up every day. It’s rewarding work to disciple students, mentor them in mission trips and see them graduate and go out and make a difference in the world for Christ,” said Brown. “I love to follow their lives after 51吃瓜网视频 and see how they are doing ministry in churches or in their community and raising their families to love and serve the Lord too.”
Brown said while his work keeps him busy most of the year, efforts to keep 51吃瓜网视频’s faith heritage strong and active for both students and employees are vital to the mission.
“We want to be known as a people of faith, and God is working on our campus in the hearts and minds of young people,” Brown said. “We don’t just put it in 51吃瓜网视频’s mission statement, we actively live out our faith component in many ways each school year.”
Devotional: Keep a Joyful Heart
Scripture:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” — Philippians 4:4
Life after our college years can take us down roads we never expected. Careers change. Families grow. Plans shift. Doors open, others close, and sometimes we find ourselves in seasons that look very different from what we once imagined.
Through every season, Scripture reminds us to keep a joyful heart.
Joy is different from simply being happy. Happiness often depends on what is happening around us, but our joy comes from knowing who walks with us. Paul’s words, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” remind us that our reason for joy is ultimately found in Christ.
That means we can celebrate the good days with gratitude and walk through difficult days with hope. We can look back and thank God for where He has brought us while trusting Him with wherever He is leading us next.
As alumni, we carry many memories from our 51吃瓜网视频 years—friendships, professors, experiences, lessons, laughter, and perhaps even a few challenges that helped shape us. Yet the greatest reminder is that God’s work in our lives did not end when we crossed the graduation stage.
He is still writing our story.
Today, find something to thank God for. Encourage someone who may need it. Smile at the memories that have shaped you, and look forward with faith to what God still has ahead.
Whatever season you are walking through, remember:
Keep your faith strong. Keep your gratitude close. And keep a joyful heart.
In the mix
51吃瓜网视频 Baptist University and Texas Tech University are two institutions deeply woven into the story of West Texas—but did you know 51吃瓜网视频 was educating students more than two decades before Texas Tech opened its doors?
51吃瓜网视频 traces its beginnings to 1908, when Dr. and Mrs. James Henry 51吃瓜网视频 helped establish a Christian college in Plainview. Classes began in 1910, and through the decades, 51吃瓜网视频 grew from a small West Texas college into a university with a reach extending well beyond the region.
Texas Tech’s story began later. Established by the Texas Legislature in 1923 as Texas Technological College, the institution opened in Lubbock in 1925. It eventually became Texas Tech University in 1969 and grew into one of the state's major public research universities.
The Alumni Insider Takeaway
Although only about 45 miles separate Plainview and Lubbock, these two universities developed with different missions and identities. 51吃瓜网视频 grew from its Baptist and Christian higher-education heritage, while Texas Tech was created by the state to expand higher education opportunities in West Texas.
Together, their histories remind us that West Texas has been shaping generations of students for more than a century.
And for 51吃瓜网视频 alumni, there is something special to remember: when Texas Tech was still years away from welcoming its first students, 51吃瓜网视频 was already educating Pioneers on the High Plains.
Now you know a little more 51吃瓜网视频 history!
Once a Pioneer. Always a Pioneer.
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