Oct. 30 Town Hall Meeting

Question 2: What is it about the culture of WSU that helps us make progress?

  • Support for excellence and good work, internal stakeholders at WSU and external stakeholders in the community.
  • Lack of jealousy.
  • Stick-to-it-ive-ness and persistence
  • Personal connections.
  • Relationship with the city, county, region.
  • People coming in with fresh, new ideas.
  • Professional development and collaboration a problem, people aren't willing to take risks.
  • Every connection we make has the possibility of retaining a student.
  • Some administrators encourage new ideas.
  • Some campus people have strong ties to the community.
  • Entrepreneurial spirit.
  • Desire for change.
  • Diverse population culturally and nontraditional vs. traditional students.
  • People appreciate colleague's success.
  • Research component, appreciate research that helps the community.
  • Entrepreneurial thinking and spirit.
  • Working with local industry.
  • Urban center of the state.
  • Results oriented.
  • Practice-based/community-based research.
  • Public good from activities is highest compared to KU and KSU.
  • People recognize a lack of identity and are willing to create one.
  • We recognize the problems that we have.
  • The campus community is made up of big thinkers and people with ideas.
  • Most people really do care about students and each other - good people work here.
  • Culture of WSU - we are a metropolitan university, both students and faculty have real-world experience.
  • Students bring in work and life experiences. May be seen as a disadvantage as far as the focus on grades.
  • Because of our metropolitan environment, we have resources around us to assist students with and beyond the degree.
  • Quality of faculty, nationally and internationally known.
  • If someone has the will, they have the opportunity to find their way without too many obstacles in the way.
  • Culture seems to be undefined.
  • Personal touch, personal interest in each student.
  • People with passion.
  • Can-do attitude.
  • Alumni keep university promoted.
  • Strong community support.
  • Staying on top of technology.
  • RSC expanding, will increase life on campus.
  • WSU can be what you make it.
  • A diverse campus.
  • WSU's connection to the city through internships.
  • Alumni making things happen.
  • A longing for what we should be.
  • The perception of WSU in the community, we are perceived positively.
  • Many on campus are not satisfied with the status quo, always looking for new and better ways to do something.
  • New leader which is showing interest and desire to take WSU to higher levels.
  • There is an openness to hear faculty, students, and staff ideas and thoughts of how
  • WSU can continue to progress.
  • Our members have their fingers on the pulse of the university.
  • Energy of many to be engaged in the process.
  • A good group of core students who are very involved in the infrastructure of the university and its culture.
  • WSU is open to change.
  • Student focus.
  • Encouragement of research.
  • Resources up or down tend to drive the student/faculty experience here.
  • Interaction with the community, perhaps increase cooperative education.
  • Graduate and undergraduate experiences are different here - need to address the disconnect
  • WSU has heart, caring about the student experience from door to door.
  • Blue collar nature of individuals who push forward great programs, e.g., bowling with Gordon Vadakin, cooperative education with Connie Dietz, dean's scholars with Christine Schneikart-Luebbe, faculty/staff/students who grew aerospace engineering, etc.
  • The whatever it takes attitude to succeed. Hardworking staff.
  • Focus on students, good customer service, mission service to higher education.
  • Student vote on RSC upgrade.
  • Doing the most with what we have.
  • Good relations with the community.
  • Cooperative education program.
  • High quality staff and faculty. The entrepreneurial nature of individuals. But where's the incentive? Acknowledgment?
  • Flexibility within departments, ability to run as almost a small business.
  • That people keep plugging away in spite of obstacles.
  • Access to resources through the library and MRC.
  • Culture of pride in the work, keeping focus on the students and trying to provide what they need.
  • People did have a hard time putting a positive spin on things -what would make it better? Being our own cheerleaders.
  • Used to have more visibility.
  • Connection with businesses and community.
  • Having a strategic plan, vision - someone to shake things up and make us see the good and bad and help us fix it.
  • Administration has to encourage and reward those who are moving us forward, but at the same time hold those accountable who are behind.
  • All of these things should be published for all to be aware so as to encourage them to jump on band wagon.
  • Everyone should wear their WSU pride.
  • Behind the scenes people steering the students to where they need to go.
  • We feel we do have a pretty good identity.
  • We have many alums who are very proud to be alums - they help with the "family" atmosphere.
  • We need to promote that we have some of our departments that are better than KU or such schools.
  • We have a desire to change and that helps us to make progress, we just have to focus our desires.
  • Hardworking staff.
  • Connected to community.
  • People who are passionate about fixing things. Resources aren't there to support it.
  • Connection to the community.
  • People in the community care about the university.
  • Urban area serves experiential learning.
  • Big desire for change.
  • Diversity - mix of backgrounds and experiences.
  • Range of ideas and backgrounds.
  • More opportunity for consulting and bringing back real experiences to the university classroom.
  • We are more open to experimentation.
  • There is great overlap in faculty's view of what the problems are.
  • WSU is committed to the student's learning.
  • WSU is passionate and wants an identity.
  • WSU has the skills and capacity for incredible things.
  • WSU wants to do great things.
  • People on campus want to see changes made, find identity.
  • Community partnerships/relationships.
  • Doing most with what we have with decrease in state funding, resources.

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