Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of current and former colleagues.

AWARDS/HONOR 

The Community Psychology Doctoral program received the Excellence in Education Award on June 27, from the Society for Community Research and Action/Division of Community Psychology. The award recognizes the long standing, exemplary graduate education in Community Psychology.

The College of Engineering has named Vis Madhavan as the inaugural Sam Bloomfield Chair in Engineering Innovation. Madhavan is a professor in the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department.

The College of Engineering announced the appointment of John Lovitt as the Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Engineer in Residence. Lovitt is a Wichita State alum, tech startup industry executive, investor and advisor, based out of San Francisco.

Traniece Bruce of the Office of Financial Aid received the College Connection Volunteer of the Year Award for 2015 from Young Professionals of Wichita. Bruce serves as the secretary at Young Professionals of Wichita, along with several other roles. 

Professor Anile Mahapatro, Biomedical Engineering, was awarded the College of Engineering’s Wallace Excellence in Teaching Award for 2015. This award is given annually to faculty in the college who demonstrate sustained excellence in teaching. Mahapatro was also selected as a 2015-16 Coleman Foundation Fellow in Entrepreneurship. Coleman Fellows are selected competitively from faculty across WSU with the goal of introducing entrepreneurship concepts into curriculum. 

Professor Kim Cluff, Biomedical Engineering, received the John A. See Innovation Award to study the development of a disposable heart screening patch. 

Biomedical Engineering Professor Gary Brooking and his team were selected to join the Pathways to Innovation Program. The program, directed by Stanford University and VentureWell, is designed to help institutions fully incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship into undergraduate engineering education. 

Lael Ewy, Center for Community Support and Research Behavioral Health Systems Specialist, was appointed to the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Council. The council works with the Disability Rights Center in Topeka. 

Randy G. Johnson, director of Behavioral Health Initiatives at the Center for Community Support and Research, completed the 2015 Kansas Health Foundation Fellows program. The KHF Fellows program offers an intensive leadership development experience through a prestigious yearlong program that aims at improving the health of Kansas. 

Professor Elaine Steinke, School of Nursing, was one of 20 outstanding business leaders honored by the Wichita Business Journal at its Women in Business program in July. The honorees were profiled in a special edition of the Wichita Business Journal and recognized at a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Wichita. 

Joyce McEwen Crane, strategic development coordinator at the Center for Community Support and Research, received the Jan LaFever Adjunct Teaching Award from Friends University in May. McEwen Crane has been an adjunct teacher in the Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy program for six years, teaching early attachment, trauma and relational models. 

Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance Kenneth Kriz, director of the Kansas Public Finance Center, Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs, was selected to receive the 2014 Jesse Burkhead Award for a paper he co-authored titled “The Two Worlds of Municipal Bonds: Are Lower-Rated Bonds Punished by Financial Crisis?” The Burkhead Award is a prestigious award given to the best papers published in the journal Public Budgeting and Finance. 

Manish Shinde, a doctoral student and research engineer for the National Institute for Aviation Research, recently received a $1,500 scholarship from the National Association for Surface Finishing Education Foundation. Shinde won the award based on his research in plating and surface finishing science and engineering, his academic record, personal statement, work experience and extracurricular activities. Shinde, who works in the Advanced Coatings lab and is completing his doctorate in mechanical engineering, will use the funding to support polymer anatomy research and potential new product development. 

Assistant Professor Animesh Chakravarthy, Electrical and Aerospace Engineering, received the Excellence in Teaching Award, the Excellence in Research Award and the Faculty Research Award.

Assistant Professor Vinod Namboodiri, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching Award. 

Associate Professor Preethika Kumr, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, received the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu Nikola Telsa Award, given as the student’s choice for the faculty member of the year. Kumar then advanced to win the national 2015 IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu C. Holmes McDonald Outstanding Teacher Award. 

Judie Dansby, who retired after more than 20 years of service in administrative support to WSU and the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department, was honored with a Special Recognition Award. 

GRANTS 

The Center for Community Support and Research was awarded a $700,000 contract from the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. The contract is to coordinate and support a statewide network for behavioral health prevention and collaboration with WSU Technology Teams. 

Professor Gery Markova, Barton School of Business and Management Department, received a 2015 Scholarly Research Grant from the Center for Association Leadership. 

PRESENTATIONS 

Sonja Armbruster, director of Public Health Initiatives at the Center for Community Support and Research, was invited to present “Smoothing the Barriers to Quality Improvement and Accreditation: 9 Pillars to Keep Local Health Departments on the Path” at the Annual Conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, July 7-9, in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) Executive Director Scott Wituk presented two posters at the Society for Community Research and Action biennial conference in June. The first poster, “The Healthy Communities Initiative: Improving Community health through Policy, Systems and Environmental Changes,” described how the Kansas Health Foundation partnered with 20 Kansas communities to promote changes that support physical activities and increase access to and demand for healthy foods through the Healthy Communities Initiative. The second poster, “The Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Initiative: Building Peer Support into the Public Mental Health System,” provided an overview of CCSR’s certified peer specialist program. 

Professor Michael Rogers, chair of Human Performance Studies, was invited to present “Effective exercise interventions for active aging” at the “Positive Aging: Protect Your Health, Wealth and Self” conference, June 23, in Wichita. 

Wilma Moore-Black, associate director of Communication Upward, was invited to speak at the 40th anniversary Gordon Parks Tribute Luncheon by the National Association of Black Journalists, Thursday, Aug. 6. The luncheon was part of an annual convention and career fair sponsored by the National Association of Black Journalists, which took place Wednesday- Sunday, Aug. 5-9, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. During the 90-minute tribute, Moore-Black shared her memories and highlights of Parks’ career as a preeminent artist who achieved success as a poet, novelist, composer, film director, photojournalist and fashion photographer, and the legacy he left for African-Americans and all people worldwide. 

PUBLICATIONS 

Center for Community Support and Research Director of Research Tara Gregory published an article on the commonalities between community psychology and evaluation. The piece is in the The Community Psychologist, a publication of the Society for Community Research and Action, the community psychology division of the American Psychological Association. Gregory is a member of the Leadership Council for the Community Psychology Topical Interest Group in the American Evaluation Association. Read the full article at http://bit.ly/1JWrRaV.

Professor Mark Schneegurt, Biological Sciences and Curriculum and Instruction, is the lead author on “Microbiology,” an introductory-level textbook due for release in spring 2016 that will be free online and low-cost in print. The textbook is part of a collaborative publishing agreement with Rice University-based publisher OpenStax College, which writes books by committee. Read more about the textbook at http://bit.ly/1Og7B7m. 

Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance Kenneth Kriz, Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs, co-authored an article titled “Determinants of Debt Burdens: Evidence from California Counties” in the summer issue of Public Finance and Management journal. The piece examined what has driven the increase in debt in California counties over the last decade and developed a debt burden index, which can be used to identify counties that have more debt than predicted given their socioeconomic, demographic and financial characteristics. He also published a chapter titled “Is There an Optimal Size of Fiscal Reserves for Local Governments” in a collected volume titled “Local Government Budget Stabilization: Explorations and Evidence,” published by Springer. 

NEW APPOINTMENTS 

Alex Chaparro was named the new Carl and Rozina Cassat Professor in Aging and director of the Regional Institute on Aging at WSU. 

The Department of Psychology appointed Brendan Clark as a clinical assistant professor and Joel Suss as assistant professor of human factors. 

The College of Engineering has added twelve new faculty members in 2015; Nicholas Smith, Ali Eslami, Sergio Salinas Monroy, Manira Rani, Samantha Corcoran, Ana Lazarin, Mahdiar Hariri, Taha Aldoss, Laila Cure Vellojin, Fadi Alsaleem, Eylem Asmatulu, Shuang Gu and Yimesker Yihun. This represents a 20.6 percent increase in the number of faculty from fall 2014. 

Toney Flack was named Chief Information Officer at Wichita State University on July 7. Flack is responsible for managing all enterprise-level technology infrastructure and technology-related academic and administrative services at Wichita State. 

The Center for Community Support and Research added research associates Aaron Epp and Jun (Sim) Jung, to the Research and Evaluation team. 

Katie Mahuron began service on the Public Health Initiatives team as an AmeriCorps VISTA. 

The Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has announced new chairpersons. Professor Tom DeLillo, mathematics and statistics, Professor Rhonda Lewis, psychology, and Professor Chinyere Okafor, Women’s Studies and Religion, will become the chairpersons of their respective departments in the college for 2015-2016 academic year. DeLillo and Lewis began their new responsibilities July 1, and Okafor assumed her new position Aug. 1. For more information, go to wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/cnews/?cnid=17479. 

The Office for Student Success, which merged with the Office of Transitions and Orientation, recently welcomed two new staff members: Cynthia Anderson, who brings many years of administrative experience from Virginia Tech, and Samantha Greenberg, who recently finished her master’s degree in Higher Education Student Affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The focus of the new Office for Student Success is to assist with the university’s student retention and graduation goals by planning events and offering services in the areas of first-year programs, academic success, student money management and military student services. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Associate Professor Catherine Consiglio, College of Fine Arts, took her sabbatical this spring to spend three weeks in Asuncion, Paraguay, where she visited local schools to build relations and nurture local talent. For more about her visit, go to http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/stories/story.asp?si=2911. 

Scientists on the Fermilab NOvA research project, including particle physicists from Wichita State University, saw their first evidence of oscillating neutrinos, confirming that the detector built for the project not only functions as planned, but is making great progress toward a major leap in our understanding of these ghostly particles. Professors Nickolas Solomey, Holger Meyer and Mathew Muether, from WSU’s Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, have been remotely monitoring data from a dedicated control center in Jabara Hall between trips to Fermilab facilities in Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago. For the complete story, go to http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/stories/story.asp?si=2913. 

The Midwest Criminal Justice Institute was invited to cosponsor the 2015 Civil Rights Symposium with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in August, at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. 

IN THE NEWS 

Professor Michael Rogers, Human Performance Studies, was featured in a story about water-based exercise for older adults that appeared in “Homewatch CareGivers’ on June 30. The article can be found at: http://bit.ly/1McjMmi. 

Mark Porcaro, executive director of Online Learning, was quoted in an article about the best states for online colleges. His comments can be found under the “Spotlight Q&A” for Kansas, which ranked number five on the list. Read the article at: http://bit.ly/1lczLUD. 

The Center for Community Support and Research was mentioned in the Wichita Eagle as the home for the KanCare Ombudsman Volunteer site in Wichita. Read the article at: http://bit.ly/1IYTgoJ. 

Rick Pappas, physical education educator, Human Performance Studies, was quoted in an article in the Topeka Capital Journal after sharing the results of the Kansas recess survey with the State Board of Education. Read the article at: http://bit.ly/1Lq0A3u. 

Assistant Professor Chase Billingham, sociology, wrote his dissertation on Boston and was quoted in an article about segregation in public schools in the Boston Globe. Read the article at: http://bit.ly/1XMKENh. 

IN MEMORIAM 

Arthur H. Rohn, former chair of anthropology at Wichita State University, died from a brief battle with Leukemia at his home in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 8. He was 86 years old. He was born May 15, 1929 to Arthur H. Sr. and Leona Rohn in Elmherst, Illinois. He received the A.B. degree in anthropology, Cum Laude, in 1951 from Harvard College, and a Ph.D. in 1966 from Harvard University. In 1970, Rohn moved to Wichita to become a professor of anthropology at Wichita State University and was chair of Department of Anthropology from 1970 to 1976 and 1987 to 1990. Rohn was an exceptional and very popular teacher and a passionate collector of ethnographic art. Rohn is survived by his wife, Ethne Barnes Rohn; sons, Andy of Champaign, Illinois, and David of Pendleton, Oregon; daughter, Jennifer Head, Windsor, Colorado; two grandchildren Corey Rohn, and Hayley Burkart; stepsons Jason and James Aaron Barnes; granddaughters Ashley, Jamie and Jacqui Barnes; grandson, Hayden Barnes. A celebration of life will be held at 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, in Neff Hall at WSU. 

LaVona Ida Spencer, 82, died of natural causes Aug. 19. She was born Sept. 20, 1932 in Wichita, Kansas to parents Burrell and Carrie Neely. She held multiple degrees from Wichita State University, where she was an academic advisor and professor for 32 years. Spencer was an amazing woman, wife, mother, daughter and humanitarian, known for being the champion of the underdog and the cheerleader for nontraditional students. She was a civil rights activist, serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and branch secretary for the Wichita chapter of the NAACP. Her name appears on the Wall of Tolerance along with the names of Rosa Parks and other civil rights activists. She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and a long-term member of the Panel of American Women. Her legacy lives on in her children and students. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Spencer. She is survived by her children, James Spencer, Manhattan, Kansas, Beryl Jones, Wichita, Kevin Spencer, Seattle, Washington, and Kirsten Spencer Joyer, Wesley Chapel, Florida. 

Vee Shawver Gordon, 94, died on May 24 after accomplishing much in her life. She spent 25 years in the banking industry and was well known to her friends and clients as a talented interior decorator. She was also a pilot and philanthropist who once told an interviewer that supporting education was one of her passions. Gordon did just that at Wichita State University, contributing a generous gift in 2000 to establish the Marvin J. (Jerry) Gordon Distinguished Professorship in Engineering in memory of her late husband. She also created the Vee Gordon Music Scholarship for students in WSU’s music theater program. In 2006, the WSU Foundation presented her the Fairmount Founders’ Award for her support, which also included contributions to the president’s home renovation project and the College of Engineering. Jerry Gordon was an aerospace engineer who also taught classes at Wichita State. Gordon had another family connection to WSU; her daughter-in-law, Martha Shawver, served Wichita State for more than 35 years before retiring in 2011 as senior associate provost. Gordon was a life member of the WSU Alumni Association and a Fairmount Society Life member. She is survived by her sons, Herbert and Kent, and one grandson. 

Raymond M. Clay, 61, a retired custodian at Wichita State, died June 22. He retired in 2011, after which he enjoyed spending his time engaged in church activities and ministries. Clay is survived by a large extended family. A memorial has been established with First Independent Assembly of God, 1620 S. Mosley, Wichita, KS 67211. 

Francis “Fran” Dwight Jabara, 90, of Wichita, passed away on Saturday, July 25, at Larksfield Health Care Center. Jabara was born in Cambridge, Kansas. into a large and extraordinarily close Lebanese family with his brothers, Harold, Walter, Edward and Everett, and sisters, Elsie (Nimrod), Helen (Galloway) and twins, Donna (Baker) and Duana (Starks). In 1929, the family moved to Burden, where Farris and Hanna opened a general store and where Jabara first began his career in business at the 8 years old, carrying groceries for customers and assisting at the family store. Following graduation from Burden High School, Fran enlisted in the Army and it was a source of great pride to his family that four of the Jabara sons served their country during World War II. During his Army service, Jabara was selected for training at the University of North Dakota and then was stationed in Hawaii. After being honorably discharged, he earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma A&M in 1946, where he started his own photography business and helped establish the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He completed his graduate studies at Northwestern University, and earned his CPA. Jabara married Geraldine “Geri” Ablah in 1956 in Wichita, and together they established an enduring legacy of a strong marriage, a cherished family and a history of compassionate giving that spanned almost six decades. Jabara joined the faculty of Wichita University (now Wichita State) in 1949, where he served for 40 years as a distinguished professor in 1971, dean of the College of Business Administration and founder of one of the first Centers for Entrepreneurship at WSU, a program that became internationally recognized as one of the finest and most comprehensive in the nation. He co-founded the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs, the largest national organization for collegiate students interested in entrepreneurship with members in all 50 states and 20 foreign countries and was instrumental in assisting many other universities in creating entrepreneurship programs. After his resignation from WSU in 1989, he founded Jabara Ventures Group, a private equity and investment company, as well as the Jabara Family Foundation and the Professor Fran and Geri Jabara Fund. He established numerous scholarships, including the prestigious Wichita State University Fran Jabara Scholarship. A recognized national leader in entrepreneurship, he has been awarded the prestigious Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education and the George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation. He was the chairman of the Kansas delegation to the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business, and in 1991 was the recipient of the Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch Inc. Magazine Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1996, WSU dedicated Jabara Hall, which houses the departments of mathematics and statistics, physics, computer science and psychology as well as the university’s computing and telecommunications services. The Jabaras had three children, Leesa, Lori (Simmons) and Harvey, and three grandsons, Jaxon Jabara, Jensen Jabara and Francis Elliott Simmons. He is survived by wife, Geri; children, Leesa Jabara of Alexandria, Virginia, Lori Simmons (Chad) of Leawood, Harvey Jabara (Missy) of Palm Desert, California, sisters; Helen Galloway of Wichita and Duana Starks of Wichita. 

Sharon Miles, known locally for her work with nonprofit organizations, died after a battle with cancer. Miles worked for various nonprofit organizations during her career, including the Kansas Humane Society, Wichita State University, Exploration Place and the Wichita Public Library Foundation. She was active in the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for 16 years, through which she was recognized as an outstanding fundraising professional in 2012, and twice served as its president in 2007 and 2008. She also spent more than 15 years volunteering with the Sedgwick County Zoo, and helped raise more than $13 million for various local organizations. 

Richard “Dick” Charles Welsbacher, 89, professor emeritus and director of theater at Wichita State; stage actor and director; radio, film, television and commercial actor and personality; and storyteller and mentor to generations, died Tuesday, July 14, following a series of complications. During his 30-year tenure at WSU, Welsbacher directed more than 150 productions and performed more than 200 roles. He created a vibrant theater arts program offering hands-on experience for undergraduate students in every element of the stage. He also appeared regularly on many Wichita stages and worked on stage and in film and television throughout the United States. Welsbacher identified himself first as a teacher, and he accumulated multiple awards, notably the Excellence in Teaching Award in 1975. Students under his tutelage have gone on to careers in stage, film and television, and over the years they have garnered multiple nominations and prestigious awards in all three areas. Other commendations have included induction into the Mary Jane Teall Hall of Fame in 1995 and, in 2002, the Governor's Arts Award. Welsbacher met Gladys Elizabeth (Betty) Tener in Columbus, and they married in 1946. He served as Lieutenant (JG) in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He attended Denison University through the GI bill, graduating in theater arts in 1948. Welsbacher obtained his MA in theater from the University of Denver. In 1958, Welsbacher moved his family to Wichita, where he accepted a position in the English department at the University of Wichita (now Wichita State), and, in 1961, in the fledgling theater department as director. He retired in 1991 but remained active in theater in Wichita and other locations. In 1999, the Welsbacher Theatre was established in the Hughes Metroplex on the WSU campus, and in 2011, the newly renovated black-box theater was rededicated. In May 2015, Welsbacher was inducted into the College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame. The Dick Welsbacher Memorial for WSU Performing Arts Angels has been established. The fund’s name reflects the name of a loyal group who helped fund the WSU Summer Theatre program in its early years, and today funds students in a variety of theater, music theater and dance endeavors. Donations may be sent to: Dick Welsbacher Memorial for WSU Performing Arts Angels; WSU Foundation, 1845 Fairmount St.; Wichita, KS 67260-0002.