WSU expands in-state tuition offer to additional cities in Midwest
Wichita State University is continuing to expand its appeal outside of the Wichita area by now offering in-state tuition to students living in several additional metropolitan areas in the Midwest. Now even more students will have the opportunity to enroll in the high-quality academic programs at Wichita State for an affordable price.
WSU progressively started offering in-state tuition rates beginning in 2016 to students living in Dallas / Ft. Worth, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Kansas City, Missouri. With yesterday's (Wednesday, Nov. 7) approval by the Kansas Board of Regents, WSU will expand its Shocker City initiative to other metropolitan areas including Denver, Houston, San Antonio and St. Louis, among others.
WSU expands in-state tuition offer
Shocker Capitol Day – Wichita State meets President Trump
Talking basketball with the President. Nobody at Wichita State knew Wednesday would
end with a visit in the Oval Office with Donald Trump.
That door from the Roosevelt Room opens when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is a big
Shocker fan. Pompeo's office helped arrange a White House tour for the Shockers and,
after a wait in the room decorated with paintings of Theodore Roosevelt and his 1906
Nobel Peace Prize, a surprise chat and picture with President Trump.
"We didn't think, waking up, we were going to get see the President of the United
States," Wichita State senior Samajae Haynes-Jones said. "That's something."
Read more at Shocker Capitol Day.
Sen. Moran hosts Air Force Under Secretary Donovan at Wichita State
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) -- member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and co-chair of the Senate Aerospace Caucus – Friday, Nov. 9, hosted U.S. Air Force Under Secretary Matthew P. Donovan and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Dr. Will Roper in Wichita for tours at Wichita State University's (WSU) National Institute for Aviation Research and Spirit AeroSystems.
“I am pleased Under Secretary Donovan joined me in Wichita to see firsthand how Kansans support our United States Air Force in the ‘Air Capital of the World',” said Sen. Moran. “Nearly every Air Force platform relies on the expertise or parts supplied by Kansans, and the manufacturers and engineers in Wichita are eager to not only continue their work for the Air Force, but to grow that work. Wichita offers the expertise, capacity and desire to be an epicenter of talent, innovation and efficiency for the Air Force, and I am committed to making certain the Pentagon remains acutely aware of the ways the Wichita area can serve the Department of Defense. I will continue to work to bring defense leaders to Wichita to see the abundant opportunities for growth and the value of increased partnerships with academic and industrial leaders here.”
“Nearly 70 percent of an aircraft's cost over its lifetime goes to operating and sustaining it,” said Under Secretary Donovan. “Senator Moran has been a great advocate for the Air Force and I'm looking forward to harnessing some of the technology and expertise offered by Wichita State University and local companies to increase lethality and readiness.”
“We are honored that Senator Moran chose to host officials from the Air Force at Wichita State,” said Wichita State University President John Bardo. “We are proud of the important and critical research that is being done at Wichita State University and thankful to Senator Moran for helping organize a visit from key Air Force personnel highlighting the great work being done here and the partnerships between education, industry, military and government. We enjoyed highlighting the National Institute for Aviation Research and College of Engineering for Senator Moran and Under Secretary Donovan, and believe they are closely aligned with the Air Force's needs for sustaining existing aircraft and innovating for the future.”
“The greater Wichita region is the Air Capital of the World. Our immense manufacturing capabilities and industry expertise are driven by cooperation between the the aerospace industry, local and state government, the U.S. Department of Defense, and Wichita State University,” said Greater Wichita Partnership President Jeff Fluhr. “Aerospace companies from all over the world are drawn to our collaboration – it is a significant competitive advantage for our region and state. The U.S. Air Force is integral to that collaboration through McConnell Air Force base and the thousands of warfighters and retired personnel that comprise our talented labor market.”
Watch video highlights of Sen. Moran's and Under Secretary Donovan's visit
First-generation college students are finding increased success at WSU
Providing a pathway to success for first-generation college students is one of Wichita State University's highest priorities and a success story that everyone can be proud of.
First-generation students are identified as those whose parents have not earned a bachelor's degree. Since 2006, Wichita State's enrollment and retention efforts have resulted in a 55 percent increase in first-generation Shockers.
In fall 2018, about 45 percent of degree-seeking undergraduate students at Wichita State were first-generation students.
Read complete story on first-generation students
WSU Tech program reaches relocation goal as it garners national attention
According to a story in The Wichita Business Journal, the Wichita Promise Move program at WSU Tech has hit its goal of attracting 50 students from outside the Wichita area, while at the same time attracting some national attention for its quick success.
Sheree Utash,president of WSU Tech, says the last group of 18 students arrived last week to hit the target of 50 only a few months after the program was rolled out.
Next fiscal year will see sizeable jump in private support to WSU campus
Philanthropic funds that support scholarships, faculty and multiple programs at Wichita State will increase substantially in the fiscal year that starts next July 1, the WSU Foundation reports.
These endowed funds will produce $8.1 million in payouts in fiscal 2020, a 9.5 percent increase over the current year and a 30.6 percent increase from five years ago.
“What's really exciting is that scholarship payouts will be $4.6 million, a 14.7 percent increase from this fiscal year and a 63.1 percent increase from just five years ago,” said Elizabeth King, the foundation's president and CEO.
“This jump in scholarships means more students are getting the help they need to afford their college educations, and many are receiving larger awards than in previous years,” King said.
Alumni and other friends of Wichita State have been extraordinarily generous in the first five years of the Shock the World Campaign, which began at the start of FY2014, she said.
The report on FY2020 payouts represents only endowed funds, King noted. Additional private funds provide other important support, such as current scholarships, which exist for a specified number of years. Endowed funds produce awards in perpetuity. Non-endowed funds also support facility enhancements and many other programs and projects that advance Wichita State.
New Space Exploration Lecture Series is announced
Ad Astra! The Wichita Space Initiative (wichita.edu/space) is pleased to announce the creation of a new Space Exploration Lecture Series. The inaugural lecture will be given by WSI Coordinator and philosophy faculty James Schwartz, at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in 231 Hubbard Hall. Schwartz's talk, "Will Space Mining Save the World?," will discuss the topic of space mining from an ethics and policy perspective. Schwartz will argue that easily accessible space resources are relatively scarce, motivating the need for the careful regulation of space mining. The talk is based on a chapter of a book he is writing, tentatively titled “The Value of Space Science.”
Visit Space Exploration Lecture Series
Upcoming WSI Space Exploration lectures include Jim Remar (Cosmosphere CEO), who will speak about the Cosmosphere's restoration project for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 (Jan. 31), as well as WSU faculty Atri Dutta, who will speak about astrodynamics research at the WSU CORE Lab (Feb. 28).
Talks in the Space Exploration Lecture Series are free and open to the public.
Wichita State helps launch unprecedented national effort to increase college access, equity and postsecondary attainment
WSU is participating in a massive new effort in which 130 public universities and systems will work together to increase college access, close the achievement gap, and award hundreds of thousands more degrees by 2025.
Provost Rick Muma is leading WSU's participation in the effort. “WSU's participation in the metropolitan cluster allows us to work with similar institutions on sharing best practices with the goal of improving our own policies and practices in order to increase college access and degree completion,” said Muma.
The participating institutions will work within clusters of four-to-12 institutions as they concurrently implement innovative and effective practices to advance student success on their campuses. Collectively, the institutions enroll three million students, including one million students who receive Pell Grants.
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is organizing the collaborative effort, known as Powered by Publics: Scaling Student Success. This represents the largest collaborative effort to improve college access, advance equity and increase college degrees awarded.
In addition to committing to those goals, participating institutions have pledged to share aggregate data demonstrating their progress to help spur lasting change across the higher education sector.
Department of History invites you to its fall lecture on Nov. 15
The Department of History invites you to its fall lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in 231 Hubbard Hall. Our lecturer is Shawn Alexander, professor of African and African American and the Director of the Langston Hughes Center at the University of Kansas. His lecture, "Fantastic Dreams and Radical Visions: The NAACP and the Foundation of a Movement," will examine the foundational organization of the African American Civil Rights Movement in the 1930s.
Kerry Wilks named interim dean of the Graduate School
Kerry Wilks
Kerry Wilks has been named interim dean for Wichita State University's Graduate School, effective Jan. 1, 2019, according to Provost Rick Muma. Wilks is currently associate dean in the Graduate School and professor of Spanish.
The position became open when the current dean, Dennis Livesay, was appointed the dean of the College of Engineering at Wichita State, also effective Jan. 1. She will start working with Livesay now to prepare for the transition.
As interim dean, Wilks will not hold the title of Associate Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, as was the case for Livesay.
Andrew Hippisley, dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is chairing a search for the next dean. Wichita State intends to have a new dean in place on July 1, 2019.
WSU student completes internship at NASA
Luis Cisneros, a mechanical engineering major at Wichita State University, spent 10 weeks interning at NASA in Mountain View, California. Some of the hands-on experience he received was working on the Mars 2020 mission, as well as working with electric vertical takeoff landing vehicles that are human operated and is what we envision of flying cars.
Bring two canned items and get a ticket for half-price
Fans who bring two canned good items can receive half-price admission for the women's basketball game between Sam Houston State and Wichita State at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 14) in Charles Koch Arena.
Koskei punches ticket to NCAA Championships
Winny Koskei advances to the NCAA Championships after placing third in the NCAA Midwest Regionals 6K race. She finished third at the NCAA Midwest Regional cross country race with a personal best time of 20:23.0. Koskei becomes the first Shocker to reach the NCAA Championships since 2012 when Aliphine Tuliamuk placed second in the regionals and advanced to a fourth place finish in the national race.
The Shocker women placed three in the top-50, including two in the top-25 to finish 10th as a team. Koskei and Rebekah Topham each earned All-Region honors with top-25 finishes, Koskei in third and Topham in 17th (20:59.2).
Koskei will compete in the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Air Force uses GoCreate resources to build Go Box
Air Force technical sergeant “Coach” Allen joined GoCreate as a civilian who wanted to make going-away presents and use the 3D printer to produce electronic enclosures.
“What I do for a living is what I do as a hobby,” he said. “I like to make stuff. When I joined here, it was really just to have all these tools at my disposal, to keep me out of trouble.”
Allen soon realized GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative, is a place suitable for more ambitious projects, starting with a radio Go Box with solar capability.
Rie Bloomfield Organ Series presents Renee Anne Louprette
Renee Anne Louprette will perform on the Marcussen Organ at 7:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, Nov. 13) in Wiedemann Hall.
Described by “The Irish Times,” “as a communicative player with no shortage of imaginative ideas,” Louprette continues to impress her audiences with her engaging performances. She is University Organist and Coordinator of the Organ Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.
For tickets, go to https://www.wichita.edu/fineartsboxoffice or call 978-3233.
Admission is free for students with a WSU ID.
WSU School of Music's Faculty Artist Series presents flutist Carmen A. Lemoine
Join Carmen A. Lemoine and the School of Music at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, in Wiedemann Hall, for a free concert of flute chamber music. The concert will include Mike Mower's Sonata Latino with Banda Hispanica's professor John Goering, alumna Renea Abdallah, and Joel Montes.
"…Lemoine's sheer sound was so engrossing. With deep and rich tone, Lemoine spins lovely, long lines that could rival those of anaerobic string instruments." -- San Francisco Classical Voice
Lemoine is assistant professor of flute at Wichita State and principal flutist of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. She has performed on four continents as an orchestral, chamber and solo musician. After living on the West Coast for 13 years, she's thrilled to make Wichita her home and contribute to its thriving community of artists and musicians.
Starbucks Winter Sale now through Nov. 21
From now through Wednesday, Nov. 21, enjoy 50 percent off a warm and toasty sandwich or Sous Vide Egg Bites when you purchase a Grande or larger handcrafted beverage. It's the perfect pairing. This offer is only around for a limited time, so stop by the Starbucks cafe in the RSC today.