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J. Robert Young

Feb. 23, 2022 — Wichita State alumnus J. Robert Young has pledged a gift of $3 million to provide resources that will help students build successful careers. Of that total, $2 million will endow the J. Robert Young Executive-in-Residence Program in the W. Frank Barton School of Business. The remaining $1 million will support the Shocker Success Center project, which will consolidate 17 student services in Clinton Hall.

Juan Aguilar is standing outside behind a metal sculpture.

Feb. 7, 2022 — Four years ago, Juan Aguilar made a decision that is about to make his last two years in college a whole lot more affordable.

Shirley LeFever and President Muma hand Khalid Raza an honorary degree at the WSU fall 2021 Commencement.

Dec. 9, 2021 -- Khalid Raza has never forgotten his Shocker roots. Now the chief executive officer of Graphiant, a next-generation networking technology company based in San Francisco, Raza’s first independent start-up began in 1992 when he was working as a graduate assistant at Wichita State University.

Valeria Esparza sits in front of the Wichita State University sign. She is wearing a grey sweater and black turtleneck and is sitting on a brick ledge. There is some shrubbery below the sign.

Dec. 8, 2021— Valeria Esparza’s dream was to attend college as a first-generation student. She is now guaranteed a position to teach elementary education as her future job following graduation. Esparza is one of more than 1,100 students eligible for fall 2021 graduation.

Aunjnae White, a first-generation student, posing with her degree in psychology.

Nov. 22, 2021 – New beginnings are usually an adjustment, and it can be a leap of faith if you are the first to go to college in your family.

AAC Career Fair

Oct. 21, 2021 - The Shocker Career Accelerator organized the AAC Virtual Career Fair on Oct. 28 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.). All 11 full members of the American Athletic Conference will participate (although the event is not connected to the athletic departments or conference).

Shocker Nation graphic

Sept. 30, 2021 -- Enrollment for fall 2021 at Wichita State University and WSU Tech is showing strong growth despite a decline in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of thousands of local jobs.

Prisca Barnes (right) reads to a student at Storytime Village.

Sept. 22, 2021 — What started as one woman’s passion project has flourished into a literacy empire that serves thousands of children in schools across the Wichita area — helped along the way by the people and services of Wichita State University.

WSU sundial with the inscription from poet Robert Browning:

Aug. 24, 2021 — A precious piece of Wichita State University’s story was almost lost to the dusty shelves of history — if not for the historical instincts of a faculty member.

Aliphine Tuliamuk

Aug. 5, 2021 - Aliphine Tuliamuk is Wichita State’s greatest female track and field athlete and the owner of 13 NCAA All-American honors in track and cross country. She is also an Olympian, a new mother (daughter Zoe was born Jan. 13) and an athlete willing to speak out on important issues. Recently, she is lending her voice and example to advocate for female athletes who compete as mothers.

Lindsey Harvell-Bowman

July 23, 2021 - Lindsey Harvell-Bowman and Eric Wilson consider themselves aviation geeks. They tease each other about favorite airlines and digest every bit of airplane news and research. It is fitting their friendship began as graduate students at Wichita State University, in the Air Capital of the World. Their collaboration continues in Harvell-Bowman's “The Psychology and Communication Behind Flight Anxiety: Afraid to Fly,” a book that examines the intersection of journalism, communication, and psychology in affecting the flying public.

NASA's Tim Fisher

June 23, 2021 - In 1977, a Wichitan watched Star Wars at the Mall theater on East Harry. He returned again and again that summer to watch the lightsaber battles, Jedi Knights and X-wing starfighters. “I’m an original Star Wars guy,” Tim Fisher said. “I was just mesmerized. It sparked that ‘What is possible? What can we do?’” Decades later, Fisher is one of the people helping answer those questions for the United States and the entire world in space. He is chief engineer for NASA’s Gateway program, part of the agency’s quest to return to the Moon and explore Mars.

Spencer Jane at WSU

June 17, 2021 — Logan Brown, a Kansas entrepreneur and Harvard Law School student, loves her home state so much that when she decided to pay it forward, she partnered with Wichita State University to help propel women in business.

Shaunte’ Levine

June 16, 2021 — Shaunte’ Levine is the recipient of the fourth annual Launch Award through Harvester Arts and the Wichita State School of Art, Design and Creative Industries (ADCI).

Karla Burns

June 8, 2021 - Karla Burns’ legacy of music and drama is one of Wichita State University’s most prominent contributions to the performing arts. Burns, 66, died June 4 in Wichita. She attended Dunbar Elementary School and graduated from West High School. At Wichita State, she earned bachelor’s degrees in music education and in speech/theater, both in 1981.