What are we proud of at Wichita State University?
32. "Kansas' only..." in health professions
The College of Health Professions (CHP) features the first and only Physician Assistant (PA) program in the state. Hundreds apply. Far fewer enter. 100% of Wichita State PA grads receive jobs after graduating.
CHP also features the only bachelor of science in Dental Hygiene program at a Kansas Board of Regents university. WSU Dental Hygiene majors can access WSU's own dental clinic for valuable applied learning experiences. The clinic is open to the public and offers a wide range of low-cost preventative, therapeutic and educational services.
33. First Year Research Experience (FYRE)
The First Year Research Experience is a new program at WSU aimed to build a community of STEM students, faculty and professionals to support STEM majors or potential majors as they form identities as members of the scientific community.
The initiative was jointly formed by WSU students and faculty as a way to prepare WSU students to excel early in STEM fields. Contact Dr. Moriah Beck, FYRE faculty director, for more information.
34. Shocker Spirit
The last 25 years of WSU's history have been marked by bold, unprecedented statements of Shocker pride like, "Fear the Wheat," "Shocker Nation," and "Keep calm and Shock on."
That and a sprited mix of music, cheer and unbridled black and yellow creates the community that WSU thrives on.
35. Fine Arts faculty
"They have such a dedication to the people here, and this place. We live in a time
when funding to higher ed is being cut - faculty still work hard with such limited
resources. It's so easy to get cynical, worn down and bitter, but we don't."
-Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn, director of the WSU School of Music
WSU has an array of renowned faculty, including world-famous opera singer Sam Ramey. All Fine Arts faculty are experts in their fields, melting iron into sculpture molds and composing revolutionary modern jazz pieces. Just take a look:
Read a WSU News story about William Flynn, guitar instructor
36. "The Sunflower," WSU's student newspaper
"The Sunflower" has been WSU’s independent, student-run news source since 1896. It employs dozens of Shockers in compiling and publishing an active newspaper through WSU’s oldest and longest-running applied learning initiative.
37. WSU Partnerships
Higher education is changing. It's no secret that state legislatures no longer grant universities the as much funding as in the 20th century, and universities have adapted to be able to expand. WSU has adapted and expanded.
We've partnered with multiple public and private firms to fund new facilities and other additions to campus, with minimal additions to student fees while maximizing opportunities for superior student experiences.
Partnerships with public firms have resulted in buildings like the Law Enforcement Training Center, a 60,000 square-foot facility producing exceptional criminal justice professionals in partnership with local, state and national law enforcement agencies.
Partnerships with private firms include on-campus offices for Airbus, Dassault Systemes, Spirit Aerosystems and - most recently - Netapp.
38. Alumni Walk - the original University plan
The next time you take Alumni walk - the big, elliptical sidewalk roughly between Jardine Hall and Duerksen Fine Arts Center - take a close look. The sidewalks don't look quite right. The sidewalk seems small for the wide grass lane.
In the days of Fairmount College, Alumni Walk was to be a small road, and was for many years until the last decade. It was supposed to be the whole campus, including a loop around what is now Perimeter Road.
All buildings on the campus were to look like Jardine and McKinley Hall, in the style of a traditional, small New England campus. Morrison Hall was supposed to have two wings!
However, with Fairmount College's transformation into Wichita University, priorities and campus vision dramatically shifted. The wide lawn became Duerksen Fine Arts Center, and a quarter square mile campus grew to a half square mile.
Perimeter Road and Alumni Walk preserve the memory of the early days. Take a walk sometime and fully experience old WSU campus under the large oaks and Greek columns.
