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2021 Rudd Scholars

March 25, 2021 — The fourth class of Rudd Scholars includes 19 Kansas high school seniors who will attend Wichita State University. Each recipient will receive a full-ride scholarship, which includes tuition, fees, on-campus housing and considerable networking/coaching support along the way. All Rudd Scholars are from Kansas and will attend Wichita State, Emporia State or Fort Hays State.

Vote here at Charles Koch Arena

March 23, 2021 — Wichita State University has been designated a Voter-Friendly Campus by the Campus Vote Project and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Wichita State students

March 19, 2020 - For the second year in a row, Wichita State University is one of the “Top 25 Brands in Kansas” as recognized by Ingram’s, a Kansas City business magazine. Ingram’s goal is to “identify brands that have carved out national reputations for excellence by drawing on the best of what the Sunflower State offers in its people and its business leaders.”

Aerial view of Wichita State

March 17, 2021 – Wichita State began developing the Shocker Neighborhood coalition to engage and empower the neighborhood communities surrounding campus. Since then, the commitment has expanded to include 10 neighborhoods and now engages with the community to provide resources, scholarships, academic support programs, mentoring and additional enrichment programs for neighborhood students.

In 2014, John A. See donated $1 million to provide prizes to Wichita State faculty and students conducting outstanding research.

March 16, 2021 — Wichita State University faculty and student researchers have been awarded the 2021 John A. See Innovation Award.

Pile of shoes

March 10, 2021 – A class project in Kara McCluskey’s environmental and engineering technology class this semester set out to tackle an immense issue: The fact that each year in America, 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown away, taking an average of 30 to 40 years for just one pair to decompose.

Dr. Larisa Genin

March 3, 2021 - Dr. Larisa Genin wants the W. Frank Barton School of Business to be the best business school in the nation. The plan to reach that status starts with creativity, an entrepreneurial mindset and teamwork. “I’m really hoping that anything we do in the Barton School of Business would revolve around three words – innovation, engagement and impact,” she said. She hands out black and yellow rubber bracelets with the words “Happiness” and “Joy” stamped on as a reminder of her philosophy to emphasize a positive mindset and celebrate achievements.

Veterans Upward Bound Program of Wichita State University

February 23, 2021 — The purpose of the Wichita State Upward Bound Program is to improve participants’ academic performance, to assist with enrolling into a post-secondary institution and to ensure enrolled participants will graduate from their chosen program.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will be the the keynote speaker.

Feb. 23, 2021 — The Department of Women’s Studies, in a partnership with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and League of Women Voters of Kansas, will hold the annual Diverse Women’s Summit (DWS) of individuals and groups from different backgrounds on local, regional and global diversity issues affecting women and gender on March 8.

Prince Yengbe

Feb. 18, 2021 — When Prince Yengbe came to Wichita State University from his home country of Ghana in 2007, he wasn’t entirely sure what aerospace engineering was, but he knew he wanted to be part of it. Now, after earning a bachelor’s (2012) and a master’s degree (2015) in the subject, Yengbe is being honored with the Modern-Day Technology Leader Award by the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) STEM Conference.

Student Wellness Center

Feb. 17, 2021 - In the fall, Wichita State University public health sciences students took on the questions and uncertainty of helping with COVID-19 testing at the Student Wellness Center. Most are considering a career in health care. The volunteer time offered an applied learning opportunity working with the public during a pandemic and added to their understanding of public health.

Free COVID testing at the Metroplex

Feb. 17, 2021 — Wichita State University will be offering free COVID-19 testing to the public beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

Hutchinson's Bernard White Park

Feb. 11, 2021 - Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute helped by working with the City of Hutchinson and Hutchinson Parks and Recreation on its Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. The city and the recreation commission used the money to pay for a parks and recreation master plan. The plan targeted Bernard White Park, which scored lowest for amenities and improvements in the master plan, as one of the prime places in need of updates and a better connection to its neighborhood.

Community Health Workers

Feb. 9, 2021 — Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute (CEI) is working to put a spotlight on an underutilized and underrecognized profession: community health workers (CHW).

Picture of 1958 sit-in from The Enlightener

Feb. 5, 2021 - The Dockum Drug Store sit-in of 1958 is attracting new attention during Black History Month, in part thanks to NBC’s Today and Wichita native Sheinelle Jones. Several University of Wichita students participated in the sit-in, which is increasingly recognized as a landmark event in the Civil Rights Movement. NBC’s Today featured the events in a recent broadcast.