WSU News - All Stories

Oct. 9, 2020 — Thousands of school principals are faced with a challenge no other living school leader has faced: leading their schools through a pandemic. We're featuring two principals with roots in Shocker Nation.

Sept. 23, 2020 - Darren Defrain is the social professor of English and director of the writing program at Wichita State. Defrain has written novels, memoirs and essays, created a graphic novel, teaches on graphic novels/storytelling and is actively working on a graphic novel app.

Sept. 21, 2020 — A panelist of performing artists, moderated by Rodney Miller, dean of the College of Fine Arts, will discuss the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on the events industry at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Sept. 18, 2020 - In July, Emily Christensen spent five days on Zoom participating in the National Critics Institute, a program of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn. Christensen, coordinator of external affairs for Wichita State University’s School of Art, Design and Creative Industries, wrote about food, plays, movies and dance. She, and 16 others in her group, listened to and received critiques from people such as such as Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones, who directs the program, and Helen Shaw of New York Magazine.

Sept. 8, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded two of Wichita State University’s TRIO programs — Student Support Services (SSS) and Disability Support Services (DSS) — grants totaling more than $3.9 million to help limited-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.

Aug. 31, 2020 -- Gene and Yolanda Camarena are well known for helping underserved Kansas youth improve their lives through education and other causes. Now the Wichita couple is enhancing that legacy with a $1 million gift to Wichita State University to give students of color opportunities they otherwise might not have.

Aug. 10, 2020 — Dr. Cory Gibson, superintendent of the Valley Center School District and graduate of Wichita State University, has been named the Kansas Superintendent of the Year for 2019-20.

Aug. 6, 2020 -- Wichita State provides discounted tuition rates to new students from certain areas in Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

July 23, 2020 — The Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, which receives funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, recently awarded Wichita State $250,000 to assist in creating a workforce development database focused on compiling a map of educational programs and resources that provide skills required for today’s advanced robotics and manufacturing careers.

July 22, 2020 - The Wichita State University College of Engineering sponsors GoBabyGo, an interdisciplinary program that modifies toy cars for use by children with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the semester and several students returned over the past month to help finish and deliver the six cars.

July 7, 2020 -- Nearly 70 years after John and Colleen Wooley first met as students at the University of Wichita, they have established a legacy that will touch the lives of Wichita State University students for generations to come. The couple’s $2.2 million estate gift will provide more than $100,000 in scholarships each year for students with financial need.

June 8, 2020 -- In the recent partnership among Wichita State University, Airbus and Tango Flight, the sky is the limit. Tango Flight, a program that launched in 2016 in Georgetown, Texas, provides students the tools to build a two-seat airplane. The young learners are given applied-learning experiences before graduating high school.

May 27, 2020 - Wichita State's Shocker Studio is alway updating its technology for students in the School of Digital Arts and the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media Arts. An industry advisory board, with voices from around the nation, helps Shocker Studios plan for what’s next and what’s important. The technology upgrades include the two recording studios – one digital, one analog - that are undergoing remodels that include new acoustics, new sound boards and new components.

May 22, 2020 - Wichita State runner Rebekah Topham needed help with reading when she arrived in 2015. She made great strides with the help of tutors and athletic department resources and carries a 3.89 grade-point average. She wants other struggling students to know her story.

May 15, 2020 -- The America Reads Challenge is an initiative started in 1996 by the Clinton Administration. At Wichita State  six students participated in the work-study program during the spring semester. But when the pandemic hit, the students were out of work with no pay so they facilitated a way to move the program virtually.