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Student Involvement

Nov. 30, 2021 — Wichita State University's efforts to recruit and retain students from historically underserved and underrepresented areas rank it in the top 28% of the 2021 Social Mobility Index (SMI). The 2021 SMI, calculated by CollegeNET Inc., benchmarks 1,549 four-year colleges and universities in the United States according to how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and graduate them into well-paying jobs.

Graphic of United States in gray. Illinois Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. are highlighted in yellow with WuShock on Kansas.

Nov. 30, 2021 -- Beginning fall 2022, eligible students from Illinois will be able to attend Wichita State University for the same cost as in-state tuition, a significant savings that will provide increased access and affordability to a growing number of students.

Pedro Piña-Guerrero is sitting on some long limestone steps with his hands crossed and a smile on his face.

Nov. 24, 2021 – It was a bright and sunny afternoon in August 2021 when Pedro Piña-Guerrero received a call that would change his life: He had won the Adelante Scholarship to attend Wichita State University.

Poster for Madrigal Feaste.

Nov. 23, 2021 – After 17 years, the Madrigal Singers of Wichita State University will host an Elizabethan-themed dinner and music program at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 at the Rhatigan Student Center Beggs Ballroom.

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.

Dr. Crystal Dozier

Nov. 8, 2021 — Archaeology fieldwork can be arduous and painstaking, but it’s a vital part of preserving the heritage and history of indigenous people. Wichita State University’s Dr. Crystal Dozier recently led a team of students in a cultural resource management project for the city of Wichita, ensuring that modern infrastructure wouldn’t destroy or damage ancient artifacts.

Picture of Dr. Nickolas Solomey.

Nov. 4, 2021 – Reaching for the stars and beyond, a CubeSat Mission Patch contest sponsored by Wichita State University and the Ad Astra Foundation aims to highlight WSU’s science and research programs to prospective students.

Masks

Nov. 1, 2021 - Helped by six grants from Kansas Leadership Center, Wichita State University’s HEALTH Student Association is working to end the pandemic and support students with information and resources to keep them healthy. HEALTH distributed more than 6,000 free and reusable masks, some with “Shockers United” branding, some plain black and sequined masks for the inauguration of president Rick Muma. It assembled gift boxes for quarantining students with information on COVID-19 vaccines and testing and gifts such as Wichita State water bottles, stickers and lanyards.

Louisa Brunt

Oct. 11, 2021 - Louisa Brunt, from Manchester, England, transferred to Wichita State from Texas Tech University to golf and to earn her master’s degree in criminal justice. Brunt graduated from Texas Tech, where she earned Academic All-Big 12 honors three times, with a major in criminology and a minor in forensic science. Brunt expects her career path to take her into police work or the FBI.

Widener group graphic

Oct. 7, 2021 -- The Widener Global Leaders Program, a new, year-long, interdisciplinary program housed in the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, has compiled a dynamic and diverse group to serve on its industry advisory board.

COVID-19 vaccination

Oct. 3, 2021 — Wichita State is partnering with Gov. Laura Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in an initiative to increase COVID-19 vaccinations to underrepresented communities across Kansas.

NIAR MRO

Oct, 1, 2021 - The 777 conversion program will provide unique applied learning opportunities for WSU engineering and WSU Tech students. NIAR’s ability to provide applied learning experience for students will expand with a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for the purchase and installation of equipment for the institute’s Flight Test Research Center and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility on South Oliver near Spirit AeroSystems.

JW Webster

Oct. 1, 2021 — Before he could even walk, JW Webster could do something only a handful of other people in the world could do: speak the Cherokee language. Today Webster is one of only 1,200 people who can fluently read, write and speak the indigenous language — which is ranked as one of the most difficult languages to learn. In August, Webster’s sacred knowledge became part of Wichita State University’s applied linguistics program through a new class, Elementary Cherokee I (LING 590).

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.

Participants in the 2007 Science Olympiad at Wichita State University

Sept. 27, 2021 — Wichita State University has been chosen to host the 2023 Science Olympiad National Tournament, bringing national STEM notoriety to the university and up to 7,000 visitors and tourists to Wichita.