For WSU News and WSU Today content older than July 2018, search the WSU News Archive.

WSU News Archive   Return to WSU News Home

Bill Burch with Shocker decanter

Sept. 23, 2020 - Bill Burch played linebacker for the Shockers in 1970 as a senior. As fate would have it, a knee injury kept him from traveling to Utah State on Oct. 2. He had expected to travel with the team, but instead was forced to stay home and heal. On that day, the Martin 4-0-4 airliner that carried the Shocker starters crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 people – 14 student-athletes, 14 staff and boosters, and three crew members.

Paralympic wheelchair tennis team

Sept. 16, 2020 - Deja Young is a returning Paralympian in track and a Wichita State alumna. Casey Ralzlaff is a first-time Paralympic hopeful in wheelchair tennis and current student at Wichita State. Both of their sports are cancelled due to COVID-19.

WuShock sculpture

Sept. 16, 2020 -- A first-of-its-kind WuShock sculpture was unveiled and dedicated Tuesday at the entry plaza of the Steve Clark YMCA and Student Wellness Center.

Rodney Miller

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.

Emily Christensen

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.

Convergence sciences awards

Sept. 18, 2020 -- Wichita State University today announced the inaugural awardees of the highly competitive President’s Convergence Sciences Research Initiative. The initiative brings together the intellectual curiosity and strengths of faculty and students from a range of disciplines and gives them the support to develop research programs that drive the diversity and growth of the Kansas economy while addressing global challenges.

Blue-green algae samples taken from Marion Lake.

Sept. 16, 2020 — A team of researchers from Wichita State University is investigating blue-green algae in Marion Reservoir and its toxic, and sometimes deadly, dangers to wildlife, pets and people.

Air travel

Sept. 15, 2020 -- With holiday travel season on the horizon, a just-released annual forecast from Dean Headley, co-author of the Airline Quality Rating and associate professor emeritus at Wichita State University, offers new insights into making travel plans in these extraordinary times.

Moran Center

Sept. 14, 2020 -- Wichita State University’s Advanced Center for Virtual Engineering and Testing will soon have a new name. The building’s renaming is a tribute to Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran’s commitment to provide vital resources and connections that help Wichita State offer impactful student experiences to drive prosperity for the city, region and state.

Exterior rendering of Deloitte Smart Factory building

Sept. 10, 2020 -- Deloitte and Wichita State University today announced the launch of The Smart Factory @ Wichita, a groundbreaking and immersive experiential learning environment that will accelerate the future of manufacturing as innovation and new technologies continue to reshape operations and the modern enterprise.

Dr. Linda Rhone and Vanessa Souriya-Mnirajd

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.

Yolanda and Gene Camarena

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.

Wichita State student

August 28, 2020 - Growing and diversifying the regional economy is a primary goal for Wichita State University. To assist with those efforts, Wichita State University President Dr. Jay Golden has created the President’s Innovation and Business Advisory Council. A selection of area business leaders will be invited to attend monthly council meetings to advise and support Wichita State leadership on a number of critical areas.

Screen shot from music video

Aug. 28, 2020 — Dr. Kevin Harrison, a community engagement coordinator for Wichita State, launched the Breathe project, which he says “is an attempt to use art as means of addressing social injustice and racial stereotypes.”

Kaushik Sinha

Aug. 26, 2020 — Wichita State University has been named a founding member of a newly formed AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (IFML), established by a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation.