WSU News - All Stories

Oct. 20, 2020 — The Kansas Legislature in 2011 made a commitment to invest $105 million statewide over the next decade with the purpose of increasing the number of engineers available to industry. For its $35 million share of that money – granted under the University Engineering Initiative Act (UEIA) – Wichita State College of Engineering pledged to double the number of bachelor’s degrees it awarded annually. The aggressive goal was surpassed this past academic year as the college awarded 380 bachelor’s degrees.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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

Aug. 3, 2020 — If necessity is the mother of invention, it may also be the source of new patents: The story of how Dr. Ali Eslami became the holder of US Patent 10,689,898 – his first – begins with a local company asking for an invention to save it money.

July 16, 2020 — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded more than $1.1 million to Dr. Vinod Namboodiri, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Wichita State University, and his team to create a community-wide wayfinding system for people with disabilities.

July 13, 2020 - Three Wichita State University alumni wrote, produced and organized "God Save the Wings," a documentary about the glory days of the Wichita Wings professional indoor soccer club from its founding in 1979 into the early 1980s. “God Save the Wings” debuted on February 22 at the Orpheum Theatre and it went so well that organizers planned to show it again on April 10. Then the COVID-19 pandemic changed their schedule and their hopes of entering it in film festivals around the world are largely on hold until the fall.

July 8, 2020 — Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research's Digital Twin program uses insights gained through the digital assembly of aging aircraft to provide valuable data to those who might work to maintain and repair similar aircraft in the future.

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 4, 2020 — Responding to industry demand for workers with specialized skills, Wichita State is now offering a graduate certificate in computational data science.

June 1, 2020 - Wichita State senior Allison Schulte, a strategic communication major, describes her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how teachers reacted to help adjust to the new circumstances.

May 28, 2020 - Lou Heldman, 71, came to Wichita State in 2007, a time when the university’s vision expanded. He fit in with a group, most prominently former president John Bardo and current president Jay Golden, that want the university and community to think and act boldly. He retires in June.