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Alyssa Pace stands with an oversized check for $50,000

Feb. 18, 2026 — On Tuesday, Feb. 17, members of Wichita State University’s W. Frank Barton School of Business visited Belle Plaine High School to surprise senior Alyssa Pace with the 2026 Clay Barton Scholarship. The $50,000 award is one of the largest business scholarships in Kansas and will cover four years of tuition support at Wichita State.

2026 Clay Barton Scholarship finalists

Feb. 9, 2026 — The Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has announced eight exceptional high school seniors as finalists for the 2026 Clay Barton Scholarship, one of the largest and most prestigious business scholarships in the state of Kansas.

Wichita State students pose and jump near a Wichita State sign.

Jan. 26, 2026 — Wichita State University is proud to announce a transformative $1 million gift from an anonymous 1958 graduate of the University of Wichita to support need-based scholarships in the W. Frank Barton School of Business.

Justin Neel holds a Pizza Shuttle box.

Jan. 22, 2026 — A staple of Kansas college towns is coming to Wichita State University. Pizza Shuttle — along with its signature flavors and lightning-quick speed — will open in Braeburn Square before the end of January.

Katie Galligan

Dec. 16, 2025 - Katie Galligan played four seasons for Wichita State's volleyball team as a defensive specialist and libero. She earned American Conference All-Academic Team honors while helping the Shockers to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and the NIVC title in 2023.

Devika Nekkalapu

Dec. 10, 2025 — When Devika Nekkalapu was a child, she imagined she'd work for the Indian Administrative Service, but her fascination with technology led her down another path. In December, she will graduate with her master’s degree in business analytics. 

 
 

Avinash Pabbisetti

Dec. 8, 2025 — Avinash Pabbisetti chose Wichita State for its holistic approach to his program in supply chain management.

Scholars Walk banner

Nov. 18, 2025 - The Scholars Walk at Wichita State University honors the achievements of faculty and their roles as scholars, mentors and innovators. Installed this month, Scholars Walk is a series of banners along the northeast walkway from the Plaza of Heroines highlighting faculty from the academic colleges.

Wichita State University water tower and sunflowers

Oct. 1, 2025 — Wichita State University and the Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) are celebrating record-breaking enrollment this fall, continuing a decade of extraordinary growth. Over the past 10 years, WSU has grown 27.3% and WSU Tech 101.5%. That momentum is reflected in this fall’s historic headcount of 25,147 students — the highest in university history.

Brianna Stephens (right) with Kaylee Horsley, her sister.

Sept. 22, 2025 - Brianna Stephens plans to finish her accounting degree and graduate in December. She first attended WSU in 2022 while working full-time. The Shocker Comeback Program is designed to help students finish their degree program with personal support, financial aid, the Shocker Comeback Scholarship, success conversations and more.

NIAR

Aug. 27, 2025 — Several groundbreaking manufacturing research programs from Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) have been named finalists for the industry’s top honors by the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) and the American Composites Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA) Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE).

Students collaborate on research

July 31, 2025 — Wichita State and Groover Labs received a state grant to boost student innovation and help bring Kansas ideas to market. The funding expands hands-on learning, prototyping and outreach across the state.

Overhead photo of campus with a flag pole with the United States, Kansas and Wichita flags in the foreground and the campus in the background

July 31, 2025 Wichita State University is one of the recipients of a renewed $20 million grant as part of the AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (IFML), of which WSU is a founding member.

James Wright

July 29, 2025 - James Wright’s work in the Environmental Test Lab for the National Institute for Aviation Research includes measuring salt spray fallout, welding and CAD modeling. Through each day of his paid internship, one benefit stands out – problem solving.

Carter Duff stands next to a sign that reads Wichita-Sedgwick county Law Enforcement Training Center

July 18, 2025 — Wichita State student Carter Duff gained hands-on experience in federal law enforcement through a paid Homeland Security Investigations internship, part of the university’s applied learning program with the Midwest Criminal Justice Institute. The experience gave him career clarity, reinforced his classroom learning, and solidified his goal of working in federal law enforcement.