Wichita State invites students to consider new higher education program
Are you interested in pursuing a career in higher education? Beginning in fall 2019, Wichita State will offer a Master of Education in Educational Psychology: Higher Education / Student Affairs track.
To help kick off this exciting new program, WSU is hosting a Graduate Assistant weekend Friday and Saturday, March 22-23. During this weekend perspective students will learn more about the program and interview for graduate assistantships, including those in Housing and Residence Life, Student Involvement, Student Success and the Career Development Center.
For more information about these assistantships, go to Student Affairs Assistantships.
To apply to attend the graduate weekend, click on Graduate Weekend.
For more information, contact the Vice President of Student Affairs at VPStudentAffaris@wichita.edu or call 316-978-3021.
Tours of The Suites residence hall starting March 18
Housing and Residence Life will offer hard hat tours of Wichita State’s newest residence hall, The Suites at WSU, beginning Monday, March 18. Tours will be about 20 minutes long and will be offered every day, Monday through Friday, from 3:30-5 p.m. Tours will start and end at the front desk in The Flats Apartments. Visitors must wear closed-toed shoes. Join us for a first-hand look at the latest housing option at Wichita State! Please direct any questions to Katie Austin at Katie.Austin@wichita.edu.
Weekly Briefing university update
At Thursday’s Weekly Briefing, information was shared about visits from the Higher Learning Commission, transfer enrollment, a visit to the Ways and Means Committee, and Haysville GEAR UP.
Higher Learning Commission
Last week, WSU and WSU Tech both hosted visits from the Higher Learning Commission. We’re proud of the faculty from both institutions for the work they’re doing to make these visits a success.
WSU’s site visit was on Feb. 26 and was required due to WSU’s growth and the additions of WSU Old Town and WSU South. The accreditation team met with several campus leaders representing WSU offices who provide direct service to students. The visit also included a meeting with graduate students in the physician assistant and physical therapy programs—and concluded with a tour of the facilities.
Confirmation of the affirmed accreditation, including the new locations, is expected by summer.
WSU Tech’s visit came on February 25 and 26. While on campus, the HLC team met with WSU Tech students, faculty, staff, administration, WSU Provost Rick Muma and members of the WSU Tech Board of Trustees.
The visit was done as part of the year-four comprehensive evaluation to ensure that WSU Tech is meeting the HLC Criteria for Accreditation, pursuing institutional improvement and complying with certain requirements set by the U.S. Department of Education. WSU Tech will find out the results of the comprehensive evaluation later in the spring.
Transfer enrollment update
KBOR recently released their annual Transfer Feedback Report highlighting the most recently available data from fall 2017. We’re happy to announce that WSU remains the #1 transfer destination in Kansas for eight years in a row. Based on this data, WSU transfer students totaled 942. We were also the No. 1 transfer destination for students from Butler, Cowley, Hutchinson, Independence, Coffeyville and Pratt Community Colleges. On March 1, WSU Tech announced record-breaking enrollment for spring 2019, with its headcount reaching 5,000 students for the first time in college history.
This is the sixth consecutive semester the college has seen strong enrollment growth. As of the 2019 spring semester census date, overall student credit hours were up 2.6 percent over last spring. Headcount made the largest increase, up 11 percent. This is equal to 515 more students being enrolled than in spring 2018.
These enrollment numbers are just another example of our joint effort to provide accessible, life-changing education to more students while working to meet the area’s workforce needs.
Ways and Means Committee
Provost and Acting President Rick Muma traveled to Topeka Wednesday to advocate for increased investment in higher education. This investment is vital to providing greater access to quality education so that Kansas can grow the workforce needed in today’s economy.
The legislative request is for $50 million for state institutions in the FY2020 budget. So far, the House Appropriations Committee has added $20 million, the Governor $9 million—and the Senate Ways and Means Committee will make their recommendation next Monday.
Haysville GEAR UP
On Tuesday, we were happy to announce that the university has been awarded $4.2 million from the U.S. Department of Education to implement GEAR UP in Haysville school district USD 216 through 2025. Every student in 6th and 7th grade will benefit from GEAR UP’s college prep resources.
The grant will provide Haysville more than $8.4 million over seven years, which includes in-kind funding, in resources devoted to college access and success services.
Haysville GEAR UP works with community-based partnerships to provide students with direct services, including mentoring, homework assistance, tutoring, college counseling, campus tours and financial aid counseling.
The program follows each 6th and 7th grade student through high school graduation. The classes of 2024 and 2025 will be directly impacted by the program—and we look forward to seeing many of them as official Shockers.
Students narrowly defeat Shock the Future campus improvement referendum
Wichita State University students narrowly defeated the Shock the Future referendum to fund academic facilities improvements by 107 votes.
Students voted online Monday through Wednesday. The certified voting results from the web-based program Simply Voting were opened after voting ended at 5 p.m. today (Wednesday, March 6) by Director of Student Involvement Nancy Loosle. Loosle was accompanied by several administrators and students including Student Government President Shelby Rowell, SGA Interim Vice President Matt Madden and SGA Treasurer Stella Yang.
Loosle said 3,469 students, or 28.4 percent of those who pay student fees and are degree seeking, voted. The final tally was 1,681 (48.5 percent) for the referendum and 1,788 (51.5 percent) against.
Emergency water shutdown to Geology and Engineering buildings
The water line break that forced a water service shutdown to the Geology Building and the Engineering Building was not found Thursday and appears to be below the main east-west sidewalk on the south side of the Engineering and Geology Buildings. Therefore, the water service interruption to Engineering and Geology will continue into and through much of the day today (Friday, March 8) when the sidewalk can be safely taken out and the pipe rupture can be found and excavated.
Repairs will commence immediately thereafter, but until the repairs are complete, restrooms, water fountains, sinks and lavatories in these buildings will be out of service, and sidewalk access to the area where the two buildings are joined by breezeway, including the Geology Building elevator lobby entrance will be congested, if not blocked entirely.
We apologize for the extended inconveniences presented and will work to restore water service and full building access as soon as possible.
The Geology and Engineering Buildings are the only buildings affected by this shutdown, so restrooms and water fountains remain in service in the surrounding Rhatigan Student Center, Neff Hall, Clinton Hall, Ahlberg Hall, Elliott Hall and Wallace Hall.
KMUW invites you to Engage ICT: Democracy on Tap
Your voice matters, but is your message reaching the right ears? Do you know all of the government officials representing you? Do you tell them what's important to you? Learn the best way to raise your voice and reach your reps at the next Engage ICT: Democracy on Tap at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at Roxy’s Downtown, 412 ½ E. Douglas.
We'll have a chance for everyone to send a message to their chosen representative during the event. It's always free to attend, and appetizers are provided. Learn more at EngageICT.org.
WSU women in STEAM feature: Tonya Witherspoon
To honor Women’s History Month, WSU Ventures and the Center for Entrepreneurship at Wichita State have collaborated to highlight influential WSU women who have made a difference in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Every week during the month of March, we will feature an inspirational Shocker for her contributions and accomplishments.
Tonya Witherspoon is this week's feature. Tonya has had an incredible effect on the campus and the community -- ranging from installing the first wireless networks at Wichita State and within USD 259, to starting the Shocker Mindstorms Competition for LEGO Robotics.
You might be eligible for $25 QuikTrip card for taking survey
Attention WSU freshmen and seniors: The CLA (Collegiate Learning Assessment) and NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) assessments are now in progress. You can be a part of helping Wichita State leaders better understand the amount of time and effort students invest in their studies and other co-curricular activities, and the potential impact of the WSU curriculum and other learning opportunities that decades of research show, are linked to student learning.
For more information, go to assessment and find out how you might be eligible for a $25 QuikTrip card.
Volunteer for Senior Saturday
Join us in hanging out, playing games, and sharing conversation with the senior citizens in your community from 9-11 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, March 9). Register here.
WSU graduate students attend statewide 16th Capitol Graduate Research Summit (CGRS)
On Feb. 26, nine WSU graduate students drove to Topeka to participate in the annual statewide KBOR Capitol Graduate Research Summit (CGRS) event at the Capitol. Brien Bolin, associate dean, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Kerry Wilks, interim dean of the Graduate School, participated. The event featured research conducted by graduate students at all Kansas Board of Regents graduate public universities.
Selected in a competitive application process by the CGRS committee, the students showcased research and projects relevant to the state of Kansas and of potential interest to state legislators. A multi-month commitment, the Graduate School congratulates all participants and the winners!
- Winner of the WSU award: Heather Forster, master's student, Department of Biological Sciences, “Innovative Genetic Approach May Give Crops Resistance to Charcoal Rot Disease." Bin Shuai, research advisor.
- Winner of the BioKansas award: Jacob Griffith, master’s student, Department of Biomedical Engineering: "Non-Invasive Detection of Intracranial Fluid Volume Shifts Using Wearable Headband."Kim Cluff, research advisor.
Other 2019 WSU graduate student research presenters included:
Sattar Ali, doctoral student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, “Produced Water Treatment for Agricultural Use in Kansas Oil, and Gas Production Fields.” Eylem Asmatulu, research advisor.
Fayez Alruwaili, master’s student, Department of Biomedical Engineering, “Cardiac Failure Detection Using a Wearable Patch Sensor in a Point-of Care Setting.” Kim Cluff, research advisor.
Suvagata Chakraborty, doctoral student, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, “Modeling and Evaluating the Effect of Data Aggregation Interval on Smart Power Distribution System.”Visvakumar Aravinthan, research advisor.
Parsa Kianpour, doctoral student, Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering,“Economic Development and Job Creation by Applying Optimization Methods for Scheduling Problem in Job Shops.” Deepak Gupta, research advisor.
Jenny Masias, master’s student, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature, “The Immigrants Who Built Kansas: One Spike at a Time.” Enrique Navarro, research advisor.
Seyed Ali Mirzapour, doctoral student, Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering, “Organ Motion Prediction in MR-Guided Radiotherapy.” Ehsan Salari, research advisor.
Naveen Ravindran, master’s student, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, “GuideCall: A System for Remote Video Call Assistance for Blind and Visually Impaired People.” Vinod Namboodiri, research advisor.
For more information, including abstracts, click on CGRS.
Provide input on your need for support services
The Wichita State TRIO Student Support Services and Disability Support Services programs are conducting a needs analysis to help them identify and improve upon their services for undergraduate students. If you are an undergraduate student at WSU, and interested in providing valuable input, please use the following link to tell us about your need for support services.
If you have any questions, contact Alan Dsouza at alan.dsouza@wichita.edu
‘Preparing a Research Poster’ to be presented March 21
Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to learn how to design an effective poster presentation that will connect with your audience. “Preparing a Research Poster” will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in 266 RSC. Snacks will be provided. RSVP to jenny.stauffer@wichita.edu. Doug Parham, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Kristyn Smith, Institute for Interdisciplinary Creativity.
Learn about effective formatting and content design for a traditional research audience, and innovative entrepreneurial audience.
The event is cosponsored by the Graduate School and Cohen Honors College.
Bike Share ICT comes to Wichita State campus
Wichita State students and the campus community now have more options to get around campus with Bike Share ICT at WSU.
Bike Share ICT will allow riders to pay through an app, grab a bike from one station, ride it to another Bike Share ICT rack on or off campus, and leave it there.
Students can buy a yearly membership with their Shocker email for $20 (with the yearly membership, the first 59 minutes each trip are free).
Game Day Specials all day Saturday, March 9
The Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes is your Shocker Basketball headquarters! For each men’s basketball game, they will have a different game day special, honored all day long. On Saturday, March 9, you take 15 percent off all starter menu items!
Nationally known speaker to lead three events at WSU this month
Anne Krook is a nationally known speaker who helps students transition from the academy (university) to the workplace, using the language that employers expect from applicants.
Krook herself left academia (she was an assistant professor of English at the University of Michigan) to work for a small startup in Seattle … Amazon (!), where she enjoyed many roles both abroad and in the United States. She then went on to become VP of Operations at another startup, Mindbloom, and then VP of Operations at Synapse.
She now specializes in helping graduate students transition to non-academic workplaces and undergraduate humanities majors translate their skills into jobs. In addition to her consulting work, Krook currently chairs the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Krook will speak at WSU three different events later this month. Read on to learn more about these wonderful opportunities!
* Entering the Job Market with a Humanities or Arts Degree: A Talk with Anne Krook, Ph.D.
Wondering how to get a job with a liberal arts degree? Talk to someone who knows: Anne Krook, Ph.D., a former academic who transitioned successfully to the corporate and nonprofit workplaces, will share her story and advice from 4-5 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in 261 RSC. Hear about how you can identify and market the skills that make you an asset to many different jobs. All students and faculty welcome. Cosponsored by Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College, Graduate School, and Career Development. Visit Dr. Krook’s LinkedIn profile.
* Women and Men in the Workplace: Colleagues & Allies
What are the economic, social, and cultural factors that influence how men and women see and treat each other in the workplace? Students (UG and GR) and faculty are invited to join consultant Anne Krook, Ph.D., for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, March 29, in 156A Corbin Hall for a discussion that offers two models for making those relations work better: collegiality and allyship, and discusses why those well-known ideals sometimes fall short at work. Finally, it offers tactics for making those models more effective in your workplace. Visit Krook’s LinkedIn profile. Event cosponsors are Graduate School & Career Development Center. Make sure you get lunch by registering. Students register here to log into Handshake with your WSUID and password and click “Join Event.” An email confirmation will be sent to your "shockers.wichita.edu" email address. Faculty may register by emailing jenny.stauffer@wichita.edu.
* Marketing Yourself After Graduate School: A Talk with Anne Krook, Ph.D.
Join nationally known speaker and consultant Anne Krook, Ph.D. for practical advice for graduate students who want industry jobs outside of academia. We will meet from 2-5 p.m. Friday, March 29 in 305 RSC East Shirley Beggs Ballroom to learn from her how to identify your skills, craft a resume, and how to use the language that employers expect from applicants! Snacks served. Visit Krook’s LinkedIn profile. Cosponsors of event are the Graduate School & Career Development Center. All are welcome. Students register here to log into Handshake with your WSUID and password and click “Join Event.” An email confirmation will be sent to your "shockers.wichita.edu" email address.
Graduate School Professional Development Series – ‘The Struggle is Real: Manage Your Classroom Like a Pro’
Effective tips for how to manage common issues that arise in the classroom will be presented by Marche Fleming-Randle, vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement from noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in 142 RSC. Lunch will be available for the first 30. RSVP to jenny.stauffer@wichita.edu.
Scenarios will be enacted in real-time to illustrate best practices in pedagogy. If you teach or think you might teach, this workshop is for you.
ODI looking for students to serve as leaders at Passage 2 Success Retreat
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is seeking eight-to-10 current WSU students to serve as the leaders for our Passage 2 Success Retreat! Students can apply until today (Friday, March 8) at Passage 2 Success.
As a multicultural student, there are a significant amount of resources dedicated to aid incoming freshmen in their transition to Wichita State, and to ensure their academic and social success once they are here on campus. Passage 2 Success is a four-day retreat for incoming freshmen from diverse backgrounds. The purpose is to get them connected with other incoming students, explore Wichita, meet WSU staff and student leaders, and gain the skills and tools to be socially and academically successful.
CUW accepting applications for 2019-20 scholarship
The Council of University Women (CUW) Scholarship is accepting applications for the 2019-20 academic year. The deadline to apply is June 1. More information can be found at CUW Scholarship.
First-generation student finds success with help from WSU resources
Sandra Sanchez, is a first-generation undergraduate student at Wichita State University. She will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Social Work degree and an undergraduate certificate. It was a big decision for Sandra to consider going to Wichita State. There was a lot to think about in attempting to be the first in her family to get a college degree.
Service-Learning Showcase registration open
The Service-Learning Showcase will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in 233 RSC. It is a unique opportunity for students who participate in service-learning through applied learning opportunities to showcase their experience through a research or reflective poster about the application of their course work to current community issues.
The showcase is an open forum for students to interact with faculty, staff, community partners and other students to engage in conversation about WSU’s commitment to the public good. Awards are presented in the following categories: Overall Service-Learning, Community Impact, Innovation and Creativity (i.e., problem solving), and Collaboration/Leadership.
Registration is available here.
$34,000 awarded in CHP through Sherr Scholarship program
The College of Health Professions (CHP) is excited to announce the winners of our first annual Sam & Rosemary Sherr Dean’s Excellence Award (Scholarship/Fellowship) for academic year 2019-20. Each year all departments granting academic degrees in the CHP will be able to nominate one student for the Sherr Scholarship Award. The scholarship winner will be awarded $10,000. All other student nominees will also receive a scholarship award.
Research study: Coping with negative thoughts
Experiencing negative thoughts such as “Something is wrong with me,” “I’ll never make it,” and “No one understands me,” is a common experience for many people. A research project is currently underway in the Department of Psychology investigating different ways of coping with such negative thoughts.
If you are interested in seeing if you qualify to participate in this project, and are age 18 years or older, please follow the link below to complete a 20-30 minute screening survey. Individuals taking part in this screening survey can either choose to be entered into a drawing for a $40 Amazon gift card, or to receive 2 SONA credits for WSU courses (you must be a current WSU student to receive SONA credits).
Qualifying individuals will be contacted to schedule their participation for an in-person portion of the study. Those who proceed through this in-person phase will be entered into another drawing for a $40 Amazon gift card, and / or receive 7 SONA credits for WSU courses, in addition to possibly learning some new ways to better manage your own negative thoughts.
Questions regarding this study can be directed to Eric Richardson at ebrichardson@shockers.wichita.edu, 801-824-3391 or Dr. Robert Zettle at robert.zettle@wichita.edu, 316-978-3081.
To access the screening survey to see if you qualify, go to experiences and beliefs.
Freddy’s COO and co-founder be featured in Startup Grind U event
Startup Grind U is back with its first solo-hosted event. Scott Redler, COO and co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, is coming to campus to share insights about his journey through the food management industry throughout his career.
From successes to lessons learned, he has amassed incredible experiences that our students will have a front row seat to. Networking begins at 6 p.m., followed by the interview at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, in 233 RSC. Tickets are free for students with WSU ID and can be found here. It includes entry into the event and appetizers. Seats are limited, so reserve your ticket today!
VISTA opportunities
Anyone wanting to get involved with Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) can now apply at my.Americorps.gov. AmeriCorps VISTA members have a mission to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Members make a year-long, full-time commitment to serve on a specific project at a nonprofit agency. For more information, contact WSU VISTA leader, email shyla.thompson@wichita.edu.
Apply now for the Shocker New Venture Competition
Spring Break is the perfect time to submit your application for the Shocker New Venture Competition. Applications and a 3-minute pitch video are due by Monday, March 25. Learn more and apply for the competition at Wichita.edu/SNVC.
Protect Your Balls Dodgeball Tournament coming March 22
This event will take place from 5-10 p.m. Friday, March 22, on the second floor of the Heskett Center. Teams can be made up of 8-10 people. Registration is $16 per person, which includes a free T-shirt. All funds generated from the event will go directly to a nonprofit that will provide resources to men who are battling testicular cancer.
To register your team or for more information, call Erik Maldonado at 316-209-1257 or email ermaldonado@wichita.edu.
Take part in the Dream Run
This event will take from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 6, on the Innovation Campus. It is a certified 2-mile run, with funds going directly to create more scholarships for undocumented students at Wichita State University. Registration is $25 for community members and $20 for students / faculty / staff.
Register at Dream Run. #TogetherWeDream
Abstracts are due March 22 for annual student symposium
Abstracts no longer than 200 words are due Friday, March 22, for the 21st Annual Lambda Alpha Student Symposium Saturday, April 13. You can email your abstract to lmvarela@shockers.wichita.edu. The following website can help you write a good abstract.
The Lambda Alpha Symposium was created to encourage and recognize student research in the field of anthropology. The symposium provides students an opportunity to present a 15-minute presentation and discuss current research in an atmosphere conducive to professional development. At the end of the event, three judges will announce a winner, who will be given a $100 prize. Additionally, an award will be given for best undergraduate presentation.
Intramural Sports to host Ultimate Frisbee event
Ultimate Frisbee, hosted by Intramural Sports, will take place on Thursday, March 28. To participate, sign up on imleagues.com/wichita by Thursday, March 21.
Shocker Blast to resume after spring break
Spring break runs from March 11-17, so Shocker Blast will resume on Monday, March 18. The deadline for that edition is noon Friday, March 15. Submit information to shockerblast@wichita.edu.
Have a safe and fun spring break!