Wichita State University to hold 2018 fall commencement ceremony Dec. 16
Wichita State University will hold its fall ceremony of the 121st commencement in
Charles Koch Arena at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. Nearly 1,200 students are eligible
to graduate this fall.
All graduates will walk across the stage and be individually recognized. Doctoral
candidates will be hooded at this ceremony.
Wichita State's fall commencement ceremony in Koch Arena will be available via webcast.
To view the ceremony, go to www.wichita.edu/commencement and click on "Live Commencement Streaming." The site will go live at about 2:25 p.m.
Dec. 16.
Christine Downey-Schmidt will receive the President's Medal. The President's Medal is awarded annually to a person who is selected for humility, for interest in others and especially for extraordinary and exemplary leadership through integrity, service to humanity and expertise in his or her field.
Downey-Schmidt was elected to three terms in the Kansas Senate. She has served on the Kansas Board of Regents and was chair in 2007-08. She currently serves on the Governance Board for the Higher Learning Commission, northcentral region.
Wayne Woolsey will receive the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. An honorary degree is an exceptional honor bestowed upon a person without fulfillment of the usual requirements. It is conferred only upon persons of notable intellectual, scholarly, professional, creative achievement or service to humanity consistent with the endeavors of WSU.
Woolsey is chairman of Wichita-based Woolsey Companies, an oil and natural gas exploration and production company he founded in 1978. Woolsey and his wife, Kay, have committed funding to build Woolsey Hall, the new home for WSU's Barton School of Business.
Security procedures will be implemented
To ensure the safety of everyone attending commencement, the following security procedures
are being implemented:
Everyone attending, assisting or participating in commencement will be required to
be screened and pass through metal detectors as they enter the arena. Koch Arena will
open at 1 p.m. We recommend you arrive early to allow sufficient time to get through
security.
Please note the following items are prohibited:
- Outside food and drink
- Weapons not allowed by law
- Noisemakers
- Pocket and box knives
- Alcohol and drugs
Wichita State staff reserves the right to prohibit any items deemed inappropriate.
Commencement volunteers needed
The Commencement Office is looking for individuals who are available to work the 2018 Fall Commencement from about noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. If you are interested in assisting, please visit the commencement website and sign up to help.
If you have questions about assisting with commencement, please contact Bayli Rindels at bayli.rindels@wichita.edu.
Locker clearout deadline is today (Monday, Dec. 10)
The locker clearout deadline has been moved to today (Monday, Dec. 10). Please clear out or renew your locker for spring 2019 at the Guest Services desk in the Heskett Center. For more information call 978-3082.
Shared Governance Discussion Groups
During the town hall meeting in September, the university gathered feedback on four
strategic priority areas. Priority #1 is to advance a culture of shared governance
built on trust and integrity.
The university will hold discussion groups to bring faculty, staff, administration and students together to discuss how we all can make an impact through shared governance. This will be a guided discussion to share with each other, learn from one another, and generate thoughts about shared governance at the university.
The discussion group will go through a process to:
- Identify the current perception of shared governance at the university.
- Identify how faculty, staff, and administration participate in shared governance.
- Identify who you think makes decisions, who is consulted, and who must approve decisions that are made.
- Vision what shared governance could be at the university.
There will be 11 discussion groups scheduled at varying times as shown below.
Wednesday, Dec. 12: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 1:30-3 p.m., 3:30-5 p.m., 5-6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 13: 9:30-11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 1:30-3 p.m.; 3:30-5 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 14: 9-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1-2:30 p.m.
Please access myTraining on the myWSU Faculty/Staff page to register for a session. You may be asked to change sessions to make sure each session represents a cross-section of the university.
We will consolidate the input from each discussion group, identify consistent themes, and recommend a plan that will be shared at open forums to ensure that it accurately reflects the input from the discussion groups and to provide an opportunity for feedback.
Faculty Senate to meet today (Monday, Dec. 10) in RSC
The last meeting of the Faculty Senate this semester will be from 3:30-5 p.m. today (Monday, Dec. 10) in the Shirley Beggs Ballroom, Rhatigan Student Center.
Be sure to come and hear about faculty representation on the Intercollegiate Athletic Association Inc., and come with any questions you have related to students and athletics.
Our deliberation topic: Budget and Planning for the University – what do you want to know?
Finally -- we will have time for an end-of-the-year social -- stay to network and enjoy a few hors d'oeuvres and desserts.
Key training for classroom media boxes
Do you need a key to access the technology in the classrooms you will be teaching in this spring? If so, plan to come to a short training.
Please send any questions to Instructional Design and Access at IDA@wichita.edu.
Space is available in Employment Relationship Training class on Wednesday, Dec. 12
Space is available in an Employment Relationship Training class from 2-4:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Dec. 12, in 264 Rhatigan Student Center. To register for training, go to myTraining
through myWSU. This is the last session scheduled for the remainder of the year.
This course is provided for leaders who supervise employees (UP, USS, students), and
will focus on the overall employment relationship. It will provide guidance on managing
performance, setting expectations, how to identify when an employee has not met expectations,
and how to effectively address those concerns. This could include concerns with attendance,
job performance, conflict with coworkers, etc. This training will also introduce you
to tools to use to effectively document an unmet expectation.
If you have questions, contact mytraining@wichita.edu.
FUN / Future Now at the Ulrich
FUN / Future Now at the Ulrich Museum of Art is a series of PechaKucha-style presentations featuring campuswide research. We have three dates for the spring, and if this takes off, we will program into the next academic year.
The Ulrich is planning four presentations per night, and will go to five if there is demand. Spring dates are:
Friday, Feb. 1, 4-5 p.m. reception following / deadline for submission is Thursday, Dec. 20
Friday, March 1, 4-5 p.m. reception following / deadline for submission is Friday, Feb. 8
Friday, April 26, 4-5 p.m. reception following / deadline for submission is Friday, March 29
Simply send an email proposal to jana.durfee@wichita.edu with the following information – Name / Title / Department / Research Topic / Preferred Date.
The program is an extension of the museum's “Solving for X” exhibition series.
Getting to know MSC Software
MSC Software is interested in hosting a “Getting to Know MSC Software” event at Wichita State aimed at providing attendees the chance to meet and talk with MSC Software experts in a variety of products and technologies. Before confirming the event, MSC Software would like to get a better understanding of the software topics that are of most interest to the Wichita engineering community to make sure they bring the proper technical experts to answer all questions. Please take a minute to fill out the simple 5-question survey.
The event will educate attendees on MSC Software's product line and offer a deeper understanding of the true capabilities within specific software applications. It will be set up as an open-house-style event where attendees can come and throughout the entire day. It is also expected to include one-on-one discussions. To learn more about MSC products ahead of time, visit the following links for the offerings based on application, industry or product:
- http://www.mscsoftware.com/applications
- http://www.mscsoftware.com/industries
- http://www.mscsoftware.com/products
Holiday photos available for digital download
Holiday photos taken at the reception on Friday, Dec. 7, are available for digital download at Wichita.edu/holidayphotos.
Parking update
All of lot 20 (west side of Wilner Auditorium) will be blocked off for an event at the President's residence today (Monday, Dec. 10).
On Tuesday, Dec. 11, all of lots 1, 2W, 2N, and 2E (lots along Hillside and around Koch Arena) will be blocked off for the women's basketball game – WBB Kids Game - where we will have multiple schools bring in kids to watch the game. Alumni Drive, between Hillside and Perimeter, will also be blocked off until about 4 p.m.
‘Democracy on Tap: The Fate of Century II'
Join KMUW at the final Engage ICT: Democracy on Tap of 2018 for a discussion on the fate of Century II. “Democracy on Tap: The Fate of Century II” will be held at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 11) at Roxy's Downtown, 412 ½ E. Douglas.
Our expert panel consists of three members of the Century II Citizens Advisory Committee, plus Music Theatre Wichita's Mitch Southerland. We'll discuss the future of the iconic building, and what's at stake. Admission is free, and so are the appetizers. Learn more at EngageICT.org.
Engage ICT on Tuesday, Dec. 11
Financial Operations announces change in hours on Wednesday, Dec. 12
Financial Operations will be closed for staff development from 1:45-5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec 12.
Wichita State considering degree emphasis in facilities management
A collaborative effort is underway to bring a proposed degree emphasis in facilities management to Wichita State University.
On Thursday, Nov. 29, representatives from Koch Business Solutions, Spirit AeroSystems, Mahaney Roofing, The Wichita Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and representatives from the WSU's W. Frank Barton School of Business and College of Engineering Technology partnered to present a proposal to the Interdisciplinary Competition Committee and campus community for an inter-disciplinary degree emphasis in facilities management.
The degree would be a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering Technology with an emphasis in facilities management.
Shocker Ad Lab pitches in to work with
League 42 on fund-raising campaign
League 42 is expanding its reach beyond baseball to education with the help of the Shocker Ad Lab.
“We're entering the realm of trying to help kids with some educational needs,” said Bob Lutz, League 42 founder and executive director. “By adding the educational component, we take ourselves to another level.”
Lutz knew how to start a youth baseball league and help it grow. When he needed branding and talking points to help raise money for a building project to house the new academic program, he wanted help.
Shocker Ad Lab, Wichita State's student-run, advertising agency housed in the Elliott School of Communication, took on League 42's project. The team created a logo for “Basepath to Success” academic program and the “From Double Plays to Diplomas” tag line. They wrote a mission statement, researched statistics linking athletics and academics and designed table tents for a fundraising dinner to kick off the capital campaign.
Pictured above is Shocker Ad Lab copy writer Adam Birzer talking with League 42 founder Bob Lutz.
Next steps in selecting the 2019 Gore Scholars
Nov. 17 has passed, but the DSI process is not over yet. The students who were selected to move on as semifinalists - a group of 82 students this year - were notified on Friday, Nov. 30. This group of students is made up of:
- 22 out-of-state students, including students from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas
- 11 students from Wichita USD 259 high schools
- Both the western and eastern parts of Kansas are represented by students from Goodland and Olathe
- Semifinalists' intended majors represent all academic colleges
- Students with an overall average ACT score of 27 and GPA of 3.83
The next steps in the DSI process take place in December and January. Gore Core, an event
hosted by Student Ambassador Society (SAS), was held Saturday, Dec. 8 and is for the
semifinalists. It is not a mandatory event and is meant to be a celebration of their
achievements up to this point. SAS members organized a fun afternoon with ice breakers,
pizza, and a tour of the city of Wichita.
Students moving on to be finalists - typically a group of 10-12 students - will be
notified on Friday, Dec. 14. Finalists will return to campus on Thursday, Jan. 17
for DSI Callbacks where they will interview with the Gore Scholar Selection Committee.
The press conference announcing the three 2019 recipients of the $64,000 Harry Gore
Memorial Scholarships will take place at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 25, in the Marcus
Welcome Center. The campus community is invited to attend this exciting announcement!
Questions about DSI can go to Mandy Harmon, associate director of admissions, at
mandy.harmon@wichita.edu.
Wu Bucks at the Shocker Store
Shop the Shocker Store for the holidays and earn Wu Bucks towards more Shocker gear! For every $50 spent now to Monday, Dec. 24 in the RSC or Braeburn Square location, earn a $5 coupon to be used in January and February on any in store purchase. Some exclusions apply, see store for details. Wu Bucks are not redeemable on Game Day Sales.