Committee named for Barton School of Business dean search
The Office of Academic Affairs announces the search committee for the Dean of the Barton School of Business dean search. For a full list of the search committee and the job description, please go to Business Dean Search.
Faculty and staff news, winter 2018 / 2019
Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of current and former colleagues. Go to Academe for faculty and staff news from September through December 2018, and to submit information for the next edition.
YMCA achieves fundraising goal; honors volunteer and supporter Steve Clark
The Board of Directors for the Greater Wichita YMCA announced today (Thursday, Dec. 20) that it achieved its fundraising goal to bring a YMCA to the Wichita State University campus, and the new facility will be named in honor of longtime volunteer and supporter Steve Clark.
“It’s a great day for all involved - the community, Wichita State, WSU students and the Y,” commented YMCA President and CEO Ronn McMahon. “We not only wrapped up our largest-ever fundraising effort, but also get to celebrate the amazing work of one of our greatest supporters.”
The Steve Clark YMCA and WSU Student Wellness Center will be located at 1980 Mid Campus Drive as part of the WSU Innovation Campus. The new Y is anticipated to impact 22,000 lives, including students, faculty, Innovation Campus employees, and local youth and families.
Site preparation has already begun, and the new facility is anticipated to open January 2020. In addition to YMCA health and recreation space, the building will house WSU student health and counseling services, and a Wesley Urgent Care Center.
SJCF Architecture is serving as architects on the project with Coonrod & Associates as the general contractor.
Steve Clark’s History and Impact
Steve Clark has a steadfast passion for the YMCA’s values that goes back five decades to his first Y fundraising efforts, selling Christmas trees in the 1970s. Since joining the Board of Directors in 1994, Clark has used his exemplary skills in real estate and investments to counsel the Y through growth from three full service facilities to its soon-to-be tenth location.
During his service, Clark has both chaired the Board of Directors during a critical phase of growth and helped raise millions of dollars to expand the Y’s mission. He co-chaired the recent record-breaking fundraising effort to bring a YMCA to WSU. Clark also led the Y’s second largest fundraising effort with the Every Kid Campaign in 2010-2012. This effort made the current Downtown YMCA and Farha Sport Center-Indoor Fields possible, as well as, expansions for the original Farha Sport Center-Indoor Courts, YMCA Camp Hyde, and both the South and Northwest YMCAs.
“The YMCA in Wichita would look very different without the efforts of Steve Clark. It is with great pride we add his name to one of our locations and recognize his years of hard work for the Y,” noted YMCA chairman David Shannon.
In addition to his service with the YMCA, Clark has been instrumental in a variety of efforts at Wichita State University including endowments for multiple scholarships and programs, as well as chairing key boards, councils and committees.
YMCA Capital Campaign
Upon announcing an Innovation Campus partnership with WSU in March 2017, the Y set a goal of raising $13.5 million for the construction of a new YMCA on the university campus.
Following a 12-month capital campaign effort chaired by Steve Clark and Ken Shannon, the Y has successfully raised $13.8 million.
“This was truly a community effort,” acknowledge McMahon. “It’s inspiring to see the passion of the many individuals and businesses who stand not only behind the Y’s commitment to strengthening our community but also stepped up to invest in the future of WSU students for generations to come.”
Major contributors to the capital campaign project include (in alphabetic order):
- Cargill
- Clark Family Partnership
- Coonrod & Associates – Randy Coonrod
- Cox Machine – Steve & Janis Cox
- Jim Farha & Todd Farha
- Fidelity Bank Foundation
- Goebel Family Star Lumber Charitable Trust
- Intrust Bank
- E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc.
- Ken & Jan Shannon
- Riverside Health Foundation
- Russ & Helen Meyer
- Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Wesley Medical Center
Go to Student Wellness Center and YMCA for more information.
Wichita State University holiday shutdown hours available
Wichita State University’s holiday shutdown will begin tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 21) and go through Tuesday, Jan. 1.
Some department hours will vary, including:
Student Health Services: SHS will close Dec. 21-Jan. 1. Prescription refill requests must be submitted by 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20. Go to www.wichita.edu/shs for more details.
Ablah Library: The library will remain open through Dec. 20, and will close Dec. 21-Jan.1. Go to http://libresources.wichita.edu/hours for more details.
Rhatigan Student Center: The Rhatigan Student Center and its departments will close on Wednesday, Dec. 23-Jan. 2. The Shocker Store will be closed Dec. 25 and hours will change to 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Dec. 24 and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. from Dec 26-Dec. 29. Hours vary among each department. For more information on services and hours, go to www.wichita.edu/rschours.
WSU Foundation: The foundation will be closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Go to www.foundation.wichita.edu for more details.
Office of the Registrar: The registrar's office will be closed Dec. 21-Jan. 1.
Ulrich Museum of Art seeks presenters for PechaKucha-style presentations highlighting campuswide research
FUN / Future Now at the Ulrich is a series of PeckaKucha-style presentations featuring campuswide research -- three Fridays, four presentations, seven minutes each. There are spots available for all three spring dates:
Friday, February 1, 4-5 p.m. with reception / deadline for submission Friday, Jan. 11
Friday, March 1, 4-5 p.m. with reception / deadline for submission Friday, Feb. 8
Friday, April 26, 4-5 p.m. with reception / deadline for submission Friday, March 29
We simply ask that an email proposal be sent to Jana.Durfee@wichita.edu with the following information:
Name / Title / Department / Research Topic / Preferred Date
This program is an extension Solving for X – a series of exhibitions organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art in collaboration with university scholars across campus. The objective is to explore the potential for the Museum, as a WSU public access point for the community, to make accessible the fascinating and essential research taking place on campus.
Regional Coordinator open to WSU employees only
KS Kids GEAR UP is looking for a Regional Coordinator. Applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2. To apply, go to Regional Coordinator, and follow the directions. For questions or assistance, contact the Talent Acquisition Team.
Holiday sale at the Shocker Store Braeburn Square location
On Saturday, Dec. 22, if you buy an item at the Shocker Store’s Braeburn Square location, you can take 50 percent off another item of equal or lesser value! The sale is valid all day, and they will be open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Campus Post Office to provide limited hours during the holiday closedown
As in previous years, the Campus Post Office will provide only limited hours during the holiday closedown. No deliveries will be made to university departments, and departments may come to the Campus Post Office to collect incoming mail during the times listed on the chart here.
The Campus Post Office will not accept any bulk or automated mailings. The final day any mass mailings will be processed before the holiday closedown is Tuesday, Dec. 18.
No sales will take place at the service windows at the times shown, and any mail to be metered on a university account may also be brought to our office by 11 a.m. to be sent that day.
Additionally, no sales will take place at the service windows. This includes passports, USPS, UPS and FedEx services.
No passports will be processed during the holiday closedown and no stamp purchases will be provided through state accounts.
Campus Post Office Holiday Information
HR has information to post positions and make job offers
The HR Talent Team had an early deadline to post positions and to make offers to ensure they were processed prior to the holiday shutdown.
Any pending position descriptions or requests for posting will continue processing on Jan. 2. Any offers that are accepted after Dec. 18 will be able to start on or after the Jan. 14 New Employee Orientation.
Please call Human Resources at 978-3605 with any questions.
Environmental Finance Center hosts Regional Asthma Summit Jan. 30-31
Asthma is a life-threatening chronic respiratory disease that affects the lives of 23 million Americans, including six million children. The CDC estimates that asthma costs the United States more than $80 billion each year in medical expenses, days missed from work or school, and deaths. In-home asthma care is proven to reduce symptom days and health care costs. Join health and housing professionals at the Midwest Regional Asthma Summit to focus on successes, opportunities and challenges facing home-based asthma interventions.
The WSU Environmental Finance Center (EFC) will host a two-day asthma summit on Wednesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Jan. 31 in Johnston, Iowa. Funded by EPA Region 7, this event targets health, health insurance, housing and environmental professionals in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. Attendees will learn how sustainable financing for in-home asthma care can improve patient health and reduce the financial burden to payers (Medicaid, MCOs and insurers).
The summit keynote is Ruth Ann Norton, president & CEO of Green and Healthy Homes Initiative. Norton is a leading expert on healthy housing. She has authored more than 30 pieces of healthy housing legislation, and was awarded the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader (2005) and a Weinberg Foundation Fellow (2003). The second day of the summit will be a one-day training for community health workers who access environmental asthma triggers via home visits.
Student discounts on registration are available. To learn more or register, go to www.wichita.edu/efc or contact Leslie Kimble at Leslie.Kimble@wichita.edu.
Foundation year-end gift receipt information for 2018 tax credit
Checks without a postmarked envelope will need to be delivered to the WSU Foundation by 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, as we close at that time. Checks with an envelope postmarked by Dec. 31, need to be at the Foundation no later than noon Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
Information for credit / debit cards to be processed in office will need to be to us by 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31.
Online bank drafts need to be initiated by 6 p.m. Dec. 31, but online credit cards will be able to be processed until midnight.
Cheerfully,
Foundation Finance Team
How much do you know about the WSU Faculty / Staff Holiday Card Scholarship?
Over 50 years ago, Dr. Nicholas Pronko, professor emeritus of psychology, came up with a unique fundraising idea for Wichita State. He called on faculty and staff to give the few dollars they normally would spend sending each other holiday cards to a scholarship benefiting WSU students with financial need – and this became the Holiday Card Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Now, with more than 3,400 donations and nearly $82,000 contributed (and that’s just during the time we’ve been able to track), it’s easy to see how successful Dr. Pronko’s vision has become. The endowed fund has grown to the point we are able to award up to four scholarships a year averaging more than $1,000 each. It is truly impacting the lives of WSU students.
Unfortunately, support for what was once an important holiday tradition for WSU faculty and staff has been declining over the past few years. With many loyal supporters having retired, and so many new employees, it’s easy to understand how this happened. This is a renewed appeal for you to help turn the tide. Whether this is the first you’ve heard of the scholarship – or you’ve supported it for years – please consider participating this year.
Visit the Holiday Card Endowed Scholarship Fund site by clicking here. You’ll be able to learn more about the scholarship and can even give a gift. If you’re unable to support financially, you can still make an impact by advocating for the scholarship and promoting it to your friends and colleagues. Your involvement at any level will make a difference.
If you have questions, or would like to learn more about ways you can support the WSU Faculty/Staff Holiday Card Scholarship Fund, please contact Aaron Winter at the WSU Foundation by emailing aaron.winter@wichita.edu or call 316-978-3803.
Happy holidays to all – and congratulations on another great year at WSU!
NASA Kansas Space Grant Consortium celebrates NASA's 60th and 50th anniversaries
With support from NASA the Kansas Space Grant Consortium (KSGC) anticipates awarding
grants to celebrate two amazing NASA anniversaries:
- The 60th Anniversary of NASA
- The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo program and the moon landing
The attached Request for Proposal (RFP) document provides additional information on the opportunity. Proposals are due by noon March 29, 2019. All investigators are encouraged to read and follow the RFP closely.
Contact the NASA in Kansas office at nasainkansas@wichita.edu or 316-978-3890 with any questions. Let's celebrate NASA and its many astonishing accomplishments!
Hubbard Hall stairwells closing for construction
Stairwells in Hubbard Hall will be closed temporarily in December and January because of window replacement work. Only one stairwell will be closed at a time. Contractors started on the west stairwell this week, with the east and north stairwell beginning later in December and January.
During construction, each stairwell will be blocked from both the exterior and interior entrances. Students and staff should avoid the stairwells during the work; however, in case of emergency, the stairwells will be accessible.
Parking lot east of Ahlberg to be closed during the Holiday Closedown
Parking Lot 6, located on the east side of Ahlberg Hall and south of the Engineering Building, Wallace Hall and Beggs Hall, will be closed to all parking during the Holiday Closedown, Friday, Dec. 21 through Tuesday, Jan. 1, to allow city of Wichita Public Works & Utilities crews to cut across the driveway to that lot as necessary to relocate / reinstall the leaking fire hydrant at the northeast corner of that lot.
Fall Commencement 2018 recap
On Dec. 16, Wichita State students walked across the stage in Charles Koch Arena for their graduation ceremony.
Enjoy a video recap, which includes a live performance of Wichita State's Alma Mater by the WSU Concert Chorale.
Zipcar to remove car from campus
Zipcar will remove their car at WSU over the break because of insufficient use.
Happy Holidays from all of us at the Wichita State Alumni Association!
See the holiday card and greeting from the WSU Alumni Association.
Happy Holidays from the Office of Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid wishes everyone happy holidays!
WSU Today will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 2
Today (Thursday, Dec. 20) is the last edition of WSU Today until Wednesday, Jan. 2. The newsletter will resume its regular Monday to Friday schedule at that time, except for holidays.
If you have news or information for the Jan. 2 edition, please submit it to wsutoday@wichita.edu by noon today (Thursday, Dec. 20).