WSU Today: May 16, 2019

All public university requests were shared today (Wednesday, May 15) with the Kansas Board of Regents, which will make the final decision in mid-June. Increases approved by the Regents will go into effect for fall semester.

Among the Kansas research universities, the comparable fee increase requests were 3.1% ($145 more a semester) by Kansas State University and 1% ($50 more a semester) by the University of Kansas.

This year’s 1% WSU tuition increase request compares to a 2.5% percent increase for 2019, 2.5% for 2018, 5% for 2017 and 3.6% for 2016.

Student fees proposal

Seventeen key fees remained unchanged in WSU’s proposal. These include fees charged by colleges and special programs, those involving laboratory fees and the fee to support student health and wellness programs.

There are only four increased fees recommended, for student services, intercollegiate athletics, online courses and the Honors College.

A detailed list of tuition and fee increase requests is available on the Kansas Board of Regents website.

Partnering with the CCDC Aviation & Missile Center’s Systems Simulation, Software & Integration Directorate (S3I), the goal of the workshops was to gather bright minds to discuss safety-critical applications.

“Identifying and mitigating numerous risk elements associated with the introduction of (multi-core processors) into Army aviation systems is a significant challenge,” said Josh McNeil, software airworthiness division chief for S3I.

“The MCP solutions workshop was a success as it brought together stakeholders from industry, academia, the Army and other DoD organizations from across the country to discuss the risk areas and solutions to the challenge. An emerging outcome of this workshop is the formation of a new community of interest focused on certification requirements, standards development, and implementation guidance for MCPs used in safety-critical applications.”

“FirePoint is pleased to partner with the CCDC Aviation & Missile Center on bringing together a community of interest to work on this important issue,” said Peter Perna, FirePoint executive director. “Airworthiness qualification of multi-core processors is a challenge shared not just by our military, but by general and commercial aviation as well. We’re looking forward to continuing our work to support the center’s leadership in this area.”

FirePoint was established in September 2017 through a partnership with CCDC Aviation & Missile Center headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The partnership is part of a broader commitment by Wichita State to help the new Army Futures Command address its modernization priorities, including future vertical lift, long-range precision fires, air and missile defense, and next generation tactical ground vehicle.

About FirePoint

FirePoint Innovations Center at Wichita State University is a partner of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Aviation and Missile Center. National in scope, FirePoint investigates, collaborates and produces courses of action to solve technology development and transition challenges faced by the Army. FirePoint accelerates the delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter through partnerships and engagement with small and large business, universities, and other government organizations. 

About the Army CCDC Aviation & Missile Center

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Aviation & Missile Center, formerly known as the Aviation & Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), conducts research, development and life cycle engineering to deliver the aviation and missile capabilities the Army depends on to ensure victory on and off the battlefield today and tomorrow. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of a broad range of technology-based capabilities. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

The most important information includes:

1. Rehearsals begin on Monday, June 3 in room C-107 Duerksen Fine Arts Center
2. Rehearsals are Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-6:50 p.m.
3. The concert date is Tuesday, June 25 at Wichita State University.
4. Teachers may enroll for college graduate credit, but it is not required for participation.
5. Registration is $50 with discounts: $25 for Students, $35 for WSU faculty and staff.

Pre-register here.

6. There are no auditions. Come and sing!

      See you in June!

A parcourse is an outdoor gym with exercise stations, open to the public. The new facility replaces a parcourse near Heskett funded by the Kouris three decades ago. Weather and age contributed to its decline over the years. The new parcourse, also funded through contributions from the Kouris, has eight fitness stations, three of which are accessible to both disabled and able-bodied individuals. It is built on a rubberized foundation.

Sam and Jacque Kouri have a long record of supporting Wichita State University, primarily in the arts and athletics. Although Sam Kouri is an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, he and Jacque have committed themselves to helping Wichita State remain strong and responsive to students.

Sam Kouri, a retired surgeon, and Jacque, a community volunteer, are life members of the Fairmount Society, the WSU Foundation’s top giving club. He has served on the SASO board of directors, and she has served on the WSU Foundation's National Advisory Council, College of Fine Arts Advisory Board, and the Ulrich Museum Advisory Board.

Vadakin became the first Gold level college bowling coach in 1985. Over his 40-plus years at Wichita State, he’s coached 18 national championship teams and nine individual national champions, along with 15 professional bowlers who have gone on to win 59 professional titles. He’s coached 145 All-Americans, 25 Bowlers of the Year and 239 Academic All-American’s (3.5 cumulative GPA or higher).

“I’ll miss watching kids come in and grow into young adults,” Vadakin said. “I’ve always believed that you have to coach the entire person, not just the athlete. Because of that, the coaching staff here gets very involved in their personal lives. I get to watch these student-athletes grow up and mature into adults, graduate with their degrees, and enter their careers. I’ll miss being a part of that, the most.”

By the numbers: Gordon Vadakin’s career

18 – National championship teams under his direction

9 – National championship individuals

369 – Tournament wins

45% - Percentage of tournaments won

25 – Bowlers of the Year and MVPs

145 – NCBCA All-Americans

239 – Academic All-Americans

22 – Academic All-Americans in fall 2018

37 – USBC Eagles won by players he’s coached

59 – Professional titles won by players he’s coached

96 – Number of national team members the program has produced under his direction

“This career and experience has been nothing short of amazing,” said Vadakin. “I’m lucky to have spent my life doing what I love. This could not have happened without some key people. I’ve worked with some of the best directors in the world – Bill Glenn, Bill Smith, Jim Herrman and currently Kevin Konda. I’ve had great leaders to work under, and I’ve been extremely lucky to always have the support of my family. I truly can’t tell you how excited I am for the program to make this leap and how excited I am to spend some time with my family.”