WSU Today: Aug. 16, 2019

Prohibited items include, but are not limited to, the following list:

• Latex balloons, silly-string, bubbles, glitter, confetti, rice, birdseed.

• Decorative materials may not be placed on fire doors, smoke doors, light fixtures, electrical equipment, electrical outlets, circuit breaker panels, etc.

• No hay, straw, loose or baled or corn stalks

• Light strings connected together are limited to no more than three.

Every electric light set used must bear the UL or FM label and be identified for indoor use.

No extension cords shall be used to light strings of lights, only a circuit breaker protected power strip shall be used.

If you have questions about your decorations, contact EHS Fire Safety at 978-5531 or 978-5803.

Presidential search

To start today’s briefing, we have a quick update on the presidential search process.

According to the Kansas Board of Regents, the search committee met by telephone on Wednesday. It will soon begin reviewing applications, and the final Regents’ selection is expected by mid-November.

We’ll let you know more when additional information becomes available from KBOR.

 

Business and graduate deans

As you may have heard, the university recently hired two new college deans—Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School of Business and Coleen Pugh, dean of the Graduate School and associate vice president for Research and Technology Transfer.

We’re happy to announce that both deans are now officially on campus and are actively engaging with stakeholders from across the university.

We welcome them to Shocker Nation and wish them the best of luck.

This week, the university also welcomed 45 new employees into the Shocker family—including many new faculty members. We also want to wish them all the best for a successful, productive school year, and we and look forward to their positive contributions toward WSU’s vision and mission.

 

Facilities update

Summer has been a busy time on campus with several construction projects underway.

The university-owned NIAR Advanced Virtual Engineering and Technology Lab is scheduled for completion in late October. The facility will house the NIAR Crash Dynamics Lab and Virtual Engineering Lab.

The shell of developer-owned partnership building three, known as P3, is also scheduled for completion in October, and the interior will be finished out as tenants come on board.

In addition, the Steve Clark YMCA and WSU Student Wellness Center, housing Student Health Services and Counseling Services, will open this January.

And construction on the 36,000-square-foot Student-Athlete Success Center has started with an expected completion date of July 2020.

We’re excited for these additions and for the benefits they’ll provide for our students, our growing number of partners—and the community.

While it’s easy to simply talk about current and future buildings, we want to stress that all of this effort isn’t just about construction. It’s about creating spaces for people to learn and collaborate. Elements like art, landscaping, lighting, outdoor seating and signage work together to create an environment that can enhance the campus experience, be welcoming to the community, and attract and retain students, faculty and staff.  

 

Traffic, parking and shuttle changes

In addition to new construction, we’d also like to make you aware of recent traffic, parking and shuttle changes.

First, and most important, please be aware of the two new stop signs located at the intersection near the Memorial ‘70 monument—and be prepared to stop when approaching Perimeter Road from Hillside or Memorial Drive.   

On-campus parking has expanded with the opening of The Suites at WSU parking lot, which is available for students, faculty and staff with a valid permit.

We want to remind students that they can ride Wichita Transit for free with their Shocker IDs.

Also, there is a new shuttle stop opposite of the Food Truck Plaza. And the Grace Wilkie shuttle stop has been moved to Mid Campus Drive near Wilkins Stadium.

To keep up to date with the latest traffic, parking and shuttle-related news, visit wichita.edu/parking.

 

Housing update

One of the best things about the start of the school year is the increasingly large number of students who choose to call campus their home away from home.

Today we’re happy to announce that our occupancy, as of last Friday, between Shocker Hall, The Flats, and our brand-new facility, The Suites, was at 1,463—putting us at full capacity.

We anticipated the possibility of higher requests for housing again this year, so we created expandable spaces to accommodate an increase in numbers. These rooms were identified prior to the room selection/assignment process, and students have been notified over the summer if their space was ultimately expanded.

This higher demand is also reflected in our increase in application numbers, particularly with students who have previously lived on campus and wish to move back to campus this fall. As of Aug. 12, we have 460 of these returning students, compared to 355 the previous year.

We’re pleased to see continued success in our strategy to create a campus environment where more students want to be—before, during and after class.

 

Research

And, finally, WSU continues making great strides through its strong commitment to applied learning and research.

The university has set a new record for research and development awards, with a total of $136 million in fiscal year 2019, which ended June 30, topping last year’s record-breaking total of $104 million.

This significant increase comes from a steep rise in contracts and awards from the U.S. Department of Defense, which increased by more than $40 million from fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2019. 

Recent DoD awards include:

• $33 million from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Command Aviation & Missile Center for emerging materials for high-speed missile applications.
• $23.5 million from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for advanced materials and automated manufacturing.
• And $7 million from the Office of Naval Research for multiple projects involving advanced materials, digital modeling and advanced manufacturing.

According to John Tomblin, WSU vice president for research and technology transfer, this relationship with the Department of Defense “has opened up connections that will benefit Wichita State students, faculty and staff, in addition to the state of Kansas, manufacturing industry, various DoD agencies and the nation as a whole.”

We’re also proud of our faculty research—particularly for its innovation and the recognition it brings WSU. A prime example is assistant professor of chemistry Dr. Alexandre Shvartsburg, who recently received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on STEM professionals. Dr. Shvartsburg is the first-ever recipient from Wichita State and only the third from Kansas. We congratulate him on this great accomplishment.

Round 1: Application Review – Completed by Tuesday, Oct. 1

• This process would be going through the qualified applicants and meeting to decide on which students move onto the next round. We have seen an increase, so we could be sifting through 60-70 applications depending on how many student apply.

Round 2: Interviews – Friday, Oct. 11

• Our judges’ panel will sit through a series of interviews of those selected to move on through the application round. Deliberation and decision on the final court of eight students will follow the interviews.

Round 3: Presentations – Friday, Oct. 18

• This panel will serve as audience to our eight finalists as they present and showcase why they should win the title of WSU Student of the Year and scholarship. There will be two winners this year.

Please send which round you would like to serve on or any questions to Kennedy Rogers at kennedy.rogers@wichita.edu or call 978-7402.