WSU Today: Sept. 13, 2019

 

Facilities Services after-hours emergency response

Facilities Services wants the campus to be aware of its after-hours emergency response plan.

Facilities Services regular work schedule is 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Custodial Services Department works two shifts from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For after-hours emergencies requiring Facilities Services assistance, please contact our University Police Department (UPD) at 316-978-3450. UPD will then contact Custodial Services and/or the appropriate on-call Facilities Services department.

Read more from Facilities Services.

Facilities Services has the following departments on-call seven days a week:

  • Plumbing
  • HVAC
  • Electrical
  • Lock Shop
  • Energy Management (HVAC Controls)
  • Carpenter
  • Auxiliary Maintenance
  • Fire and Safety (starting Saturday, Sept. 21)

Fire sprinkler testing to be conducted Sept. 16 through Sept. 20

Starting Monday, Sept. 16 through Friday, Sept. 20, WSU Fire & Safety will be conducting quarterly fire sprinkler flow tests in campus buildings from 6-8 a.m. Campus Housing tests will be conducted after 10 a.m.

The fire alarm in the building may sound multiple times for a few seconds. There is no need to evacuate during these short alarms, however, if the alarm sound continuously for longer than 20 seconds, then evacuate the building. With the exception of campus housing, any alarm after 8 a.m. is an actual fire alarm, and evacuation procedures must be followed.


Cybersecurity event Sept. 19, 2019

HCEA Cybersecurity Speaker Series Kickoff

Don't miss the first HCEA Sleepless Night Speaker Series session on Sept. 19! Join us to hear from Tom Ensz and Szde Yu about current issues in cybercrime and forensics from 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in Room A131, Partnership 2 Building. 

Find out more and register here.


Funding opportunity from Kansas NSF EPSCoR

Kansas NSF EPSCoR is seeking letters of intent and proposals for First Awards in areas related to the current Kansas NSF EPSCoR focus of microbiomes as broadly construed to be aquatic, plant, and/or soil systems. The First Award program helps early career faculty become competitive for funding from the research directorates at the National Science Foundation. 

Submission Deadlines: 
Letters of Intent are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 
Proposals due by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 

*Please note - if you are interested in applying, contact proposals@wichita.edu as soon as possible so a grant specialist may be assigned to assist you. All proposals for external funding must go through the WSU Office of Research

The full request for proposals with submission instructions can be downloaded as a PDF at http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/funding.html


Rick Muma and KMUW Pledge Drive Sept. 17, 2017

Provost to match donations during fall KMUW pledge drive

Provost Rick Muma will be on air with KMUW (89.1 FM) from 7:15-8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, matching donations for KMUW’s fall pledge drive. This is a great opportunity to double your donation and support Wichita’s public radio. Simply call 978-6700 to donate.

More information is available at Pledge Drive.


ISME Colloquium today (Friday, Sept. 13)

Clovis S. Ribas, president and general manager, Shuttle Aerospace Inc., will be presenting "Reliability considerations for an aircraft system definition" from 11 a.m.-noon today (Friday, Sept. 13) in 214 Clinton Hall.


In case you missed it

If you missed the Weekly Briefing, here are some highlights from Thursday's university update.

University Update

Textron commits $300,000 in support of diversity at WSU

On Monday, the university and Textron Aviation were pleased to announce the company’s three-year, $300,000 commitment to our Division of Diversity and Community Engagement efforts.

This commitment makes Textron Aviation the exclusive sponsor of four division programs, including Tenacious Ten, No Veteran Left Behind, Community Engagement Ambassadors, and Applied Learning and Partnership Development. These programs work to engage and support the academic success of a variety of underrepresented groups.

We’re proud of this collaboration with Textron and the additional resources and services it will generate in support of our efforts to provide a life-changing education to students from all backgrounds.

 

New WSU Tech partnership

Earlier this week, WSU Tech announced a new partnership with AAR Corp. to better meet the aviation industry’s increased demand for highly trained aircraft maintenance technicians.

AAR’s EAGLE Career Pathway program will expand the curriculum of WSU Tech’s aviation maintenance technology program to include job shadowing and mentoring, as well as academic support and monitoring. WSU Tech students who pursue the FAA-certified aircraft mechanic’s certificate are eligible for up to $15,000 in tuition reimbursements from AAR.

To quote WSU Tech president Dr. Sheree Utash, “This program will create more opportunities for our students by providing stackable skills and certifications that lead directly to jobs at AAR along with much needed financial assistance for students to continue their education and advance their careers.”

 

German delegation visits campus

On Wednesday, Wichita State welcomed a delegation from our two exchange partner universities in Germany. Representatives from the Berlin School of Economics and Law and Hamburg University of Applied Sciences were on campus as part of an event titled “Employability (made) in Germany.”

The event drew business leaders, university representatives and students for a discussion focused on the Germany-related business landscape, careers and skill-enhancing opportunities in the Wichita area, such as internships at local companies and academic exchanges with partner educational institutions in Germany. 

We want to thank the university delegation for making the trip, and we hope to continue strengthening our ties with their institutions for the benefit of our students, faculty and area industry.

 

Engage WSU

As part of its commitment to public service, Wichita State will host Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers and many other public, nonprofit and community leaders, tomorrow, at its Engage WSU event. Engage WSU is our opportunity to present the university’s role in public service while exchanging knowledge with others who are also committed to building a brighter future for our city, state and region.  

Lt. Gov. Rogers will give a keynote presentation on economic development and the connections between rural and urban success. Guests will also participate in several sessions covering topics such as media coverage of community-driven issues, attracting and retaining talent, placemaking and more.

We welcome these dedicated public servants to campus and look forward to the wealth of ideas, perspectives and knowledge they’ll share.


Mark Porcaro highlights USS Wichita Online Scholarship and OneStop service

Mark Porcaro

Mark Porcaro

The following information was provided by Mark Porcaro, executive director of Online Learning and OneStop Student Services, at Thursday’s Weekly Briefing:

In conjunction with Navy Week here in Wichita, I am pleased to highlight a scholarship for USS Wichita sailors who enroll in an online degree here at Wichita State University.

The USS Wichita Online Scholarship allows USS Wichita Crew to offset the costs of enrolling in one of our online programs. With undergraduate tuition rates currently below $250, Military Tuition Assistance benefits for current service members may be used to pay tuition costs, and then the USS Wichita Online Scholarship can be used to cover costs above tuition up to $500 a term. The scholarship is available for a maximum of 3 terms for a total of $1,500. This scholarship may be used to support mandatory fees, online fees, college fees, and course fees, for eligible USS Wichita crew members. It is our hope that this will help reduce the cost of out-of-pocket expenses for them.

Read more from Mark Porcaro

It has been an exciting time for online learning at WSU. The number of degrees have been growing over the last six years. We now have over 22 undergraduate and graduate online degree options, plus 13 certificates in areas of business, education, health professions, public administration, criminal justice, homeland security, arts management, and degree completion. Many of our undergraduate programs allow transfer credit to fulfill the degree requirements, and WSU awards credit for military course completions from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy or Coast Guard based on ACE credit recommendations on the Joint Services Transcript. Furthermore, WSU has been designated as a military friendly school. In addition to supporting active military students, our Military and Veteran Student Center provides support for dependents and veterans. 

Each of our undergraduate online programs are supported by a dedicated advisor who will help guide our students through the application and enrollment process and will meet with the students at a distance via video chat, telephone, or email to make sure they are meeting the degree requirements, getting the support at a distance that they need with campus-based resources, and making progress toward graduation. In conjunction with the advisors, our Online Retention Specialist helps our online program students maximize their academic potential and reach their personal goals by connecting our online students to resources they need to be successful in their degree programs.

WSU provides all students anytime / anywhere access to our OneStop Student Services via chat, email, or telephone. This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. At the OneStop, students can get help with issues and questions about admissions, registration, financial aid, student accounts, and general advising questions. Our OneStop provides a high level of service with most issues being able to be resolved on the first attempt. It also enables the students to resolve many of their issues on their own through sophisticated trackers that show students’ progress through select processes in admissions, financial aid applications, and student accounts. The OneStop handles around 55,000 interactions with our students each year with 88% of those who were surveyed saying they were satisfied with the support they received.


Invitation to presentation on mentoring from the Academy for Effective Teaching

The Academy for Effective Teaching Steering Committee invites the university community to a presentation on Mentoring.  The presentation is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in 126 Clinton Hall. Michael Flores and John Belt will present. 

Mentoring contributes to the success of the mentee by improving performance, increasing confidence, and addressing strengths and weaknesses. Consider the possibilities of a mentoring relationship at WSU. Mentoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of professional and personal development and satisfaction. This session outlines some general goals and expectations from the perspective of both the mentee and mentor.


Wichita named Most Affordable College City

Wichita named 'Most Affordable College City'

In addition to being known as the world’s Air Capital, Wichita now has an additional title: “The Most Affordable College City” in the nation. This ranking by apartments.com is based on a recent analysis of average rent per unit and the amount of affordable housing options available.

We’re happy to say that Wichita beat out Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Fargo and Huntsville, Alabama for the #1 spot. This ranking mirrors WSU’s own status as the most affordable research university in Kansas and one of the most affordable universities in the nation through ranking by College Consensus.


Jonathan Miller

Navy veteran finds success as a Shocker using skills learned on-deck

Psychology and sociology second-year Jonathan Miller can trace a lot of his success back to lessons learned during his service in the U.S. Navy.

When over 5,000 people are packed within a 1,000-foot long aircraft carrier like the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, it’s easy to build a network.

Although he was trained to launch and land aircraft on the carrier deck as an aviation boatswain’s mate, he considers his time off-deck much more memorable. When off duty, Jonathan found a lot of joy in meaningful conversations with sailors across the ship.

Read complete story on Jonathan Miller.


Send first-gen students to TRIO Student Support Services

Student Support Services (SSS) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide free academic services to students from First Generation (FG) and Limited Income (LI) backgrounds as well as students with disabilities.

The free services include; individualized tutoring, academic advising; textbook loans; assistance completing financial aid application; and scholarships exclusively for student participants. Please refer prospective students to our program, located on the third floor of Grace Wilkie Hall in Suite 309. For more information, visit Student Support Services or call 978-3715.


CMD discount for Sept. 26-27 workshop

Project Management gold standard curriculum

Project Management Essentials will be offered from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 26-27. DeAnn Sullivan, PMP, will be the workshop leader. The cost is $899, with a 40% discount for WSU faculty, staff, and students. Some restrictions apply.

This class is designed for business professionals faced with getting projects done on-time, within budget and to the customer’s satisfaction. It provides interactive training that will benefit both first-time and experienced project leaders and team members. Participants will develop skills through hands-on exercises that allow them to practice the processes to organize, define, plan, track, and manage any project successfully.

* Managing scope, schedule, cost and quality

* Managing risk, procurement, communication plans, and resources

* Integration and closing the project

For more information go to cmd.wichita.edu or register at 316-978-3118.


Black and Yellow days coming in October

Each semester, the Office of Admissions invites high school juniors, seniors and college transfer students to an all-day event on campus called Black and Yellow Day. Students will have the opportunity to sit in on a variety of sessions hosted by the academic colleges, take a campus and housing tour, and explore the hands-on learning opportunities at WSU. 

The event is $15 per student and $5 per gues, and includes lunch in Shocker Hall Dining. This fall students can choose to attend on Friday, Oct. 11, or Friday, Oct. 25. Interested students can register at wichita.edu/visit and click on "Admissions Events."

Questions? Contact Sarah Brill, event coordinator and SAS advisor, at sarah.brill@wichita.edu.


LeaderShape facilitators

All call for LeaderShape facilitators

Are you interested in leadership development of yourself and your students? We are calling for six cluster facilitators at WSU’s session of LeaderShape this year. The 4 day event will take place on from Jan. 14-17, 2020. We will also have a facilitator prep and training day on Monday, Jan. 13. The LeaderShape Institute is a nationally recognized and renowned leadership program dedicated to developing participants to become leaders with integrity, purpose, and a healthy disregard for the impossible. 

If you are interested, please fill out the application online at LeaderShape facilitators. 

For any questions, contact Kennedy Rogers at kennedy.rogers@wichita.edu or 978-7402.


TRIO Disability Support Services fall 2019

Helping students with disabilities to graduate!

TRIO Disability Support Services is enrolling first-generation and limited-income students with disabilities for the academic year. Students may receive free tutoring, advising, scholarship opportunities, and other free resources to help students graduate.

Disability Support Services


Constitution Day event coming Tuesday, Sept. 17

The Department of Political Science in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is planning a Constitution Day 2019 event from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in 208 Hubbard Hall. Admission is free.

A legislator qualifications panel will discuss “Who gets to run for office?” Panelists are T. McGuire Johnson, former chair, Sedgwick Co. Democratic Party; Dalton Glasscock, Sedgwick Co. Republican Party; and Neal Allen, chair of the WSU Department of Political Science.


Kat Lazo

Hear from the WSU Latinx keynote speaker Kat Lazo

The Latinx Heritage Month Reception Take the Lead featuring keynote Kat Lazo will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the CAC Theater.

Take the Lead is a program that builds and fosters relationships between allies and the Latinx students, faculty, staff, and Wichita community. Come out and engage with the movers and shakers in the Latinx community.

Our keynote this year is Kat Lazo from the Kat Call. Lazo shares what inspired her to create “The Kat Call,” and how acknowledging the different ways Latinx people embody both oppression and privilege can bring us all closer to liberation.

This event is free and open to the public. Learn more about the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Lecture Series.


2019-20 Recruitment Faculty Fellows

2019-20 Recruitment Faculty Fellows

The Recruitment Faculty Fellows started the recruitment year with a Kick-Off event recently. Returning fellows hosted a panel overviewing the opportunities and rewarding experiences available to new fellows. The Office of Admissions has been fortunate to have active fellows each year who’ve historically made visits to schools, placed phone calls to students, presented at admissions recruitment programs, and served in an advisory role for admissions practices.

2019-20 Recruitment Faculty Fellows

Jodi McArthur - College of Applied Studies
Liz Roberts - College of Applied Studies
Deepak Gupta - College of Engineering
Kara McCluskey - College of Engineering
Lori Santos - College of Fine Arts
Jolynn Dowling - College of Health Professions
Moriah Beck - Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Fran Connor - Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Shaunna Millar - Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dotty Harpool - W. Frank Barton School of Business


Postpartum exercise class fall 2019

Free Postpartum Exercise Class offered

Free Postpartum Exercise Classes hosted by Jennifer Celso and research students are being offered!

We are testing the effectiveness of two exercises on Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (separation of the abdominal muscles that commonly occurs during pregnancy and often doesn’t close on its own after the baby is born).

If you are 18 years or older and have had a baby in the last two years, you can participate.

You will need your doctor’s approval to join in the exercise classes. We will hold 16 classes on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30-7:05 p.m. from Sept. 16 to Nov. 8. We have free childcare available onsite, and would love to have you come!

Please see the image above for more details and to sign up. You can also email Taylor Golay at trgolay@shockers.wichita.edu to register for this study.


WSU Symphony Concert features faculty soloist

Faculty artist Rachelle Goter will appear as soloist with the WSU Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Miller Concert Hall. The concert, featuring music by Beethoven, Holst, and Oscar Navarro, will be conducted by Mark Laycock.

Tickets ($12 for general admission with discounts available) may be purchased through the Fine Arts Box Office at 978-3233 or online at http://www.wichita.edu/fineartsboxoffice.

More concert information

A member of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Clarinet at WSU, Goter performs Navarro’s Second Clarinet Concerto. Navarro (b. 1981), a native of Spain, is a prolific composer of music for orchestras and wind ensembles, as well as in the genre of film music; he earned a graduate degree in the prestigious Screen Scoring program at the University of Southern California. The concerto was commissioned by the Valencia Music Institute and completed in 2012.

The concert also features Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in Bb Major.

The Blue Valley Northwest High School Chamber Symphony (Michael Arbucci, director) will open the program with the rollicking March from Holst’s Moorside Suite, a piece originally composed for brass band. The students will also join the WSU Symphony to perform several movements of the Beethoven.

Goter is currently in her eighth season as clarinetist with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, principal clarinetist with the Wichita Grand Opera, principal clarinetist with Ballet Wichita, and solo clarinet with the Lieurance Woodwind Quintet; she also performs with the Ad Astra Clarinet Quartet, comprised of Kansas University clarinet professors.

Laycock is a Professor of Music at Wichita State University, where he holds the Ann Walenta Faculty of Distinction Endowed Professorship.


T-shirts for Wichita Children's Home Sept. 2019

Wichita Children's Home T-Shirt Drive

Each year at the Kansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (KACRAO) Conference we choose one local cause to rally around. This year that cause is the Wichita Children’s Home, which is a nonprofit organization that offers the only emergency, temporary, and residential care for children in the Wichita community.

We are challenged to bring as many school spirit T-shirts as we can collect from across campus to donate to the Wichita Children’s Home. Does your office have a stash of out dated T-shirts from years past? Do you have T-shirts that you’ve never worn or only worn a few times? What better way to clean out our storage space than to donate it to a worthy cause?

T-shirts should be new or gently used, and sizes can range from adult to children sizes since the Wichita Children’s Home serves a wide range of children. They also ask that T-shirts not have holes in them or inappropriate decorations (beer logos, inappropriate language, etc.).

T-shirts will be collected through Tuesday, Sept. 24, and can be dropped off at the Registrar's Office in 102 Jardine Hall. If you have questions, contact Krissy Archambeau at 978-3089 or krissy.archambeau@wichita.edu.


Sharp dressed Shockers

551 sharp dressed Shockers

The Career Development Center helped 551 WSU students find professional clothing this past week. Three hundred fifty-seven students attended the JCPenney Suit-Up event on Sept. 8 and received up to 60% off career attire, and 194 students received free professional dress items at our Career Closet event on Sept. 10.

WSU students are now ready to ace the interview, network to perfection, or feel confident on the job. Thank you to everyone who donated to our Career Closet.

If you did not get a chance to donate or have more to contribute, we are working to replenish our supply. Bring your professional suits, dress pants, shirts / blouses, skirts, belts, neckties, briefcases, shoes, cuff links, and tie clips to Brennan III, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F (closed Tuesday mornings).

For questions, contact Kim Kufahl at 978-6981 or kim.kufahl@wichita.edu.


The FAA's Small Airport Student Competition could be your chance to win a $25,000 prize

The FAA challenges undergraduate and graduate students to develop innovative ways to use smart technology in and around airports to enhance the overall travel experience.

The FAA is sponsoring the FAA Challenge - Smart Airport Student Competition to recognize students with the ability to demonstrate innovative thinking focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of smart technology in and around the airport environment while enhancing the overall traveling experience.

Finalist teams will be invited to demonstrate their concepts at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center (FAA Technical Center) and at a technical symposium in Atlantic City, New Jersey in May of 2020. A stipend of up to $6,000 will be awarded to each of the three finalist teams to help offset the cost of traveling to New Jersey to demonstrate their concepts.

Student participants of each finalist team will receive certificates. Finalist teams will also be invited to an awards ceremony, where a $25,000 prize will be presented to the lead university of the winning team.

FAA Challenge


Pumpkin Run Friday the 13th promo Sept. 2019

Friday the 13th Pumpkin Run special offer

Sign up today (Friday the 13th) to get $3 off the 5K Pumpkin Run registration - using the promo code FrightNight.

You don't want to miss out! Join runners/walkers at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, for a fun journey through one of the prettiest campuses in Kansas, while supporting our charity partner ICT SOS supported by Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority Inc. Don't forget to also sign up the little runners for the 4th annual Little Pumpkin Fun Run.

A week later, join us if you dare, for our free second annual Fright Night event from 9-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Heskett Center. It will be a night of scary events and fun adventures!