Statewide UP / USS staff survey results compiled; Senates will work on issues identified
To our University Support Staff and Unclassified Professional Staff colleagues:
You may recall completing an online poll of University Support Staff (USS) and Unclassified Professional Staff (UPS) that was conducted by the Docking Institute on behalf of five of the six Kansas Board of Regents’ (KBOR) Universities. The poll surveyed staff about work-related issues, such as compensation, morale, and appreciation of work performance.
As your Senate Presidents, we plan to discuss the survey results at the upcoming November and January Senate meetings, and we will also use the surveys to inform our ongoing discussions with the university administration. They have been supportive of the survey from the beginning and receptive to our feedback passed forward thus far, including the workplace issues identified in survey and some new recognition and appreciation programs.
We are making the statewide and WSU-specific results available to you at wichita.edu/kborstaffsurvey.
The results will be presented to KBOR at its December meeting.
More than 40% of Wichita State’s staff members completed the survey.
Our experience is that Shocker employees take great pride in their work at Wichita State. But, as some of the survey results show, we have opportunities for improvement as a university.
If you have any questions or comments prior to the Senates taking up these issues next month, please feel free to contact a Senator who represents you, or one of us.
Matt Houston
University Support Staff Senate President, 2019-20
Julie A. Scott
Unclassified Professional Senate President, 2019-20
Space heater policy reminder
Cooler temperatures are arriving and Wichita State University Environmental Health and Safety reminds you that space heater are prohibited on campus. Please refer to University policies 11.20 Space Heaters and 11.27 HVAC System Standards for more information.
2020 benefits Open Enrollment events
All benefits-eligible state employees must participate in Open Enrollment! Log in to the Member Administration Portal at https://sehp.member.hrissuite.com to make your elections.
Events occurring this week:
Wednesday, October 16: Open Enrollment Open Lab 2:30-4:30 Jabara 122
Employees can drop in anytime during the open enrollment lab for assistance registering and entering enrollment elections. You can RSVP at www.wichita.edu/openenrollment.
Open Enrollment Labs do not include a presentation of plans or changes.
Due to the high volume of work during the open enrollment period, the HR Total Rewards Team will not be available for walk-in traffic or to make individual appointments regarding open enrollment. Please take advantage of the scheduled presentations, on-demand webinar and open lab sessions. For a full listing of Open Enrollment events visit the Open Enrollment Website. Any questions should be directed to TotalRewards@wichita.edu.
Postal Services hires new manager
WSU Postal Services is proud to announce that Matthew Albers has been hired to replace Michael Sperlazza, who retired on Oct. 4. Albers has been with postal services for 15 years, and brings an abundance of knowledge to the position.
Please congratulate Albers the next time you are at the university post office.
Win $5,000 and your own parking space
In order to advance WSU’s Strategic Plan and SEM plan, a competition is underway to develop new interdisciplinary programs.
The competition is:
- For all members of the WSU community
- Open to proposals for new interdisciplinary certificates, minors, honors tracks, undergraduate, mini-master’s or master’s programs
- Focused on programs that meet the future needs of students and the community
The authors of the winning proposal will receive a combined cash award of $5,000. There also will be up to five reserved (red sign) parking places made available for the next academic year for use by the authors of the proposal, at no charge to them.
Proposals are due Friday, Nov. 29
Interdisciplinary Program Competition
Sign up to judge the Wallace Invitational for Scholarships in Engineering (WISE)
We need your help! On Friday, Nov. 22, the College of Engineering will host its annual Wallace Invitational for Scholarships in Engineering (WISE), a scholarship competition for high school seniors interested in studying engineering or computer science. The top 10 students from the competition each receive a $28,500 Wallace Scholarship. This is the college’s largest recruitment event of the year – about 67% of participants end up attending Wichita State and pursuing a degree in the College of Engineering. Last year, we had 233 participants from 14 states.
We are seeking judges for the Group Design Challenge portion of the day. Two-person judging teams will be responsible for observing and scoring a small group of four-to-five students who will participate in a design-build challenge. Group members are judged on leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, so judges do not need to have a background in engineering or computer science.
The judging time commitment is from 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22, in the Rhatigan Student Center. If you are interested in being a judge, please sign up by Friday, Nov. 1 at www.wichita.edu/wisevolunteer.
Exchange programs greatly enhance the student experience
Wichita State has a number of programs that help students travel the country or the world while simultaneously working toward their degree and enhancing their student experience. Students should explore academic travel opportunities such as Study Abroad and National Student Exchange early so they can prepare financially and academically.
Many academic departments also sponsor travel opportunities tied to specific classes. Encourage students to seek out these unique and often life-changing experiences as they prepare for future enrollment.
Learn about cybersecurity concerns in the health care industry
Join the Hub for Cybersecurity Education and Awareness from 2-3:30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 17) in 010 Devlin Hall. Attendees will hear from Amber Stone of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City about cybersecurity concerns within the health care industry. Find out more and register at Wichita.edu/cyberhub.
Register for Cybersecurity Education and Awareness
Professional studio portraits now in 021J Morrison Hall
In conjunction with WSU’s new website profiles, Strategic Communications is now taking appointments for portraits. Photos will now take place in 021J Morrison Hall, near the Print Shop. Easiest access to this room is via the north staircase.
To learn more, and to book your 10-minute appointment, go to wichita.edu/photostudio.
Shocker Rowing takes full advantage of its new home on the Arkansas River
Wichita State head rowing coach Calvin Cupp reaches for the shell, resting on a metal rack, and slides it away from the wall.
“Isn’t that cool?” he asks. “It makes it very easy. I did that with one hand.”
While pulling a shell out of storage is a routine part of the rowing world, it remains a thrill for Cupp and his rowers. They are early in their second year in the River Vista Boathouse, a 7,000-square-foot facility with room for their 32 shells, lockers, shower, equipment and studies.
It is a quite the contrast to their previous vagabond existence.
Read complete Shocker Rowing story.
NASA Space and STEM Watch Party
Love NASA? Want to know what the future of space exploration might look like, and how you might fit in? Join us for this free event at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in 264 John Bardo Center. We will have NASA trivia, snacks, and watch the broadcast with NASA leadership from IAC.
Want to submit a question? Contact nasainkansas@wichita.edu.
Hear about ‘Discovering Mars’ from representatives of the Lake Afton Public Observatory
Kelly Kabler and Cassie Gearhart of the Lake Afton Public Observatory will talk about NASA's missions to Mars and how that has shaped our understanding of the Red Planet at 1 p.m. today (Wednesday, Oct. 16) in 101 Geology Building. They will also discuss the observatory and its history with Wichita.
All are invited - bring your lunch.
Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program accepting Rapid Response Research (R3) proposals
The Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program (KNEP) is seeking proposals for a unique NASA opportunity titled the Rapid Response Research (R3) Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN). This CAN opportunity is a collaborative effort between EPSCoR and the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Planetary Science Division, Earth Science Division; HEOMD Space Biology Division, and the Commercial Space Capabilities Office (CSCO). The R3’s purpose is to provide a streamlined method to address research issues important to NASA.
NASA plans to make up to five $100,000 awards, with no cost-share requirement. Proposals must address topics identified by the involved NASA divisions (see Appendices A-F of the NASA Announcement - NNH20ZHA001C).
Kansas can only submit one NASA proposal per technical area. Therefore, KNEP will carefully review and select proposals for final NASA submission based on criteria clearly identified in the CAN announcement. The Kansas deadline for proposal submissions is Dec. 6, 2019.
To access a copy of the NASA Rapid Response Research CAN document, visit www.NASAinKansas.org.
Submit proposals in PDF-format (less than 2-MB in size) via email to the KNEP director
scott.miller@wichita.edu by Friday, Dec. 6. Feel free to email or call KNEP Director Scott Miller at scott.miller@wichita.edu or 316-978-6334, with any questions.
Happy Financial Aid Professionals Day!
Today (Wednesday, Oct. 16) we are celebrating WSU Office of Financial Aid staff for Financial Aid Professionals Day. They enjoy assisting students in understanding all aspects of the financial aid process, and take advantage of every opportunity to engage prospective, current, and former Shockers.
Nominate a student to Graduate Student Council
Professors/ Graduate Coordinators / Faculty,
The current executive board of the Graduate Student Council is an organization that aims to increase and facilitate the interaction between graduate students and bridge the gap between administration and the graduate student body. We are looking for students who can commit between two-to-five hours per month to representing their graduate program and the graduate student community. You may choose to nominate any student who is part of a degree bound graduate program. Any student nominated will be given the opportunity to accept or reject their nomination.
This nomination form is where you can nominate a student that you think will be a good addition to the Graduate Student Council. We have included more information below. Please direct any questions to gsc.president@wichita.edu
What: The Wichita State University Graduate Student Council (GSC) is a newly constituted graduate student governing organization led currently by the members of the Graduate Student Association.
Why: GSC seeks to engage graduate students with social and collaborative events, let voices be heard from graduate students in all departments, and open channels of communication between graduate students, faculty, and administration.
How: After the election we will have two meetings of the full council per month, as well as once monthly committee meetings. Councilors will serve until the completion of the spring 2020 semester.
When: The nomination period for the election is Oct. 7-18. Election week is Oct. 28-30. The council currently meets at 4:30 p.m. every Thursday.
What students can do: Nominate a peer or yourself as a representative of your department!
WSU Weekly Briefing to feature the dean of University Libraries
The WSU Weekly Briefing will begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 17) in the Marcus Welcome Center. The featured speaker will be Kathy Downes, dean of University Libraries at WSU.
Tracee Friess, director of communication for Research & Economic Development, will give the overall university update.
The briefing will be livestreamed and available later that day at WSU Weekly Briefing. There will be time for questions following the briefing.
Enjoy and attend the events hosted at Shocktoberfest
Kick-Off Shocktoberfest at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, by running, walking and cheering on participants at the annual Pumpkin Run. If that’s too early in the day, visit the family friendly Trunk or Treat at Braeburn Square. Shocktoberfest is sponsored by the WSU Campus Traditions Committee. This is all day one, for details and a full list of events and activities visit wichita.edu/Shocktoberfest.
Shocktoberfest event information
Host a trunk at Trunk or Treat!
Trunk or Treat is a family-orientated event welcoming Shockers of all ages to campus for a safe alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. Student Activities Council wants your department or student organization to host a trunk!
Register your department to host a festively decorated trunk at the event and provide candy and/or interactive activities for the families of WSU students, faculty, and staff, as well as kids from the local USD 259 school system. Register your trunk here! Registration closes Friday, Oct. 18.
Contact Randi Beggs at randi.beggs@wichita.edu with any questions about the event.
Encourage students to attend Careers for the Creative
Students are invited to attend Careers for the Creative from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 17) in the RSC second floor Sage Lounge.
This event offers students the opportunity to meet employers and individuals in the creative world. Some may have internships and others employment opportunities. This includes representatives from creative fields like art, design, entertainment, media, advertising, creative writing and more. Don't miss out on an opportunity to follow your passion. Come and have a conversation.
Free professional photos for students taken by Career Development Center
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what does your professional profile picture say about you? Students are invited to attend the Head Shocks Professional Photo event at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 17) in 258 RSC.
The Career Development Center is hosting the event to help students spruce up their LinkedIn profile. Be sure to put on your best professional attire, stop by and smile for free. There’s no appointment necessary.
Head Shock Professional Photos
Get your idea off the ground with E-Launch!
If you have a product, business idea, or are starting a new product line, you won’t want to miss out on E-Launch. The next launch takes place from 6-9 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 21-Dec. 9, in the Innovation Hub in Devlin. This six-week training session will help you take the necessary steps to ensure you avoid failures in execution by learning before you launch, not after. For more information and to register, visit wichita.edu/elaunch.
E-Launch Information & Registration
Attend RSC Unplugged featuring artist Sterling Gray
Stop by the Rhatigan Student Center every Wednesday for the live music series, RSC Unplugged. From 11 a.m.-1 p.m today (Wednesday, Oct. 16) at the RSC Starbucks Lounge, RSC Unplugged will feature artist Sterling Gray. Grab a cup of coffee and relax with some great music.
Get ready for this year's Trunk or Treat!
Looking for a spooktacular and safe alternative to trick or treating? Have an unboolievably good time with trick or treating, crafts, concessions, a costume contest, and more exciting interactive activities from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in Braeburn Square! This fangtastic Halloween-themed event is open to everyone.
Campus roads closed for Pumpkin Run on Saturday, Oct. 19
Portions of Perimeter Road, Alumni Drive, Yale, Mid-Campus Drive, Mike Oatman Drive, 19th Street, and Innovation Blvd will be closed for the Pumpkin Run from 8:45-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Most of the roads on the southern part of campus will remain open. Please make arrangements accordingly.
Shocker Volleyball looks to Jam the Gym!
Get ready to Jam the Gym at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, as the Shockers take on UCF. Remember to wear black to the game, as we blackout the Roundhouse! Tickets are only $3, and student tickets are free!