As the nation celebrates the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, so too does Wichita State University.
June 19 is the annual celebration of the end of slavery. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed Jan. 1, 1863, and the Civil War ended April 9, 1865, more than 250,000 remained enslaved in Texas when Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to order their emancipation. Texas was the first state to adopt the formal holiday in 1980.
“Freedom Day is about setting our minds free from thoughts and things that hold us back from becoming successful in life and work,” said Dr. Marche Fleming-Randle, vice president and chief diversity officer. “It's time to embrace the difference in color of our skins and celebrate our differences with respect and happiness. The struggle is real, but there is no progress without a struggle!”
While our nation has made progress, we must continue to work to ensure freedom, equality and justice for all.
For more information on Juneteenth commemoration in Wichita, visit KMUW. For more information on the history of Juneteenth, visit the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture website.
Regents approve 2% tuition increase for Wichita State
Thursday morning, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a 2% tuition increase for Wichita State University for 2020-21. Fees that all students pay will remain flat.
This will result in an approximate tuition increase of $67 per resident undergraduate student, per semester. Even with the increase, Wichita State still remains the most affordable research university in the state and one of the most affordable research institutions in the country.
The increase comes after Wichita State kept tuition flat in 2019-2020, the lowest change in tuition rates since 1989.
This small increase will allow Wichita State to maintain its high level of excellence and keep its commitment to providing students with an outstanding education and experience as Shockers.
The COVID-19 crisis has had a significant financial impact on WSU. University officials have implemented several cost-cutting measures and continue to look at other ways to lower operating costs.
Those efforts include:
Temporary hiring freeze
Restrictions on discretionary spending including travel and non-essential purchases that will generate approximately $2.5 million in savings
Position review process established for new hire requests that takes into consideration essential services
Voluntary temporary furlough of deans and temporary reduction in salaries of university executives and athletic coaching staff, a measure that will generate approximately $100,000 in budgetary savings
2% General Use (GU) budget reduction for FY 2021 for all divisions, a measure that will generate approximately $2.6 million budgetary savings
Register now for the Virtual Part-Time Student Employment Fair
The Career Development Center invites you to register and attend our Virtual Part-Time Student Employment Fair from 1-3 p.m. Friday, July 17, for all your on-campus position recruitment needs. (This event replaces the On-Campus Job Fair.)
At this new event, you can meet, recruit, and receive resumes from Wichita State University students in one convenient online location. If you have open student assistant or graduate assistant positions you plan to fill for the upcoming academic year – this event is for you!
Space is limited; register today. We are offering this event to our campus partners free of charge, but you must register before Friday, July 10.
Virtual Part-Time Student Employment Fair
WSU Foundation End of Fiscal Year Schedule
Requisitions:
Any check needs are due at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, for the check run Friday, June 26.
The WSU Foundation does not encumber funds, and we cannot write any checks for fiscal year 2019 after Friday, June 26.
Contact foundation.ap@wichita.edu for any questions or concerns.
Deposits:
Please deliver all gifts by Thursday, July 2, to the WSU Foundation by 5 p.m. that day.
Contact Amy Houpt at 978-5191 with any questions or concerns.
The Foundation has changed the endowed fund carryover process for FY20, due to the campus shutdown for the COVID-19 pandemic. For this year only, any unspent FY20 endowed fund payouts will automatically be carried over to be available in FY21. We will make the entries in July for those funds.
If you have any questions or do not wish to have your funds carried over, please contact Sheila Krug at sheila.krug@wichita.edu or Vanessa Smith at vanessa.smith@wichita.edu.
WSU undergrad builds organization around social-impact engineering
-
Wichita State student Carlos Gatti is a biomedical engineering major who sees value in engineering work with social impact.
Assistive device
- Gatti worked as intern for PoParaguay and draws his inspiration from that organization.
- He hopes to model the program after GoBabyGo, a WSU program that modifies toy cars for children with disabilities.
Pictured above: Wichita State student Carlos Gatti, far right, worked as an intern at PoParaguay, a nonprofit, before coming to Wichita State in 2018. At PoParaguay, he learned how to build assistive devices, and he wants the program at Wichita State to replicate the nonprofit’s success.
Virtual support offered by university subject librarians
University Librarians are here (virtually) to support instruction.
As Wichita State faculty plan summer and fall classes, remember librarians can help you every step of the way. Let your subject librarian:
- Make custom research guides for your classes
- Help you redesign research assignments to better fit the hybrid learning environment
- Locate electronic course materials (e-books, articles, or streaming audio and video) and embed them directly into your Blackboard course shell
- Support your students as an embedded librarian in Blackboard by answering questions, participating in discussions, providing point of need announcements, linking to electronic resources, and providing feedback on research assignments
- Provide synchronous or asynchronous virtual instruction for your classes (at least two weeks advance notice is preferred)
Contact subject librarians at libraries.wichita.edu/subjectlibrarians.
Ulrich announces locations of first round of artistic billboards placed throughout Wichita
The Ulrich Museum of Art on the Wichita State University campus is closed to visitors
at the moment, but thanks to an expansive new public art project, art works from the
museum’s permanent collection will be on view for people all across Wichita.
Beginning on July 1, the Museum will launch its Ulrich + Artists +You Community Billboard Project. Each month, starting in July and ending in November, visually compelling billboards
will be unveiled and displayed in various strategic spots throughout Wichita.
Details about the artwork to be displayed on the first round of billboards for July
will be available on the museum’s website, ulrich.wichita.edu. The July locations
for the billboards are: 308 N. West Street; 481 N. I-135; 957 W 29th St; 5218 E 21st
St; and 1219 E Douglas.
Ulrich Director Leslie Brothers, who created the concept for the unique project, said
it was a way to transcend the challenges imposed by the coronavirus, which, for the
time being, requires the museum building to stay closed to public gatherings.
“Our goal is to reach as many people as possible by selecting billboards in high-traffic
areas as well as neighborhoods that may be left out of a typical billboard campaign,”
Brothers said. “We want people to know that they matter and that this art experience
is for everyone.”
In all, 20 billboards will be created for the exhibition, which will feature works
from the museum’s collection in one of three categories: Wichita or Kansas artists;
living and deceased artists with strong Wichita or Kansas ties; and works by a culturally-
and racially-diverse array of both American and international artists. The museum
encourages viewers to go to Ulrich website to find carefully curated content on the
artists and their works, weekly online discussions with artists included in the project,
and curricular content for K-12 and college students.
Brothers said the public art project was the perfect solution to the challenges posed
by the coronavirus pandemic, offering unlimited hours of operation and safe viewing.
It also encourages Wichitans to venture out and see parts of town they might not normally
visit, inspiring greater community pride.
“We are placing art in the space of advertising to share with the public selected
works from the museum’s permanent collection that evoke themes of heroism and leadership,
identity and family, politics and religion, and the precious routines of everyday
life.” Brothers said. “As a civilization, we count on artists today as we have for
centuries, to embrace with empathy and brilliance the challenges of our shared humanity.”
Stay tuned to the Ulrich website and the museum’s social media platforms for more details on the billboards and related
programs and events.
Celebrate JuneteenthICT!
JuneteenthICT the official Wichita celebration has begun with the celebration taking place this week. This year, JuneteenthICT has created a hybrid of programs that consist of virtual and a few in-person opportunities that incorporate social distancing. There is no shortage of opportunities to learn, celebrate, and share the history and meaning of Juneteenth. Learn more about the schedule of programs at JuneteenthICT.
Some programs may require registration. All programs will be streamed on the JuneteenthICT Facebook page. Please go to the following link and like https://www.facebook.com/JuneteenthICT/. All programs are free and open to the public.
Wichita State’s Michael Birzer used as subject-matter expert on national story
Michael Birzer
Criminal Justice Professor Michael Birzer was recently interviewed by GQ Magazine for a story called “Why Are Undercover Police Officers Wearing Such Bad Disguises?
Click here to see the story and Birzer’s comments.
‘Decolonizing methodologies: Anti-oppressive research an overview’
Edil Torres Rivera
Dr. Edil Torres Rivera, professor, Latinx Studies and Counseling, gave a speech at the University Carlos Albizu in Puerto Rico for their graduate students. The title of the talk was "Decolonizing methodologies: Anti-oppressive research an overview." The talk was about reviewing different indigenous and decolonizing research approaches to create critical researchers.
Father's Day Sale in the Shocker Store
Looking to find some great gifts for the Shocker dads in your life? The Shocker Store is having a Father’s Day Sale from now to Saturday, June 20 in the RSC store and online at shockerstore.com.
Items included are Shocker Dad tees for $12, a coaster/pint set for $6, utility gloves for $4.99, and 20% off hats. May not be combined with other discounts or promotions.