WSU Board of Trustees approves next step to house the National Institute for Digital Transformation
In an effort to help diversify and grow the economy – while providing an important platform for creating new academic and applied programs for students – Wichita State University is moving forward on a facility to house the National Institute for Digital Transformation (NIDT) as part of WSU's Convergence Sciences initiative.
A major building block for this effort was supported last week when the WSU Board of Trustees agreed to allocate $532,000 a year for the term of the bonds that will fund the development of the facility – an approximately 30,000-square-foot building on the Innovation Campus.
Teaching This Fall: Day 4 Questions about Teaching Online
To support instructors who are prepping their classes for fall, the Faculty Curricular Design Working Group has created 10 sets of featured questions related to our new teaching environment. Each day we will post one set of frequently asked questions to respond to issues that faculty have raised about how to be prepared.
FAQs Set #4: Questions about Teaching Online
- How do I build personal relationships with students I don’t meet in person?
Create a Wiki or use the Discussion Board for students to introduce themselves, share your own background so students feel comfortable sharing something about themselves; Include an introductory video in Bb; Participate in (don’t just observe) discussion board posts; Send personal communications, not just instructions directed to the entire class; Start every individual communication with the student’s name so it feels personal. More ideas are available.
- Will university staff build the online portion of my class?
IDA can put a course template into your Blackboard class. This service includes setting up Discussion Boards, Assignments and the Grade Center. While instructors are responsible for the creation and uploading of actual course content, these services will help alleviate some of their technical burden to course design. If you would like IDA to set up your summer or fall courses with a template, please fill out this request form.
Additional FAQs about teaching this fall can be found on the COVID-19 university webpage.
Student Health closed 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 7-21
Student Health will be closed 8 a.m.-1 p.m. each day from Aug. 7-21. The office will reopen 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Monday–Friday to meet student needs during this time period. For questions or other services, please use the myShockerHealth portal at www.wichita.edu/shs.
New tax-exempt certificate available
The tax-exempt certificate has been updated and the new form expires 10/1/2024.
The new form is available in either of the following locations on the Purchasing website at
--> In This Section-->Accounts Payable -->Tax Exempt Certificate
--> In This Section -->Business Procurement Card Program -->BPC Forms -->Tax Exempt Certificate
If you need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at purchasing.office@wichita.edu.
OEIC seeks public comment on revisions to Sexual Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation policy
The U.S. Department of Education has released comprehensive Title IX regulations governing how institutions must respond to allegations of sexual harassment. The University’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), in conjunction with other leaders on campus, have prepared a revised WSU Policy 3.06 Sexual Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation in response to these new regulations.
We are looking forward to receiving public comment, questions, and input to assist with any needed clarifications in the policy and develop training and education for the campus.
Purchasing Office new contact information
Due to the recent changes in the Purchasing Office, for the fastest most efficient response, please use the following emails when contacting us:
Purchasing Staff: purchasing.office@wichita.edu
P-Card Administrator: PCardAdmin@wichita.edu
Thank you for your cooperation, and we look forward to serving you in the future.
SPTE Request Form for pre-session courses are due
Student Perception of Teaching Effectiveness (SPTE) Request forms for fall 2020 pre-session courses are due to the Social Science Research Lab by tomorrow (Friday, Aug. 7).
If you do not have a form, you can download a fillable pdf request form at https://wichita.edu/SPTE_forms located on our website. You can also get additional SPTE information on our website at www.wichita.edu\sslab.
You can email the form to sandra.ranney@wichita.edu; mail paper form to campus box 107, or hand carry the form to 429 Lindquist Hall.
As you know, the Academic Resources Conference now runs three times a year. If you missed the events in June and would like to take advantage of all there was on offer, check out this video playlist of our June session recordings. There are more than 20 recordings available, and more content can be found on the ARC’s “Topics and Tracks” page [hyperlink "Topics and Tracks" page: https://wichita.edu/ARCTopics], so be sure to check that out too. The August round of the ARC starts next week, so now is a great time to catch up on those June sessions.
The Kansas NSF EPSCoR office is seeking white papers for Major Initiatives to Improve Research Infrastructure
Kansas NSF EPSCoR (KNE) is announcing a funding opportunity for Major Initiatives to Improve Research Infrastructure in the focus area of Adaptive and Resilient Systems.
In summer 2021, Kansas NSF EPSCoR will submit a Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-1 proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). To develop the proposal, KNE is seeking proposals that will make up a key component of this multi-million dollar/multi-year request to NSF.
The selected initiative is expected to foster an interdisciplinary research community of engineers, computer and computational scientists, social and behavioral scientists, and natural scientists that creates new approaches and engineering solutions for the design and operation of infrastructure, processes, or services.
One major initiative will be selected to be included, along with other infrastructure-building components, in the $20 million RII Track 1 EPSCoR proposal, which will be submitted in August 2021.
White Papers Due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020
Full Proposals Due by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, 2020
Q&A Sessions: Only researchers from Kansas universities will be admitted to Zoom meetings. Register for a meeting at noon Friday, July 24, and noon Thursday, Aug. 13, and download the RFP at the KS NSF EPSCoR website.
If you have any questions or wish to submit to this opportunity, please email the WSU Office of Research at proposals@wichita.edu and a grants specialist will be assigned to assist you.
Hear from Dr. Jerry Kang, an expert on implicit bias
Heard the term "implicit bias," but not sure what it means? Join Wichita State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs and Academic Affairs at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, as we hear from Dr. Jerry Kang, Distinguished Professor of Law and Asian American Studies and former Founding Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLA as he speaks on implicit bias.
You must register for the closed faculty and staff event at wichita.edu/jerrykang. Implicit bias is responsible for racial and gender disparities that persist in household income, job status and a myriad of other measurements - even as explicit bias has greatly diminished over the past century. Implicit bias also finds its way into the classroom, where certain students may receive more attention or positive feedback than others.
Even the best-intentioned educators carry some degree of implicit bias, and because it is unconscious, it is practically impossible to recognize and address without active efforts and self-reflection. For questions, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 978-3034 or go to wichita.edu/odi.
Clash of the Colleges set for Aug. 21
First-Year Programs in Student Success and Campus Recreation invite you to join us for Clash of the Colleges on Friday, Aug. 21. This event will include relay races, team sports and a competition between academic colleges to determine who rules the school. Come by yourself or with a group of other new students (sign-up requirements are below). Enjoy an afternoon of interactive socially distanced fun!
Students who want to participate for in-person Clash of the Colleges need to sign up on the registration at wichita.edu/clash. Please note that it is first-come, first-served, as the amount of students that can attend this year is limited to ensure safety guidelines. All participants will be required to wear a face covering. Registration will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19.
This year there will also be a Virtual Games! Students can participate in these games to win points for their college!
Learn more about Clash of the Colleges
Join in the fun with a Zoom murder mystery night
Join your campus friends in a fun evening of intrigue and silliness with a Zoom-based murder mystery from 6-8 p.m. Friday Aug. 14. Each attendee will be given a part, a backstory, and a few clues, and your challenge will be to solve the mystery of ‘who done it?’ before anyone else does. Prizes are available.
To sign up, simply go to myWSU and find the event in myTraining under the title “ARC Cocktail Hour! Murder Mystery Night.” myTraining is located in the myWSU portal. If you can’t find it or don’t have access, send your registration request to Instructional Design and Access: IDA@wichita.edu. Sign up is required for this event since we need to assign parts.
Hiring process changes and reminders for August
August is a time of high volume hiring for students and lecturers. To ensure we are providing effective customer service, are compliant, and are achieving social distancing, please read the following information as some processes have changed.
- Requests to hire a non-benefit eligible “Temp” employee must be approved by the position review committee before it can proceed through the hiring process. The only exception is if the position is funded by external or grant dollars. The position exception request form and instructions can be found on the Forms Index of the Human Resources webpages.
- All student/grad and lecturer hiring requests must be submitted on the following form. The form and hiring instructions can be found on the Forms Index of the Human Resources webpages. It is important that you use the form on the website to ensure you have the most up-to-date document. An outdated document can cause a delay in the hiring process.
- All employees (including student and Graduate Assistantship positions) must provide valid work authorization (Form I9) prior to beginning working at Wichita State.
- Employees are required to make an appointment with Human Resources to provide the necessary work authorization
- Employees are given the option to provide the work authorization virtually or in-person. If they choose to provide it in-person, they are required to follow the safety procedures in effect on campus.
- In-person appointments will be held in RSC240 – not in the HR Office on campus.
- After an employee’s job in Banner has been inactive (“terminated”) in Banner for 60 days, their employment will be terminated. This is a process change that was made in May 2020, and decided upon by the university to ensure effective system security. If an employee is terminated, they must go through the entire new hire process, including completion of new hire paperwork, providing work authorization, and completing a background check if required. To prevent this from happening, an add job ePAF for a future appointment must be submitted and completely approved prior to the expiration of the 60-day limit.
Updates to New Employee Orientation
As Human Resources continue to transition our processes in response to COVID-19, we are pleased to announce a change to New Employee Orientation (NEO) for new benefit-eligible hires when they begin working at Wichita State. As a new hire, NEO gives them the opportunity to interact with a cohort group while receiving vital information about being a new member of Wichita State.
During the fall semester, benefit-eligible new employees will participate in a hybrid NEO format. The hybrid NEO includes the virtual live portion via Zoom on the first Tuesday of each pay period**. This will provide an opportunity for the hiring department to complete a specific department orientation on the employee’s first day to acclimate them to the department and set-up their new workspace.
Following the live virtual NEO welcome on Tuesday, new employees will have additional online modules to complete. The modules provide information including policies, procedures and emergency preparedness, institutional equity and compliance, leave administration, and benefits. New employees will be able to view these modules at their own pace, and go back to review the information at any time by going to www.wichita.edu/NEOonline.
There will also be a virtual Q&A meeting time on the Wednesday following NEO that will be optional for new employees to attend if they have questions.
**New faculty starting the fall semester will participate in the live virtual NEO on their first day of employment, Monday, Aug. 10.
View the revised 2020 NEO schedule and find more information about Wichita State University New Employee Orientation at www.wichita.edu/NEO.
Classroom Technology Training Schedule
Classrooms across campus are equipped with uniform technology and media equipment. Access is available to faculty and staff with consistent keys for most classrooms that are issued during a short training session. We encourage you to bring your personal laptop to test in the room during training. If there are additional needs or questions, please call 978-3588.
Faculty are encouraged to verify that their assigned rooms have the technology they need prior to the start of the semester.
Fall 2020 Classroom Technology Training Schedule
Linda Rhone named a top business leader and innovator
Dr. Linda Rhone, director of WSU Trio Student Support Services and graduate teacher education workshop faculty member, is featured in Urban Focus Business Leaders Magazine for the August 2020 issue. Rhone, who teaches teachers throughout Kansas, established the Wichita Teacher Inquiry Group (WTIG), the only one of its kind in this region, with grants from the Kansas Health Foundation and the Gerber Institute for Catholic Studies. Rhone was congratulated and commended by Senate Resolution No. 1768 at the Kansas State Capital for her work with WTIG, which is designed to lessen systemic, cultural, direct and indirect bullying behavior at school, in the workplace and at home through cultural competence and transformative teaching and learning. In Urban Focus, Rhone has been named one of the Top 30 Business Leaders and Innovators for 2020. She is releasing a memoir in late fall 2020 titled, “Reflecting on Aspects of My Life: From Magical Consciousness and Chaos to Critical Consciousness and Clarity.” Her memoir addresses intergenerational childhood trauma and ways to rethink and re-language traumatic life events and thrive.”
New mask available at RSC Shocker Store
The Shocker Store has a new mask available for just $6.99 in the RSC store and online at shockerstore.com. They are also offering free shipping on all orders through August 7. The new style of mask features three layers of fabric and a flexible nose piece.
CCU members: refer and win a chance for $100
Tell your friends and family about the Campus Credit Union this month for a chance to win a $100 gift card. Each new member you refer this month will qualify you for an additional entry to win. We consider it the highest compliment when our members refer us to their friends and family. Now we just want to sweeten the deal for our members who consistently refer us and thank you all in advance.
Wanted: Volunteers to help with 2020 bicycle and pedestrian count event
Volunteers are needed to help manually count bicycle and pedestrian activity across 35 sites in the Wichita Metro area.
The annual event, sponsored by the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization will be held Sept. 24 and 26.
This important event relies heavily on the commitment of community volunteers to gather data about how our network of paths and lanes are being used.
According to Tricia Thomas, WAMPO Communication’s Manager:
“One of the greatest challenges facing the bicycle and pedestrian field is the lack of documentation on usage and demand. Without accurate and consistent demand and usage figures, it is difficult to measure the positive benefits of bicycle and pedestrian investments, especially when compared to the other transportation modes such as the private automobile.”
As such, this event is the only source for regional-scale bicycle and pedestrian data. The results of this data are then used to guide investments throughout the regional transportation system.
So please consider volunteering! This annual event is a real opportunity for local residents to become involved in a piece of the regional transportation planning process. As we know, bicycle and pedestrian investments stimulate the economy, public health, and the overall quality of life in a variety of ways. Communities that invest in these facilities inherently attract people and businesses so it’s good for everyone! Register to volunteer here!
Required fire drills to be held on campus through Friday, Aug. 7
State fire regulations require that fire drills be held annually for all campus buildings. The 2020 fire drills will be conducted now to Friday, Aug. 7.
Fire Safety personnel will conduct the drill some time during each scheduled day. When the alarm sounds in your building, evacuate the building in an orderly fashion to your designated assembly point(s), at least 50 feet from the building. Emergency Building Coordinators will assist with the evacuation. Environmental, Health and Safety staff will evaluate each drill.
The remaining schedule follows:
Thursday, Aug. 6:
Heskett Center, Lindquist Hall, Grace Wilkie/Annex, Ablah Library, Media Resources Center, Wallace Hall, Beggs Hall, Aviation Testing Lab, NIAR building, NIAR Atlas,
John Bardo Center, NIAR Crash Lab
Friday, Aug. 7:
213 N. Mead, 238 N. Mead, West Campus, Central Power Plant
Shock Doc: Dr. Parcell’s Geology Field Camp
The latest Shock Doc from the Office of Admissions features Dr. Will Parcell, chair
of the geology department, and current Shocker Guadalupe Gonzalez Smith. When it comes
to adapting to new teaching environments, Dr. Parcell isn't one to shy away from a
challenge. Dr. Parcell teaches a field camp course, a capstone class for geology majors,
every summer where his students travel to Wyoming and Montana to conduct geological
surveys in the field. Due to travel restrictions and safety concerns because of the
pandemic, Dr. Parcell came up with a unique solution for Field Camp - making the class
geology site in Minecraft!
Listen to what Dr. Parcell and Guadalupe have to say about the experience. View other
Shock Docs by clicking here.