August 2020: Welcome back, Shockers!
This month is so very special for me. August 2020 marks the first time I have the opportunity to welcome new and returning Shockers to our campus as president. I am by nature an optimist, and my optimism will be at its greatest as our campus community finally has the chance to reunite after an incredibly challenging spring. Seeing our students walking around campus, gaining some form of a new normalcy, will do wonders for our spirits and mental health.
My optimism pervades into my daily activities. I have been spending a considerable amount of time this summer meeting with community leaders, donors, alumni and civic organizations — reminding them of the critical importance Wichita State University plays for our region and our state. Now more than ever, the unique role of WSU as the state’s only urban research university, in the largest city in Kansas, is needed to address the economic, educational and health disparities that have impacted our state.
Why am I optimistic during such a devastating time in our history? In large part it is because of my firmly held belief that Wichita State is one of our nation’s most innovative universities, and our spirit of innovation is exactly what society needs to come out of this pandemic even stronger.
This fall, we celebrate our 125th Anniversary. We will hold numerous events to celebrate this momentous occasion including the official President's Installation Ceremony.
During this new semester, I will lay out our updated Strategic Priorities and Aspirations as well, as our strategy to achieve these goals in partnership as a campus and as a regional community. We will also be having a number of ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies on campus this year to clearly demonstrate our continued rapid ascent as a nationally recognized research university and a campus that is attracting out-of-state companies to come to Wichita and work with our faculty and students creating the next generation of technologies and innovations. This will serve as a catalyst for Wichita and Kansas to grow and diversify our economy and provide applied learning and career opportunities for our students.
All of this stated, there are still many challenges to our university and our community. Our administration has been working diligently since the initial days of the pandemic to address financial impacts. While we are currently in a manageable but difficult financial position, any deeper cuts to higher education from the state will have severe implications that will affect our students, faculty and staff.
Further cuts would also deny our regional and state economy a quicker and stronger recovery. Cuts will no doubt result in delaying or eliminating programs that serve as the catalyst to grow and diversity the economy. WSU has shown we are good stewards of our resources, as we are the most affordable public research university in our region and among our peers nationally. Let us all do our part to stay optimistic and to communicate to our neighbors and community members that Wichita State University, including WSU Tech and our more than 5,000 employees and greater than 20,000 students is now, and will continue to be, the Innovative engine to make for a stronger and healthier region and state.
We will continue to keep you updated about campus safety and anything else you need to know as the semester gets underway. Stay healthy and stay strong.
I am forever optimistic, enthusiastic and proud to call myself a Shocker!
Jay
