Year: 2024

The Butterfly Effect Academy (founded and directed by San Juanita Alvarez, Spanish MA student and graduate teaching assistant) is organizing Fiesta Inclusiva (Inclusive Party) for the community from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday April 27 at Wichita State Connect.

With the support of Wichita State Connect, Somos Shockers, the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, WISE, HALO, SHPEtinas, the Latine Greek organizations and several community sponsors, the event will celebrate children with special needs and their families.

Faculty, there is still time to submit summer and fall 2024 textbook information to the Shocker Store.

Verba Collect is a simplified faculty experience including pre-populated course assignments, easy-to-adopt past adoptions and smart book search. Verba Collect will send out customized emails to faculty and department coordinators with a unique link that logs you into a walkthrough process without any need for username or password. Once you get into Verba Collect, there are four short videos for your perusal showing how to get started, add materials and submit your adoptions. Keep an eye on your email inboxes for an email from Verba.

If you are interested in providing your course materials digitally through the Shocker Store’s Access Now program, where students will access them in Blackboard, select that option in the “Item Questions.” Should you choose to have your courses participate in the program and those courses cross list with another course. please order the same thing for both and note that on your order.

Those planning on using open resource materials can indicate that on their order as well and to flag the course as such and the information can be made available to students.

Those interested in learning more about Access Now can reach out at accessnow@wichita.edu. For any other questions or concerns, contact the Shocker Store at shockerstore.books@wichita.edu or 316-978-7032.

Do you have a keen eye for small details, strong communication skills and enjoy working with others? The Graduate School is currently looking to hire a graduate assistantship specialist to join its team.

In the position, some of the primary responsibilities will include thoroughly reviewing and processing employment authorization requests (ePAFs); review of state and federal mandates to ensure compliance per employment guidelines; interaction with students, staff and faculty daily; and upkeep of data entry for tuition waivers, requests and insurance benefits.

Join the Graduate School in celebrating Connie Owens at a come and go retirement reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, May 3 in 261 Rhatigan Student Center, Olive Room.

Connie has been a fixture in the Graduate School for almost 19 years and has served the WSU community for nearly 25 years. She has worked in the Registrar’s Office, Printing Services and the Graduate School during her time at WSU. She received a second bachelor’s degree and a Master of Liberal Studies from WSU. Connie’s work over the years has ensured that thousands of graduate assistants received their stipends, their tuition benefits and their discounted insurance. In her role, she answered many questions for students, and in that process, she often became the surrogate mother for countless graduate students through the years.

Help show appreciation for her service and wish Connie all the best as she heads off on a new adventure by joining us at her reception. Refreshments will be served.

Faculty members with an interest in supporting student success and persistence should apply to become a Retention Faculty Fellow. Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are open through Monday, May 6.

Retention Faculty Fellows support Strategic Enrollment Management goal three to “Increase persistence rates of degree seeking student populations.” The Retention Faculty Fellows share best practices and create opportunities for other faculty members to be in dialogue about quality instructional design and student engagement.

Fellows should be endorsed by the dean or their representative. For questions, contact Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for Student Success and Persistence, at brett.bruner@wichita.edu.

Shocker baseball will face Tulane April 26 though 28 at Eck Stadium, and each day is a special event for fans:

• Friday night is for the kids. All kids wearing their Youth League uniform receive admission to the game at no additional charge, and additional family and friends can purchase tickets for only $5.
• It’s Bark in the Park at Eck Stadium Saturday, April 27. Bring your dog and enjoy the game from Coleman Hill. First pitch is at 2 p.m.
• Sunday, April 28 is National Superhero Day at Eck Stadium. Shocker baseball supports local heroes with admission for all military, police, fire, EMS and health care workers at no additional charge. Kids can receive a WuShock superhero coloring book before the game and run the bases after the game. First pitch is at 1 p.m.

If you’re attending any Shocker Baseball games against Tulane April 26 through 28, swing by the Shocker Store’s Shocker baseball sidewalk sale at the Eck Stadium store and enjoy 30% off select Shocker baseball merchandise.

The store is open one hour prior to first pitch through the seventh inning.

Today’s information overload world can be less stressful with a plan. In LASI 170, students tackle information overload by developing practical search strategies and critical thinking skills. It’s the key to academic success and informed decision-making in today’s digital landscape.

The eight-week, one-credit class starting Aug. 19 (CRN 11732) and another session Oct. 10 (CRN 11733) is designed to help students learn how to conduct research to succeed on projects, presentations and papers. Encourage your students to enroll in LASI 170: Introduction to Library Research to develop their research skills.

Meet Arland Wallace. With a successful 40-year career in printing behind him, he courageously returned to WSU in 2019 to fulfill a dream he started in 1970.

He is currently majoring in anthropology with a focus in archeology. He enjoys learning alongside his peers, loves to share his passions and invests in giving back to his community. His perseverance is a testament to the fact that dreams never expire.

A team of Mechanical Engineering Capstone class students will present their research updating Wichita State’s current carbon footprint, followed by their recommendations for attaining carbon neutrality by 2040.

Attend the presentation from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, April 26 in 203 Rhatigan Student Center, Lancelot room, and contribute your thoughts and ideas at the Earth Week Discussion; this will precede a related poster presentation from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of the RSC.