Year: 2024

Want to better get to know the president and provost of Wichita State? Connect with President Rick Muma and Provost Shirley Lefever on social media.

See how they engage with students, participate in events and give back to the campus community.

President Muma:

• Instagram
• X
• LinkedIn

Provost Lefever:

• Instagram
• X
• LinkedIn

Join Interstellar Seminar from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 104 Jabara Hall or online as Grant Anderson, founder and leader of Paragon Space Development Corporation, talks about living in space.

Long-duration crewed missions require closed-loop life support systems to provide breathable air and palatable nutritious food. Everything must be closely recycled since there may be no chance of resupply for decades. Spacecraft architecture must be comfortable and protected from the harsh space environment.

A visionary engineer and entrepreneur, Anderson has worked on crewed missions from the Shuttle program to the International Space Station and is now developing the Gateway station that will orbit the Moon.

Explore exciting opportunities in corrections, law enforcement, forensic science and more at the Criminal Justice Career Fair from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, March 26 on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center.

Network with employers eager to hire interns, co-op students and full-time employees. Don’t miss out on the chance to kickstart your career.

Students are requested to provide updated information to Wichita State anytime there is a change to contact information. This includes mailing address, phone number and emergency contact. It is especially important that you provide and update an emergency contact.

The person you list will only be contacted in the event of a health or safety emergency in which you are personally involved. If you live on campus, this will also be the person contacted should you be reported as missing. You may list a parent, family member, spouse or other trusted individual as your emergency contact. You will find the link to your profile page on the myWSU Home tab, under “Student Tools” and “myContact Info.” A separate link there also provides an opportunity to update self-reported military affiliation.

Please take a few minutes and ensure WSU has your updated information and an emergency contact.

The 2024 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF) is seeking faculty, staff and community volunteers to judge during the poster session from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 in the Rhatigan Student Center.

The URCAF Committee is counting on volunteers to serve as judges. This is an opportunity to engage with undergraduate Shockers and learn about the exciting research students are engaging in across campus.

The division of Industry and Defense Programs (IDP) has recently made several changes to its finance administration and contracts departments.

• David Miller, previously WSU executive director of budgets, has moved to IDP as associate vice president of finance and operations. In this newly created position, Miller reports to John Tomblin, senior vice president for Industry and Defense Programs.
  Miller works directly with university research and industry-facing organizations such as the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), FirePoint Innovations Center, the National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation, and GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative.
• Lois Tatro and Paul Werner will continue in their respective positions as IDP director of financial services and special projects and NIAR senior director of financial reporting.
• Robyn Bongartz joins Miller as director of revenue operations for IDP. Bongartz was previously director of accounts receivable for WSU. In her new role she will initially focus on improving processes, management and recognition of all aspects of revenue from billing to payment. To accomplish this, she will work directly with IDP business managers, directors and the research accounting team. Bongartz has worked at the university in various capacities since 1993.
• Lisa Haggard returns to the university as director of contracts and grants for IDP after spending a year with Textron Aviation Defense. In this position, Haggard reports to Tomblin, and will oversee pre-award activities, including the development and timely submission of technical and cost proposals that are compliant with customer requirements; negotiation and award of contracts and grants; administration of contract and grants from account set up through closeout; and negotiation, award and administration of subcontracts. Haggard previously worked for NIAR/IDP for eight years as a grant manager.
• Amy Smith continues as the associate director of post-award for IDP, reporting to Miller.
• Karen Davis is returning to the Office of Research as director, reporting dually to Tomblin and Shirley Lefever, provost and executive vice president.

Contact information:

• David Miller, associate vice president of finance and operations, Industry & Defense Program
  NIAR, room 223, 978-5821 david.miller2@idp.wichita.edu
• Robyn Bongartz, director of revenue operations, Industry & Defense Programs
  NIAR, room 207C, phone TBD, robyn.bongartz@idp.wichita.edu
• Lisa Haggard, director of contracts and grants, Industry & Defense Programs
  Partnership Building P2, 316-655-6936, lisa.haggard@idp.wichita.edu
• Karen Davis, director, Office of Research, WSU
  Jardine Hall, 978-6808, karen.davis@wichita.edu

Join the Shocker Career Accelerator for the Virtual Engineering Job Fair from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 28. The fair is for any student interested in the engineering and technology industries. Come chat with employers from the Wichita metro area, Kansas and nationally.

Register for the event online then go to the “Available Sessions” tab to reserve meeting slots with employers.

The Service-Learning Showcase is a unique opportunity for students who participate in service-learning through applied learning opportunities to showcase their experience through a research or reflective poster about the application of their course work to current community issues. For 2024, the showcase will be held in a digital format and judged by a team of community partner leaders.

The showcase is an open forum for students to interact with faculty/staff, community partners and other students to engage in conversation about Wichita State’s commitment to the public good. Awards are presented in the following categories:

• Outstanding Overall Service-Learning Project: $150 scholarship to winning entry
• Innovation and Creativity in Problem Solving: $100 scholarship to winning entry
• Community Impact/ Community Choice: $100 scholarship to winning entry
• Collaboration and Leadership in Service-Learning: $100 scholarship to winning entry

Submissions are due April 5. For more information and to submit, visit the showcase website.

Join the Student Veterans Organization for an unforgettable evening of excitement, camaraderie and the thrill of the win at Bingo Night from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 26 in 240 Rhatigan Student Center, Mayfield Room.

Get your dabbers ready and mark your calendars for an evening filled with anticipation and fun. Food and prizes will also be available while they last. 

Lot 41, the parking lot near Woolsey Hall, will be closed Thursday, March 21 and starting at 2 p.m. Friday, March 22 for events in the building. Faculty and staff that typically park in this lot will need to park in other yellow lots during this time. The YMCA lot is not available for faculty, staff or event guest parking and could result in a citation.

The purpose of lot reservations is to help accommodate large groups of guests visiting campus for events or the event itself. Lot reservations are not to be used for WSU affiliates. Remember, visitors to campus can park without an ePermit up to three times each semester.

Red reserved and ADA stalls are not subject to lot closures and proper use is permitted during this time.