WSU Today: Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Human Resources

A road sign with the words Open Enrollment Ahead is pictured on a country road that is surrounded on both sides by trees with fall foliage.

Supervisors are asked to help with 2027 Benefits Open Enrollment

The Open Enrollment window to submit 2027 benefits elections is more than halfway over. Supervisors will begin receiving email notifications this week for members of their team who have not submitted 2027 elections. The HR Total Rewards team is asking all supervisors to help spread the word to all staff and faculty that Open Enrollment is mandatory.

Reminder: All benefits-eligible state employees must make their 2027 elections by the deadline on Oct. 31. Employees currently enrolled in medical coverage who do not complete an open enrollment election will be defaulted into medical Plan N with a use-it-or-lose-it HRA effective Jan. 1, 2027. Employees should log in to the Member Administration Portal at sehp.member.hrissuite.com to make their elections, even if they don’t plan to make any changes from their current 2026 coverage.

There are many resources available to employees at wichita.edu/openenrollment, including live open enrollment presentations and an on-demand webinar.

Watch SEHP’s on-demand webinar

Faculty and Staff Resources

Justin Pierce, TIAA financial consultant, posts upcoming dates for in-person meetings

Justin Pierce with TIAA will be on campus for employee meetings Oct. 28, Nov. 12 and Dec. 1. All meetings will be by appointment in 257 Rhatigan Student Center, Ashton/Bridges Room.

Those interested can schedule a meeting with Justin. For questions, you can also contact Justin by email at justin.pierce@tiaa.org.

Learning opportunities available from your KBOR 403(b) providers

Our Kansas Board of Regents 403(b) retirement plan providers, TIAA and VOYA, are offering several webinar learning opportunities in October. See below for registration details on upcoming webinars.

Presentations and Talks

Biological sciences seminar continues with Dr. Molly Reichenborn Oct. 19

The Department of Biological Sciences’ fall 2026 seminar series continues from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 in 231 Hubbard Hall with Dr. Molly Reichenborn of Kansas State University. She will give a public lecture, “From Theory to Practice: Translating grassland research to land management change.”

Seminars are open to the public and undergraduates are encouraged to attend. For more information, visit wichita.edu/biology.

Effective Teaching: Learn from the masters at panel

Join the Graduate School and learn successful teaching strategies from faculty who have been awarded for their teaching at a panel from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 in 265 Rhatigan Student Center, Lucas Room.

Attend rAI colloquium on AI and environment

Join Responsible AI@ICT for the next event in its series from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 in 210 Engineering Building and virtually via Microsoft Teams.

This session, “AI and the Environment,” will explore the environmental impacts of modern AI. Come learn how we got here, and where we may be headed as a global society. Topics range from the major headline-grabbers such as energy use, to lesser-discussed aspects such as waste disposal and heat islands.

Sponsored by Responsible AI@ICT. For more information visit wichita.edu/rAI.

Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis speaks on ‘Understanding Palestine and Israel’

The Department of History will host a talk and Q&A session with Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 in 211 Hubbard Hall.

Bennis is program director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, a co-founder of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and an international advisor and board member of Jewish Voice for Peace.

She will speak on her book “Understanding Palestine and Israel,” a timely topic. Phyllis Bennis will give her audience plenty of time for questions to help us understand more about this complex region, in which the U.S. is also so heavily invested.

Open to students, faculty, staff and community members. For questions, you can contact Rannfrid Lasine Thelle at rannfrid.thelle@wichita.edu.

MCLL hosts Bowdoin College’s Dr. Gonzalez for a virtual talk on Sephardi citizenship in Spain

The Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures will host a virtual talk by Dr. Allyson Gonzalez, assistant professor of religion at Bowdoin College, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 via Zoom.

Gonzalez will present “Editors and Advocates: Rethinking Sephardi Citizenship in Spain’s Long Twentieth Century.” Her research explores the Sephardic diaspora and relations between Jewish and Christian and Jewish and Muslim communities.

Hosted as part of SPAN 626: Spanish Civilization, the talk is open to students, faculty, staff and community members. Join via Zoom using meeting ID 97928607083 and passcode 390292.

Fine Arts

Grave headstones in a cemetery with a fox standing in front. Text reads Memento Mori Memento Vivere Views from Highland Cemetery Cadman Gallery/Looking Glass Rhatigan Student Center October 16–29, 2026 Reception October 29, 4-6 p.m. Barb Myers, Alumni Cemetery Historian/Photographer

Highland Cemetery photographs on view now in Cadman Art Gallery

On view now at the Wilson K. Cadman Art Gallery/Looking Glass in the Rhatigan Student Center, “Memento Mori/Memento Vivere | Views from Highland Cemetery.” The exhibition is on view Oct. 16-29 during regular RSC business hours.

Featuring 30 photographs, the exhibition documents a decade of preservation and research at Wichita’s historic Highland Cemetery. Established in 1870, Highland Cemetery is Wichita’s oldest cemetery and the final resting place of many of the city’s founders.

Since 2016, the Friends of the Wichita Pioneers have led preservation efforts, including restoring grave markers, hosting rededication events such as military marker unveilings and coordinating historical research and preservation. The cemetery was recently added to both the Register of Historic Kansas Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Recognized Student Organization Events

Celebrate United Nations Day with WSU Model UN

Join WSU Model UN for its annual United Nations Day dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 in 142 Rhatigan Student Center, Harvest Room.

Event flyer with a black-and-white photo of students seated in a lecture hall. Text on the flyer reads: “AI Club, Wichita State University. Speaker Series. What is AI, common uses of AI, AI safety. AI 101 - Learn the basics of AI. Date: Wed, Oct 28. Time: 5 - 8 pm. Room: Woolsey 110A. Food, snacks, and beverages."

Learn the basics of artificial intelligence at AI 101 Oct. 28

The AI Club at Wichita State University will host AI 101, a free introduction to artificial intelligence, from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 in 110A Woolsey Hall, Frank A. Boettger Auditorium. As AI becomes part of coursework, careers and daily life, this event is for anyone who wants to understand it but does not know where to start. No prior experience is required.

The evening includes three speaker sessions covering what AI is, common ways people use AI today and how to use AI safely and responsibly. Attendees can come for one session or stay for all three. Food, snacks and beverages will be provided, with snacks and drinks sponsored by the Office of Instructional Resources.

AI 101 is open to students, faculty, staff and members of the Wichita community. Space is limited to 100 attendees, so early RSVPs are encouraged.

For questions, email aiclub@wichita.edu.

RSVP for AI 101

Professional Development

Entrepreneurship Research, Lunch and Learn, Market Research for New Ventures, Thursday, October 22, 12:00-1:00PM, Online Only

Begin your entrepreneurial journey over lunch with ‘Market Research for New Ventures’

The Entrepreneurship Research Workshops help inventors and entrepreneurs learn how to protect their intellectual property and support their business through research. Join the next virtual workshop from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 virtually to master market research by finding key data, identifying competitors and targeting the right audience for your assignments.

Flyer for LGBTQ+ mental wellness and suicide prevention training, Oct. 20, 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Hope Hub; features partner logos and a black Suspenders shirt. Text says: LGBTQ+ Promoting Mental Wellness & Preventing Suicide training 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 Student Wellness Center - Hope Hub Steve Clark YMCA, 2060 N. Mid Campus Drive

All are welcome for Mental Wellness and Preventing Suicide in LGBTQ+ Community training

Health, Outreach, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Services is offering two-hour Suspenders4Hope Mental Wellness and Preventing Suicide courses in order to help individuals better identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of suicide. This course aims to help individuals learn how to better recognize, intervene and provide resources for at-risk individuals who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts.

All are invited to learn about life-saving information. The next training is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Student Wellness Center, Hope Hub, inside the Steve Clark YMCA.

Students can register on the HOPE Services website.
Staff/faculty register in myTraining.

Questions? Contact Cora Olson at cora.olson@wichita.edu.

Savvy Scholar Workshop, Tuesdays at 3:30-4:30, October 27, Evidence Beyond the Database: Discovering and Incorporating Grey Literature into Your Research, Online

Attend online Savvy Scholar workshop on evidence beyond the database

Go beyond traditional library databases to find gray literature, learn where to look, and discover best practices for evaluating and incorporating into your research at the online Savvy Scholar workshop from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

The Savvy Scholar Workshop Series is designed to help students (plus faculty and staff) navigate multiple stages of the research process.

Learn more and register

Student Success and Persistence

Empower student success with PathwayU

Help students explore career options and make informed decisions about their future with PathwayU: Overview & Advisor Access training.

PathwayU is a career assessment tool used by the Shocker Career Accelerator to help students connect their interests with potential majors and career paths. This training will help faculty and staff:

Navigate assessments, career matches, WSU major alignment and the military crosswalk
Gain insight into students’ interests and career aspirations
Incorporate PathwayU into teaching and advising

Upcoming sessions:

10-10:45 a.m. Oct. 21
11-11:45 a.m. Nov. 11
2-2:45 p.m. Feb. 19, 2027
2-2:45 p.m. April 5, 2027

All sessions will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. Register through myTraining in myWSU.

Before your session, create an account at wichita.pathwayu.com and complete the four career assessments.