Abigail Smith

Abigail Smith, a music education and trumpet performance major, transferred from Coffeyville Community College to Wichita State, where she found a supportive community and hands-on experience in local classrooms. After graduation, she’ll attend the Aspen Music Festival and School before beginning her career as an elementary music teacher in the Wichita area.

Madelyn Stilwell

Madelyn Stilwell has built an impressive foundation in research and leadership through hands-on experiences at Wichita State and beyond, including co-authoring a scientific publication and presenting her work at national conferences. She’ll intern at Likarda this summer before continuing her studies in WSU’s biomedical engineering master’s program.

Overhead view of the construction site of the Wichita Biomedical Campus in downtown Wichita, showing the progress that has been made

May 8 marked the one-year anniversary of the Wichita Biomedical Campus Phase 1 groundbreaking, signaling the beginning of a game-changing project among Wichita State, WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), and the University of Kansas that will revolutionize health care in the state.

Phase 1 of the location is a $222 million, 350,000-square-foot joint health sciences center, in downtown Wichita. Once complete, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions programs, WSU Tech’s health care program and the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy.

To facilitate coordination among WSU, WSU Tech, KU and the construction company, Stacy Christie was brought on as project director in early 2024. In the time since the groundbreaking, the vision and promise of the Wichita Biomedical Campus has expanded greatly:

  • A $1 million grant will go towards purchasing audiology equipment that will directly benefit students in the Doctor of Audiology and Master of Arts in speech-language pathology programs as well as support Wichita State’s Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, which will be relocated to the Wichita Biomedical Campus following completion of Phase 1.
  • Wichita State launched the Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistive Technology in November 2024, which will support patient-driven R&D on innovative new technologies that will improve the lives of those with physical and cognitive disabilities. In collaboration with inaugural partners Ascension Via Christi’s Rehabilitation Hospital, Heartspring’s Outpatient Services and the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, the institute will move into the Wichita Biomedical Campus in 2027.
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas committed to supporting the Wichita Biomedical Campus with a $2.5 million investment, which will be split between supporting the site and developing two endowed nursing scholarships for College of Health Professions students.
  • The Kansas Center for the Advancement of Healthcare (KCAH) will help support health care initiatives across the state by developing a systematic approach to health care. Leaders and representatives convened at the KCAH statewide retreat earlier this year to discuss continued collaborative efforts to improve health care in Kansas. The Wichita presence of KCAH will be in the Wichita Biomedical Campus.
  • Wichita State is committed to improving oral health care in the state and is moving forward with a study to determine the feasibility of a dental school housed within the Wichita Biomedical Campus, a first of its kind in Kansas, bringing in students and professionals from across the country to benefit Kansans in need of dental care.

Since the groundbreaking, the site has seen rapid progress in only one year. Key milestones:

  • Much of 2024 was marked with digging out the old foundations at the site to install the current foundation of Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus.
  • Early 2025 saw a tower crane constructed, which is facilitating rapid vertical construction on the site.
  • Coinciding with the tower crane was the completion of the first storm shelters, which marked the first sections of the building that were fully walkable.
  • Later in March 2025, ramps were built to connect the two levels of the ground floor of the building, offering a first glimpse of what the interior will look like.

Currently, steel is continuing to be placed every day and the building is starting to take shape downtown. You can watch a continuous livestream of the construction site online.

And hear from Dr. Sheree Utash, president of the WSU Tech, and Dr. Greg Hand, dean of the College of Health Professions, as they sat down with President Rick Muma for the April episode of the Forward Together podcast, where they further discussed the progress and future vision for the Wichita Biomedical Campus.

Lisa Oldham

Lisa Oldham, a proud two-time Wichita State grad, has dedicated her academic and professional journey to advocating for healing and justice in underserved communities. Fueled by resilience and a deep connection to Indigenous culture, she aims to serve others through work in corrections, mental health and substance use recovery.

Jacob Greenwald and his fiancee, Catherine Kellerman

Jacob Greenwald came to Wichita State from Lenexa. He used the applied learning opportunities at WSU to land a job as a software engineer at the National Institute for Aviation Research.

Hello Shockers,

On behalf of all of us at Wichita State University, I extend our warmest congratulations for your achievements. Your hard work and dedication have brought you to this moment, and we couldn’t be prouder.

As you take the next step, know that everyone in Shocker Nation is proud of you, and we are rooting for your success every step of the way. And we are, of course, always ready to welcome you back. Whether it’s a visit, another degree or perhaps to cheer on the next generation of Shockers. Congratulations once again and best wishes for your future endeavors.

And join Wichita State for our spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, held on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 in Charles Koch Arena.

Go Shockers!

Yumi Kikuchi

Yumi Kikuchi first came to Wichita State University as part of an exchange program and decided she wanted to pursue her graduate studies at the College of Innovation and Design. Her advice to other students? “Take chances. Life is an experiment, and college is the perfect time to explore, get involved and discover what truly excites you.”

Natasha Seneviratne

Natasha Seneviratne found her place at Wichita State through family ties, supportive scholarships and hands-on experiences that helped her grow into a confident engineer.

Brian Triliegi

After earning his GED at 16, Brian Triliegi returned to college decades later and is now graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in organizational leadership from Wichita State.

Kelly Bielefeld, Dr. Monica Lounsbery, Dr. Sheree Utash, South High senior Josephine Garcia pose following the announcement of the Future Teacher Academy

Wichita State, WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) and Wichita Public Schools (WPS) have announced a new partnership designed to strengthen the region’s teacher workforce through the launch of the Future Teacher Academy and a 2+2 pathway program.

This innovative partnership offers WPS graduates a seamless route to earn their teaching licensure. Students will complete two years at WSU Tech in the paraeducator program, then transfer to Wichita State for two additional years, all while gaining hands-on experience as paraeducators in local classrooms.

“Developing a strong, local teacher workforce is critical to the future of our region,” President Rick Muma said. “Through this partnership, we’re investing in students who will have a lasting impact on the future success of our schools and our community.”