Author: Caelin Bragg

More than 2,200 Shockers are eligible for graduation in spring 2023. They hail from 29 states, 48 countries and six continents. As they leave the Wichita State University campus, they will share the story of Shocker Nation through their work as engineers, artists, teachers, scientists and leaders. Here’s what some of our graduates have to say about their time at Wichita State and their futures.

Performance Facilities was recognized as the next recipient of Rick Rewards on May 3. The staff were honored for their commitment to managing the performance venues across campus, including the College of Fine Arts Box Office, Miller Concert Hall, Wiedemann Hall and Wilner Auditorium.

Rick Rewards is awarded each month by President Rick Muma to show his appreciation for the efforts of our campus community.

The newest spring 2023 power rankings for the National Cyber League (NCL) are out and Wichita State’s group of student hackers performed this semester.

The NCL competition is a biannual cybersecurity competition for high school and college students throughout the nation.

• Overall, WSU finished eighth in the nation out of nearly 500 colleges, up from 24th in the fall.
• WSU finished third in the Central Region and sixth amongst all Center of Academic Excellence schools.
• World Wide Wheat, made up of Adrian Yip, Hyacinthe Howell, Chao Teh, Garrett Wahlstedt, Declan Dsouza, Quentin Nelson and King Khang Tran, took 15th out of nearly 3,600 participants.
• SKY-W5U-5H0X, made up of Nikilesh Samba Murthy, Prem Kumar Reddy Muvva, Dayton Turner, Ivan Macias, Don Alfaro and Carlos Renato Soverina Figueroa, competed in the experienced division and finished 18th out of 316 teams.
• JV1, made up of Juan Herrera, Seth Windsor, Annie Linux, Uche Chikezie, Ke’Auna Edmondson, Emily Evans and Arron Russell, in their first ever NCL, finished 133rd out of nearly 3,600 participants.
• Three other teams scored over 1,000 points and finished in the top 300 of nearly 3,600 participants.
• Amey Shukla, graduate student, and Quentin Nelson, senior, also lead classes and workshops, and Dr. Sergio Salinas, associate professor in the School of Computing, supported the students.

The participants are representative of the WuLug student group and the Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Cybersecurity programs.

When Rob Gerlach joined the Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization at Wichita State in 2018, he noticed a gaping hole in the community: For a city that prides itself on its entrepreneurial spirit, Wichita was severely lacking in people to protect and manage its innovations.

In fact, a quick database search revealed that there were only a handful of patent practitioners in Wichita.

So Gerlach created the Gateway to IP program “with the purpose being to increase Wichita’s IP IQ.” Through the program, Gerlach and his team in the TTC office mentor students and introduce them to the pathway to becoming a patent agent.

In the most recent graduate school rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Wichita State University’s College of Engineering continued its steady ascent, landing in the 47th spot for the 2023-24 academic year. Additionally, the College of Health Profession’s physician associate program is debuting in the rankings, at No. 65.

In both lists, Wichita State is the highest ranked university in Kansas and the only one in the top 100.

In the past four years, WSU’s College of Engineering’s graduate program has consistently climbed the charts from No. 94 to 77 to 59 in 2022, and now this year at No. 47 — the highest yet.

Join the Student Government Association (SGA) Student Senate for a meeting at 7:30 p.m. today in 233 RSC. There will also be a livestream available on the SGA YouTube.

The Wichita State SGA is the governing entity for the student experience at the university. SGA is charged with promoting and stimulating student participation in the university’s activities and providing an official channel of communication between the students, faculty, staff and administration.

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member through the initiative, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

Hello, Shocker graduates. I speak on behalf of everyone at Wichita State University in offering our sincerest congratulations. Your hard work and determination have paid off, and I can’t wait to see how well you’ll change the world.

We’re all so very proud of your accomplishments. As you make plans for your future, be sure to stay connected with your Shocker roots.

The spring 2023 commencement ceremony is Saturday, May 13 in Charles Koch Arena, and this is the 125th spring commencement ceremony at Wichita State.

Student Health Services is experiencing technical difficulties with the myShockerhealth patient portal. To make appointments and for other questions or concerns, call 316-978-4792.

Zach Gearhart, chief of staff, will update faculty and staff on legislative issues raised related to Wichita State from the Kansas state government.

The meeting is open to all faculty and staff every other Friday in the Morrison Hall board room. The next meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 2.