Author: Caelin Bragg

The Latine Faculty and Staff Association (LFSA) at Wichita State are requesting nominations from members of the campus community to recognize and celebrate outstanding Latine Shockers.

• The Elisa Chacon Award
  Named after Elisa Chacon, WSU’s first Latine student graduate, the award will be given to an undergraduate student who has excelled in scholarship, community, leadership and advocacy.
• The Hector Franco Award
  Named after Hector Franco, WSU’s earliest graduate-level degree recipient, the award will be given to a graduate student who has excelled in scholarship, community, leadership and advocacy.
• The Joseph “Jose” Angulo Award
  Named after Joseph “Jose” Angulo, WSU’s longtime professor who taught at WSU for 37 years, this award will be given to a faculty member who has excelled in advocating, promoting, mentoring and engaging with the Latine community at WSU.
• The Maccelino “Chelo” Huerta Award
  Named after Maccelino “Chelo” Huerta, WSU’s head football coach from 1962 to 1964 who was inducted in to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002, this award will be given to a staff member who has excelled in advocating, promoting, mentoring and engaging with the Latine community at WSU.
• The Camarena Community Award
  Named after Gene and Yolanda Camarena, founders of the Shocker Adelante Scholars. the award is for a student who embodies the highest ideals of character, leadership and service and whose commitment has made a significant impact to the Latine community at WSU.

Take a moment to nominate a fellow WSU colleague/student for the LFSA Awards. Applications will be accepted through April 24, and the award winners will be revealed during the inaugural Latine Graduation Student Celebration from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 9 at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

For more information, contact Sara Mata at sara.mata@wichita.edu.

Make sure to catch the latest episode of the “Forward Together” podcast. Join President Rick Muma when he talks to representatives from WSU’s Go Baby Go. The Go Baby Go program modifies off-the-shelf ride-on toy cars for kids with disabilities at no cost to the family. Learn more about the collaborative interdisciplinary hands-on learning experience for WSU students and how their work benefits children with disabilities.

Watch the episode online or listen on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts or Apple Podcasts (iTunes).

The next episode will feature Iris Okere, student body president. Subscribe to be notified when new episodes are available.

The College Tour TV series is coming to Wichita State in the fall, and students can start applying for a chance to be part of the show. The one-hour episode of The College Tour will feature WSU and highlight student life on campus.

Applications are now open. Faculty and staff can encourage students to apply by linking them to the application page. As part of a student’s application, they’ll submit a two-minute audition video talking a little bit about themselves and their time at Wichita State, but no prior videography skills are necessary. Just a video from their phone will work.

For questions, reach out to Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu. The deadline to submit applications is April 21. Learn more about The College Tour TV series.

The honorees for the 2024 University Faculty Awards will be recognized Friday, May 3 in 141 Woolsey Hall, Fidelity Bank Room. The reception to meet and greet the honorees will be held at 2:30 p.m. The recognition ceremony will begin at 3 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by April 30.

The university faculty awards recognizes excellence in teaching, research and creative activities.

2024 University Faculty Award honorees:

• Excellence in Teaching: Jody Fiorini
• Leadership in the Advancement: Carolyn Speer
• Young Faculty Scholar: Eylem Asmatulu
• Excellence in Research: Hyuck Kwon
• Excellence Award for Community Research: Stan Longhofer
• Faculty Risk Taker: Gery Markova
• Young Faculty Risk Taker: Abigail Devereaux
• Excellence in Online Teaching: Masud Chand
• Academy for Effective Teaching: Manira Rani

Note: No awards will be presented for Creative Activity and Excellence in Accessibility for FY2024.

The seventh cohort of Rudd Scholars includes 15 Kansas high schools who have chosen to attend Wichita State University.

• Annaliese Jorgenson – Hillsboro High School
• Jose Urbina-Renteria – Wichita North High School
• Alexander Baird – Campus High School
• Faith Ekart – Sterling High School
• Kylee Mohr – Great Bend High School
• Richard Gwyn Jr. – Wichita Southeast High School
• Vatedis Coleman – Wichita Southeast High School
• Isabelle Christensen – Southeast of Saline High School
• Kane Huston – Paola High School
• Maimoona Mohammad – Wichita Heights High School
• Mya Scott – Conway Springs High School
• Vivian Chau – Wichita East High School
• Israel Torres Ayala – Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
• Adam Bosworth – Wichita North High School
• Shiloh Goetzinger – Hugoton High School

Each Rudd Scholar will receive a full-ride scholarship, which includes tuition, fees, on-campus housing, and considerable networking and coaching support along the way. All Rudd Scholars are from Kansas and will attend Wichita State, Emporia State, Fort Hays State or Kansas State.

The President’s Distinguished Service Awards will recognize faculty and staff for exemplary, dedicated and caring service to the Wichita State community Friday, May 3.

The reception to meet and greet the honorees is at 9 a.m. The recognition ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. in 141 Woolsey Hall, Fidelity Bank Room. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by April 30.

Honorees were selected by their peers from the university’s Staff Senate and Faculty Senate. RSVP on the Shocker Pride Celebration homepage.

The 2024 President’s Distinguished Award honorees:

• Faculty Senate:
  • Cheyla Clawson Chandler, associate professor and director, School of Performing Arts 
  • Mythili Menon, associate professor, Department of English   
  • Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, assistant dean, Cohen Honors College            
• University Staff Senate:
  • Jessica Pierpoint, library patent and trademark specialist, University Libraries             
  • Gabriel Fonseca, director for diversity and inclusion, Office of Diversity and Inclusion      
  • Ken Wiseman, Go Create facility manager, Go Create Maker Space           
  • James Porter, exhibition designer and production manager, Ulrich Museum of Art    
• University Staff Senate – Wayne Carlisle Award:
  • David Wright, chief data officer, Office of Academic Affairs and Research

The College Tour TV series is coming to Wichita State in the fall, and now is the time for students to apply to be part of the show. The one-hour episode of The College Tour will feature WSU and highlight student life on campus.

Applications are now open. As part of your application, you’ll submit a two-minute audition video talking a little bit about yourself and your time at Wichita State, but no prior videography skills are necessary. Just a video from your phone will work.

For questions, reach out to Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu. The deadline to submit applications is April 21. Learn more about The College Tour TV series.

Join Zach Gearhart, chief of staff and executive director of government relations, for updates on the Kansas legislature relevant to Wichita State. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 12 in 101 Morrison Hall.

The meeting is open to all faculty, staff and students and is held every other Friday in Morrison Hall following each legislative session.

Suspenders4Hope, a program developed at Wichita State University, is highlighting different departments and individuals on campus who are advocates for mental health in hopes that their stories will inspire others to continue supporting one another in the community.

The WSU School of Social Work (SSW) is being recognized for its support of the mental health of students, faculty, staff and health care professionals.

Wichita State’s Student Success: First-Year Programs (FYP) attended the Region IV Joint Regional Conference in Columbia, Missouri, from NODA – National Orientation Directors Association. At the conference, representatives from FYP received awards for their efforts and results in orientation, transition and retention of students:

• Kim Sandlin: Outstanding NODA Orientation, Transition, and Retention Professional
  Kim Sandlin, director of Student Success, received the Outstanding Orientation, Transition, and Retention Professional Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions of a professional to the field of orientation, transition and retention who has five or more years of professional experience in higher education.
• Annie Wasinger: Best Undergraduate Educational Session
  Annie Wasinger, intern for FYP, received the Best Undergraduate Educational Session award for her topic entitled, “Is It Accessible? Is it REALLY Accessible?” Annie’s presentation will be presented at the National NODA conference in Portland, Oregon, in November.
• Hafsa Sadaf: Most Creative Solution in Case Studies
  Hafsa Sadaf, senior transition mentor for FYP, received the Most Creative Solution in Case Studies Award alongside three other orientation leaders from various universities.
• Kate Potter: Best Presentation in Case Studies
  Kate Potter, transition mentor for FYP, received the Best Presentation in Case Studies Award alongside three other orientation leaders from various universities.
• Winter Welcome: Innovation in Retention Programs
  The Winter Welcome event, hosted by FYP, received the Innovation in Retention Programs Award. The award seeks to recognize innovative and effective approaches in retention.

“For about 23 of my 25-year career on campus, I have been involved directly or indirectly with our orientation programs and welcoming new students to Shocker Nation,” Sandlin said. “It’s something I look forward to every year. Recently, as our work in Student Success and Persistence has grown, I’ve found deeper meaning in the work we do every day. The most rewarding part is seeing the data on how our efforts in Student Success are helping Shockers succeed. I am grateful for receiving the Outstanding NODA Orientation, Transition, and Retention Professional award; however I couldn’t have earned it without the hard work that the Student Success team at Wichita State does every day for students.”

Additionally, FYP hosted six different educational sessions for attendees at the conference:

• Austin Helgerson and George Giem: “Networking in 2024: Building Meaningful Connections During Orientation and Beyond”
• Annie Wasinger: “Is it Accessible? Is it REALLY Accessible?”
• Hafsa Sadaf: “Language Diversity Matters: Improving Orientation for Non-Native English Speakers”
• Kaelyn Hannah: “The Struggle is Real: Rebuilding and Rebranding Your Orientation Leader Team”
• Juan Gurrola: “Let’s Talk About it: Equality vs. Equity”
• Trinity Madden: “Silent Expression: Decoding Body Language and Understanding Non-Verbal Communication”

“I’m super proud of the students and staff in First-Year Programs,” Sandlin said. “We intentionally challenge our returning staff every year during their training to develop and facilitate interesting conference sessions that add value and knowledge to the region and profession.”