Author: Caelin Bragg

Grammy Award winning artist Lupe Fiasco will close out Shocktoberfest with a performance at Shocker Madness at 6 p.n. Saturday, Oct. 4 in Charles Koch Arena. Best known for hits like “Superstar” and “Battle Scars” he will bring his lyrical talents to Wichita State following Shocktoberfest Awards, Royalty announcements, presentation of men’s and women’s basketball, and more.

Doors open at 5 p.m., a clear bag policy is in place and students are asked to check-in at the Ticket Box Office. Shocker Madness and the concert are free and no ticket is required.

The Department of Women’s, Ethnicity and Intersectional Studies has transitioned into a program housed in the Department of English. To celebrate this new partnership, the annual lecture series, Words by Women, will focus on Midwestern women writers.

Traci Brimhall is a university distinguished professor of creative writing and narrative medicine at Kansas State University, and the 2025 Poet-in-Residence at the Guggenheim Museum. She is the author of five poetry collections including “Love Prodigal.” Her nonfiction debut, “The Grief Artist,” will be published in 2026.

Join a reception at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 in the Ulrich Museum of Art lobby, followed by the program at 6 p.m. in the Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center. Everyone is welcome at the free event.

Writing Now Reading Now | Words by Women is presented by Fairmount College of Liberal Arts, Watermark Books & Cafe, the English department and the Ulrich Museum.

Tuition Assistance applications for the spring 2026 semester are now being accepted through the online application form. The online application will be available through the end of the business day Jan. 6, 2026. Also, with the recent changes to the tuition assistance program, applications can now be submitted for both spring and summer 2026 in one application.

Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied. There will be no exceptions.

Full program details can be found at wichita.edu/tuitionassistance. Questions may be directed to tuitionassistance@wichita.edu.

Grammy Award winning artist Lupe Fiasco will close out Shocktoberfest with a performance at Shocker Madness at 6 p.n. Saturday, Oct. 4 in Charles Koch Arena. Best known for hits like “Superstar” and “Battle Scars” he will bring his lyrical talents to Wichita State following Shocktoberfest Awards, Royalty announcements, presentation of men’s and women’s basketball, and more.

Doors open at 5 p.m., a clear bag policy is in place and students are asked to check-in at the Ticket Box Office. Shocker Madness and the concert are free and no ticket is required.

Fill Charles Koch Arena and cheer on Shocker volleyball as it takes on Tulsa for its home opener at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3. Guests at the event will receive a commemorative pickleball paddle while supplies last. Student organization members who check-in at the Shocktoberfest table have a chance at earning up to $300 towards their student group for every five members present.

Shocktoberfest continues through Saturday, October 4 with the Entrepreneur Market, Brew Garden, Shocktoberfest Awards, and closes out with a performance by Lupe Fiasco at Shocker Madness. View the entire schedule of events at wichita.edu/shocktoberfest.

Kick-off Shocktoberfest weekend at the Braeburn Square Patio Party from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at Braeburn Square on the Innovation Campus. This casual and fun-filled gathering promises an unforgettable evening to connect with Shocker Nation. Enjoy deals from our vendors, food trucks, games and music. Students in attendance will receive a ticket for a free treat of their choice from one of the participating sponsors.

Student organization members who check-in at the Shocktoberfest table have a chance at earning up to $300 towards their student group. Shocktoberfest continues through Saturday, Oct. 4 and closes out with a performance by Lupe Fiasco at Shocker Madness. View the entire schedule of events at wichita.edu/shocktoberfest.

Do you know students who are passionate about campus life, advocacy or leadership?

Encourage them to apply for Leadership for Free Expression, a two-day program hosted by the Kansas Leadership Center. This unique opportunity equips students with tools to engage in respectful, impactful conversations and demonstrations around the issues they care about most.

The program:

• Is ideal for student government reps, RAs, club leaders, athletes and campus advocates
• Builds skills in civil discourse, risk-aware advocacy and productive engagement with campus authorities
• Connects students across Kansas for powerful peer learning

Let’s help students lead with purpose and confidence.

Spots are limited, so share this opportunity today. The registration deadline is Oct. 24.

Annually, WSU remembers the 1970 football team, administrators and supporters who tragically died in the Oct. 2, 1970, plane crash in Colorado. Their names are immortalized at the Memorial ’70 sculpture located on campus at 18th and Hillside.

Additionally, the Survivors Monument was dedicated in 2020 to the eight players who survived the plane crash and the other 35 individuals from the football team that landed safely on separate plane. The Randy Jackson Survivor Tree, planted in 2010 near Memorial ‘70, was donated in Jackson’s memory after he passed away from pancreatic cancer. The survivor tree sapling was derived from the 100-year-old Survivor Tree of the Oklahoma City bombing.

The table below is to assist instructors with certain dates regarding CES. The dates shown are for the fall 2025 semester.

• The first column includes the various start/end (part-of-term) dates for fall semester courses.
• The second column includes dates meant for instructors. This is the timeframe when instructors will receive emails about the CES process and procedures that they should complete. Instructors will receive additional emails during and after the student CES access dates.
• The last column includes the dates that CES will be available for the students to complete course evaluations.

If your course is in bold, then your fall 2025 CES evaluation process will start soon. Review the start/end dates in each column so you know when your access to the CES system will start and end.

Wichita State University and the Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) are celebrating record-breaking enrollment this fall, continuing a decade of extraordinary growth. Over the past 10 years, WSU has grown 27.3% and WSU Tech 101.5%. That momentum is reflected in this fall’s historic headcount of 25,147 students — the highest in university history.

According to data from the Kansas Board of Regents, Wichita State’s main campus enrollment increased 4.3%, from 17,700 in 2024 to 18,458 in 2025. That’s the largest number of students ever choosing to enroll at Wichita State, marking five consecutive years of enrollment growth at Wichita State. Additionally, student credit hour production is at an all-time high at 170,521, an increase of 2.3% increase from 2024.

WSU Tech also reported its highest headcount and credit hours in the history of the college with 6,689 students, a 9.5% increase, and 60,211 credit hours, a 9.2% increase. This marks the first semester WSU Tech has surpassed both 6,500 students and 60,000 credit hours.

“This surge in enrollment reflects what we’ve known all along: When you prioritize access, affordability and student success, students will choose Wichita State,” said Dr. Rick Muma, Wichita State president. “In my 30 years at Wichita State, I’ve seen steady progress, and the past decade has brought remarkable growth thanks to our focus on innovation, partnerships and creating opportunities that matter for students and for Kansas.”