Author: Caelin Bragg

The May Academic Resources Conference (ARC) is around the corner (May 20-24). ARC is a free, week-long training event open to all instructors and GTAs, as well as all interested staff, and does not require registration.

Most days are online only, but this year there is something special: Thursday, May 23, the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) will offer a full suite of in-person programming, most of which will also be available online as hybrid/online sessions. Here’s what to expect:

• Snacks, coffee, etc. will be served throughout the day in Wichita State Connect, conveniently located just east of the Media Resources Center next to a parking lot.
• At 9 and 10 a.m., Brett Bruner, Sara Mata and John Hammond will speak on student success topics, in-person and live-streamed.
• At 11 a.m., Carolyn Speer will speak on myths about teaching and learning, in-person and live-streamed.
• Ali Levine will speak about using forms in PowerPoint. This will be online and streamed to one of the rooms in Wichita State Connect so anyone who wants to come to the in-person events can see her.
• From 1 to 2:30 p.m., there will be an in-person only event. This will be a workshop where faculty can improve syllabi to support student belonging. The workshop is with Brett Bruner, Sara Mata and John Hammond. Bring your syllabi and a willingness to consider some changes.
• From 2-3 p.m., OIR will also offer in-person lab times. This is a frequently-requested service that OIR can only offer occasionally because of staffing. Mary Morriss, Heather Merchant, Rachel Bastian, Carolyn Speer and John P. Jones will be on hand to help and answer questions, so bring your Ultra stumpers and get them solved.
• At 2:45 p.m., Carolyn Speer will offer a short mindfulness meditation session. This will once again be hybrid, with the session itself being held in-person in Wichita State Connect. 
• There will also be WSU and vendor swag for in-person attendees.

For locations for the May 23 in-person events — and the full week’s calendar — go to https://www.wichita.edu/services/mrc/OIR/ARC/2024/may.php.

OIR hopes to see everyone attend in-person, and if the event is a success, there will be more in-person programming in August. To help OIR plan, if you think you can attend in-person, send OIR an email at OIR@wichita.edu.

Wichita State’s W. Frank Barton School of Business offers the largest selection of AACSB-accredited programs in Kansas. Bari Syed chose WSU for its Master of Accountancy program because of that status.

As humanity begins to return to the moon and farther beyond, new technologies will need to be invented to assist in sustainable, long-term human-helmed missions. To help develop this technology, NASA has awarded a $133,342 grant to Wichita State University to research a more cost-effective detector for harmful radiation from space.

The grant is part of a nearly $1.5 million program that is funding 24 projects across 21 organizations and institutions. Awardees will also work with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama as part of the grant.

Join President Rick Muma in a conversation with outgoing Student Government Association President Iris Okere. Iris is graduating May 11 with a degree in marketing and minors in management and Spanish. Iris will discuss her experiences as a Shocker and future plans.

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

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Taylor Wallace, a first-generation student from Oklahoma, considers Wichita State home. She enjoys the sights and social life in Wichita and will continue her education at WSU to earn a master’s degree.

When Reid Williams decided he wanted to become a physician associate, he set his sights on Wichita State University. He said the rigorous program was challenging, but “100% worth it.”

Raúl Alejandro Rangel Fernández learned how to juggle his commitments and studies while earning a graduate degree in Spanish.

Viet Le says that returning to college as an adult learner came with its challenges, but he found a supportive community at Wichita State.

The 2024 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship is being hosted by Wichita State Softball at Wilkins Stadium, May 8-11. The Shockers will be playing for an NCAA Tournament berth and are looking for a home-field advantage from the Shocker Faithful to help propel them into the postseason.

The Shockers will take on UTSA in the first round of the tournament at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8.

All-session and single-session tickets are available for purchase now.

In the event of inclement weather and/or an emergency event, the university shall take all reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of students, faculty and staff.

Should such an event occur, the university may implement a temporary adjustment to its class and/or operations, including late start and moving class instruction and non-critical operations to remote delivery, where possible. Critical campus operations will continue to operate on-campus to the fullest extent possible.

In order to facilitate the university’s decision making and communication process, and to recognize potential childcare challenges faced by university students and employees, the university will typically align with USD 259 in closing campus facilities or moving to remote learning/operations due to inclement weather or national, state or local emergencies.

See the full WSU inclement weather guidelines. In the event of a weather emergency, refer to the list of tornado shelters on campus.

Please take a moment to read how you will be informed of changes to normal on-campus operations:

• We strongly encourage you to sign up for the ShockerAlert System, which will send weather and class alerts to your phone and email.
• In the event of a change to normal on-campus operations, you will also receive a message to your WSU email account.
• The Wichita State website will be updated with a warning message during a inclement weather or emergency situation that impacts classes or activities on campus.
• WSU’s official X account and Facebook page will be updated with pertinent information.

For more information about the weather outlook at any time, consult the National Weather Service forecast for Wichita.