Author: Caelin Bragg

The Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing is seeking students who are comfortable on camera to be featured in an upcoming series of Student Stories videos for Wichita State’s social media. If you know of a student who would like to share their story, encourage them to submit an audition.

Students can submit their two minute audition videos through the online Student Stories form, which should briefly showcase their stories and personalities. If a student is selected, Wichita State will produce a short feature video to be posted on WSU’s social media.

The following are a few examples of similar features created by WSU:

• From Wichita to Amazon Robotics: A Mechanical Engineering Journey
• From WSU to NASA: My Journey Into Space Innovation
• This Shocker Followed His Passion at Shocker Studios

For questions, contact Marcus Wright, director of videography in the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing, at marcus.wright@wichita.edu.

Your instructors might be using SEAS (Student Early Alert System) to share feedback about how you’re doing in class on things like attendance, participation or missing assignments.

If you get an alert, don’t panic — it’s just a heads-up to help you get support early. You’ll also get info on campus resources that can help.

Questions? Be sure to respond to your instructor. Need help and don’t know where to turn? Raise your hand here and Student Success will help.

One of the most defining aspects of Shocker Nation is our athletics programs, made up of your peers, and with your Shocker ID, you get admission to all home athletics events at no additional charge, thanks to the Student Government Association.

And today, Feb. 4, you can attend Shocker men’s basketball’s home game against Charlotte at 6:30 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena. Claim your student ticket online now by going to goshockers.com/StudentTickets.

Wichita State students have the opportunity to test their business strategy skills and compete for scholarships in the upcoming ERPsim Competition, hosted by the Barton School of Business.

The competition challenges teams to manage a virtual company using an SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) simulation. Participants make real-time decisions related to pricing, production, inventory and finance while competing against other teams in a dynamic market environment. The experience is designed to build data-driven decision-making skills, cross-functional collaboration and resume-ready experience.

The top three performing teams will receive tuition awards, with $4,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place and $800 for third place. The top team can also advance to a national competition in March 2026.

The ERPsim Competition will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 in the Woolsey Hall atrium. Registration is open through Feb. 15, with preparation sessions running Feb. 16-26.

Students who have completed at least one core business course or have a minimum of one year of industry experience are eligible to participate. Teams consist of three to four students, and individuals may register and be matched with a team.

GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative, at Wichita State University was recently honored by the Kansas Department of Commerce with a Merit Award in the nonprofit category of the To The Stars: Kansas Business Awards.

“This award represents the collective effort of the entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners who believe in our work,” said Kimberly McCollum, associate director of GoCreate. “Being recognized shows that creating access to innovation and opportunity across Kansas, especially in rural and underserved communities, is having real impact.”

Nominees were reviewed and scored for various criteria, including training and educational programs, which is where GoCreate excels. The makerspace has helped more than 100 innovation-driven projects move from idea to commercialization through prototyping, applied R&D and mentorship programs, while simultaneously expanding access for rural and underserved communities across the state.

“We’re always striving to enhance the human potential within our community, which includes students, members and even ourselves,” said Ken Wiseman, GoCreate operations and facility manager. “The future is always changing, but this award is proof that the team and the community will always rise to the challenge.”

GoCreate’s mission mimics the university’s mission: to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good.

“This award is a great reminder that our mission matters,” said McCollum. “GoCreate has always been about creating a welcoming, supportive space where people feel empowered to take ideas further. Being recognized for that tells us we’re on the right path. It gives us momentum to keep growing, expanding access, strengthening the state’s entrepreneurial pipeline and supporting entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of our state.”

Housed within the John Bardo Center at Wichita State, GoCreate is a premier workspace open to creators of all ages and experience levels to bring their ideas and projects to life. The 18,000-square-foot space features studios for 3D printing, design, electronics, woodworking, finishing, metals, welding and textiles with an evolving inventory of sophisticated tools, machinery and equipment. Members and receive the expert training can take advantage of all the materials and equipment GoCreate has to offer.

Faculty: Have you submitted SEAS (Student Early Alert System) feedback yet? SEAS is open for all students. Use it to flag concerns around attendance, participation, assignments and quizzes/exams. If no students are at risk in your class, check the “no students at-risk” box.

New this week:

• No Academic Activity: Use this to flag students who haven’t engaged in your class at all (no communication, no course logins, no work submitted, etc.). Student Success will follow up.
• Student Progress: If a flagged student improves, remove the alert to help us track impact.

Access SEAS via myWSU > Home or Teach/Advise tab > SEAS link.

For more information about SEAS, visit the SEAS website.

The prominence of the Wichita Biomedical Campus on the downtown skyline will grow in the coming weeks as workers install the exterior’s finished look.

Terracotta cladding, metal panels and ultra-high performance concrete panels will soon cover the orange backup wall panels now visible on much of the nine-story building’s exterior. With the building around 85% enclosed, interior work is beginning with drywall, painting and tile.

“They’re working hard right now to get the building enclosed, especially because it’s winter,” said Stacy Christie, director of special projects and facilities planning for the Wichita Biomedical Campus. “They’re doing a great job.”

Meet Vivian Salazar, a mechanical engineering student who turned her passion for problem-solving into a meaningful internship at Amazon Robotics. In this student spotlight, Vivian discusses her work with Amazon’s fulfillment systems, her role at The Smart Factory by Deloitte and how hands-on experiences like GoBabyGo shaped her engineering career.

Explore how Wichita State’s applied learning approach helps students bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world innovation in manufacturing, robotics and sustainability.

Join Wichita State and individual teams/departments as they prepare future Shockers for a lifetime of success. The university is raising money for the United Way’s Champions for Literacy initiative, which puts books and supplies into the hands of students in the Shocker Neighborhood.

Reading helps children build cognitive skills, gain a deeper understanding of the world, improve their concentration and fuel their imagination. As an educational driver for the state of Kansas, Wichita State is committed to helping students of all ages achieve success and become the leaders of tomorrow.

Students not reading proficiently by the fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out, and illiteracy often continues into adulthood. Donations to the campaign stay local to the Shocker Neighborhood through United Way of the Plains to alleviate illiteracy in the community.

Join the next meeting of the WSU Faculty/Staff Club from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Club 95 in Partnership Building 11. The event will feature the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Applied Studies, College of Innovation and Design, and Cohen Honors College with a rotating slide presentation.

There will also be three live presentations starting at 4:30 p.m. from:

• Joe Mazzara, director of Wichita State Esports, providing an overview of esports at Wichita State, including the teams’ accomplishments and the impact they’ve had on campus
• Francis Connor, associate professor and chair of the Department of English, and Darren DeFrain, professor of English, will discuss their upcoming book, “No Choice but Action: The Kansas Postpunk Revolution”
• Troy Tabor, director of innovation intelligence in the College of Innovation and Design, will host “A conversation with AI” with faculty and staff

Come have fun and enjoy the company of your colleagues as well as some good music, food and drink.