Author: Caelin Bragg

Shockers — it’s time to complete your 2025-26 Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The FAFSA helps you unlock thousands of dollars to help fund your college education.

The new and improved FAFSA form from last year has been refined, giving students easy access to financial aid opportunities. Current Shockers who are interested in applying for 2025-26 scholarships should submit their FAFSA as soon as possible. The earlier you submit, the more likely you are to receive all of the scholarships you are eligible for.

Questions? The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is here to assist you in completing your FAFSA and in understanding your financial plan. Visit the FAFSA webpage (wichita.edu/fafsa) for more information.

The ninth annual Strategic Communications marketing and communications seminar for faculty and staff will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center.

Attendees may choose to attend up to two sessions. Gain additional insights, tools and tips to help you improve your marketing and communication efforts. And if your team is looking to order promo items for your office, visit the Vendor Fair from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Stay tuned for more information on the sessions and how to RSVP in January.

The ninth annual Strategic Communications marketing and communications seminar for faculty and staff will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, Jan. 30, 2025 on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center.

Attendees may choose to attend up to two sessions. Gain additional insights, tools and tips to help you improve your marketing and communication efforts.

Stay tuned for more information on the sessions and how to RSVP in January.

For the first time, Wichita State University has entered the top 10 in the country in engineering research and development (R&D) expenditures, according to data announced this week by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

Wichita State is also ranked No. 1 for aerospace engineering R&D expenditures for the first time in its history.

For fiscal year 2023, Wichita State’s total of $327 million from all funding sources for aerospace ranks ahead of Georgia Institute of Technology ($294 million), Utah State University ($271 million), Johns Hopkins University ($196 million) and the University of Colorado ($90 million).

These rankings put Wichita State among other prestigious engineering universities such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, Purdue and Stanford.

Jeremy Kohn, ChFC, TIAA financial consultant, will be available for in-person meetings at Wichita State Dec. 3 and 4. At these meetings, Jeremy can help you confirm that you are on track for retirement and provide specific investment recommendations for your TIAA accounts.

If you are interested in meeting with Jeremy, schedule a time to meet, and have your TIAA login credentials handy. If you need scheduling assistance, you can call the TIAA scheduling team at 800-732-8353.

If you are not able to schedule a meeting with Jeremy because appointments have filled and you do not see a virtual option on another day, you can email Jeremy directly at jeremy.kohn@tiaa.org to schedule another appointment and his team will assist you.

Wichita State faculty and staff can purchase their tickets to the Shocker men’s basketball game against Kansas State at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 at home in Charles Koch Arena prior to the public sale.

Want to get your tickets now? Go to goshockers.evenue.net, click “Enter Promo Code” on the top right of the page and enter promo code “ACCESS” to get early access to the Dec. 21 tickets.

As the holiday break nears, you will notice ongoing and new construction across Wichita State’s 330-acres and beyond. 

Main campus:

Public Policy and Management Center
The Public Policy and Management Center will move into Garvey International Center, 3203 E. 17th St., in early December.

Corbin Education Center
Corbin Education Center remains closed with repair work underway this fall to replace equipment in mechanical room damaged by a chilled water line break in March.
The College of Applied Studies will likely move back into Corbin at the end of the spring 2025 semester.

McKnight Art Center
Construction will begin soon on ventilation upgrades on the second floor of McKnight North. Work is scheduled to finish by the fall of 2025.

Duerksen Fine Arts Center
Construction will begin after the fall semester to add a single occupancy restroom and lounge area in the B wing.

Wichita Biomedical Campus:

Construction work on the Wichita Biomedical Campus site continues.
At the beginning of November, crews finished up the 270 auger cast piles that were drilled 65-feet deep. Shoring has been installed and now the elevator pits are being dug. They will begin pile caps, and perimeter foundations next.
Road closures around the site will begin in January along with the installation of a tower crane that will be built to begin placing structural steel in February 2025.
You can watch a live broadcast of the construction online at: bigview.ai/wichitabiomedicalcampusliveview.
Construction is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2026.

Innovation Campus:

NIAR Hub for Advanced Manufacturing Research
Construction on the NIAR HAMR building began in May. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.
The 170,000-square-foot building is partly funded by an EDA grant and will house advanced manufacturing research labs and associated offices. The building will be located on Innovation Boulevard between the Partnership Building 1 and The Suites. The first floor is primarily labs with offices on the second floor.

Partnership Building 3B
P3B, located between Partnership Building 3 and The Smart Factory @Wichita, is under construction. It will house the Forensic Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Athletics:

University Stadium Phase 1A
Construction is underway on Phase 1A on the east side of University Stadium (formerly Cessna Stadium).
Crews are moving dirt to prepare for construction that will include ticketing, restrooms, concessions and bleacher seating.
Phase 1A completion is scheduled for May 2025 before KSHSAA Track and Field State Championship on May 30-31.
Phase 1B will begin after KSHSAA Track and Field State Championship. Phase 1B will consist of widening the field and installing a nine-lane track.

Wilkins Stadium
Construction on the indoor practice facility next to Wilkins Stadium is underway. Steel will arrive on site in late November. The facility is scheduled to be complete in March 2025.

Pickleball courts
Construction will begin by the end of 2024 on three pickleball courts on the lawn area between Heskett Center, Hubbard Hall and Lindquist Hall.
The sculpture “Canto IV – A” will be relocated to the grass area west of McKnight Art Center.

Wichita State delivered a third consecutive sweep to cap off a dominant run through the American Athletic Conference (ACC) tournament, defeating Florida Atlantic 25-22, 25-19, 25-19 to secure the program’s first NCAA tournament bid since 2017.

The Shockers (18-13) will learn their postseason destination at next week’s NCAA Volleyball Selection Show, scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1 on ESPN. The first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament take place Thursday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 7.

The victory represents Wichita State’s second AAC championship and first in a conference tournament. The Shockers won the 2017 regular season title when the conference did not host a tournament. Overall, Wichita State has now won five conference tournaments, with the previous four coming in the Missouri Valley Conference (2004, 2013, 2015, 2016). WSU will be appearing in the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in program history.

Join the rest of the Shocker community, faculty, staff and retirees, to celebrate Dr. Shirley Lefever, executive vice president and provost, and her journey at a retirement reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at Wichita State Connect.

Lefever has been with WSU for over 20 years. Come wish her well as she moves on to this next chapter of her life.

President Rick Muma and First Gentleman Rick Case cordially invite the Shocker community, faculty, staff and retirees, to the annual Wichita State Holiday Party from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Shirley Beggs Ballroom. Attendees will be greeted by the President’s Executive Team. Faculty, staff and retirees will also receive a complimentary holiday glass — the third in a yearly series of vintage WuShock glasses — while supplies last (one per person).

The Holiday Party is a come and go event, and food and beverages will be available to attendees. RSVP to one of three different times to help catering prepare enough food.