Author: Caelin Bragg

Wichitan Leslie Rudd established the Rudd Foundation in 1994 and in 2018 the Rudd Scholars Program began honoring the Midwestern values that strengthen character and lead to a lifetime of success in business, community, and family.

Bayle Sandy, senior economics and political science major, was a recipient of the 2020 Rudd Scholarship.

Shocker Nation can now enjoy a new dining option on campus with Two Hands Corn Dogs now open at Braeburn Square on the Innovation Campus.

Its menu includes items such as corn dogs, elotes, fries and tots with Korean-style twists, as well as a selection of slush and soda. Opening day hours for Friday, Sept. 22 are from noon to 7 p.m., with the normal business hours being from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

And to celebrate the opening, diners can enjoy a corn dog at no additional charge during a special event from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and on Sept. 24.

John and Gail Wadsworth have given a lead gift of $1.5 million to Wichita State University and Shocker Athletics, earmarked for the Softball Team Operations Facility at Wilkins Stadium. The building is a part of the $9.65 million Phase 1 of the stadium renovation plan, which will begin development in the spring of 2024.

“Gail and I feel so fortunate to be able to support the Shocker Softball program at Wichita State and elevate their facilities to match the caliber of the program,” said John Wadsworth. “Student athletes work incredibly hard to succeed in all aspects of their collegiate experience, and supporting projects that will benefit their development is something we encourage everyone to consider.”

John and Gail are both 1979 graduates of Wichita State University with degrees in mechanical engineering and elementary education, respectively.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) awarded $150,000 to Wichita State University to assist in providing resources and support for small businesses and start-ups focused on STEM and research and development.

The SBA’s 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Stage Two funded 35 accelerator partnerships to foster a thriving national innovation ecosystem that advances equitable investment in innovative startups and high growth small businesses.

Roadtrip Nation took Wichita State and WSU Tech students on a road trip to learn about the career possibilities in Wichita.

The documentary, “Roadtrip Nation: Paths Across Kansas,” will air on PBS Kansas, channel 8. The first episode will air at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, and the second episode will air at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5. The episodes will also be available to watch online starting Monday, Sept. 25, where you can also find a trailer for the episodes now.

For decades, young people in middle America have felt unfair pressure to head to the coasts for high-paying and innovative jobs, but that story is changing. In South Central Kansas, people are finding exciting opportunities in innovative industries right in their backyards. Follow the journeys of five young Kansans as they take a deep dive into their home state’s career possibilities. From aerospace and advanced manufacturing to healthcare and agriculture, discover the diverse range of career paths available in South Central Kansas.

“Paths Across Kansas” was made possible through a partnership among the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas, Wichita State, WSU Tech, USD 259, the State of Kansas, Strada Foundation, Textron Aviation, Spirit AeroSystems and Bank of America.

The Wichita State University Craig W. Barton Speaker Series cordially invites you to save the date for an evening with Norah O’Donnell, anchor of “CBS Evening News” and a contributor to “60 Minutes,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 21, 2024 at Miller Concert Hall in Duerksen Fine Arts Center.

More information, including how to reserve a ticket to the event, will be available at a later date.

The Craig W. Barton Speaker Series is an annual event established to expose students and the community to differing points of view and encourage critical thinking and conversation.

Are you a passionate Fine Art student seeking to connect with leading employers and build valuable networks within the vibrant and dynamic creative world?

Look no further than the SCA’s Fine Arts Career Mixer from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Thursday, Sept. 21 at the McKnight Art Center, designed to provide an unparalleled opportunity for Shockers to engage with representatives from diverse creative fields, ranging from art, graphic design, entertainment, creative writing, theater, music and more. Immerse yourself in discussions with industry professionals, exploring their work, understanding their companies and discovering potential full-time, part-time or internship positions they might offer.

The Fine Arts Career Mixer goes beyond the conventional career fair, providing a unique and enriching experience. By participating, you can gain insights into career possibilities while following your artistic passion.

Shocker Athletics has announced Tech N9ne will headline this year’s Shocker Madness event, set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 inside Charles Koch Arena.

Tech N9ne is the co-founder of Strange Music Inc., the number-one independent hip-hop label in the world. His signature rapid-fire “chopper” style has solidified him as one of the leading pioneers of the underground hip-hop industry. In less than two decades, Tech himself has earned three gold records, sold over two million albums, and made multiple appearances on Forbes’s “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list.

In addition to a performance from Tech N9ne, fans will get a first-look at the Shocker men’s and women’s basketball teams’ new styles of play under new head coaches Paul Mills and Terry Nooner when each team plays a scrimmage..

Schedule of events:

• 5:00pm – WuShock’s Birthday Party on the concourse
• 6:00pm – On court festivities begin with a performance by the Shocker Sound Machine
  • Performances by Wichita State Cheer & Dance
  • Introduction of all Shocker Athletic teams
  • Announcement of Shocktoberfest week winners
  • Extended men’s and women’s basketball scrimmages
  • $10,000 Halfcourt shot giveaway presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas
  • Live set by DJ 4 The Win
  • Tech N9ne performance

Through the inaugural Student Practical Architecting Challenge (SPARC), FirePoint Innovations Center at Wichita State University awarded nearly $40,000 to two student-based teams for their novel innovations in devising future-ready, modular and adaptable software systems to support the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) initiative.

The first-place winners Murphy Ownbey and Greg Heiman, and second place winner Aiden McGillivray, all recent graduates from Wichita State University’s College of Engineering, will be recognized during the MOSA Industry & Government Summit & Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. More than 50 teams from colleges and universities across the country participated in the SPARC competition.

A love of reading led Denae Sawyer to seek — and earn — an internship last spring with Dzanc Books, a non-profit publisher of literary fiction and non-fiction. Sawyer, who is working on a master’s degree in innovation design at Wichita State University, spent the spring semester interning remotely for 20 hours a week.

Her work consisted of reading and researching to determine if the manuscript fit Dzanc’s standards and sensibility. She also evaluated the potential audience and marketing strategies.

“We would sift through and pick one (manuscript) that especially spoke to us,” she said. “We would start developing a really, really generic portfolio of — what is the story about, what makes it good, what is the audience, what is the marketability?”