Author: Caelin Bragg

As August approaches, it’s a great time for students to consider investing in a successful school year. Shocker Pre-Season programs are a proven way to get connected to campus and start the academic year with a good vibe.

“The data shows Shocker Pre-Season programs make a significant impact on student success,” said Brett Bruner, assistant vice president student success and persistence at Wichita State. “Our Shocker Pre-Season programs are events that prepare new Shockers for the academic year. We focus on building social and academic connections and building resource awareness.”

The programs give students an opportunity to work on skills such as college-level writing, presentations and research. They also help familiarize students with the campus and the people and offices available for information and guidance.

Full list of Shocker Pre-Season programs

• Shocker Promise Academy
• Passage 2 Success
• Shocker Engineering Academy (full)
• Pre-Nursing Success Academy
• Immersive Leadership Institute
• First-Steps
• “When Everyone Leads…in sport!”
• Shocker Rowing
• Math Launch
• School of Performing Arts

WSU TV has begun a new series looking back through the history of WSU and the WSU TV channel. Each week, it will feature a new video showcasing a piece of that history.

This week, WSU TV features a WSU 13 recording of the 1988 Big Band Jazz competition hosted by WSU. It features bands from the surrounding states and commentary by Gary Chew. The episode premieres at 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 on YouTube.

WSU TV has begun a new series looking back through the history of WSU and the WSU TV channel. Each week, it will feature a new video showcasing a piece of that history.

This week, WSU TV looks back at a WSU 13 broadcast of the Faculty String Quartet playing pieces by Haydn and Mendelssohn from 1987. The episode premieres at 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1 on YouTube.

Join President Rick Muma and other university representatives for the 2024 Fall Address at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14 in Miller Concert Hall at Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Doors open at 2 p.m. After the Fall Address, light refreshments will be available at the Shocker Success Center in the former Clinton Hall.

Road striping on campus will continue July 29-Aug. 2, weather permitting. Expect delays and one lane traffic.

Fairmount Street, North Yale Avenue and Mike Oatman Drive will be restriped at a later date. Stay tuned in the newsletter for more information.

The Wichita State baseball team has earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2023-24 academic year.

The award honors high school and college programs coached by ABCA members that post a grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the current academic year. It’s the seventh straight year the Shockers have earned the honor.

WSU tallied a 3.463 cumulative GPA in 2023-24, placing five student-athletes on the Academic All-District Team.

The WSU West building will be temporarily closed starting Friday, July 26 with issues related to humidity levels and will undergo air testing.

Mary Nelson, research and operations manager for Special Collections at University Libraries, passed away July 17.

Mary joined Wichita State in 1994 as a library assistant and was instrumental in digitizing materials from Special Collections to give broader access to its materials. She also often served as a liaison to researchers looking to use the vast archives of Special Collections in Ablah Library. Mary was inducted as a Bender of Twigs in 2019 after 25 years of service to the university.

Wichita State University is part of a collaborative effort to address the behavioral health care worker shortage across Kansas. With new funding, mental health care agencies in south-central Kansas will be better equipped to tackle this critical need.

In a recent report, Kansas was positioned among the states with the poorest access and availability of mental health treatment, largely due to a shortage of professionals to care for mental health patients. However, a committed cohort of mental and behavioral health professionals has successfully secured funding to address this deficiency by implementing educational initiatives aimed at bolstering the talent pool of behavioral health professionals within our state.

Backed by $5.7 million in funding from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), the newly established Kansas Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (KSBHCoE) is focusing on key areas to enhance opportunities and expand the mental health workforce. This effort involves strategic collaboration with several local agencies and institutions, including Wichita State.

What started out as an extracurricular activity at the Shocker Gaming Club has ballooned into a career leading students to success for Wichita State’s Joe Mazzara.

Mazzara, who was recently appointed to director of Wichita State University’s Esports program, began his tenure with the program as a volunteer assistant coach while he was an undergrad at WSU, before becoming the assistant director of Esports in 2019.

“During the infancy of the program, I felt I was learning quickly and excelling in areas like recruitment and team operations and always took a player-first approach to program leadership, which allowed me to connect with our players on a personal level,” Mazzara said. “My motivation to continue with the program has been fueled by my previous mentors/directors and the impact we have had on students’ lives as a result of the creation of the varsity esports program.”