Author: Caelin Bragg

Those on campus starting Thursday, May 25 will notice a huge influx of visitors. We expect about 15,000 high school athletes and spectators on campus through Saturday, May 27 for 5A state baseball and softball May 25-26 and state track May 26-27.

Tents and golf carts will be deployed across campus to assist visitors, but anyone who notices someone looking lost can use the information on the WSU state track and tournaments webpage to guide our guests to the resources they need.

To view the schedule of events or to purchase tickets, visit the links below:

• State baseball
• State softball
• State track

Organizations, individuals and programs within Wichita State were featured in a Wichita Business Journal (WBJ) guide for startups:

The Center for Entrepreneurship, including ignitor and Kansas Family Business Forum, the Entrepreneurship Research Workshops from WSU Libraries, GoCreate, Shocker New Venture Competition, and Small Business Digital Transformation Program were all featured resources for new business startups in Wichita.

Troy Tabor, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, headlined one of WBJ’s “People you should know” articles.

FirePoint Innovations on the Innovation Campus was featured in one of a series of articles on startups in Wichita.

In June, Billy Berue will begin an eight-year stint as a trumpeter in The President’s Own United States Marine Band.  

The President’s Own — as it’s commonly called — was established in 1798 with a mission to perform for the president of the United States and the commandant of the Marine Corps. It was created by an act of Congress and boasts that it is America’s oldest continually active professional music organization. 

Marie Bukowski has been named the next dean of Wichita State University’s College of Fine Arts (CFA), effective July 9, 2023.

Hailing from Kent State University, where she served as the associate dean of graduate programs and faculty affairs in its College of the Arts, Bukowski comes to WSU with almost 30 years of teaching experience. Bukowski has taught many classes in the arts, including in painting, lithography and design.

Bukowski will replace Dr. Rodney Miller, who retires in June, and who served as dean of the college for 19 years. Bukowski hopes to continue upholding the legacy and goals of CFA and Wichita State while pushing the college forward.

Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced Wichita State University as a Stage One winner for the 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. Wichita State will receive a $50,000 cash prize to build strategic partnerships that will support the launch, growth and scale of STEM- and R&D-focused small businesses.

Wichita State’s award-winning model will amplify the impact and success of Growth Accelerator Partnerships and will work to foster and facilitate a thriving national ecosystem that advances equitable investment in innovative high-growth small businesses.

The existence of life on other planets, especially Mars, is a question pondered in literature, movies and imaginations.  

Wichita State University’s Dr. Mark Schneegurt is working on that issue with the assistance of a $377,000 grant from NASA to examine the toughness of microbes isolated from spacecraft assembly facilities. 

The planned Wichita Biomedical Campus — a joint initiative by Wichita State University, WSU Tech and University of Kansas — is one step closer to its funding goal thanks to a $15 million award from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), made available through the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee and State Finance Council. 

The new funding is in addition to $190 million awarded by the Kansas Legislature — one of the most significant investments ever in the Wichita region— bringing the total so far to $205 million of the $300 million needed to begin construction of the 471,000-square-foot facility. WSU, WSU Tech and KU will continue to explore all avenues of funding including federal, state, local and private funding to complete the project.

Dean Rodney Miller will retire in June following 19 years leading the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University.

During his tenure, the School of Digital Arts was created and enrollment in the college has grown to over 1,000 students. Working with the Foundation and Alumni Engagement office, the college scholarship/fellowship funds have reached $1 million in annual awards to College of Fine Arts students.

“Rodney’s forward-thinking vision for the School of Digital Arts embraced digital transformation and innovation as a means to amplify the talents and creativity of students and faculty in the College of Fine Arts,” said Dr. Shirley Lefever, provost and executive vice president of Wichita State. “WSU has benefited greatly from his leadership and vision. His legacy will impact many generations to come.”

Wichita State University’s women’s athletics prospered over the past 20 years as a series of coaching hires, facility improvements and budget upgrades lifted them into regular contention for conference titles and NCAA play.

Shocker softball is enjoying its greatest success with five NCAA regional appearances under coach Kristi Bredbenner since 2016. On Sunday, the Shockers earned their third straight regional bid and will play Nebraska at 6 p.m. Friday in Stillwater, Okla.

Senior shortstop Sydney McKinney joins the list of female student-athletes who highlight the success of the past two decades – people such as Olympic distance runner Aliphine Tuliamuk, volleyball stars such as Chelsey Feekin and Abbie Lehman and basketball’s Alex Harden.

McKinney’s leadership isn’t limited to the field. Teammates love her enthusiasm and positive outlook, as well as her devotion to coffee, pets and painting. She is a criminal justice major from Norborne, Missouri. She plans to attend law school, with an eye on working in Title IX law, after working as a graduate assistant for the softball team.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from McKinzie McWilliam.

McKinzie — a junior majoring in elementary education and minoring in organizational leadership and learning — came to Wichita State after graduating from Miami High School in Amoret, Missouri.

McKinzie found support through working for Stephanie Cockrell, director of graduate programs in the Barton School of Business. She says that Cockrell’s support pushed her to succeed and eventually work as a peer coach and transition mentor in the Office of Student Success, helping other students succeed at Wichita State just as Cockrell did for her.

“I would have neither of these positions without Stephanie. When I met her, I had just failed a semester. After one semester with her, I made the dean’s list. If you had asked me when I met her where I saw myself in three years, it wouldn’t be here doing this. I have these jobs because of her, and I do them to try and be that person to someone else. Even though Stephanie is no longer my boss, I still do check-ins with her and think of what she would tell me to do when I am struggling.”

Cockrell says that faculty and staff have a unique responsibility in helping promote student success.

“Working closely with students to help them achieve their dreams is truly a privilege. As faculty and staff, it is our responsibility to meet students where they are and empower them to discover their full potential. The best thing we can do for students is connect them to the amazing resources available at WSU. Success Coaching, Shocker Learning Center, Care Team, ODI, Disability Services, advising, Financial Aid, Counseling and Prevention Services, TRIO and so much more are here to help students thrive both personally and academically. Together we can make a difference in a student reaching graduation. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to watch McKinzie grow as a student and a leader on campus.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.