Author: Caelin Bragg

The Spring Involvement Fair allows students an opportunity to connect with a diverse pool of student organizations who want to enhance Shockers’ student experiences.

From recreational, academic, social, special interest, political, religious and cultural organizations, the fair hopes to find a place where you belong. The Spring Involvement Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 on the first and second floors of the Rhatigan Student Center. Prizes such as an iPad, FijiFilm polaroid camera, Kitchen Aid mixer and Ninja Creami will be up for grabs, as well as T-shirts and food, while supplies last.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Lubna Aldulaimi.

Lubna — a senior majoring in exercise science — made her way to Wichita State after graduating from Tomball High School in Tomball, Texas. She is currently a member of the track and field team.

Lubna found it difficult balancing the time required for school, work, track and family, and was worried about asking for the help she needed for fear of it being seen as her making excuses. However, she was able to find support through Kristyn Waits, design educator and communication manager for the College of Innovation and Design, who saw Lubna struggling and offered her an extension in her class.

“I just needed someone to press pause and let me catch back up and Kristyn Waits did that for me. One day, we had a major project due that I was very behind on, but I didn’t want to ask for extra time because I didn’t want my professor to think I was this bum athlete who is just looking to make excuses. She was able to notice me and gave me an extension without me asking for it. Maybe she couldn’t see how drained I was mentally, but that gesture meant so much to me. I really appreciated it so much. We only get to see her once a week, yet that day, I felt the most cared for. That extension on my project gave me the time I needed to breathe and catch back up with life.”

Waits says that faculty need to be aware of what students are dealing with outside of the classroom to better serve their needs and make sure they succeed in their studies.

“I think it’s important to remember that our classes are not the only thing our students are focused on. Many students work, have families, are involved in various organizations, play sports or, in Lubna’s case, all of the above. Having some empathy for students is the least we can do as faculty.”

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.

President Rick Muma and Shirley Lefever, provost and executive vice president, are conducting town halls for the Graduate School and College of Engineering faculty and staff Wednesday, Jan. 31 remotely.

• Graduate School: 2 p.m. via Zoom
• College of Engineering: 3 p.m. via Zoom

Come celebrate the service of Detective Jeffery Rider, WSU Police Department, who will retire Friday, Feb. 2 after serving Wichita State for 33 years. A reception is planned from noon to 2 p.m. that same day in 142 Rhatigan Student Center, Harvest Room.

Rider is currently the most senior officer in the WSU PD, has served in law enforcement since 1984 and is a military veteran.

Interstellar Seminar is fortunate to host Kansas native Todd Barber, a JPL engineer that drives spacecraft, at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 24 remotely in 104 Jabara Hall and on Zoom. He will talk about his experiences driving Voyager, the only interstellar spacecraft.

Barber has worked with Galileo at Jupiter, Cassini at Saturn, Deep Impact, Dawn and the Mars missions that landed Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance.

Congratulations to the 13 high school seniors who have been chosen as finalists for Wichita State’s 2024 Distinguished Scholarship Invitational. Ultimately, three of them will win the $64,000 Harry Gore Memorial Scholarship, which are among the largest undergraduate awards in the Midwest, and all will receive scholarship offers to attend WSU.

Kim Moore, executive director of Workforce, Professional and Community Education, is one of four newly elected members to 1EdTech’s board of directors. Her four-year term started Jan. 1, and she will work to further the mission and goals of the organization.

Moore is an innovative and entrepreneurial leader, focused on establishing collaborative business and industry partnerships, which lead to the development of skill-based learning and training initiatives that support employers and job seekers and stimulate the state and local economies.

1EdTech aims to achieve an open, trusted and innovative ecosystem to help learners, serves as a voice for those improving education and represents over 900 organizations in education, corporate learning and edtech suppliers.

The Tech Transfer and Commercialization department is seeking participants for its survey on the shopping habits of those who purchase Shocker gear and apparel. The survey closes Jan. 31.

Information gathered in the survey will be anonymous and will be provided to the department’s retail partners to help them meet shoppers’ needs and requests.

CLC, who is hosting the survey, will randomly select three respondents to win a $100 gift card.

Phase One of the Wichita Biomedical Campus, being built in the heart of downtown Wichita, now has its official look.

Renderings created by Helix Architecture + Design and CO Architects show the 8-story, 350,000-square-foot building that features a 3-story pavilion, classrooms, labs, student success center, lounges and study spaces, offices and meeting spaces.

This marks the first phase of the joint health sciences project between Wichita State University and the University of Kansas. Once built, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions and Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, WSU Tech’s health care program and Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy into one location.

Dr. Pamela O’Neal, associate director of student engagement in the Office of Online and Adult Learning, has received the first Adult Learner Advocate Certification from the Urban Adult Learner Institute (UALI).

She completed the four required components from UALI to receive the certification, which enabled her to hone and sharpen her skillset for serving adult learners at WSU.

“As an adult learner myself, I understand firsthand the struggles and advantages of obtaining a degree later in life” O’Neal said. “Earning the certificate is a testament of the dedication I employ in being an advocate for our adult learners at Wichita State.”

O’Neal also cohosts the Shockers Learning Out Loud podcast with Dr. Amber Anderson, associate director of enrollment and retention, discussing adult learning topics and the challenges faced by adult learners. Two seasons are available for streaming now.

Any faculty or staff would like to earn their Adult Learner Advocate Certification can contact O’Neal at pamela.oneal@wichita.edu or 316-978-8315 for more information.