Author: Abigail Klein

The following faculty were approved for sabbaticals:

• Masud Chand, professor, management
• Karen Countryman-Roswurm, associate professor, social work
• Ali Eslami, associate professor, electrical and computer engineering
• Nils Hakansson, associate professor, biomedical engineering
• Michael Hall, associate professor, political science
• Jeff Hayton, associate professor, history
• Twyla Hill, professor, sociology
• Thalia Jeffres, associate professor, mathematics, statistics and physics
• Viswanathan Madhavan, professor, industrial and manufacturing engineering
• Achita Muthitacharoen, professor, Finance Decision and Real Estate Department
• Rui Ni, associate professor, psychology
• Chinyere Okafor, professor, women’s studies and religion
• Jennifer Ray, associate professor, art, design and creative industries
• Joel Suss, associate professor, psychology
• Rannfrid Lasine Thelle, associate professor, history
• Thomas Wine, professor, music

The Woolseys have made an additional gift from their trust of $1.3 million to Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall at Wichita State University. A portion of the gift will be used to create the Kay Woolsey Garden, with the remainder going toward the Woolsey Hall Technology Fund.

Alia Michaelis is working in several Wichita-area hospital emergency rooms to record patient-physician interactions. This applied-learning opportunity is helping prepare her for a career in medicine.

More than 5,000 Shockers each year take what they’ve learned in the classroom and transfer that knowledge into real-world environments.

On behalf of all of Shocker Nation, I would like to thank Gov. Kelly and the Kansas Legislature for their support of the vision and mission of Wichita State University. 

With our strategic plan as a guidepost, we’ve been tirelessly working to ensure Kansas families have access to affordable higher education, fueling the talent pipeline for Kansas businesses, and promoting the economic prosperity of our state. The recent investment by the State will help WSU accelerate efforts that drive these goals. 

Making education affordable and accessible for our students is our highest priority, and it goes to the core of all we do. With the addition of $19 million in state funding for need-based aid, Gov. Kelly and the Legislature have made it clear that they also see the importance of helping to ease the financial burden so Kansans can receive the value and benefits of a Wichita State education that will allow for a greater flow of talent to our industries and help grow the Kansas economy.

The Legislature also supported our efforts to boost the Kansas economy with $35 million for our Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul program, which is teeming with opportunities for Kansans — including applied learning for our students and full-time employment for Wichita professionals. Additionally, the MRO promotes sustainability and extends the life of aging aircraft. 

An additional $10 million in aid will support Wichita State’s efforts in digital transformation, including the National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation, which is focused on working with our region’s key industries and niche sectors to implement growth strategies that are targeted, collaborative and data driven.

Wichita State’s partnership with University of Kansas School of Medicine to establish the WSU/KU Health Sciences Educational Center also received a $25 million investment from the Legislature. The HSEC, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will be a 400,000-square-foot facility to house shared spaces for advanced laboratories, clinical research and technology. The high-tech facility will draw students, educators and researchers from around the country — attracting talent and resources to the area and boosting the economic success of Kansas.

The State is also strategically investing in technical and community college workforce development programs including WSU Tech, which is receiving $6 million annually to help meet the labor demands in our state. An additional $1.8 million will fund WSU Tech’s programs for SMART Manufacturing, Industry Training 4.0, and associated degree nursing programs.

I couldn’t be more pleased with the decision of our state leaders to join Wichita State in our commitment to building a better and brighter Kansas, and I want to extend my sincerest appreciation for your trust in our potential. 

Go Shockers! 

Suzanne Hawley, Department of Public Health professor, has been appointed as the first Counseling and Prevention Services (CAPS) faculty fellow. Hawley has supported the efforts of CAPS through numerous works, including an evaluation of the Mental Wellness in the Classroom Cards and the submission of a manuscript for publication investigating the effectiveness of the #WeSupportU: Preventing Suicide Training.  

Her expertise in public-based mental health and evaluation is an asset to the department in its efforts to promote mental wellness, prevent suicide, substance abuse, and sexual violence on campus and in the surrounding community. 

Wichita State University is working with a group of community organizations to make a popular pathway more welcoming and accessible to Wichita walkers and bikers.

If you’ve had a chance to walk or bike through the Redbud Trail, you may have viewed the strategically placed Wichita-themed monuments along the way, indicating the direction and distance to area landmarks and medical facilities. To create this signage, Wichita State partnered with Bike Walk Wichita and Wesley Healthcare on a project to  provide healthy opportunities for the community to get active and build relationships.

Focus on first-gen: This week we highlight Gina Crabtree, university registrar and director of Enrollment Services.

• How has your first-gen experience inspired you?
  While I remember wishing my parents had more understanding of the issues I faced when selecting and attending college, only hindsight helped me to fully recognize the difficulties and disadvantages of my first-gen experience. You don’t know what you don’t know. I’m proud to be part of a university community that is working to address the barriers many first-gen students face!
• Sign up to join the First-Gen Affinity Shockers (FGAS)—This group is designed to foster a community of first-generation professionals, build a group that offers professional development and networking opportunities. It’s also meant to foster an environment where common experiences can be shared, while addressing the needs of first-gen professionals at Wichita State University.

Check out this video presentation of President Rick Muma congratulating the more than 2,400 Shockers graduating at the spring 2022 commencement ceremony. This is the 124th spring commencement ceremony at Wichita State.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development (EDA) Alejandra Y. Castillo visited Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research Wednesday to learn more about university and community efforts to transform the regional economy.

Castillo, along with a delegation from the EDA and Small Business Administration, including regional administrator Vercie Lark, toured NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Laboratory for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) alongside WSU President Rick Muma, WSU senior vice president for Industry and Defense Programs John Tomblin and WSU associate vice president of strategic initiatives Debra Franklin.

The delegation learned how ATLAS uses transformative technology such as automation and machine learning to change the way manufacturers develop and produce advanced materials.

Following the tour, the group took part in a ‘Coalition Conversation’ with city, county, state and industry representatives. The South Kansas coalition is a finalist for EDA’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The conversation was a learning opportunity for EDA to understand how the finalists built their coalition and created a collective vision for their region.

The vison of South Kansas’ proposal, Driving Adoption: Smart Manufacturing Technologies, is to empower the equitable adoption of productivity-enhancing emerging technologies for sustainable, precision manufacturing competiveness and profitability.

The conversation centered on equipping and enabling the people of the region with adequate training to meet the demand of the skilled workforce of the future through strategic partnership at all levels.

 “We are proud that the American Rescue Plan’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge is helping to drive place-based, cluster-oriented, transformational economic development here in the Wichita region and across the nation,” said Castillo.

“I’m so excited about this moment in time for our country because when we talk about economic development – pushing the country forward – everyone’s in agreement.”

The South Kansas Coalition is comprised of a regional consortium of industry, government and economic development leaders representing 27 counties in South Kansas and led by WSU-NIAR.

Additional members of the roundtable discussion included Sedgwick County Commissioners David Dennis and Pete Meitzner; John Rolfe, president and CEO of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce; Jeff Fluhr, president of the Greater Wichita Partnership; Keith Lawing, president and CEO of the Workforce Alliance of South-Central Kansas and Debra Franklin, WSU vice president of Strategic Initiatives. 

Former Wichita State University students might remember Clinton Hall as a dark and cold building, but starting in September, it will begin its metamorphosis into the bright and welcoming Shocker Success Center.

This project will completely transform Clinton Hall into a holistic resource for student services, said Elizabeth King, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation. Centralizing access to these services will help students stay on course to graduate.

While the renovations will bring about remarkable opportunities for students, the construction will cause some temporary disruptions and closures of the sidewalks and parking areas adjacent to Clinton Hall. We’ll be making every effort to minimize the inconvenience for our students, faculty, and staff.