Author: Abigail Klein

Join the StreamYard broadcast of Saint Mark United Methodist Church’s Ignite podcast 7 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 20. The broadcast will feature President Rick Muma and vice president for Military and Veteran Affairs Dr. Marche Fleming-Randle and co-hosted by President’s Diversity Council member, Yolanda Oliver.

Spirit AeroSystems Inc. held a grand opening event and ribbon cutting ceremony for its National Defense Prototype Center (NDPC), a joint project with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) Oct. 15. This new research center will significantly expand Spirit’s capabilities and production efficiencies in the defense and space market.

“NIAR has been a tremendous partner in the development of the National Defense Prototype Center and enabling Wichita as a center for defense growth,” said Duane Hawkins, Spirit AeroSystems executive vice president; president, Defense and Space. “The NDPC provides secure space for development, prototyping, industrialization and testing of emerging high temperature materials and is directly aligned with Spirit’s growth strategies to achieve $1 billion of defense revenue by the mid-2020s.”

The College of Health Professions (CHP) at Wichita State University is pleased to announce Dr. Debra Pile as the chair for the School of Nursing and associate dean for Nursing Practice. Pile will succeed Dr. Voncella McCleary-Jones, who recently assumed the role of associate dean for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs for the CHP. Pile has held the Interim Chair position in the School of Nursing since Feb. 2021.   

Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University’s Center for Real Estate, was recently interviewed for the BizTalk with Bill Roy podcast. During the interview, Longhofer provided his expertise on Wichita’s frenzied housing market and signs it may be cooling off.

Greetings, Shocker family! This year has flown by, and we’re already looking toward the holiday season. I want to thank you all for your hard work and dedication to Wichita State University. As a token of my appreciation, I’m happy to remind you of the following announcements for our hardworking faculty and staff:

First, the university will be giving all benefits-eligible faculty and staff members, with the exception of the President’s Executive Team, a $500 bonus with their paycheck today, Nov. 12.

Second, WSU is providing benefits-eligible employees two personal days away from work during the upcoming campus shutdown. Employees will not have to use accrued leave and may take these days between Dec. 18 and Jan. 2.

It’s my hope that you’ll use the monetary bonus and the extra paid days off to make the end of 2021 a little bit brighter.

See these frequently asked questions for more information on your bonus and leave days.

And finally, I’d like to invite all of you to the Wichita State 2021 Winter Party. Please join me from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8 in the RSC Beggs Ballroom. We’ll have a winter wonderland full of foods from around the world, beverages, Shocker pride, and festive spirits. I hope to see you all there!

Again, thank you so much for all you’ve done this year. Your dedication to our students and our university has been sincerely appreciated and valued, and I look forward to another year with Shocker Nation.

Go Shockers!

The Widener Global Leaders Program, a new, year-long, interdisciplinary program housed in the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, has compiled a dynamic and diverse group to serve on its industry advisory board.

“We’ve assembled an amazing team of women who have climbed to the top of their fields and revolutionized their industries,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School of Business and co-chair of the advisory board for the Widener Global Leaders Program. “Tapping into their knowledge and having them be formative members of this program will help transform the lives of our students.”

WSU Tech student Nolan Oglesby works as an intern in one of Wichita’s most well known aircraft hangars, learning how to trouble-shoot avionics components and systems.

It is his path through Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) to a career as an aircraft mechanic. He works at NIAR’s WERX Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul hangar, which once housed Boeing Air Force One modification facilities.

Wichita State University is committed to assisting all members of the Wichita State University community in providing for their own safety and security. The 2021 annual Security and Fire Safety Report is now available.

The report, which is accessible either at the website or in printed form, contains information regarding campus security and personal safety including topics such as crime prevention, fire safety, university police law enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures, and other matters of importance related to security and safety on campus. The annual report also contains information about crime statistics for the three previous calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on the Main Campus, Old Town, WSU South, and WSU West; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Wichita State University; and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the Main Campus, Old Town, WSU South, and WSU West.

If you would like to receive a printed version of the 2021 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, please stop by the University Police Department (located south of Wilkins Softball Stadium) to request a free copy. You may also request a free copy be mailed to you by calling the University Police Department at 316-978-3450.

Before he could even walk, JW Webster could do something only a handful of other people in the world could do: speak the Cherokee language.

Today Webster is one of only 1,200 people who can fluently read, write and speak the indigenous language — which is ranked as one of the most difficult languages to learn. In August, Webster’s sacred knowledge became part of Wichita State University’s applied linguistics program through a new class, Elementary Cherokee I (LING 590).

Enrollment for fall 2021 at Wichita State University and WSU Tech is showing strong growth despite a decline in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of thousands of local jobs.  

Returning to its pre-pandemic enrollment numbers, WSU enrolled 16,097 students this fall. That’s an increase of 3.5% over last year and the largest enrollment Wichita State has seen since 1990. Wichita State also has the largest first-time-in-college class in history at 1,735 students, an increase of 14.5%.