Author: Trinity Soderstrom

Louise and Deb Brinegar both say that Wichita State was woven into the fabric of their family, so it was a no-brainer for the sisters to create scholarships for WSU students.

“WSU allowed our parents to achieve the dreams they had as a couple,” said Deb. “The lifelong desire to learn, to give back to the community and to expand their horizons, that was a part of what they took away from here. We want to honor their heritage.”

Dr. Amy Drassen Ham, clinical professor in Wichita State’s College of Health Professions, has been the faculty advisor for the HEALTH Student Association since its inception in 2005. It’s been a longtime dream of hers to create a scholarship supporting students in the organization.

This year, the student association and a group of former students helped her make that dream come true and created the endowed Dr. Amy Drassen Ham HEALTH Scholarship.

“I’m not moved to tears by many things in life, but my face was a waterfall,” said Drassen Ham.

Barbara and Pete Bassi have spent their lives traveling and living in different countries, gaining a broad understanding of other cultures and customs. The wealth of experiences they’ve had are exactly what they hope to pass on to students at Wichita State through their study abroad scholarship.

“Books provide an important education, but you need to learn about other cultures and their differences and needs,” said Barbara. “That’s where the scholarship comes along. We want people to have a chance to get out of their boxes and look at the world around them — that’s the purpose of education.”

The WSU Foundation will be attending an all-staff retreat Monday, Aug.1. During this time, Woodman Alumni Building will close. Normal hours of operation will resume Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Four new members of the Wichita State Foundation Board of Directors were recently added. The new members include Don Barry, 1988, managing director at Robert W. Baird & Co.; Mark Finucane, ’76, managing director at Alvarez and Marsal; John Rolfe, 1985 president and CEO of Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Maggie Topping, 2000, senior vice president at Textron Aviation.

Their term began July 1 and will continue for three years.

The WSU Foundation is hiring for a Vice President of Alumni Engagement (VPAE) to support university priorities and champion lifelong connections between students, alumni and friends of Wichita State.

The VPAE will work to plan and implement programs to engage alumni and create experiences designed to elevate, celebrate and advance WSU, reporting to the President and CEO of the Foundation. This newly created position will work with teams throughout the Foundation to align alumni relations, development and financial stewardship to actively contribute to the ongoing mission and vision of the WSU Foundation and WSU.

Parker Executive Search Firm is assisting the Foundation with the search process, and applications can be found on the Parker Executive Search Firm website.

Once a year, the campus that is usually home to college students is instead filled with excited middle school girls. The Expanding Your Horizon’s program at WSU provides girls with the opportunity to explore the many possibilities of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) career. With the help of sponsorships from UnitedHealthcare and Boeing, the program allows these young women to learn about careers they are often not exposed to.

Gracie Haile has been determined to succeed despite the challenges she has faced. While working full-time and taking a full course load, she began to struggle to balance it all just a few semesters away from graduation.

Thanks to WSU’s support system, Gracie was able to get back on her feet with help from financial aid and Wichita State’s CARE team.

Mark and Stacy Parkinson go above and beyond for the recipients of their scholarship for first-generation immigrant students. During spring break 2022, the two funded a trip for the students to visit Washington, D.C.

Former scholarship recipients Eddie Sandoval and Kyle Offutt started Pinole Blue from a dorm room with a hand-spun corn grinder. Now, they are a nationally recognized all-natural food brand and were even featured on “Shark Tank.” Their focus on philanthropy, however, hasn’t changed since the beginning.

“We both know that if it wasn’t for people believing in us, we wouldn’t be here.”

From scholarships to start-up funding, Sandoval and Offutt attribute much of their success to the philanthropy of others. As such, philanthropy is the top priority of their own company.