Author: Lainie Mazzullo

Wichita State University’s success is linked to our ability to respond to the needs of our campus community, as well as the area workforce.

One of the most obvious signs of that commitment can be seen through the physical expansion of campus. You may notice lots of dirt moving around right now.

Here are some of the projects under way:

• The Intensive English Center has moved to Lindquist Hall, and its former home near 17th Street and Hillside will be razed by the end of spring semester.
• A large area outside Clinton Hall has been fenced off to allow for the transformation of Clinton Hall into the Shocker Success Center. The fence stretches from Clinton Hall, along the east side of the Rhatigan Student Center, into the east portion of Parking Lot 7 and circling back up around Clinton Hall, preserving access to the Multicultural Greek Quad and the Plaza of the Heroines. The entire campus community’s patience and understanding is appreciated. We know there will be inconveniences during construction, but it will all be worth it.
• To prepare for the Shocker Success Center, Ablah Library will be integrating connections to the center from the library.
• The ongoing work on the Corbin Education Center will be completed soon. The fountain has been restored to working condition, and the spires are being painted and rewired to allow them to be illuminated at night. Final touches on the building, designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, should be completed by early spring 2023.
• Construction on Millie Marcus Annex will begin in February. The annex will be an expansion of the Marcus Welcome Center and will house the Shocker Career Accelerator offices. The integration of admissions and career services is intended to send a clear message to students about the support they will receive for applied learning opportunities and career development.
• Phase one of the Cessna Stadium renovations will begin in late spring. The east side demolition will begin after the Kansas State High School Track and Field Championship May 26-27.

The Innovation Campus is also experiencing some big changes, with several exciting announcements to come soon:

• Partnership Building 11 recently broke ground. The building is located by P3 and the Hyatt and is being built to house future partners interested in locating on campus and focusing on digital transformation.
• The new home of the National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT) at the corner of 18th Street and Oliver will be completed in February. The 37,000-square-foot building will include a collaboration hub, cyber/data analytics area, testing labs, eight research labs and a 168-rack data center.
• The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) will break ground on its Technology and Innovation Building in fall 2023. The new 85,000-square-foot research facility will be located on the Innovation Campus, near existing research and partnership facilities to take advantage of available infrastructure. This facility’s proximity to other research and instructional spaces and numerous industry partners builds on the proven success of previous programs and extends capacity for additional training and research for the region. 
• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has started renovations on P3. This will be home to its Center of Excellence, the National Crime Gun Intelligence Governing Board, a second National Correlation Center for the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, and will provide a myriad of training in CGI. It will serve as a national academy for the training of ATF’s Intelligence Research Specialists.
• Listen for an announcement this spring about new restaurants and retail opening in Braeburn Square and a new apartment complex across the lake from Braeburn Square.

“The improvements and new projects sprouting up across campus punctuate the growth and progress we’re making throughout the university,” said Wichita State President Rick Muma. “The projects not only add aesthetic appeal to our campus, but many of the updates make our campus and buildings more accessible to our students, setting our Shockers up for success.” 

Gain insights, tools and tips to help you improve your marketing and communication efforts by attending the seventh annual Strategic Communications marketing and communications seminar for WSU faculty and staff.

The seminar is 10 a.m.-noon Thursday, Jan. 26 in the Rhatigan Student Center ballroom.

Attendees may choose to attend three of the six sessions. All session presentations will be available online in the days following the seminar.

Betty and Art Wood shared a passion for music throughout their lives, and their legacy of supporting the arts continues through their gift of $1 million from their estate to support the Music Associates Endowed Fund at Wichita State.

“Private support for the Music Associates Fund at Wichita State has opened doors for meaningful experiences for our students through the years,” says Timothy Shade, director of the School of Music, director of bands, and coordinator of the graduate wind conducting program at Wichita State. “This is one of the largest donations the College of Fine Arts has ever received, and I’m overwhelmed thinking about the many ways this will benefit our students and programs.”

Are you working remotely? Do you plan to work remotely? Do you plan to hire someone who will work remotely? Then be sure to read on for important information about the university’s remote work policy and process.

To provide the opportunity for work / life balance, job satisfaction and a more inclusive workplace, the university supports a variety of flexible work arrangements. Remote work is one type of flexible work arrangement where an employee is approved to work at an alternate work location for a designated period of time. 

If an employee is working remotely or wants to work remotely, the employee should first reach out to their direct supervisor for authorization.

After receiving the initial approval, additional approval will be required if:

• The employee is seeking to work outside the State of Kansas for at least 30 consecutive days; or

• The employee is seeking to work outside of the United States for any period of time; or

• The employee is on a visa and the proposed alternate work location is different from the approved employee’s assigned worksite listed on the employee’s visa application.

If any of the above circumstances are applicable, employees must submit a remote work request through the University’s Online Request Portal.

All remote work requests must be submitted via the university’s Online Request Portal at least 30 days prior to the start of the remote work arrangement, or as soon as possible if a 30-day notice is not possible. If you are currently working remotely and have not previously submitted a remote work request via the online form, you must do so immediately.

Leaders should not make the final determination on the remote work arrangement until after they have received additional information from their HR Business Partner.

Employees do not need to submit a remote work request if:

• The remote work is being performed within Kansas (regardless of the length of time of the arrangement); or
• The remote work is being performed within the United States for less than 30 days.

Leaders who have remote work requests that do not need to be submitted through this process should follow the university procedure outlined on the flexible work arrangement website under “Approval for Flexible Work Arrangements.”

This process is not intended to disrupt an employee’s work or prevent an employee from working remotely. Rather, this process is in place to ensure that the university and leaders have the information needed to comply with all wage and hour, payroll, tax, immigration, export, cybersecurity and other federal and state employment laws and related security concerns.

Employees should not submit a remote work request if they have not discussed the arrangement with their leader first.

Remember, remote work is a privilege, not a right. Remote working arrangements will only be available to employees who follow all university processes and procedures and cannot start until after they have received the proper level of approvals (including the direct leader). Each remote work arrangement is different and may be subject to additional restrictions with regard to access and use of university networking and email systems, equipment and facilities.

Any questions related to the remote work process or flexible work arrangement process should be directed to your assigned HR Business Partner.

Stay up to date with events happening on the Wichita State campus with the WSU Calendar.

Go to wichita.edu/calendar and see what’s on the WSU calendar today, this week and beyond. You can search by event category as well.

Have a public event you want to add? You can do that too.

As the year draws to a close, Wichita State has so much to celebrate, including each of you. I want to thank all of you for everything you do each day and your commitment to Shocker Nation.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy your time off and come back next year rested and invigorated.

Go Shockers!

President Rick Muma

Check out the December edition of WSU’s Research and Innovation Newsletter, published throughout the year, cataloging the amazing research being undertaken across our campus.

This latest edition of the newsletter highlights WSU’s new APLU designation, student research projects and other grant-funded research.

Make sure to catch the latest episode of the “Forward Together” podcast, where President Muma speaks with John Tomblin, senior vice president for Industry and Defense and executive director of NIAR.

Watch it here — wsu.news/IDpodcast — or listen at wsu.news/ftpodcast or on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts and Apple Podcasts (iTunes).

The next episode will focus on research and development (R&D), as well as industry and defense. Subscribe here and be notified when new episodes are available.

Each week, Shocker Athletics provides an update on the latest results, upcoming events and notable moments in WSU sports history.

As the year draws to a close, Wichita State has so much to celebrate, including each of our amazing students. I want to thank all of you for choosing WSU and for all your hard work this year.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy your time off; and if you’re graduating this week — please accept my heartfelt congratulations. You did it! I can’t wait to see what you do in the future.

Go Shockers!