Author: Sara Ornelas

The Kansas Board of Regents met on Thursday, Sept. 15 in Topeka for its monthly meeting. Among the issues discussed were the following items:

• Wichita Biomedical Campus: KBOR approved a proposal from Wichita State and the University of Kansas to develop a $302 million, 470,000-square-foot facility that will consolidate and align the two universities’ health- and biomedical-related education and research.
• New NIAR building: The board approved WSU’s proposal to construct a Technology and Innovation Building on the Innovation Campus. The $36.5 million project will be financed through a combination of EDA funds that were recently awarded to the university, NIAR funds, and revenue bonds.
• University Stadium: The board approved a plan to replace Cessna Stadium with a new facility that will accommodate about 10,000 spectators. The project will be completed in two phases, with the first phase beginning in August 2023. Funding is yet to be identified for this project.
• Woodman Alumni Center: A $1.7 million proposal to renovate WSU’s alumni building was approved. The 18,718-square-foot project is driven by the merger of the Alumni Association and the WSU Foundation. The renovation aims to unify the WSU Foundation staff on the upper level and refresh the building finishes to be in line with the current modern university aesthetic. WSU Foundation will be funding the renovations.
• City-County Mill Levy: The board approved the university’s proposal to spend mill levy funds from Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita. The proposal included more than $3 million for capital improvements, $5.2 million for student services, $495,720 for economic and community development, and $422,444 for university research and support services.
• Peer institutions: KBOR approved an updated list of peer institutions for Wichita State University to include Cleveland State University, Portland State University, University of Memphis, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and University of Texas at San Antonio.
• Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance: President Muma nominated and the board approved Dr. Hai (David) Guo as the fourth Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance. The purpose of the Regents Distinguished Professorship is to attract and retain established scholars whose research projects augment the state’s economic and industrial development. Guo, who previously served as an associate professor at Florida International University, has published in the most prestigious journals in the field of public administration and public finance.
• Honorary doctorate: The board approved Dr. Mona Nemer to be awarded an honorary doctorate from Wichita State during commencement ceremonies in December 2022. A 1977 WSU graduate, Nemer holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with minors in French and mathematics from Wichita State. She is currently serving as the chief science advisor to Canada’s Prime Minister, Minister of Innovation, Science Industry and Cabinet.

Did you know that 85% of university housing fires are cooking fires? Unattended cooking is by far the leading contributing factor in college cooking fires, and there are more than 3,000 university cooking fires each year, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Please observe the following safety precautions while cooking on campus.

• Cook only where it is permitted.
• Never leave cooking unattended.
• Frying poses the greatest risk. In case of a grease fire, put a lid over it. Never put water on a grease fire.
• If a fire starts in a microwave, keep the door closed and unplug the unit.
• If you use electric appliances, be careful to not overload circuits.
• Stand by your pan. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

Student Health Services has received the new Pfizer Covid-19 bivalent booster vaccinations and is ready to start administering shots to those who are eligible.

To be eligible for the new Pfizer booster at SHS, individuals must meet the following criteria:

• Must be 18 years or older.
• Must have completed at least a two-shot primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations using any approved vaccine, including Novavax.
• Must have received their last COVID-19 shot at least two months ago. The last shot could be a primary series or booster.
• Must wait three months after recovery from COVID-19 infection.
• Must be currently enrolled WSU or WSU Tech students, staff or faculty, household members, and Innovation Campus partners.

The new bivalent booster targets both the original coronavirus and Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5 that are causing almost all new COVID-19 infections in Kansas.

COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots are available at no additional charge to the Wichita State campus community. WSU’s Student Wellness Center vaccine walk-in hours are listed below.

COVID-19 original series Pfizer vaccines and bivalent booster shots are available at no additional charge to the Wichita State campus community. WSU’s Student Wellness Center vaccine walk-in hours are listed below.

• Monday: 9-11 a.m.
• Tuesday: 2-4 p.m.
• Wednesday: 2-4 p.m.
• Thursday: 9-11 a.m.
• Friday: 2-4 p.m.

Please bring your WSU ID, COVID vaccine card, and completed Covid Dispense Assist Form.

To find the new COVID-19 bivalent booster, you can search for a location near you.

At its Sept. 15 meeting, the Kansas Board of Regents approved an updated list of peer institutions for Wichita State University.

• Cleveland State University
• Portland State University
• University of Memphis
• University of Nebraska at Omaha
• University of Texas at San Antonio

In fall 2021, President Rick Muma assembled a working committee to assess current and aspirational peers to ensure alignment with the university’s mission and goals. The evaluation focused on institutional characteristics, such as mission, Carnegie Class, enrollment trends (including KBOR priorities), and budget. The analysis was based on the most recent national data designed to identify those institutions that are most like WSU.

Additionally, the following were approved as WSU’s aspirational peers:

• Georgia State University
• University of California at Riverside
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Houston
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte

All of Wichita State’s peers are part of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, which is “a president-led organization committed to enhancing urban university engagement and tackling key urban challenges in our nation’s cities.”

Wichita State’s previous list of peer and aspirational institutions was created in 2013.

See Monday’s WSU Today for more news from the regents meeting.

Wichita State University will be included as part of PBS’ “Roadtrip Nation,” and Shocker students are encouraged to apply to be a part of the show.

“Roadtrip Nation” will be teaming up with Wichita’s Workforce Alliance, USD 259 and WSUTech to explore southcentral Kansas on the show’s mission to “capture empowering stories that give you the confidence and tools to find a career that matters to you.”

Students who are interested can apply at the link below. For questions, reach out to Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu. The deadline for applications is Aug. 14.

Wichita State University will be included as part of PBS’ “Roadtrip Nation,” and Shocker students are encouraged to apply to be a part of the show.

“Roadtrip Nation” will be teaming up with Wichita’s Workforce Alliance, USD 259 and WSUTech to explore southcentral Kansas on the show’s mission to “capture empowering stories that give you the confidence and tools to find a career that matters to you.”

Students who are interested can apply at the link below. For questions, reach out to Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu. The deadline for applications is Aug. 14.

Study abroad information sessions are offered by the International Education Office to help interested students start exploring their options. Interested students will get to learn about the programs, cost, funding, application process, and more.

Studying abroad doesn’t have to be just a fantasy. If you are curious, determined to try new things, interested in meeting new people, and discovering new places, studying abroad could become your reality.

Students have the option of choosing to watch our study abroad information session video or attend a session in person on the dates below..All the information sessions below begin at 2 p.m.

• Friday, Sept. 9 in the Lucas Room (RSC 265)
• Friday, Sept. 39 in the Ashton/Bridges room (RSC 257)
• Friday, Oct. 28 in the Spencer Room (RSC 264)
• Friday, Nov. 11 in the Ashton/Bridges room (RSC 257)

Please complete the online sign-up form linked below for the date you plan to attend. The information sessions generally last about one hour and are the first step to planning a study abroad program. You can also call the Office of International Education at 316-978-3232 to sign up for the session. For more information, email us at studyabroad@wichita.edu.

The City of Wichita has announced the award of $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support Wichita State University’s Office of Innovation and New Ventures’ formation of the Small Business Digital Transformation (SBDT) Program, which will address technology gaps in the local business ecosystem.

Small businesses were hit hardest during the pandemic. A vast majority of small businesses are in-person businesses with storefronts that sell food or merchandise or are service industries where there is significant face-to-face interaction. Most of these businesses were unable to operate as usual during the pandemic, and many were forced to shut down.

“If these businesses had access to tech talent and resources to shift to a digital platform, they not only could have survived but possibly thrived and competed against large corporations that had the financial means to pivot to digital quickly,” said Dr. Jeremy Patterson, executive director of Office of Innovation and New Ventures.

All your favorite student center dining locations are accepting cash once again.

Outside the RSC, Shocker Dining and the new Cargill Cafe in Woolsey Hall (once open) will also accept cash along with dining dollars, and credit and debit cards.

WSU Dining Services is hoping this small change will make a big difference for its guests.

On Thursday, Aug. 4, Starbucks will be closing at noon for an exciting update: The campus coffee shop will be upgraded with the capability to accept and award Starbucks loyalty rewards.

The Starbucks Rewards program allows users to earn free drinks, food, and gifts. Customers keep track of and redeem their rewards points through the Starbucks smartphone app.

Have dining dollars? Great news, the WSU RSC Starbucks will still be able to accept these payment methods, and stars can still be earned. However, dining dollars can not be used to load gift cards.