Author: Sara Ornelas

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.

More than 2,400 students were eligible to participate in the 124th spring commencement ceremonies at Wichita State University in May.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees were conferred for the following colleges within WSU:

• Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• College of Fine Arts
• Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College
• College of Innovation and Design
• College of Applied Studies
• College of Health Professions
• W. Frank Barton School of Business
• College of Engineering

Aram Khader is a marketing strategist at ShockStarter, a student-led marketing firm. Working on class projects for clients helped her learn terminology and deadlines that will help her build a resume and career.

More than 5,000 Shockers each year take what they’ve learned in the classroom and transfer that knowledge into real-world environments. Applied learning — which is required for every Wichita State student — happens in offices, factories, laboratories, nonprofits, industries and companies across the globe. Students work side-by-side with seasoned professionals to ensure that they’re fully prepared to make meaningful contributions to their employers and their communities when they graduate.

The Sedgwick County Health Department will host its next COVID vaccine clinic 9 a.m.-1 p.m. today, July 27, at Charles Koch Arena.

Anyone receiving a first dose or boosters of the COVID vaccine at the Charles Koch Arena vaccine clinic will receive a $50 Visa gift card.

The clinic, run by Sedgwick County, offers the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 and older, and the J&J vaccine for ages 18 and up. Walk-ins are welcome, and the vaccine is free. No ID or insurance are required. Bring your COVID vaccine cards for documentation.

Members of the Wichita State campus community are also able to receive vaccines at the Student Health Center. More information can be found at the link below.

Julian Chee has been fascinated with airplanes and flight since he was a child growing up in Malaysia.

“I’ve always been interested in anything that flew as a kid,” he said. “Flying is a very alien concept, so anything that flew captivated me.”

That fascination grew into an adult-sized hobby and eventually earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records this spring for the farthest flight of a paper airplane.  

Wichita State President Rick Muma is featured in the textbook “Physician Assistants as Social Innovators in Healthcare,” which celebrates PAs who have risen to meet the health care challenges of a changing society.

Muma, who earned a PA degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, is profiled as a PA pursuing career paths outside of traditional PA roles.

As of July 1, Wichita State University faculty and staff will no longer have access to parking lot 34, which is located at the University United Methodist Church at the corner of 21st Street and Yale.

The university had been leasing the parking lot from the church, but very few members of the university community had been using the lot, so the decision has been made not to renew the contract going forward.

President Rick Muma’s “Forward Together” podcast is on hiatus for the summer, but that gives listeners an opportunity to catch up on previous episodes.

• Episode one: Digital transformation — In this inaugural Forward Together podcast, we focus on digital transformation in the arts. We’re joined by Shocker alum Dean Hargrove — writer, director and producer, whose credits include “Columbo” and “Matlock — and Wichita State’s dean of the College of Fine Arts, Dr. Rodney Miller.
• Episode two: University annual report — On this episode of the Forward Together podcast, WSU President Dr. Rick Muma and his guests reflect on and celebrate all that Wichita State University has accomplished in 2021. Special guests include James Chung, founder of Reach Advisors and author of the Chung Report; and Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan, vice president of engagement and planning at Wichita State University.
• Episode three: Providing access to higher education — On this episode of the Forward Together podcast, WSU President Dr. Rick Muma and his guests discuss WSU’s priority of making higher education accessible and how it helps build a stronger community and a stronger Kansas. Special guests include John Rolfe, president and CEO of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Isaac Brown, WSU men’s basketball head coach.
• Episode four: Research at Wichita State — Learn about some of the cutting-edge research being done at Wichita State University in our March Forward Together podcast. To celebrate Women’s History Month, President Rick Muma speaks with Dr. Melinda Laubach-Hock, director of sustainment at WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research; and Dr. Coleen Pugh, vice provost for research and dean of Wichita State’s Graduate School.
• Episode five: Innovation at Wichita State — In this month’s episode of the Forward Together podcast, we talk about all things innovation. Hear about the accessible comic book app WSU’s Dr. Darren DeFrain developed, and learn more about next-generation networking technology with Shocker alum Khalid Raza.
• Episode six: LatinX Food, Culture and Community in Wichita — Celebrate the food and culture of the LatinX community with WSU President Rick Muma in the latest episode of the “Forward Together” podcast. Dr. Muma speaks with WSU faculty members and LatinX cultural researchers Dr. Enrique Navarro and Dr. Rocío Del Águila.