Category: Faculty and Staff Resources

Shrinking budgets have required a high level of flexibility and difficult decision making this year. That will be the focus on the Faculty Support Network gathering from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, April 16 in 102C McKinley Hall. Join Rhonda Lewis, professor of community psychology, to process the impact of fiscal stress and discuss a path forward the embraces the reality of the moment and refocuses on your role.

The Faculty Support Network is a forum sponsored by the Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence to provide a safe social and emotional space for faculty to process together the challenges they face and receive mutual support. Email fare@wichita.edu for more information.

The table below is to assist instructors with certain dates regarding CES. These dates are for the spring 2026 semester.

• The first column includes the various start/end (part-of-term) dates for spring semester courses.
• The second column includes dates meant for instructors. This is the timeframe when instructors will receive emails about the CES process and procedures that they should complete. Instructors will receive additional emails during and after the student CES access dates.
• The last column includes the dates that CES will be available for the students to complete course evaluations.

The full CES administrative schedule can always be found on the website.

If your course is in bold, then your spring 2026 CES evaluation process will start soon. Review the start/end dates in each column so you know when your access to the CES system will start and end.

The table below is to assist instructors with certain dates regarding CES. These dates are for the spring 2026 semester.

• The first column includes the various start/end (part-of-term) dates for spring semester courses.
• The second column includes dates meant for instructors. This is the timeframe when instructors will receive emails about the CES process and procedures that they should complete. Instructors will receive additional emails during and after the student CES access dates.
• The last column includes the dates that CES will be available for the students to complete course evaluations.

The full CES administrative schedule can always be found on the website.

If your course is in bold, then your spring 2026 CES evaluation process will start soon. Review the start/end dates in each column so you know when your access to the CES system will start and end.

The latest issue of Teaching Tomorrow is here. This month, the focus is on active and applied learning and approaches that invite students to engage, experiment and put ideas into practice. Inside, you’ll find teaching strategies and examples designed to spark curiosity and support meaningful learning experiences.

Jonathan Cross and Stephen Cross Jr., investment adviser representatives with Voya Financial, will be available for in-person meetings at Wichita State Monday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 14. Faculty and staff can get one-on-one advising and review their Voya Financial accounts as part of their KBOR retirement plan, or new employees can receive assistance in enrolling in their KBOR plan.

If you are interested in meeting with Jonathan or Stephen, you can schedule a time to meet and select “Wichita State University / One-On-One Financial Counseling” while selecting your location. Time slots are limited, so reserve a time soon. For questions, you can call 316-788-0788.

Periodically, information will be posted regarding Watermark’s Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) tool to help users better understand Wichita State’s course evaluation tool.

Today’s focus is on the student experience.

• Students will receive an email and notification on Blackboard when an evaluation is open.
• Students can access the evaluation through Blackboard and through links provided in an email sent during the CES collection window.
• When students log in to the CES system, they will see a table containing evaluation information. This table will show which evaluations are completed along with the date and time. It will also show upcoming evaluations with the dates they are scheduled to open. 
• Students will see regular pop-up notifications in Blackboard during the CES evaluation time window.
• Students will receive a certificate of completion for each evaluation that is submitted.
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

For questions, contact Sandra Ranney at evaluations@ces.wichita.edu.

Career-ready learning is central to Wichita State’s vision and identity, yet it can be hard to know how to implement that vision in a wide variety of courses. Early-career faculty will have the opportunity to learn about integrating career-ready practices such as applied learning, service learning and transferable skills into their classes from noon to 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 1 in 262 Rhatigan Student Center, Herrman Room. The event is part of the Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence’s New Faculty On-Ramp series, open to faculty in their first three years.

The event will feature guest presenters from the Shocker Career Accelerator and applied learning, in addition to plenty of time to connect with other faculty and brainstorm ideas about how career-ready learning might look in your course.

Bring your lunch if you’d like. FARE will provide beverages and snacks. Contact fare@wichita.edu for more details.

The College of Health Professions and HealthHum are partnering with the Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence (FARE) for a special biomedical edition of the Faculty Research Collaborative from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26 in 262 Rhatigan Student Center, Herrman Room. The event will highlight the research of CHP faculty and opportunities for building partnerships with researchers throughout the university focused on biomedical sciences.

What to expect:

• Opening remarks by Dr. Heather Henderson, CHP associate dean of research, compliance and accreditation, on building successful transdisciplinary research collaborations
• Structured research networking time facilitated by CHP faculty to explore project possibilities
• Coffee, soda and snacks provided by FARE
• Informal networking time

The Faculty Research Collaborative is a research-oriented faculty club that meets the last Wednesday or Thursday of the month. The purpose is to create a research networking opportunity for faculty in the early stages or idea phase of a project for which they are seeking collaborators. Contact fare@wichita.edu with any questions.

Department chairs and academic leaders can consult the Ombuds Office for support in managing departmental dynamics, resolving disputes or referring faculty to appropriate resources. You don’t have to handle it alone. Resources are available at wichita.edu/ombuds.

Periodically, information will be posted regarding Watermark’s Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) tool to help users better understand Wichita State’s course evaluation tool.

Today’s focus is on the basic timeline.

• The CES administrator programs the pre-determined dates for each process. This pre-determined schedule cannot be modified.
• The CES tasks are sent at midnight on the scheduled start date and will end at 11:59 p.m. on the scheduled end date.
• The manage course process for instructors: Instructors have 10 days from notification of the opt-out window to delete courses from CES.
• CES evaluations will be open for students for varying lengths of time, depending upon the length of the course term:
  • Fall and spring one-week to four-week courses: Two days
  • Fall and spring five-week to 16+ week courses: 10 days
  • Summer one- and two-week courses: Two days
  • Summer four-week to 10+ week courses: Seven days
• Current CES Results will be available at the end of the semester. Results will continue to remain accessible afterwards.
  • The availability date will be the Friday after grades are due to the Registrar.
• A full timeline with specific dates is on the website. These dates will also appear as separate posts in WSU Today, with emphasis on the most relevant information for a specific date.   
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

For questions, contact Sandra Ranney at evaluations@ces.wichita.edu.