Category: Faculty and Staff Resources

The Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence (FARE) will have two opportunities to catalyze summer research productivity for faculty.

May faculty writing retreat and watch party for the Academic Resources Conference

• There will be two rooms available — one that will be streaming Academic Resources Conference sessions and another for quiet working. Go back and forth as you’d like.
• 9 a.m.-4 p.m. May 20-22
• Choose from half days (morning or afternoon) or full days
• Snacks, lunch and beverages provided
• RSVP by May 13

Summer Writing Group 

• Every Wednesday in June and July
• Choose from half days (9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.) or full days (9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a lunch break noon-1)
• FARE will provide snacks and beverages, and you bring your own lunch.
• Tell FARE if you’re interested to help determine the best location for the group.

Email fare@wichita.edu with any questions, or come by the FARE Office at 112 Jardine Hall.

The Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence (FARE) wants to celebrate WSU faculty. Join the FARE Office from 4 to 5:15 p.m. May 13 in 233 Rhatigan Student Center, Santa Fe Trail Room, to celebrate the end of the spring semester with finger foods, charcuterie, desserts, wine and beer with colleagues as participants hear briefly from FARE’s first group of Mutual Mentoring Grant awardees about their projects for the coming year.

RSVP by completing this brief form by May 7 so organizers can get a headcount for food.

Student Health Services is offering current WSU faculty and staff the ability to schedule their HealthQuest physical exam and lab work April 1 through July 31.

If you do not have a primary care provider and currently have private insurance through your employment with WSU, call to schedule your appointment with Student Health providers at 316-978-4792.

The HR Total Rewards team reminds staff and faculty that the deadline for summer 2025 Tuition Assistance applications is Tuesday, April 15.

Reminder: Tuition Assistance applications for summer 2025 are submitted through the online application form.

Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied, with no exceptions.

Full program details can be found at wichita.edu/tuitionassistance. Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

Faculty, it’s time to submit fall 2025 textbook information to the Shocker Store.

• The book order due date for fall courses is April 15.
• The latest Access Now requests will be accepted is June 30.

Verba Collect will send out customized emails to faculty and department coordinators with a unique link that logs you into a walk-through process without any need for username or password. Book orders will also be accepted via email (lisa.fitzsimmons@wichita.edu), in person (RSC Shocker Store) or campus mail (box 55).

Those planning on using open resource materials can indicate that on their order as well and flag the course as such so the information can be made available to students.

For any questions or concerns, contact the Shocker Store at shockerstore.books@wichita.edu or 316-978-7032.

The Urban Adult Learner Institute (UALI) is an online professional development program designed to equip faculty, staff and administrators with tools to support adult learners at urban institutions.

Through self-paced modules (one to two hours each), you’ll explore research-backed strategies, earn four digital badges and achieve Adult Learner Advocate certification.

WSU faculty and staff can enroll for free (normally $500) using the code USUMEMBER2025 at uali.thinkific.com. Use your WSU email to verify affiliation.

This is an opportunity to strengthen support for adult learners. Become certified Adult Learner Advocates to ensure that adult learners receive the support they need to thrive.

For questions, contact Jimmy McClellan at jmcclellanjr@aplu.org. You can also email Pam O’Neal, who previously completed all four modules, at pamela.oneal@wichita.edu

Faculty need one another. The Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence (FARE) wants to help create the space for that support to happen by launching our Faculty Support Network. Join the FARE Office in April for:

• A Faculty Support Network discussion on navigating the current political environment as a faculty member, facilitated by Dr. Rhonda Lewis, professor and graduate coordinator of psychology, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 in 102C McKinley Hall.
• FARE Open House Coffee Hour from 9 to 10 a.m. every Friday in April in 112 Jardine Hall. The office is stocked with coffee, tea, soda and snacks. Drop by any Friday morning in April to meet colleagues and check out the new office.

It seems like there are numerous digital platforms with profiles to keep updated, but which are really needed for what you want to accomplish? If your goal is to build a research network and create collaborations (inside or outside WSU), the FARE Faculty Exchange workshop is for you.

The workshop will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. April 18 in 266 Rhatigan Student Center, Pike Room.

• Hear from Fran Cook, Office of Research, about updating your ORCID profile to update your Pivot. You may think about Pivot as being just for grants, but it can also be a powerful tool for networking with other researchers and finding mentors.
• Learn the how and why of updating your WSU faculty profile and LinkedIn to build industry partnerships and to make your work visible to foundations, other researchers and media.
• As with every FARE event, you’ll also get to hear from faculty peers what has worked for them in building research partnerships.
• Bring your laptop and updated CV to make the best use of the time.

Spend three days of your spring break working in a peaceful setting, free from distractions of everyday life, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 18-20 in the lower level of Ablah Library. Come and go to the retreat as needed.

The writing retreat offers faculty members:

• A chance to focus on their research and writing projects, with ample time and space to delve deep into their work.
• Morning coffee/tea, lunch, and afternoon soda and snacks provided.
• The motivation and camaraderie (and positive peer pressure) of surrounding yourself with people who are leveraging the teaching break to make research/writing progress.

Attend one of the FARE office’s Mutual Mentoring information sessions to learn how to submit proposals for funding collaborative, peer-driven professional development.​

Unlike traditional one-on-one mentoring, Mutual Mentoring groups are peer networks that focus on shared learning and collective growth. ​

Upcoming information sessions:​

• 9:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24 virtually via Teams (meeting link​)
• 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 virtually via Teams (meeting link​)
• 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 in person in 203 Rhatigan Student Center, Lancelot Room

​The sessions are sponsored by the National Science Foundation, FARE office, Academic Affairs and the Office of Research​