Category: Featured Stories

As the College of Applied Studies at Wichita State marks its centennial, it is honoring its origins by returning to its original name: the College of Education. The name change took effect March 1 and coincides with the college’s 100th year. The update reflects the college’s historical identity and its current academic focus on education and related professional fields.

As part of the transition, the School of Education will become the School of Teaching and Learning, and the department formerly known as Intervention Services and Leadership in Education (ISLE) will be renamed Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology (CLES).

Academic programs, degrees and faculty remain unchanged.

Samara Langley, a Colegio del Sol (Asunción, Paraguay) graduate, is the winner of the 2026 Lenora N. McGregor Endowed Scholarship at Wichita State.

The McGregor Scholarship awards up to $26,000 over four years to an incoming freshman student who has demonstrated academic excellence, has an academic vision for the future and who expresses an interest in advancing knowledge through individual learning. The McGregor Scholar agrees to maintain active membership in WSU’s Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College.

Samara has one younger brother, Ian, and is the daughter of Bettina Idoyaga and Matthew Langley (deceased). Ten years ago, Samara moved from Wichita to Asunción with her mom and brother. Samara sees the return to Wichita as a transformative experience.

“I expect to be challenged not just academically, but personally — by new ways of thinking, diverse perspectives and experiences that push me out of my comfort zone,” said Samara.

Wichita State is proud to announce a transformative $1 million gift from an anonymous 1958 graduate of the University of Wichita to support need-based scholarships in the Barton School of Business.

This gift will directly benefit students who face financial challenges — particularly first-generation students — who make up nearly half of Wichita State’s enrollment. On average, first-generation students receive less financial support from their families and are more likely to rely on private loans to fund their education. Currently, 46% of Wichita State’s undergraduate student population are first-generation college students, highlighting the importance of private financial support.

“Ensuring access and affordability is a promise to our students,” President Rick Muma said. “This gift, alongside the generosity of countless alumni and donors, is a profound reminder that our students’ success goes further with the support of Shocker Nation behind them.”

Wichita State has selected the top 12 finalists in the annual Distinguished Scholarship Invitational (DSI):

• Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural High School
• Mackenzie Bucl, Mckinney Boyd High School (Texas)
• Noah DeVault, Derby High School
• Natalie Gillogly, Leavenworth High School
• Ana Huerta, Augusta High School
• Oshada Koralegedara, Wichita High School East
• Kayden Lankford, Valley Center High School
• Samantha McClintock, Central Christian Academy (Wichita)
• Omar Mousa, Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
• Grace Oard, Maize South High School
• Dulce Torres Gonzalez, Wichita High School Northwest
• Julian Walker, E.A. Young Academy (Texas)

The Gore Scholars winners will be announced at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30 in the Marcus Welcome Center. All finalists will receive competitive scholarship packages to attend Wichita State in fall 2026.

The renovation of Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium into University Stadium took a big step forward Jan. 8 when the WSU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to invest $38 million into Phase 2 of the project.

Phase 2 will begin after the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships May 29-30 with demolition of the west grandstand in June.

“We would like to thank the Board of Trustees for their investment in making University Stadium a state-of-the-art venue for Shocker track and field and the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships,” Director of Athletics Kevin Saal said. “University Stadium is a tremendous asset to Wichita State University, the community of Wichita and the state of Kansas as we improve the university’s ability to host Kansas’ top high school athletes. This renovation also enhances Wichita State’s potential to recruit a wide range of championship and external events — including but not limited to national track and field competition — to Wichita.”

Dr. Ali P. Gordon has been named as the next dean of the Wichita State University College of Engineering, effective June 7.

Gordon currently serves as a professor and the associate dean of graduate affairs at the University of Central Florida’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, a role he took as interim in 2018 before being appointed in 2019. During his tenure, Gordon has overseen over 30 graduate programs and 2,500 graduate students, and he architected the college’s strategic internationalization plan.

“Wichita State University is already a recognized powerhouse for engineering, computing, applied learning and research,” Gordon said. “As we strive for R1 status, the College of Engineering will be a key contributor to the transformation. With our talented students, distinguished faculty, dedicated staff and fully engaged industry partners already in place, achieving a bold new vision for this college is well within our reach. It is a privilege to lead the College of Engineering, and together we will author its next great chapter.”

Wichita State University was recently named a partner in a $14 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to join the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Great Plains Hub.

The I-Corps program prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory to increase the economic and societal impact of NSF-funded and other basic research projects. The first Wichita State cohort will begin Sept. 15.

“This partnership gives students, faculty, staff and the Wichita community at large the opportunity to explore their idea more practically and learn how to talk to potential customers,” said Sherry (Gegen) Whitson, program director for WSU Strategic Initiatives. “I believe it will help build on our innovation ecosystem.”

Wichita State has released the list of the over 1,950 Shockers who graduated in spring 2025. View the list of Kansas graduates and the list of national and international graduates.

Overall, graduates completed a total of 2,122 degrees — 1,430 undergraduate degrees and certificates and 692 graduate degrees and certificates — with 336 honored as cum laude, 425 honored as magna cum laude and 108 honored as summa cum laude.

Additionally, you can see the names of the 3,710 students included in the spring 2025 semester Dean’s Honor Roll list. To be included on the honor roll, students must be a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours) and have at least a 3.5 grade point average on the 4.0 scale.

Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has been granted a patent for a newly developed composite inspection robot.

The machine, dubbed VISION, is an autonomous and semi-autonomous cell for inspecting composite parts, and verifying and facilitating part repairs. VISION, the main industrial robot carrying out the inspections, automatically attaches to a set of interchangeable inspection and repair end effectors to carry out its processes.

For other features, the cell can be equipped with fixtures for supporting rotorcraft and rotating blades, and over time, a software applicant can use past inspection data to train the machine to recognize damage to composite parts based on inspection images.

Wichita State’s commitment to fostering innovation is transforming high-potential student research into real-world impact. A compelling example is Shocker Composites, a startup founded by Vamsidhar (Vamsi) Patlolla, a former Ph.D. student at Wichita State. The company is pioneering recycling of composites and manufacturing parts with 100% sustainable materials that are lasting longer in the field thanks to innovation born in the lab and powered by university support.