Category: Featured Stories

As we head into the summer season, you’ll notice ongoing and new construction across Wichita State’s 330 acres and beyond.

Corbin Education Center

The phased move back into Corbin Education Center has begun.

Esports, College of Applied Studies Advising, faculty and staff are back in the building.

Classrooms will remain closed throughout the summer and the building is anticipated to be fully occupied in the fall. The building has been under repair following a chilled water line break in the basement mechanical room in 2024.

University Stadium Phase 1A/1B

Construction is wrapping up on Phase 1A on the east side of University Stadium (formerly Cessna Stadium) in time for Wichita State to host the 2025 KSHSAA State Track and Field Championship May 30-31.

This first phase of construction includes bleacher seating, a pavilion building with ticketing, restrooms and concessions as well as a plaza and parking lot between the stadium and Devlin Hall.

Phase 1B will begin in June and will consist of widening the field to hold a regulation-sized artificial turf soccer field and installing a nine-lane track.

Wilkins Stadium

Construction is almost complete on the indoor softball practice facility adjacent to Wilkins Stadium. Inside the building is a netted softball infield that is divisible into batting and pitching practice areas.

McKnight Art Center

Construction is underway for ventilation upgrades on the second floor of McKnight North. Work is scheduled to finish by the fall of 2025.

Brennan I, II and III demolitions

Demolition of the three buildings is planned for summer 2025. TRIO/Upward Bound staff are in the process of moving to their new home in Grace Wilkie Hall/Grace Wilkie Annex.

Parking lot/sidewalk/Parking Garage maintenance

Maintenance and repairs are planned for multiple parking lots/sidewalks throughout campus over the summer as well as scheduled maintenance for the parking garage south of the RSC. Specific closure dates will be posted in WSU Today.

Ablah Library

Repairs are underway on the basement level to replace flooring damaged by the flooding in the spring. Look for announcements from the library on the status of the project.

Grace Wilkie Hall/Grace Wilkie Annex roof replacement

A roof replacement project is scheduled for the summer of 2025. Fencing will be installed around the perimeter of the building as work progresses.

RSC bowling remodel

Construction is underway in the basement of the RSC to create offices and a team room for the women’s bowling team. The project is anticipated to be complete by the end of the summer.

Shocker Studios expansion

Construction is underway for an expansion for Shocker Studios located at WSU South on Harry Street. The project will create four new classrooms and additional office space for the growing SODA program. The project will be complete in time for fall classes.

NIAR Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and Research

Construction on the NIAR HAMR building continues to progress. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

The 170,000-square-foot building is partly funded by an EDA grant and will house advanced manufacturing research labs and associated offices.

The building is located on Innovation Boulevard between the Partnership Building 1 and The Suites. The first floor is primarily labs with offices on the second floor.

Partnership Building 3B

P3B, located between Partnership Building 3 and The Smart Factory by Deloitte @Wichita, is under construction. It will house the Forensic Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

One coach is synonymous with building Wichita State University baseball into a power. This spring, his name is given proper places of honor in the stadium he helped turn from dream into one of the sport’s showplaces.

Earlier this month, “Gene Stephenson Park” was added to Eck Stadium, home of Tyler Field, at a ceremony and unveiling. On Friday, May 16, his jersey No. 10 will be recognized on the stadium’s Wall of Honor in left field before the 6 p.m. game vs. Memphis.

“Build it, he did,” WSU athletic director Kevin Saal said at the unveiling ceremony for the sign on the Eck Stadium facade. “He built a lot of something. He built decades of something from nothing.”

Creating two hours of a dramatic production on stage at Wichita State’s Wilner Auditorium can take long hours and weeks of work.

WSU students charged with that behind-the-scenes labor now earn more money for their time and expertise, thanks to State of Kansas Applied Learning Funds. Twenty-three students are paid to work in more types of career-focused jobs, such as social media, costumes, fund-raising, lighting and scenes in the School of Performing Arts — all while still earning their degree.

The paid applied learning allows the School of Performing Arts to boost its student workforce and increase their pay. Paid positions in this field, said Cheyla Clawson, director, School of Performing Arts said, are usually at a low pay rate and are hard to find outside the university.

Wichita State, WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) and Wichita Public Schools (WPS) have announced a new partnership designed to strengthen the region’s teacher workforce through the launch of the Future Teacher Academy and a 2+2 pathway program.

This innovative partnership offers WPS graduates a seamless route to earn their teaching licensure. Students will complete two years at WSU Tech in the paraeducator program, then transfer to Wichita State for two additional years, all while gaining hands-on experience as paraeducators in local classrooms.

“Developing a strong, local teacher workforce is critical to the future of our region,” President Rick Muma said. “Through this partnership, we’re investing in students who will have a lasting impact on the future success of our schools and our community.”

Tayana Martin, a junior majoring in sport and leadership studies with a minor in sign language, is gaining hands-on experience as an operations specialist with Ennovar at Wichita State. A lifelong Wichitan, Tayana supports student hiring and corporate partnerships while building skills that will serve her well after graduation.

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.

Wichita State outfielder Lauren Lucas started college planning to work on the business side of professional sports. Five years later, she plans to coach softball in college.

She changed course in part due to a shoulder injury that took her off the field and into the dugout as a coach.

In the summer of 2023, she helped coach a youth team in Texas while she took time off from playing to rest her shoulder. In 2024, shoulder surgery sidelined her during Wichita State’s season. She dove into a role as an unofficial assistant coach, specializing in hitting.

Both roles taught her that she enjoyed working with young people and wanted to stay in the game. WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner and associate head coach Elizabeth Economon endorsed the plan.

“I had a conversation with Coach B last year,” Lucas said. “She said ‘You have to coach. I know you. You have to coach.’ If one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for thinks I would be a great coach, that speaks volumes to me.”

When the email notification popped up, Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, professor of biological sciences, thought there must have been a mistake. It must have been for someone else at the university or perhaps another Mary Liz at a different university.

Once the shock wore away, Jameson realized it was true: She had been elected to the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Fellows, class of 2024, for her integrated work on entomology.

AAAS Fellows are elected for their accomplishments across multiple disciplines and fields in areas such as research and teaching. Among all the universities represented in the 2024 class, Wichita State University, an R2 institution, is surrounded by a sea of R1 institutions, as classified by the Carnegie classification.

Wichita State has appointed Dr. Sarah Beth Estes as the new dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Estes brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to student and faculty success.

Estes joins WSU from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she served as dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education. During her tenure, she has led initiatives to enhance inclusive excellence, expand faculty research and align academic programs with workforce needs. Her leadership was instrumental in advancing student success and fostering a collaborative academic environment.

“I am honored to join the distinguished faculty, dedicated staff and innovative programs of Fairmount College,” Estes said. “The college’s long-standing tradition of excellence has been essential in shaping the future of Wichita State University and continues to be a driving force behind key initiatives, including the expansion of applied learning opportunities, the growth of the Innovation Campus and the Wichita Biomedical Campus, and the pursuit of R-1 status.”

Rowers endure hundreds of early morning hours on the river, sore muscles, blisters and long road trips in pursuit of a burst of rhythm.

For Wichita State’s rowing team in 1981, hard work, repetition and commitment came together at the perfect time at one of the sport’s most prestigious races. On May 9 that year, Wichita State’s women’s varsity four won the national rowing title at the Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuykill River in Philadelphia.

Lori (Anderson) Heger remembers the feeling in the racing shell and the music their oars and bodies created that day.

“It was unbelievable, honestly,” she said. “They say it’s like frying eggs on the hull of the boat. If you get rowing together well enough there’s like a crackling sound. I can remember we had that, and we were swinging together.”

Shocker Rowing, founded in 1975, will celebrate its 50th anniversary April 26-27 with activities honoring the history of the program at Wichita State.

Students from Wichita State University’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences got the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in their fields at the annual Kansas Academy of Science (KAS) and Central States Entomological Society (CSES) meetings April 4-5 at Friends University.

Among the students who presented, two groups were awarded first place honors for their research:

• Brooks Hartsock — graduate student in physics with Dr. Nick Solomey, professor of physics — was awarded $300 for best oral presentation by a grad student.
• Vee Disbro, junior; Syd Downey, junior; Melissa Hernández, senior; and Leónidas Reyes, senior — with Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, professor of biological sciences — were awarded $150 for best poster presentation from CSES.

Additionally, the following students presented their research at the annual meeting:

Oral presentations:

• Mason Moore, senior with Dr. Leland Russell, professor of biological sciences
• Tiffany Bass, graduate student with Russell
• Jonathan Folkerts, graduate student in physics

Posters:

• Daniel Reichart, senior with Solomey
• Theophilus Eshun, graduate student with Dr. Mark Schneegurt, professor of biological sciences
• Ethan Higginbotham, a recent graduate in physics and mathematics