Category: Featured Stories

For a second year, Wichita State will show off its unique cultural and educational assets while welcoming the community to campus during Open Streets ICT – WSU and Shocker Neighborhood on April 14. 

Open Streets ICT is a community-building event on a closed street, intended to promote healthy active living and social engagement. The event is free and open to the public. 

Ava Wilkie, senior at Wichita East High School, is the winner of the 2024 Lenora N. McGregor Endowed Scholarship at Wichita State University.

The Lenora N. McGregor Endowed 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.

Suspenders4Hope, a program developed at Wichita State University, is highlighting different departments and individuals on campus who are advocates for mental health in hopes that their stories will inspire others to continue supporting one another in the community.

The WSU School of Social Work (SSW) is being recognized for its support of the mental health of students, faculty, staff and health care professionals.

Four undergraduate students from Wichita State University were among the 18 students recognized at the 22nd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium in Manhattan, Kansas.

The WSU students who were recognized:

• Yousaf Khan, senior in chemistry
• Alia Michaelis, senior in biochemistry
• Bao Nhu To, junior in biology and health science
• Julie Tran, junior in chemistry

Dr. Valerie J. Thompson is an assistant professor Wichita State’s College of Applied Studies. Her experiences as a practitioner in higher education — and her lens as a Black woman scholar — help inform how she sees the world.

Black History Month provides an opportunity for contemplation, learning and raising awareness about the extensive and varied history of the Black community. Wichita State is embracing the rich tapestry of history and heritage by highlighting some of the amazing Black educators who make a difference in students’ lives every day.

Robert E. Weems Jr. is a faculty member in WSU’s History Department and is the Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History. Weems says African American history is troubling but also demonstrates the resilience of Black Americans.

“As someone who came of age during the late 1960s, over the years as a history professor, I have sought to contribute to the knowledge base associated with the African American experience” Weems said.

Black History Month provides an opportunity for contemplation, learning and raising awareness about the extensive and varied history of the Black community. Wichita State is embracing the rich tapestry of history and heritage by highlighting some of the amazing Black educators who make a difference in students’ lives every day.

Dr. Rhonda Lewis is a professor of psychology at Wichita State University. She says her identity as a Black individual has influenced everything she does in her work as an instructor and researcher.

Black History Month provides an opportunity for contemplation, learning and raising awareness about the extensive and varied history of the Black community. Wichita State is embracing the rich tapestry of history and heritage by highlighting some of the amazing Black educators who make a difference in students’ lives every day.

Ten high school students from Kansas, Missouri and Texas have been awarded the Koch Scholarship at Wichita State University, starting in the fall 2024 semester.

Each scholar each will be awarded $30,000 to attend WSU over four years.

Fall 2024 Koch Scholarship:

• Alexander Baird, Campus High School, electrical engineering (Haysville, Kansas)
• Samir Barraza, Colby High School, computer science
• Carson Brewer, Andover Central High School, computer science
• Tyler Casely-Hayford, Stephen F. Austin High School (Richmond, Texas), mechanical engineering
• Mayce Cashman, Andale High School, finance
• Sophie Clarke, Eisenhower High School, computer science
• Kayla Gann, Smithville High School (Smithville, Missouri), accounting
• Jack Rue, Wichita Northwest High School, computer engineering
• Israel Torres, Wichita Northeast Magnet High School, mechanical engineering
• Erin Vance, Wichita Trinity Academy, mechanical engineering

From the center of campus to downtown Wichita, Wichita State University’s footprint continues to grow and offer new opportunities for students and our community. As the spring semester rolls on, you will notice ongoing and new construction across our 330 acres and beyond.

Projects currently under way:

• Renderings released for Wichita Biomedical Campus
• Shocker Success Center
• Ablah Library
• Wichita State Connect
• Parking Services
• Millie Marcus Annex 
• Intensive English Center + Annex 
• NIAR Hub for Advanced Manufacturing Research (HAMR) 
• University Stadium (formerly Cessna Stadium)
• Wilkins Stadium 

Lexi Jensen enjoys the amenities available in Wichita and the campus environment and academic offerings at Wichita State University. In her first months on campus, she dove into activities such as rowing and the Immersive Leadership Institute.

Shockers come from all over, and students from selected major metropolitan areas in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas may be eligible to receive regular in-state tuition at Wichita State. Read what some out-of-state students have to say about why they chose WSU — and Wichita — as their new home.