Category: Featured Stories

Dean Rodney Miller will retire in June following 19 years leading the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University.

During his tenure, the School of Digital Arts was created and enrollment in the college has grown to over 1,000 students. Working with the Foundation and Alumni Engagement office, the college scholarship/fellowship funds have reached $1 million in annual awards to College of Fine Arts students.

“Rodney’s forward-thinking vision for the School of Digital Arts embraced digital transformation and innovation as a means to amplify the talents and creativity of students and faculty in the College of Fine Arts,” said Dr. Shirley Lefever, provost and executive vice president of Wichita State. “WSU has benefited greatly from his leadership and vision. His legacy will impact many generations to come.”

Wichita State University’s women’s athletics prospered over the past 20 years as a series of coaching hires, facility improvements and budget upgrades lifted them into regular contention for conference titles and NCAA play.

Shocker softball is enjoying its greatest success with five NCAA regional appearances under coach Kristi Bredbenner since 2016. On Sunday, the Shockers earned their third straight regional bid and will play Nebraska at 6 p.m. Friday in Stillwater, Okla.

Senior shortstop Sydney McKinney joins the list of female student-athletes who highlight the success of the past two decades – people such as Olympic distance runner Aliphine Tuliamuk, volleyball stars such as Chelsey Feekin and Abbie Lehman and basketball’s Alex Harden.

McKinney’s leadership isn’t limited to the field. Teammates love her enthusiasm and positive outlook, as well as her devotion to coffee, pets and painting. She is a criminal justice major from Norborne, Missouri. She plans to attend law school, with an eye on working in Title IX law, after working as a graduate assistant for the softball team.

Wichita State students wanting to earn a degree in American Sign Language will be able to make progress toward that goal starting fall 2023, when WSU launches a Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language.

Shockers will be able to tailor the Bachelor of Arts in ASL to their interests and needs by choosing one of three tracks: The Structure of Language; Language and Culture in Context; or Interpreting Methods.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) hosted grand opening ceremonies May 8 for its National Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence located on the Innovation Campus.

The National Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence will be the leader and model for training; providing the most effective investigative techniques and technical applications and the newest systems using crime gun intelligence for law enforcement agencies throughout the nation.

Wichita State’s focus on digital transformation, industry and government agency engagement and commitment to applied learning initially garnered the attention of the ATF. Through the relationship with WSU and with its presence on campus, ATF will have the opportunity to benefit from engagement with university laboratories, researchers and students through applied learning and research collaboration.

The National Center of Excellence will house a second National Correlation and Training Center for the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, the only national network that allows for the 3-D imaging and comparison of ballistic evidence recovered from crime scenes.

Wichita State’s College of Health Professions and Ascension Via Christi’s Wichita hospitals announced today the creation of a strategic initiative to provide a critical pipeline of qualified health care professionals to the region.

Through the affiliation, Ascension Via Christi’s hospitals will provide office and classroom space to Wichita State’s College of Health Professions’ School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences, expanding WSU students’ close access to working health care professionals directly in the hospital setting.

Additionally, the affiliation will provide a framework for WSU and Ascension Via Christi to help fuel the pipeline of trained health care professionals entering the field and further enhance professional growth opportunities for current and future Ascension Via Christi associates and WSU students.

The $19.85 million Wilkins Stadium renovation plan represents a commitment to Shocker softball and its continued impact on the university. Shocker Athletics and WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement teams are partnering to lead the effort.

The renovation will address critical facility needs, creating an indoor practice space, team facility, press box and elevated seating areas. This world-class facility will be capable of hosting AAC conference championships and NCAA regional and super regional championships, supporting the competitive growth Shocker softball has worked hard to achieve.

When Alissa Haddock joined the Wichita State University Strategic Communications team as an intern in spring 2022, it was abundantly clear that she possessed outstanding talent as a graphic artist. What wasn’t as apparent was her lifelong battle with her health.

A few months into her internship, her outward façade started to reflect her internal health struggles: Her skin and eyes took on a yellow hue, and her demeanor and the dark circles under her eyes suggested that she was someone who was just bone tired.

Today, as she creates and collaborates from her desk in Morrison Hall, she is positively glowing inside and out with renewed vigor and enthusiasm — not just for her job, but for life — all because of a new liver, thanks to her cousin’s selfless donation.

The state of Kansas has allocated $4.2 million from the state’s budget (House Bill 2184) to Wichita State for need-based aid.

The funding will be targeted toward providing need-based scholarships to Pell-eligible Kansas students admitted to start at WSU this fall. Priority will be given to students admitted by May 1 with eligible FAFSA on file.

The $4.2 million allocated to Wichita State was the largest amount given to any Regents university —a reflection of the volume of need-based students WSU has compared to other institutions.

The first-come, first-served scholarships will be provided to expand the Shocker Promise Scholarship to more under-resourced students from Kansas high schools. Scholarships cover any remaining tuition/fee costs, as well as a partial housing scholarship.

To be eligible, students must be:

• Admitted as a new WSU student for fall 2023
• A Kansas Resident
• Pell eligible with a family income at or below $50,000
• Minimum 2.5 high school GPA
• Be accepted and enrolled at WSU by June 1, 2023

If you know any students who fit the above criteria, please guide them to wichita.edu/shockerpromise for more information. 

While writing is a vital part of studies and careers in science, the skills required for scientific writing are sometimes overlooked.

BioKansas, a non-profit focused on supporting the biosciences in Kansas and the surrounding region, aims to help students with those skills. Five Wichita State students are participating in the year-long BioKansas Scientific Writing Scholars program.

More than 2,200 Shockers are eligible for graduation in spring 2023. They hail from 29 states, 48 countries and six continents. As they leave the Wichita State University campus, they will share the story of Shocker Nation through their work as engineers, artists, teachers, scientists and leaders. Here’s what some of our graduates have to say about their time at Wichita State and their futures.