Category: Featured Stories

The September 2022 issue of the Research & Innovation Newsletter is now available. In this issue, learn more about WSU being awarded $51 million to advance smart manufacturing, how COVID research at WSU will inform the design of antiviral drugs and how WSU recently received $1 million in funding to assist local small businesses.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, Wichita State will host the 52nd observance of Memorial ’70, the annual ceremony that honors the 31 WSU football players, administrators and supporters who died in a 1970 plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. It will take place at the Memorial near 18th and Hillside.

Members of the public are invited to attend.

A wreath will be placed at the base of Memorial ’70, and there will be a time of remembrance to acknowledge the changes that the plane crash made in the lives of the victims, their families, their friends and the university.

More than 50 years after a plane crash killed 31 people on the way to a Wichita State football game, there are still more stories to tell from that tragic day. Diana Krestel – whose husband was a member of WSU’s football team in 1970 — recently compiled and designed three scrapbooks that tell the story of college, loss of life and living with the aftermath of the Oct. 2, 1970 crash.

“It was a very traumatic experience for a bunch of 18-, 19-, and 20- year-olds who thought everything was hunky dory, and then all of a sudden, tragedy strikes,” she said. “We all grew up and we really bonded together.”

Scott Redler, co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, is the newest member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.

“Wichita has been my home for decades and I’ve seen the amazing opportunities this city and its commitment to entrepreneurship has provided,” said Redler. “The Barton School is key to fostering that entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Redler’s acumen for business, entrepreneurship and hospitality is unparalleled,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business. “Over his career, he has been instrumental in the creation of 19 different restaurant concepts. That level of creativity and tenacity will prove to be invaluable to the Barton School.”

He is a restaurant operator to his core – starting at the age of 15 in St. Louis. He earned a degree in restaurant and hotel management. After graduation, he managed many restaurants, including a five-star restaurant, and started numerous concepts of his own. With a majority sale of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers (400 locations) in early 2021, Redler sits on the board of Freddy’s and has formed Redler Hospitality, and is assisting other companies around the country.

In 2002, Redler launched Freddy’s along with his business partners Bill, Randy and Freddy Simon. After franchising in 2004, Freddy’s has grown to nearly 450 locations serving 36 states across the nation. Redler also has other restaurant ownership stakes in restaurants including a BBQ Concept in Kansas City.

He also serves on the Board of the National Restaurant Association and has served for multiple years for the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association. He is currently vice chair of the National Restaurant Association and is in line for chair in 2023.

“Scott has been extremely successful in entrepreneurship and in building something great from the ground up,” said Margaret Dechant, chair of the Dean Advisory Board. “I look forward to Scott joining our Board.”

The Dean’s Advisory Board, which consists of 50 diverse industry leaders from around the world, works to advance the mission and strategic priorities of the Barton School through strengthening, enriching, and enhancing the student experience.

Richard Dinkel, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Koch Industries, Inc., has been named to the Dean’s Advisory Board of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. Dinkel becomes one of 50 diverse industry leaders from around the country.

“As an alumnus of this wonderful school, it is an honor to join the Dean’s Advisory Board,” said Dinkel. “I hope to impart the principles that have shaped me throughout my life to help transform the Barton School.”

“The Dean’s Advisory Board is pivotal to the success of the Barton School,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business. “By tapping into the knowledge and insights that Richard and our other members have, we can revolutionize our college and community.”

The Dean’s Advisory Board works to advance the mission and strategic priorities of the Barton School through strengthening, enriching and enhancing the student experience. Dinkel’s expertise in finance and progressive industries such as analytics and information technologies will be an asset to the team.

“Richard’s business acumen, commitment to excellence, and experiences at Koch will be invaluable to our group and I welcome him aboard,” Margaret Dechant, chair of the Dean Advisory Board.

As the CFO, Dinkel has responsibility for Koch’s finance functions including accounting, tax, treasury, risk and IT in addition to Koch’s Global Services group. Dinkel has more than 30 years of experience in finance and accounting operations for large companiesand is also a certified public accountant. 

Dinkel serves on the board of directors of Flint Hills Resources, Guardian Industries, Georgia Pacific, INVISTA, Molex, Koch Global Services, and JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) of Missouri and Kansas. He has also served as a board member of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Salvation Army and the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Dinkel is a past member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board advisory committee.

For the past two years, Krista Ward, Wichita State alumna and researcher, has conducted research at the privately owned Youngmeyer Ranch in Elk County, located about an hour from Wichita. 

Youngmeyer Ranch is owned by the Youngmeyer Trust, which has granted Wichita State research and educational access to the property. The research facility cost approximately $2 million to build and was paid for entirely by donors. Hutton designed and constructed the building.

The 3,400-square-foot building also includes a large garage and storage space where researchers can park vehicles and stow equipment. This feature permits a considerable amount of time and effort to be redirected to research work.  

This month’s issue of Forward Together starts off with a message from President Rick Muma about how Wichita State fits into the New University model. Additional items include the following:

• The importance of faculty and staff to support students’ success
• The transformation of Clinton Hall into the Shocker Success Center
• The groundbreaking for the Millie Marcus Annex at the Marcus Welcome Center

The Wichita State University Board of Trustees approved funding for the first two phases of the renovation of Cessna Stadium last week. The timing of the demolition and renovation will be scheduled to avoid interruption of high school and Wichita State track and field meets.

When completed, the new university stadium will accommodate more than 10,000 spectators and include an 8-lane track and space for a soccer field.The stadium opened in 1946 as Veterans Stadium and was expanded and renamed Cessna Stadium in 1969.

Basil Hourani, co-founder and former CEO of Pulse Systems Inc. and co-founder and executive partner of Capital7, has been named as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University for the fall 2022 semester.

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program was established in 2021 to provide essential collaboration and outside industry knowledge to Barton School students, faculty and the Wichita community.

Brian Umbenhauer and Geoff Tuff, principals at Deloitte, are joining forces to become the joint Executives-in-Residence at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University for the fall 2022 semester.  

The Executive-in-Residence program was established last year to provide Barton School students, faculty and the Wichita community with vital perspectives and knowledge from industry leaders.