From the President

President Muma speaking into microphone. A message from President Muma.

Investing in our faculty and staff

Dear colleagues,

I wanted to provide an update on pay and benefits. As you may remember, we communicated earlier in the semester that the Kansas Legislature approved $1.8 million for our FY26 compensation plan from the State General Fund. This money, in addition to an approximately $1.5 million from the rest of the university’s budget — for a total of $3.3 million investment in compensation — will be used to fund market-based pay adjustments in FY26.

Wichita State’s Market-Based Compensation (MBC) program is a comprehensive compensation plan focused on creating internal and external pay equity and a cornerstone of our campus culture strategy. This year, we established the following MBC goals:

For staff members

We want to ensure all staff are brought to the minimum of their FY26 pay range.
Adjust pay for prioritized staff jobs to move them closer to the appropriate quartile within their pay range.

For faculty members

Bring faculty salaries to the newly established floor/minimum base salary.
Faculty who were promoted for FY26 have been prioritized for additional market adjustment analysis. Once this analysis has been completed, any changes will be applied retroactively to the beginning of the FY26 appointment.
- In addition, the promotional amount for tenure track and non-tenure track faculty earning a promotion or professor incentive review was increased to a flat rate for all promotions. The tiered promotional amounts have been eliminated.

Managers will communicate the details of these pay changes to their respective employees throughout June. Employees who will receive an MBC pay increase will see it reflected in the paycheck dated July 3, 2025, for the pay period of June 8, 2025, through June 21, 2025.

In addition to pay, WSU is committed to consistent improvement to health benefits for all employees. To that end, through our state partnership, the university has covered increases in health benefits for the past six years, resulting in no increase to employee premiums.

As we look back on this academic year, I want to thank each one of you for your hard work and commitment to our students and the success of every aspect of the university you touch.

Go Shockers!
President Rick Muma

President Muma congratulates spring 2025 graduates

Hello Shockers,

On behalf of all of us at Wichita State University, I extend our warmest congratulations for your achievements. Your hard work and dedication have brought you to this moment, and we couldn’t be prouder.

As you take the next step, know that everyone in Shocker Nation is proud of you, and we are rooting for your success every step of the way. And we are, of course, always ready to welcome you back. Whether it’s a visit, another degree or perhaps to cheer on the next generation of Shockers. Congratulations once again and best wishes for your future endeavors.

And join Wichita State for our spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, held on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 in Charles Koch Arena.

Go Shockers!

Update on current budget, legislative and federal developments

Dear Shocker family,

Higher education is undergoing profound change, and Wichita State is no exception. These shifts are reshaping how we support faculty, staff and students, allocate resources and organize our work. In the face of it all, our leadership team — Provost Monica Lounsbery and I included — are united in our commitment to be as transparent as possible, while remaining collaborative and caring for our people. This is the reason for this communication.

We’ve gained some clarity on the state budget following the legislative session. As Senior Vice President David Miller has shared, Wichita State will receive a 2.5% compensation pool increase for eligible positions funded through the state general fund. In addition, and like many public institutions, we’re navigating long-term pressures, including projected declining enrollment (especially international enrollment), increasing operating costs, flat state funding for base operations, and new obligations in athletics. This means we must be thoughtful stewards of every dollar we currently have and ones we will have access to next year.

Let me be clear: Our goal is to make budgetary changes through internal reallocations, handle any position adjustments through attrition, and move toward a standard university practice of efficiency and optimization, while implementing a moderate tuition increase. To facilitate this, we are examining all areas to improve efficiency and more fully optimize our base operations. For example, in Academic Affairs, we’re working to reduce the number of course sections that fall below an 80% fill rate. That’s part of a broader effort to optimize how we’re deploying our people. By working more efficiently, we can repurpose savings into areas such as compensation, growth and innovation.

These efforts are about operating with clarity and purpose. Wichita State must continue to adopt sound, salient business practices while staying true to what makes us a great place to learn and work. This will be an ongoing process that calls for transparency, trust and flexibility.

We are also responding to challenges beyond our budget, including multiple federal executive and state actions. Provost Lounsbery and I are in regular contact with each other and with federal and state leaders to advocate for our campus and uphold our responsibilities under the law. We convene with deans, institutional leaders and constituencies on a regular basis to discuss the latest developments and take actions as needed. If you are unaware of specific campus practices to address these challenges, please know that this does not mean they are going unaddressed. Be assured that various members of our campus community are providing strong support to anyone affected by the changing state and federal landscape.

In the midst of these complexities, we still find so much to celebrate, especially our students. The school year is nearly over, and we’re incredibly proud of the hard work of every student and the faculty and staff who continue to support them along the way. In all of this, we are reminded that our students are why we’re here.

I realize there is uncertainty as we adapt to changing realities. If needed, please reach out to your supervisor/director for assistance and additional support.

Finally, staying focused on our vision, mission, and core values is important in this moment. We know this approach works, so let’s keep trusting it and moving forward together.

Thank you for all you do for Wichita State and for one another.

Rick Muma
President

A message from the president: Navigating our financial future together

Dear Shocker community, 

I want to begin by thanking each of you for your continued dedication to Wichita State University, our students and the communities we serve. Your commitment and creativity are the reasons our institution continues to move forward with confidence — even in challenging times.

As we prepare for the upcoming fiscal year, I want to be transparent about our budget outlook and the realities we face. Like many public institutions across the country, we are navigating an increasingly complex financial landscape. We are seeing the effects of decreased credit hour production, national shifts in student enrollment — especially among out-of-state and international students — and broader changes occurring at the federal and state levels.

At the same time, we remain committed to the priorities that move Wichita State forward; 1) access and affordability, 2) fueling the talent pipeline and 3) increasing economic prosperity for our community. We are also committed to the advancement of our market-based compensation initiative. We must invest in the people who power our mission, and that investment will require us to make difficult but necessary choices.

While we are doing what we can to avoid broad reductions, I want to be candid: reductions will occur. We are currently projecting an overall budget shortfall of 4% to 5%. We are evaluating every possible avenue to close this gap responsibly, with an unwavering focus on minimizing impact to our Shocker community.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Intensified scrutiny of all budgetary expenditures and resource allocations to ensure alignment with strategic priorities.
Reallocation of existing budgets to support compensation, cover mandatory expense increases (benefits, contracts and scholarships), and absorb unexpected costs.
Careful monitoring of tuition and enrollment patterns. We are planning for a tuition rate increase of 3.9%, but it could be more, depending on final actions at the state level.
Assessment of ongoing financial obligations, including those related to the changing collegiate athletics landscape.

These measures may feel disruptive, but they are necessary to sustain the long-term health and competitiveness of our university. We will not sacrifice progress — especially in areas such as enrollment and student success, research growth and employee compensation — but we will make hard decisions, together, in service to our mission.

Our Shocker spirit has always been rooted in innovation, adaptability and community. As we’ve done before, we will meet this moment with resolve and unity.

Thank you for your continued partnership, insight and leadership as we take these next steps together.

President Rick Muma

Remembering those lost in the Jan. 29 plane crash

The crash of American Airlines 5342 has had a devastating and profound effect on many people and communities around the world. Here in Wichita – and at Wichita State University – it has sadly hit too close to home as we have learned over the past three weeks about individuals with ties to WSU who were on the flight to Washington, D.C.

We deeply mourn their loss, along with those from Wichita and all involved in this tragic crash.

Kiah Duggins – Kiah was a 2017 graduate of Wichita State, having graduated from the Barton School of Business and Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with degrees in international business, economics and Spanish. She was a recipient of the prestigious Clay Barton Scholarship, co-founded the Shocker Support Locker, and had an unwavering commitment to building more equitable communities. Kiah was a White House policy intern, working under First Lady Michelle Obama. After graduating from WSU, she went on to graduate from Harvard Law School, becoming an accomplished civil rights attorney. She was preparing to become a law professor at Howard University. Kiah leaves an incredible legacy and will never be forgotten.

Lori (Girard) Schrock – Lori was born in Topeka, Kansas. She attended Wichita State and graduated in 1990. In 1998, Lori married Robert “Bob” Schrock, and they lived in Kiowa, Kansas. Together they embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of Shocker Nation as president and vice president of Premium Grain in Kiowa, where they were recognized for their innovative farming practices. In 2014, they also established Freedom Gates Boys Ranch, an alternative to foster care in Hazelton. Lori and Bob were on the plane together to Washington, D.C. They leave behind their daughter, Ellie Schrock.

Grace Maxwell – Grace had taken classes at WSU Tech while she was in high school. She had been flying back to Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, after attending her grandfather’s funeral here in Wichita. While she hadn’t been with WSU Tech for long, we consider all of our students, both current and former, as members of our Shocker family, and we mourn her loss alongside Cedarville University.

Lindsey Fields – Lindsey was a member of WSU’s former Biomedical Engineering Department Advisory Board. She was professor and department chair of biology at Butler Community College. As a higher education community, we share in the loss of one of our own and extend our heartfelt condolences to the Butler Community College family.

Christopher Collins and Melissa Nicandri – Christopher and Melissa were colleagues at Moody’s Investors Service in New York City. On the day of the crash, I, along with several university officials, had the immense pleasure of spending the day with them as part of the university’s regular credit rating update. Chris has worked on the university’s credit rating for several years. Both were incredibly kind and accomplished people with bright futures ahead of them. Their sudden loss is truly hard to comprehend, and we hold their families, colleagues and loved ones in our thoughts.

Brian Ellis – Brian worked at Deloitte and was visiting the Deloitte Smart Factory @ Wichita on our Innovation Campus. Brian made frequent trips to Wichita and had become part of the Wichita community.

Brian didn’t travel alone. He was with a colleague from Deloitte. In addition, our innovation partner Dassault Systemes’ had a valued employee in town that day visiting our National Institute for Aviation Research. Because neither individual has been publicly identified, and out of respect for their loved ones, I am keeping their names private. We consider all our innovation partners to be part of the university family, and we join in mourning these exceptional people.

As we reflect on this tragedy, our hearts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those we lost. Their impact on Wichita State, our community and beyond will not be forgotten.

Remembering those lost in the Jan. 29 plane crash

The crash of American Airlines 5342 has had a devastating and profound effect on many people and communities around the world. Here in Wichita – and at Wichita State University – it has sadly hit too close to home as we have learned over the past two weeks about individuals with ties to WSU who were on the flight to Washington, D.C.