Category: Kudos

Thank you to those who volunteered to help with the high school state baseball, softball and track events that took place on campus recently. There were over 35,000 students, coaches and spectators in attendance, a record number. Volunteers gave over 6,000 people golf cart rides and helped staff Fan Alley, providing additional food, activities and other goodies to attendees.

Thank you again to all the volunteers for helping welcome these visitors to campus and providing a positive experience. Mark your calendars for next year’s events, May 29-30, 2026.

Dr. Ashlie Jack, senior associate vice president for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Enrollment Management, and Kelley Smetak, operations and financial director for Academic Affairs, brought the Wu Wagon to celebrate the Shocker Career Accelerator’s (SCA) outstanding teamwork.

They thanked the SCA for their dedication to preparing students for their career journeys, supporting applied learning opportunities and making a meaningful impact on the Wichita State community.

Usha Haley, W, Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business, was interviewed by KNX News 97.1 FM Los Angeles, on if she thinks President Trump’s foreign policy is achieving results. The interview was aired March 7.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business, recently spoke to the States Newsroom (supplying news to state-wide media across the United States) on how President Trump’s funding cuts could affect the electronic-vehicle (EV) sector. The article, “Electric vehicle industry will persist, experts say, despite Trump funding cuts,” can be read online.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business, was interviewed by Fortune magazine on why energy company British Petroleum (BP) had become a takeover target. The article and her observations are available online with the article, “How energy giant BP went from eco poster child to possible takeover target.”

Bekah Selby-Leach, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research, was quoted as an economic expert in the online Quartz publication through Yahoo! Finance.

Read the article, “Amazon has beat Walmart on revenue for the first time ever.”

Dr. Neal Allen, associate professor of political science, gave interviews to the Wichita Eagle and KMUW Wichita. He was quoted on the 2025 Wichita USD 259 bond vote.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair of International Business, was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report on how President Trump’s policies may affect Social Security benefits. Her answers can be read online in the article, “Social Security in 2025: Experts Weigh in on How the Trump Administration’s Plans Could Reshape Retirement.”

Four Wichita State students on the executive board of the Student Activities Council presented at the National Association of Campus Activities Conference in Philadelphia. Their presentation outlined the processes that they took to turn the student organization around and rise event attendance numbers by 97% from fall 2023 to fall 2024.

Kudos to Payton Hamilton, Bri Pittman, Cas Curtis and Jayden Island.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business, was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report on how President Trump’s tariffs would affect the housing market and homebuyers.