Category: Kudos

KWCH featured Wichita State’s Varsity Esports program in its weekend broadcast.

KWCH spoke with Travis Yang, director of esports, and students about the opportunities the program provides and what the future holds for esports.

“The stigma used to be, kid’s playing games in the basement and needs to get out. These days, when paired with a varsity program that has the structure and keeps students accountable, it has a lot of potential,” Yang told KWCH

Quang Nguyen, formally with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, has joined the Student Affairs marketing department as its assistant director of marketing and special projects.

Student Affairs would like a hand in welcoming Quang to its team.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business and Kansas Faculty of Distinction, was recently covered in the Financial Times on an academic scandal concerning research credibility and fraud, using her knowledge as a leading global expert on the impact and worth of academic research.

Haley has recently published articles on the subject:

• Triviality and the Search for Scholarly Impact in the Organization Studies
• Measuring Societal Impact in Business and Management Research, with Andrew Jack at the Financial Times, a Sage White Paper

Please join Student Conduct and Community Standard in congratulating Liz Thornton on being appointed co-Region 4 coordinator for the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA).

ASCA is an international organization that strives to connect members on all levels, — from local to regional, national and international. It is divided into 13 regions, with each region being led by a region coordinator and their region leadership team.

Organizations, individuals and programs within Wichita State were featured in a Wichita Business Journal (WBJ) guide for startups:

The Center for Entrepreneurship, including ignitor and Kansas Family Business Forum, the Entrepreneurship Research Workshops from WSU Libraries, GoCreate, Shocker New Venture Competition, and Small Business Digital Transformation Program were all featured resources for new business startups in Wichita.

Troy Tabor, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, headlined one of WBJ’s “People you should know” articles.

FirePoint Innovations on the Innovation Campus was featured in one of a series of articles on startups in Wichita.

On May 9, Wu Reads members were invited by United Way to help deliver books to kindergarten through third grade students at Gordon Parks Academy.

During the visit, the group had the opportunity to read the books to the students. The opportunity to give the students these books was with the help of WSU, Coaching for Literacy and community members who donated their time and money to help encourage the students to read over the summer.

Freshmen in Connecting Generations, FYPH 102G, spent the second part of the spring semester connecting with residents from Larksfield Place, an independent living community near campus.

Students in the class engaged in an intergenerational project, collecting life stories and breaking down stereotypes between generations. During the class, the first half of the semester was spent in the classroom, establishing knowledge of the aging population, while the second half of the semester took the class to Larksfield Place.

Students also enjoyed a campus visit from some of the residents, where the class met as a large group in the Rhatigan Student Center. Through collectively sharing stories, they learned just how much they have in common, and enjoyed an impromptu ballroom dancing lesson. The entire experience culminated with a life-story book and banner, presented to each resident during a luncheon at Larksfield Place on the last day of class.

On May 6, 12 teams competed in the annual Bronze Propeller Competition, including 11 teams of undergraduate students. The top three teams in the undergraduate category included Team 3 (Logan Mauch, Gabriel Kimuri, Alexander Dewerff, Trent Oberlander and Amanda Mudra) in first place, Team 15 (Robert Ross) in second place, and Team 7 (Benjamin Griffin, Megan Drake, Brycen Schroeder, Sofia Bahr Konkel and Jackson Caldwell) in third place. The first place winner in the professional category was Team 13 (Julian Chee, an aerospace engineering alum).

The Boeing Company sponsored the event, and Jonathan Mowrey served as the aircraft pilot. Faculty and staff who supported the competition included Dr. Scott Miller; Anthony Muscat, dean of the College of Engineering; Dr. Brandon Buerge; and the Aerospace Engineering Lab staff.

The College of Engineering congratulates each of the student teams that won an award during the annual Engineering Open House on May 5, as well as the graduate student and faculty members who won Wallace Excellence Awards.

Dr. Anna Porcaro, executive director of Online and Adult Learning, participated in an expert panel for the 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition.

Her essay in the report addresses how emerging teaching and learning trends impact adult learners. She will also participate in a panel discussion of the report online at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 16. Since WSU is a member of EDUCAUSE, faculty and staff can register to attend the webinar at no additional charge.