Category: Kudos

Elvira Valenzuela Crocker and Louis E. Sturns will be inducted into the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Feb. 7 in Wiedemann Hall.

Hall of Fame honorees are chosen because they exemplify the merits and advantages of a liberal arts and sciences education. Induction into the Fairmount College Hall of Fame is the highest recognition from the college of outstanding alumni who have had a significant impact on the region, nation and world.

Dr. Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business and Kansas Faculty of Excellence, serves on the panel of judges for the Financial Times’ prestigious annual awards for research that has a societal impact. 

In the Financial Times article, “Academic research award: tipping point for action,” Haley and other judges highlight research aimed at academic acclaim, but also identified ways to turn aspirations into concrete, real-world results.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business and Kansas Faculty of Excellence, had her research highlighted in Times Higher Education. Free registration is required to read the article.

Her Sage white paper titled, “Measuring Societal Impact in Business & Management Research: From Challenges to Change,” co-authored with Andrew Jack, education editor of the Financial Times, was discussed in the article.

Congratulations to Kyle Wilson and Liz Thornton — both of whom work in Student Conduct and Community Standards — on being chosen by the Association for Student Conduct Administrators to present their paper, “Challenging the Culture of Conduct through Assessment,” at the national conference in January 2023.

Below is an excerpt from their presentation:

Are you struggling with getting people to understand the importance of your offices work, campus visibility or utilizing data to help guide your community outreach and engagement plans? Then this is the presentation for you.

Wichita State University Student Conduct & Community Standards (SCCS) recently revamped our assessment initiatives. Through the new assessment model, SCCS identified meaningful changes to our programming initiatives, partnerships, and community visibility. Additionally, SCCS identified multiple ways to challenge the culture of conduct and improve upon community engagement opportunities.

Participants will be able to see where SCCS started, the active changes SCCS made, and how that is shaping our offices future. A big highlight of this presentation will be providing a roadmap for how to create a digital story within a Conduct Office.

The Men of Color/Educators of Tomorrow program has awarded its first scholarship, thanks to a donation from Credit Union of America. Timothy Reynolds, elementary education major, is the recipient of the $5,000 scholarship and was presented with the award Nov. 21 at Credit Union of America.

The Men of Color/Educators of Tomorrow program, housed in the College of Applied Studies (CAS), launched last year. Its purpose is to support and develop leadership skills in Men of Color with high academic potential and a commitment to teach.

The scholarship awarded to Reynolds is part of the recently renewed five-year partnership between Credit Union of America and the CAS. The partnership spans multiple programs, including the Teacher Apprentice Program and Corbin Connect.

The Office of Adult Learning is preparing to host its third annual Adult Learner of the Year (ALOTY) Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 9. Every year, the ALOTY recognizes an outstanding adult student at Wichita State University, a WSU partner, and a community partner who supports these adult learners on their journey towards a degree.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business has awarded scholarships worth $40,000 to four Butler Community College students interested in furthering their business education at Wichita State. These scholarships will help amplify and activate the coordinated 2+2 program between the two schools where Butler students will receive their associate’s degree and pursue a business degree at WSU.

“These students are very deserving of their scholarships,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School of Business. “We hope this gives them the confidence and help they need to continue to achieve at the Barton School and in their careers.”

The scholarship recipients include three students from Wichita and one from Augusta, Kansas. Each has a different business emphasis they are pursuing.

• Kevin Do — Information technology/ management Information Systems
• Jaren Jackson — business administration
• Linh Lai — finance
• Edson Lopez-Melara – marketing

To be eligible for the scholarship fund, they had to achieve at least a 3.0 GPA, be a full-time Butler student, complete a Butler associate’s degree in spring 2022, show financial need, and be interested in pursuing an undergraduate major within the Barton School. Each will receive $5,000 scholarships for two years.

“We are so excited for Kevin, Jaren, Linh and Edson,” said Dr. Kim Krull, president of Butler Community College. “We loved watching them grow and learn as Grizzles. And we wish them the best of luck as Shockers.

Winners of the annual 3MT competition at Wichita State were announced Nov. 11. They include:

• First place: Sangar Shanthanam, a doctoral candidate in electrical and computer engineering, working with Dr. Visvakumar Aravinthan. The winning presentation was “Low Cost Wave Energy Converter.” Shanthanam will go on to represent WSU at the Midwestern Association of Graduate School’s 3MT competition this spring.
• Runner up: Sarangan Rajendran, a doctoral candidate in electrical and computer engineering, working with Aravinthan. The presentation was “Valuing Distributed Energy Resources.”

3MT, which stands for three-minute thesis, is an academic competition that challenges doctoral and master’s students in the Graduate School to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience.

National Distance Learning Week is celebrated every November and was created to generate greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning, including K-12, higher education, corporate and military, while recognizing leaders and best practices in the field.

Congratulations to our students who were nominated by their online academic advisors for National Distance Learning Week:

• Lyndsie Thurnau, a graduate student in learning and instructional design from Florissant, Missouri
• John Hull, a marketing student from Edmond, Oklahoma
• Darah Jewell, a communications student from Park City, Kansas
• Julie Schneberger, a dental hygiene student from Canute, Oklahoma

Gamma Upsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. recognizes on an annual basis a member of the Wichita community as its Citizen of the Year during the fraternity’s Achievement Week. The 2022 selection for this honor is Dr. Marchè Fleming-Randle, vice president and chief diversity officer and chief of staff for Army ROTC at Wichita State.

Fleming-Randle’s unique track record of accomplishments in education, support of the community, and outstanding contributions to the welfare of mankind earned her this distinction. She will be awarded this honor at the chapter’s 73rd annual Founders Banquet event, which will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Marcus Welcome Center.

Dr. Fleming-Randle will be placed in competition for the fraternity’s district and national Citizen of the Year on behalf of the local chapter. Congratulations to Dr. Fleming-Randle for this distinction.