Category: Kudos

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.

Do you know a WSU employee who deserves special recognition for their contributions to Wichita State? The Staff Senate invites the WSU community to submit nominations of outstanding staff members for the President’s Award for Distinguished Service.

These awards recognize the dedication and excellence of WSU employees who have provided exemplary, dedicated, and caring service to the WSU community that is beyond the expectations of the duties and responsibilities of their position. Selected honorees are recognized at the annual Shocker Pride Celebration.

Submit a nomination by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27 to jessica.pierpoint@wichita.edu.

Do you know a faculty member who exemplifies any of the traits below? If so, nominate that person for the Wichita State President’s Distinguished Service Award.

• Distinguished service to the university
• Distinguished service to the community
• Notable outreach efforts or forging of connections among WSU and the community
• Long-term commitment to WSU through extensive committee service

Consider nominating them for the Presidential Service Award. Complete a nomination form, attach a CV that includes the nominee’s service activities, and include a letter of support. Previous recipients of this award are not eligible for nomination.

Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. Please send your nominations to leeann.birdwell@wichita.edu.

Paigton Mayes, Ph.D., MPH, was recently appointed by the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) executive board to serve a three-year term on the APHA Committee on Health Equity beginning on Nov. 9. Dr. Mayes is a Program Specialist for the Community Engagement Institute’s Center for Public Health Initiatives.

This committee is charged with assuring that APHA meets its diversity, inclusion, and social justice goals by monitoring the diversity of its sections, committees, councils, and boards; encouraging APHA to maximize inclusion in decision making at all levels; and recognizing and promoting best practices by APHA units, affiliates and caucuses.

With Dr. Mayes’ background in community psychology and public health, her passion for health equity, minority health, and healthcare access continue to grow. Join us in congratulating Dr. Mayes!

Kansas English — edited by Dr. Katie Cramer, professor of English education in the School of Education, and published in WSU’s Open Journal Systems by the Kansas Association of Teachers of English — has been named a recipient of the 2022 NCTE Affiliate Journal of Excellence Award, given by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). This is the third year in a row that Kansas English has earned this distinction.

Established in 1995, this award honors outstanding affiliate journals and their editors who demonstrate excellence. The journals are judged on content, organization, and scholarly exploration, appeal to many groups within the affiliate, coverage of important issues in English language arts education, and inclusion of other types of writing.

The Affiliate Journal of Excellence Award winners will be announced on Nov. 20 at the 2022 NCTE Annual Convention in Anaheim, California.

The Wichita Arts Council has announced that Andrea Banke, Wichita State associate professor of music, has been chosen to receive the Burton Pell Award. The award is given annually to an outstanding musician from the Wichita area. Banke will be honored at the 52nd annual Art Awards dinner on Nov. 3 at Wichita Art Museum.

Wichita State Property Manager Crystal Stegeman has been named Facility Manager of the Year by the Wichita chapter of the International Facility Management Association.

As the university’s property manager, Crystal is the liaison between Wichita State and landlords/tenants for the leased properties, as well as properties the university leases.

Crystal will accept her award at IMFA’s celebration on Nov. 3.

The Academy of International Business (AIB), the oldest, largest and most prestigious scholarly association in International Business recently interviewed Usha Haley — W. Frank Barton Distinguished Professor in International Business.

The AIB chose Haley as a top international business scholar for AIB’s Frontline Series. Frontline interviews top scholars that the field of international business sees as impactful through their research for personal insights as to what motivates them.

Haley also had her award-winning research on competition posed by China to the USA’s industries covered in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Journal Sentinel ran an in-depth analysis of the paper industry,