Category: News

Kevin Konda, associate vice president of Auxiliary Services in the Division of Student Affairs and director of the Rhatigan Student Center, has been named the interim vice president for Student Affairs following the retirement of Dr. Teri Hall.

“I’m honored to continue the legacy of Dr. Teri Hall in the Division of Student Affairs and her vision of ‘connecting every student,’” Konda said. “Our students are the lifeblood of Wichita State, and I am excited to uplift all Shockers as they work toward graduation.”

Konda currently oversees University Dining Services and the Child Development Center and heads operations at the RSC. He was recently honored as a Bender of Twigs during the 2025 Service Recognition Awards for his 25 years of service to WSU.

“During Kevin’s service to Wichita State, he has made the Rhatigan Student Center the primary hub for student life on campus and will continue to elevate the experience for all Shockers,” said Dr. Monica Lounsbery, senior executive vice president and provost. “We thank him for his leadership and for stepping into this role in the interim as we look for a permanent vice president for Student Affairs.”

Additional information on the search for the next vice president for Student Affairs will be shared at a later date in WSU Today.

The Wichita Eagle has announced the winners of its annual Best of Wichita competition, and Wichita State was voted gold in best college/university in Wichita. This is the fourth year in a row where Wichita State has been named the best college/university.

Additionally:

• The Child Development Center was named silver for childcare
• The Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic was named bronze for audiologist/hearing center
• Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes was named bronze for bowling

We thank Shocker Nation for their participation in the voting process.

OneStop Student Services would like to thank all the people across campus that partner with it to assist students and help them to the next step of their academic journey. OneStop invites you to take a few minutes to view the annual report to see some of the great things it’s done.

Remember, you can always go to wichita.edu/onestop to find important dates for the spring 2026 semester, answers to questions about financial and student accounts and more.

Wichita State’s College of Engineering is ranked 17th in the country out of more than 500 universities in the Cyber Power Rankings, which were created by Cyber Skyline in partnership with the National Cyber League (NCL). The rankings represent the ability of students to perform real-world cybersecurity tasks on the Cyber Skyline platform.

Students from across the College of Engineering, primarily cybersecurity and computer science majors in the School of Computing, competed in various team and individual competitions. The new ranking for Wichita State is down slightly from 12th place in the spring.

In addition to the overall ranking, the student team World Wide Wheat — made up of students Carlos Renato Soverina Figueroa, Alexander Pickett, Daniel Halbleib, Aidan McGillivray, Charles Hill and Sophie Clarke — placed 18th out of more than 4,200 teams. Other WSU teams include:

• 29th place: Wuami – Mathias Rodrigo Benitez Vera, Carson Brewer, Braden McCaig, Ben Gerstenkorn, Jacob Rutt, Abubaker Hafeez, Mannon Wallace
• 90th place: Apun – Hannah Nikkel, Sean Dugan, Remington Derksen, Liam Moore, Andrew Ginsky, Kyra Roland, Reilly Waller
• 128th place: Ctrl+Alt+Defeat – Andrew Sauls, Brett Blasi, Timothy Jorgensen, Emma Griffin, Sean McDermott, Jonathan Viers, Noah Jackson

Individuals were also recognized, with nine Wichita State students breaking the top 500 of nearly 7,900 individuals:

• 72nd place: Aidan McGillivary
• 239th place: Mathias Rodrigo Benitez Vera
• 278th place: Daniel Halbleib
• 289th place: Braden McCaig
• 362nd place: Abubaker Hafeez
• 403rd place: Sophie Clarke 
• 409th place: Mannon Wallace
• 421st place: Brynn Potter 
• 430th place: Zander Pickett 

Faculty Senate invites nominations for the 2026 KBOR Faculty of the Year and 2026 President’s Distinguished Service Awards.

The 2026 KBOR Faculty of the Year Award recognizes one tenured, one tenure-track (pre-tenure) and one non-tenure-track faculty at each KBOR institution who have exemplified excellence and commitment to their institution’s mission through teaching, scholarship, research and service (including extension, clinical and library work duties) over the past academic year. Nominations may only be submitted by WSU Faculty Senators. To nominate a faculty member, complete the nomination form and upload the nominee’s accomplishment record, letter of support and summary of accomplishments.

The 2026 President’s Distinguished Service Award recognizes WSU faculty who demonstrate exceptional dedication, caring and service to the WSU community that exceeds the expectations of their duties and responsibilities. Any member of the Wichita State community may submit nominations. To nominate a faculty member, complete the nomination form and upload the nominee’s most recent CV (service record) and a letter of support.

Nomination materials for both awards must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30.

The CARE Team wrapped up November working with 135 students, a slight increase compared to November 2024. This continues the steady upward trend seen throughout the academic year.

Top concerns reported included:

• Direct statements indicating distress
• Expressions of hopelessness
• Decline in academic performance, including repeated absences

It’s common during this time of the semester for students to experience stress and for faculty and staff to notice signs of distress on a student. Physical signs to watch for include:

• Significant changes in academic performance
• Personality shifts
• Noticeable changes in weight, hygiene, energy level or habits

As faculty and staff, you play a vital role in supporting students. Start by asking how they’re doing and acknowledging any changes you’ve observed. These conversations help build a campus culture of care.

If you notice signs of distress, please submit a CARE report so the team can follow up and provide support. Reports can be submitted at wichita.edu/care or wichita.edu/reportit.

Together, we can ensure every student feels supported and connected.

Have an innovation that you want to discover the market potential of? Starting Jan. 20, 2026 and running through the week of March 9, 2026, you can join other innovators and expert instructors for the spring 2026 Great Plains Hub I-Corps cohort.

If you’re interested in getting entrepreneurship education and mentoring, with the ultimate goal of reducing the time it takes to get your innovation to market, this is for you.

Email icorps@wichita.edu for questions.

The WuHire Wire end of year issue is now available on the WSU HR WuHire Information Hub in the “Announcements” folder. The WuHire Wire is a quarterly newsletter to help you stay informed with the latest updates, reminders and important deadlines to keep your hiring process on track.

Note that The WuHire Wire is generally geared toward the WSU and ICAA hiring processes and any questions regarding IDP hiring processes should be directed to IDP HR.

If you missed your chance to grab your WuShock glass from this year’s Holiday Party or need an extra for display or someone else, the Office of the President has extras available to pick up. Stop by the Office of the President on the second floor of Morrison Hall during normal business hours to pick one up while supplies last.

More than 1,200 students are eligible to participate in Wichita State University’s 128th fall commencement ceremonies Sunday, Dec. 14 in Charles Koch Arena. Degrees will be conferred at the following ceremonies:

• 2 p.m.: All graduate degree programs
• 5 p.m.: All undergraduate degree programs

Graduates will walk across the stage and be individually recognized. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Guest speaker: Joyce DiDonato 

Grammy award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, a 1992 Shocker graduate, will be the virtual guest speaker during the 5 p.m. undergraduate ceremony, where she will also receive the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.  

The Toast:

The Toast is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. Dec. 12 in Beggs Ballroom on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Learn more about The Toast.