Category: News

Dr. Heidi Cornell has been appointed as the new associate dean and accreditation officer for the College of Applied Studies (CAS). Her extensive experience with assessment and dedication to academic excellence make her the ideal candidate for this pivotal role.

Since joining Wichita State in 2016, Cornell has showcased exceptional leadership and fostered educational growth. Her most recent roles as associate professor of special education, program chair for the Master’s in Special Education: High incidence alternative certification program, and founder/director of ARISE Research Collaborative highlight her significant accomplishments with grant writing and community engagement.

In her new position, Cornell will collaborate with faculty and program chairs to oversee the implementation of continuous improvement practices, ensuring that program standards are met and in compliance with accrediting bodies. With her knowledge of higher education and accreditation processes, she will contribute greatly to the college’s ongoing commitment to inclusive excellence.

“The CAS is thrilled to welcome Dr. Cornell in her new role,” said Dr. Jennifer Friend, dean, CAS. “I am confident that she will work with diverse stakeholders to ensure that each of our programs meets and exceeds all accreditation standards.”

The College of Health Professions (CHP) has announced Aisha Waite as the chair for the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences effective in May. Waite will supersede Dr. Voncella McCleary-Jones, associate dean of the CHP, who was serving as the interim chair.

Waite brings more than twenty-four years of experience in clinical laboratory sciences with her, including recent positions at the Kansas Medical Center and Kansas Heart Hospital. Waite is a proud Wichita State alumna and has been board certified as a medical laboratory scientist by the American Society for Clinical Pathology since 2001.

Waite joined the College of Health Professions in 2021 as an Assistant Professor and will continue her current teaching responsibilities in the areas of clinical immunohematology, transfusion medicine, immunology, clinical laboratory management and impact of disease on global events as well.

“We are very pleased Aisha has moved into this department chair role for medical laboratory sciences,” said Greg Hand, dean of the CHP. “Her extensive experience in the field aligns with her student-centered perspective that will be critical in continuing to build a nationally recognized program in such a critical discipline of health professions.”

There will be a special announcement related to the College of Health Professions and Ascension Via Christi at 10 a.m. Friday, May 12.

All are welcome to watch the announcement live on Facebook.

The Women of WSU, a philanthropic group that provides scholarships to WSU students annually, is collecting vintage WSU items for a fundraiser to be held in fall 2023.

Clean out closets and donate vintage items (jewelry, memorabilia, clothing, etc.) now through Sept. 25.

Departments looking to clear out their lost and found before the summer session begins can contact the University Police Department to pick up items Monday, May 15 through Thursday, May 18.

Email updfrontdesk@wichita.edu and Include a name, department and location of the items along with what day and time the UPD can pick them up.

Maria Elena Cardwell, the national director of vehicle engineering at Northrop Grumman, will be the featured speaker at the Wichita State spring 2023 commencement ceremony for the College of Business and College of Engineering. The ceremony will start at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 13 in Charles Koch Arena.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Cardwell served as the vice president of quality and airworthiness for Virgin Galactic. The majority of her career was spent at The Boeing Company. Cardwell began as an engineer on the 747 and eventually served as the chief engineer for Safety and Airworthiness for all seven-series structures.

Art created by an artist with a visual impairment is now on display at Woolsey Hall, home of WSU’s Barton School of Business, in partnership with the Envision Arts Program.

Nick Wooding is the newest Barton School featured artist. His mixed media pieces can be found on the third floor of Woolsey Hall.

Due to the recent outages, the online test information/submission form with Testing Services is down. Faculty who have students receiving testing accommodations through the Office of Disability Services should deliver exams to 320 Grace Wilkie Hall or email them to testingcenter@wichita.edu.

Reminder: It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the test with Testing Services. Email Testing Services or call at 316-978-8378 with questions.

The newest spring 2023 power rankings for the National Cyber League (NCL) are out and Wichita State’s group of student hackers performed this semester.

The NCL competition is a biannual cybersecurity competition for high school and college students throughout the nation.

• Overall, WSU finished eighth in the nation out of nearly 500 colleges, up from 24th in the fall.
• WSU finished third in the Central Region and sixth amongst all Center of Academic Excellence schools.
• World Wide Wheat, made up of Adrian Yip, Hyacinthe Howell, Chao Teh, Garrett Wahlstedt, Declan Dsouza, Quentin Nelson and King Khang Tran, took 15th out of nearly 3,600 participants.
• SKY-W5U-5H0X, made up of Nikilesh Samba Murthy, Prem Kumar Reddy Muvva, Dayton Turner, Ivan Macias, Don Alfaro and Carlos Renato Soverina Figueroa, competed in the experienced division and finished 18th out of 316 teams.
• JV1, made up of Juan Herrera, Seth Windsor, Annie Linux, Uche Chikezie, Ke’Auna Edmondson, Emily Evans and Arron Russell, in their first ever NCL, finished 133rd out of nearly 3,600 participants.
• Three other teams scored over 1,000 points and finished in the top 300 of nearly 3,600 participants.
• Amey Shukla, graduate student, and Quentin Nelson, senior, also lead classes and workshops, and Dr. Sergio Salinas, associate professor in the School of Computing, supported the students.

The participants are representative of the WuLug student group and the Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Cybersecurity programs.

Student Health Services is experiencing technical difficulties with the myShockerhealth patient portal. To make appointments and for other questions or concerns, call 316-978-4792.