Category: News

The NetApp Cafe on Wichita State’s Innovation Campus will be open to the public for breakfast and lunch beginning Monday, Oct. 17.

Enjoy burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, salads, desserts and breakfast delights every Monday through Friday in the NetApp building, 1850 N. Innovation Blvd. The cafe is open for breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. and for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Rhatigan Student Center and its departments will alter its hours Oct. 15-18 for Fall Break. For specific hours of operation, visit the RSC Hours page.

As the full consolidation of the WSU Alumni Association into the WSU Foundation continues, the new, united organization will move forward with a new name: WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE).

Along with the name change comes an updated mission to “Elevate, celebrate and advance Wichita State University.” The consolidation brings a renewed commitment to Shockers everywhere at a time in Wichita State’s history charged with the excitement of growth and development across the entire institution.

An official announcement regarding the name change will be distributed to WSU alumni and stakeholders Friday. We ask for patience as we work to fully implement the name change throughout the organization.

The October 2022 Food For Fines will take place through Friday, Oct. 14. Food for Fines is an initiative to support the Shocker Support Locker while providing a cheaper alternative to paying parking citations.

Please note that donations can only be accepted during the donation period.

All donations for Food for Fines must be dropped off at the Student Government Association’s office in RSC 219.

Dr. Aaron Austin, dean of students at Wichita State, recently shared his Story4Hope, to help celebrate World Mental Health day, today, Oct. 10. Story4Hope is part of Wichita State’s Counseling and Preventions Services #Suspenders4Hope program. In this video, learn about Austin’s journey toward wellness through connecting to mental health resources.

The video also details services available on campus and in the community that support mental health.

Happy birthday to our favorite big, bad, muscle-bound bundle of wheat, WuShock. He’s been WSU’s mascot since 1948, a friend to every Shocker fan and the No. 1 supporter of all things Wichita and Wichita State.

Wichita State will present at the 2022 University Economic Development Association’s (UEDA) annual summit conference taking place Oct. 9-12 in San Antonio.

UEDA brings together higher education institutions, private sector businesses, non-profits, government organizations and community economic development stakeholders to create local and regional economic opportunity. The following WSU members will speak at this event during the break-out session:

• Tonya Witherspoon, associate vice president of Industry Engagement and Applied Learning
• Megan Feeney, WSU Tech Shocker Career Accelerator director, Industry and Workforce Collaboration
• Brian Austin, Shocker Career Accelerator Employer Releations director
• Diane Tinker Hurst, project manager with Industry and Defense Programs

The break-out session will address how WSU and WSU Tech are working with local industry and community partners to provide applied learning opportunities for students, resulting in $27 million in student wages earned during the 2022 fiscal year.

WSU is also a finalist for an Award of Excellence from UEDA for the innovation campus in the Engaged University category. The category recognizes initiatives that demonstrate excellence in the areas of talent, innovation and place.

Nominated projects successfully engage multiple community partners to link, leverage and connect efforts in talent, innovation and place. Other category finalists are Tech Parks Arizona at the University of Arizona, The StarTUp (Towson University) and the UK Economic Development Collaborative (University of Kentucky).

Winners will be announced the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the Summit conference.

Additional information about UEDA can be found at the link below.

Those who submit events or activities in the WSU Calendar now have an additional category for the university community to utilize: “Shocker Neighborhood” is a category that can be chosen if your off-campus events or initiatives take place within the Shocker Neighborhood (bounded by K-96 to the north, Central to the south, I-35 to the south, and Oliver to the east), or if your events would be of interest to residents of this community.

The university community serves and is a partner with many of the USD 259 schools in the Shocker Neighborhood, as well as neighborhood organizations and businesses. It will be mutually beneficial to capture the opportunities in Shocker Neighborhood and provide an option to search for engagement opportunities in the neighborhood community.

Wichita State President Rick Muma was the keynote speaker at the University of Texas Medical Branch’s physician assistant commencement ceremony on Aug. 20 in Galveston, Texas.

Muma earned a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from UTMB in 1986. It was soon after graduating that he began teaching, becoming associate faculty at UTMB in 1987.

To watch Dr. Muma’s commencement address at his alma mater, click on the button below.

Wichita State’s Office of Academic Affairs will interview four dean candidates for the College of Applied Studies. The third candidate, Dr. Christopher Jochum, Fort Hays University Department chair, will be on campus on Oct. 5 and 6.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend a public forum at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at 209 Hubbard Hall.