Category: News

The Collegiate DECA chapter at Wichita State brought home some serious hardware from the DECA’s 2025 International Career Development Conference (ICDC) Competitive Events Program. The conference, which took place April 5-8 in San Francisco, California, is a culmination of the DECA year where more than 1,200 members engage in competition, professional development academies and networking.

Ten members of the Wichita State DECA chapter were named competition finalists. Of those 10, Manas Madanambedu placed second in Entrepreneurship – Growing Your Business, the team of Michael Goldberg and Shawn Hulen placed second in Sports Marketing, and the team of Maley Hansen and Ronish Rasaily placed first overall in Business Ethics. This is the first time students from Wichita State have placed first in the competition. Of the ten finalists, seven were competing for the first time.

Wichita State DECA finalists:

Team competition:

• Maley Hansen and Ronish Rasaily – Business Ethics – First place
• Michael Goldberg* and Shawn Hulen* – Sports Marketing – Second place
• Hailee Hamilton* and Kamryn Nash* – Marketing Communications

Prepared business presentations:

• Manas Madanambedu* – Entrepreneurship, Growing Your Business – Second place
• Grace Skelton – Advertising Campaign

Individual competition & testing:

• Vivian Chau* – Travel and Tourism
• Allison Hipp* – Restaurant and Food Service Management
• Manas Madanambedu* – Restaurant and Food Service Management

*Denotes first-time competitors

Departments on campus are invited to host an exhibit in Fan Alley during state events May 30-31 at a discounted rate. Fan Alley will have food trucks, yard games and local area businesses along Perimeter Road on the north side of Shocker Hall.

Campus departments can sign up to host a booth in Fan Alley at a discounted rate of $150. Booths are encouraged to offer interactive and fun activities for attendees.

Benefits of hosting a booth:

• Customized booth directly next to the high-traffic areas of state events.
• Exposure to nearly 35,000 attendees, from high schoolers to families, coaches and patrons, and more.
• Enhance the overall experience for attendees and elevate Wichita State.

Slots are limited for Fan Alley, so complete the exhibitor booth registration form soon.

Power, tables, chairs and equipment for booths are not provided. Departments are expected to supply the materials for their individual exhibits. Volunteers will be working to assist booths at Fan Alley for the duration of events.

With nearly 30 years in law enforcement, Wendy Hummell saw firsthand the need for mental health support in public safety. Now a graduate student in WSU’s clinical mental health counseling program, she’s using her experience to provide culturally competent care for first responders.

She helped lead a 60-member peer support team, launched a wellness program at the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, and hosts the “Guns and Yoga Podcast” to spark conversations around mental health and resilience in law enforcement.

The Barton School of Business is pleased to announce that Meritrust Credit Union has generously donated $570,000 to support the mission and ongoing initiatives of the Office of Career & Professional Development (OCPD) at the Barton School of Business. This contribution marks an increase from their previous 2022 gift, bringing Meritrust’s total investment in OCPD to $1.1 million.

“The Office of Career & Professional Development at the Barton School is an essential resource that helps students explore career paths, engage confidently with industry professionals, and develop key skills such as networking, resume building, communication etiquette, and financial literacy,” said James Nastars, president and CEO of Meritrust Credit Union and member of the Barton School Dean’s Advisory Board. “We are excited to continue supporting this vital mission and assist WSU students in laying the foundation for successful futures.”

Eight students from the Erin and Kyle Cummings Student Managed Investment Fund (CSMIF) at the Barton School of Business recently traveled to New York City for a transformative learning experience. Representing Wichita State University at Quinnipiac University’s Global Asset Management Education (GAME) Forum — the world’s largest student-run financial conference — students engaged directly with global finance leaders, explored top investment firms and strengthened their understanding of capital markets through immersive, real-world exposure.

“This opportunity was incredible,” said Adam Key, student president of CSMIF and GAME Forum attendee. “It allowed us to take what we’ve learned in the classroom and through managing our fund and apply it in a real-world context. We toured world-class financial institutions, met inspiring professionals, and got a behind-the-scenes look at the world of investment banking.”

Wichita State student Damyin Allmond’s passion for aerospace began early in life. Growing up, Damyin was surrounded by the world of aviation. His parents owned a flight school called Allmond Aviation in nearby Peoria, where he spent much of his childhood.

“This gave me the opportunity to see how aircrafts worked and have the experience to fly in many small single engine airplanes,” Damyin said.

That early exposure sparked a fascination with how airplanes worked, but it wasn’t until a school trip to NASA’s space camp in Huntsville, Alabama, when Damyin was in fifth grade that his interest truly took flight.

“I fell in love with space and knew from that moment on that I would do anything in my power to become an engineer to work on spacecraft and help the advancement of space travel and exploration,” Damyin said.

With summer travel approaching, employees — including those faculty on 9-month appointments — are reminded that university policy requires prior approval for international remote work. International remote work — which means working outside the United States for a period of 22 consecutive days or more — includes a wide range of activities, from performing your usual university responsibilities to simply accessing university systems (e.g., email, Banner, Blackboard, etc.) and servers intermittently.

Due to heightened security risks and the complexity of foreign labor and immigration laws, these arrangements are only approved in extraordinary circumstances. Requests must be reviewed not only by your supervisor but also by additional university stakeholders. All requests for international remote work must be submitted using the university’s Remote Work Request Form. For more information, please review the University’s Remote Work Guidance webpage or contact your division’s HR Business Partner.

WSU Property Control invites you to a brief Q&A session where the team will be available to answer any questions you have about how to complete your inventory lists or general inventory inquiries. Each session is come and go, so you can drop in and drop out at any time with your questions.

Email WSU Property Control at wsupropertycontrol@wichita.edu indicating which of the four sessions you would like to attend:

• Tuesday, May 13: 10-11 a.m.
• Thursday, May 15: 10-11 a.m.
• Tuesday, May 20: 2-3 p.m.
• Thursday, May 22: 2-3 p.m.

This week, read about Ronald Quintana’s time as a Shocker and his favorite part of studying at WSU. Learn more from our short-term international students and their experiences at WSU on the Study Abroad website.

The Common Read Committee is excited to announce that Wichita State’s Common Read for the 2025-26 academic year is “Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change” by Bren Smith.

Common Read is integrated into all First-Year Seminar courses and will be accompanied by a series of interdisciplinary programs and events throughout the year, including panel discussions, workshops and additional engagement opportunities.

The memoir chronicles Smith’s journey from commercial fishing to pioneering sustainable ocean farming, offering insights into environmental resilience, food justice and innovative approaches to climate solutions.

For any questions related to the Common Read, contact the committee at commonread@wichita.edu.