Category: News

Wichita State’s College of Applied Studies (CAS) will induct nine new members to its Hall of Fame for fall 2022. The inductees come from a variety of backgrounds representing each department within the college and are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to their field. The college will celebrate the inductees with a banquet 6-8 p.m. Oct. 21 at the WSU campus.

The CAS Hall of Fame recognizes individuals or groups of individuals who have made a positive impact on the college at any point since its founding. This includes the full range of people and programs that have been associated with the college at various points in its history. The traits and qualities Hall of Fame members possess are reflective of the college’s core values of collaboration, discovery, diversity, integrity and leadership. The 2022 class includes the following inductees:

• Dr. Marlene Schommer-Aikins, professor emerita-educational psychology, is an accomplished scholar, former coordinator of the educational psychology master’s program, chair of the counseling, educational and school psychology department.
• Sue Bair, assistant professor emerita-physical education, was a faculty member who served at WSU for 33 years, mentoring and profoundly affecting the lives of hundreds of physical education students.
• Amber Carithers, alumna-English language arts, is a teacher at Hutchinson High School, and was part of the 2022 Kansas Teacher of the Year Team.
• Dr. Leonard Chaffee, dean and professor emeritus, now deceased, Chaffee served as dean for 20 years (1967-1987) and remained on the teaching faculty within education administration after his retirement.
• Dr. Randy Ellsworth, professor emeritus-educational psychology, served as dean (1996-97), associate dean (1994-2006), department chair (1990-94) and established the Center for Research and Evaluative Services.
• Dr. Jon Engelhardt, dean and professor emeritus, served as dean at WSU (1997-2007) and is a nationally-recognized leader in education, founding two professional and research organizations and serving on executive boards.
• Frank Rokosz, associate professor emeritus-physical education activity program (PEAP), is the longest-serving faculty member in the history of the college, teaching 45 years and leading the university’s PEAP program.
• Dr. Oliver Troxel, former dean, now deceased, was the college’s first dean (1926-1929) and was highly active with the Red Cross and National Education Association.
• Dr. John Wilson, professor emeritus-elementary education, “Dr. John,” as he is affectionately known by his students, was an education faculty member whose creativity, commitment and advocacy for educators distinguished his career.

The 2022 class of inductees were chosen via an open nomination process and then selected by a committee of diverse college stakeholders.

Nominations for the 2023 CAS Hall of Fame inductees are now open at. Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 15, 2023.

The west main entrance to Morrison Hall will be temporarily closed, as will the Post Office counter, as construction continues on the first floor of the building. You can enter the building via the south entrance.

During this time, the Post Office will remain open but will have limited services due to the lack of counter service. Customers are advised to plan accordingly.

The west entrance and counter will reopen for customers by the end of the day on Aug. 26.

Morrison Hall will soon begin a first-floor replacement and abatement project. Starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 12, the elevator will be temporarily inaccessible, along with the entrance to Strategic Communications.

Both will be available again by end of day Aug. 19.

Individuals in Strategic Communications, the basement or the second floor can be reached via phone or email during that time.

The U.S. Army Aviation enterprise is collaborating with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) to develop an AH-64 Apache Digital Twin in a contract that kicked off with a ribbon-cutting event on campus.

The Apache Digital Twin program follows the UH-60 Black Hawk Digital Twin, which involves the disassembly and scanning of an existing helicopter to create 3D models. It’s a tedious process but one that is necessary to continue moving the aviation enterprise from its current 2D document-driven engineering practices to the institutionalized use of modern 3D digital engineering practices, to supporting the transition to Future Vertical Lift’s entirely digital design, and to sustaining the enduring fleet.

“We have to speed up the Army’s transition to 3D digital engineering practices,” said Maj. Gen. Walter “Wally” Rugen, director for the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team. “The aviation enterprise needs to start now establishing the processes, tools, and training methods required to transition and cultivate a relevant workforce from the industrial age to the digital era.”

Wichita State University will be included as part of PBS’ “Roadtrip Nation,” and Shocker students are encouraged to apply to be a part of the show.

“Roadtrip Nation” will be teaming up with Wichita’s Workforce Alliance, USD 259 and WSUTech to explore southcentral Kansas on the show’s mission to “capture empowering stories that give you the confidence and tools to find a career that matters to you.”

Students who are interested can apply at the link below. For questions, reach out to Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu. The deadline for applications is Aug. 14.

The City of Wichita has announced the award of $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support Wichita State University’s Office of Innovation and New Ventures’ formation of the Small Business Digital Transformation (SBDT) Program, which will address technology gaps in the local business ecosystem.

Small businesses were hit hardest during the pandemic. A vast majority of small businesses are in-person businesses with storefronts that sell food or merchandise or are service industries where there is significant face-to-face interaction. Most of these businesses were unable to operate as usual during the pandemic, and many were forced to shut down.

“If these businesses had access to tech talent and resources to shift to a digital platform, they not only could have survived but possibly thrived and competed against large corporations that had the financial means to pivot to digital quickly,” said Dr. Jeremy Patterson, executive director of Office of Innovation and New Ventures.

All your favorite student center dining locations are accepting cash once again.

Outside the RSC, Shocker Dining and the new Cargill Cafe in Woolsey Hall (once open) will also accept cash along with dining dollars, and credit and debit cards.

WSU Dining Services is hoping this small change will make a big difference for its guests.

The RSC Shocker Store location will now be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, starting Aug. 6. The Braeburn Square location’s Saturday hours will remain from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. All hours of operation can be found at wichita.edu/rschours.

The Office of Disability Services will be closed all today, Aug. 3, due to training. If you need anything, please email disability.services@wichita.edu.

The College of Health Professions’ High School Advisory Council hosted its first health science teacher’s workshop.

The workshop featured cutting-edge health science and biomechanical technology presentations, hands-on experiences with the new human cardiorespiratory simulation manikin and cadaver work in the CHP’s gross anatomy lab.

High school teachers also had the opportunity to network with other health science teachers from Kansas schools around the state. The workshop supports the college’s vision to build strong relationships with local high schools and establish a direct pipeline from high schools through the CHP’s academic programs and into the health care industry.