Category: News

The July myShockerhealth newsletter is out now, complete with a new look.

Articles this month include:

• No more shoeless TSA checks
• Learn how to do a skin cancer check
• Job interview tips for neurodivergent applicants
• Treadmill mistakes
• Heat stroke doesn’t look good on anyone
• Employee Corner: Annual exam and laboratory screening appointments for WSU employees will be extended through Dec. 1, 2025

As the next academic year approaches, Fairmount College announces its newest chairs and directors.  

• Elliott School of Communication: Lisa Parcell is a professor and the Kansas Health Foundation Director of the Elliott School of Communication. Her main research area is media history, particularly the promotion of American food products between 1880-1960.
• Geology: Andrew Swindle is associate professor and chair of the Department of Geology. He researches the reactivity of nanoscale materials in the subsurface, which play major roles in the chemistry that happens in the soils, sediments and rocks near the Earth’s surface. 
• School of Social Work: BreAnn Gilkey is a clinical professor and the interim director of the School of Social Work. She holds professional affiliations with the State of Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board as a Licensed Master Social Worker and the Kansas Council on Social Work Education.  

The 2025 issue of Kansas English, the award-winning peer-reviewed journal of the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE), is now available on WSU’s Open Journal Systems. Katie Cramer, professor of English education, has served as editor-in-chief of Kansas English since 2017 and collaborates with Susan Matveyeva, journal manager of University Libraries, to publish the journal each year.

This year’s issue of Kansas English was published July 25 and features the work of several WSU-affiliated faculty, graduates and students in addition to scholarly and creative work from authors across the state and region:

• Caleb K. Thornton, WSU alum and KATE president, published “Presidential Perspectives.”
• Reagan Murnan, assistant professor of special education and program coordinator of the M.Ed. in special education alternative certification programs, co-authored with Sandra Bequette a practitioner piece entitled “Sound Foundations: Strengthening Reading Development through Phonological Awareness and Phonics Integration.”
• Lael Ewy, WSU lecturer in English, published a reflective essay “Dualities of Dual Enrollment: Navigating the Literal and Liminal Spaces of a Community College Outreach Program.”
• WSU students Kaitlyn Chain, Avery Gathright, Alice Huelskamp and Sophia Loerke published a reflective essay entitled “All American Boys Has Staying Power a Decade Later: Here’s Why.”
• 2025 WSU graduate Jayden Mitchell published a poem called “Something More.”
• Nathan G. Whitman, WSU alum and faculty and KATE past-president, published “2025 KATE Conference Preview and Invitation.”
• Katie Cramer published a YA book review (“Resilience in the Face of Traumatic Brain Injury in Jacqueline Woodson’s Before the Ever After”), a teaching tip (“Reading Response Framework for Student-Led Discussion in an English Methods Course”) and the editor’s letter (“Let’s Affirm and Celebrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”).
• In addition, the 2025 editorial review board includes several WSU faculty and alumni: Robin Folkerts, Krystal Iseminger, Sally Kimball, Victoria Opalewski, Blake Overman, Nancy Sturm, Keely Tolbert, Nathan Whitman and Kim Wilson. Reagan Murnan will join the board in 2026.

Those interested in submitting their work to Kansas English can review the call for general submissions as well as the call for column submissions.

It has been a busy summer at WSU South, and Shocker Studios is nearly done with its expansion and will move its entrance Friday, Aug. 1.

The new entrance and parking area for Shocker Studios is located on the west end of the facility. The new address for Shocker Studios is 3803 E. Harry St., Suite 121. The location features new classrooms, lecture hall, student study area and offices. Stay tuned for more information about an open house this fall.

Dr. Mia Ocean, associate professor in the School of Social Work, was recently elected chair of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Access Advisory Board. The board collaborates with city and county officials to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act and address community barriers to accessibility.

Ocean spoke during the Wichita City Council meeting to honor the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“It is our sincere hope that disabled people may fully participate in the great opportunities that Wichita offers and that the city may also benefit from the contributions of people with disabilities,” Ocean said at the meeting. “Thank you again for honoring the anniversary of what has truly been life-changing legislation, and we look forward to collaborating in the coming year.”

The College of Health Professions (CHP) recently hosted its fourth annual Kansas High School Health Science Teacher’s Workshop, providing valuable teaching strategies and professional development for high school educators across the state.

This year’s workshop featured presentations from Dr. Stephen Lewia, assistant professor in the Department of Physician Associate; Dr. Douglas Parham, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; and Lisa Garcia, associate educator in the Scientific Foundations Division. Topics included interpreting EKGs, screening for speech and hearing disorders, and encouraging critical thinking in the classroom. A student panel, led by Mandy Konecny, director of the CHP Advising Center, offered valuable insights into the student experience at Wichita State and the variety of pathways into healthcare careers. Participants also toured the college’s cutting-edge laboratories, including the Gross Anatomy, Human Simulation and School of Nursing simulation labs.

The teachers received valuable resources and information to bring back to their classrooms, with the goal of inspiring high school students to pursue careers in healthcare. In addition to hands-on learning, the workshop provided a unique opportunity for health science teachers to network with WSU faculty and fellow health science educators from across Kansas. A special thank you to Ascension Via Christi for their generous support of the event and providing gifts for attendees.

Wichita State is hosting a card shower to honor Deltha Colvin, associate vice president of college readiness/retention programs at TRIO Student Support Services, who is retiring after 55 years of service to the university.

Since Colvin is not currently in Wichita, in lieu of an in-person celebration, the campus community can send cards to the Office of Academic Affairs, who will route them to Colvin, care of Laura Manning, executive assistant to the provost. No postage is necessary. Please send your cards to Academic Affairs by Wednesday, Aug. 13.

Colvin, a nationally recognized leader in student support and access programs, has been a driving force behind TRIO initiatives at WSU, including Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Veterans Upward Bound, McNair Scholars and GEAR UP. She was also among the first graduates of TRIO Upward Bound when it launched in 1965.

Wichita State University’s Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP) will welcome 24 new Kansas registered teacher apprentices for the 2025-26 academic year. These paraeducators, who are employed across 14 Kansas school districts, will begin the next step in their journey toward becoming licensed teachers while continuing to serve in their local schools.

Districts represented in this growth span from northeast Kansas districts like De Soto, Lansing, Eudora and Riverside, to central districts such as Salina and Lyons, and all the way to Liberal in the southwest.

The WSU TAP program partnered with the Kansas State Department of Education to pilot the Kansas Registered Teacher Apprentice initiative, which aims to address teacher shortages by supporting paraeducators in earning their teaching credentials through a registered apprenticeship model.

The expansion reflects the continued success and impact of this innovative approach to teacher education.

Professionals can learn new skills or enhance what they already know with Badges at Wichita State, such as with the Professional Writing series, which covers a breadth of topics to bring your writing to a higher level.

Badges are bite-sized, one credit hour or less courses that can be taken at your own pace using Open Educational Resources. Registering in the Professional Writing series can help you gain skills in areas such as creating your resume and cover letter or writing and editing for social media. Or you can learn more about presenting online, writing professional correspondence or developing researching grants.

To learn more about Badges, including how to enroll for the fall 2025 semester, visit wichita.edu/badges.

Wichita State has been a national leader in creating a standard for microcredentials, allowing employers to be confident that meaningful learning has occurred, so you can confidently list a badge from WSU on your resume.

The award-winning Widener Global Leaders Program is proud to announce an exciting expansion as it enters its fifth year, welcoming Wichita State University students in business, communication, music or fine arts. This strategic growth reflects our continued commitment to developing the next generation of global leaders.

This milestone follows the recent graduation of WGLP’s 2024–2025 cohort, celebrated in a special ceremony this past May. Program highlights included immersive sessions on strengths discovery, strategic communication, business acumen, global mindset, financial literacy, the intersection of music and leadership, along with a private jet experience at Textron Aviation and a wide range of impactful networking opportunities.

“One of my favorite activities was the vision board session, where we got to be creative and reflect on our goals,” said Olivia Wessley, WGLP participant and economics major. “WGLP was an amazing experience. It made me a better leader and opened my eyes to what’s possible for my future.”