Category: News

The College of Engineering is hosting its annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED) event for high school students from Wichita and the surrounding area. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 12 in the Rhatigan Student Center.

Registration is open for students who would like to attend, professionals from the engineering and computing industries who would like to volunteer as mentors at the event, and companies from STEM fields who would like to participate in the Opportunity Fair. Registration will close on Monday, Feb. 23 or sooner if capacity is reached.

Learn more and register at wichita.edu/iged.

Wichita State University has selected the 2026 recipients of the Harry Gore Memorial Scholarships. Each student will receive a $64,000 scholarship to attend Wichita State starting in fall 2026.   

• Mackenzie Bucl, McKinney Boyd High School (Texas)
• Kayden Lankford, Valley Center High School (Kansas)
• Samantha McClintock, Central Christian Academy (Wichita)

A total of 528 students competed in the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational (DSI) in November. To be invited to compete, students had to have a 27 or higher ACT score, or a 3.5 or higher GPA, or rank in the top 10% of their class. Once invited, students completed an application, essays and competed in an on-campus leadership competition. On Jan. 22, 11 finalists came back to campus for final interviews.  

As with all the Gore Scholars since 1954, the three recipients this year are involved in their schools and communities and plan to do the same at WSU. 

Now that you are familiar with the three most common types of WSU data sensitivity classifications, you can start to be proactive managers of the personal information you interact with. The foundation for achieving suitable privacy management comes from labeling information with the appropriate labels to help drive how it is accessed, stored and used.

Visit the Data Labeling Guide to find more specific information about how to apply labels to documents and emails. Data labeling is currently available to everyone and will be required for staff and faculty by the end of the year. If you have any questions about data labeling, or to request an in-person training for your department, reach out to askinfosec@wichita.edu. If you have any privacy related questions or concerns, reach out to privacy@wichita.edu or call 316-978-4447.

Thank you for being proactive privacy protectors over the information you hold.

In December 2023, Timothy “Tim” Cao earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with multiple emphases in economics, finance and real estate, with a minor in business analytics from Wichita State.

Cao continued his education at the Barton School of Business and in December 2024 he earned his master’s degree in economics and quantitative analysis with a data analytics concentration. Now at POET, Cao is a business support analyst, where his expertise in data analysis is vital in POET’s operations. A year after becoming an alumnus, Cao reflects on his academic and career journey with Wichita State’s support.

WSU Restricted information is the category of data that contains some of the most sensitive personal information at WSU. It is highly sensitive information, maintained, collected or recorded by WSU that is intended for limited, specific use by a workgroup, department, group of individuals or third party with a legitimate need to use or access the data. The difference between Private and Restricted data is that explicit authorization by the designated data owner is required for access to WSU Restricted data due to legal, contractual, privacy or other related constraints.

Examples of Restricted data include sensitive personal identifiable information, such as social security or driver’s license numbers, credit card numbers, identifiable genetic or biometric information, medical information, and Federal Tax Information. See the WSU policy 19.20 / Data Sensitivity Classification for more examples and specific information about all of the types of WSU Restricted data.

Privacy for individuals must be at the forefront of our mind when handling WSU Restricted information, as unauthorized release of this information often times could be harmful to an individual if it is mismanaged. Applying the appropriate labels and following the privacy principles listed on the WSU Privacy SharePoint Site can guide you in proper management. Check in tomorrow for tips on how you can label this Restricted information to ensure the appropriate management of it. For more information about data labeling and how to apply labels, visit the Data Labeling Guide on the Information Security website.

WSU Private data is information that has a low to moderate sensitivity and is intended for internal university business use only, with access restricted to a specific workgroup, department, group of individuals or affiliates with the legitimate need to use or access the information. A few examples include myWSU ID’s, information technology transaction logs and non-directory information or student records that are protected under FERPA. See WSU policy 19.20 / Data Sensitivity Classification for more specific information about WSU Private data.

WSU Private data is information that still warrants careful handling through use of privacy principles such as data minimization, storage limitations and purposeful use. Finding out what these principles are and how you can apply them is easy, just visit the Privacy SharePoint Site. Using these guiding privacy principles can help to protect the privacy of the students and other members of the WSU community we serve. Check back tomorrow for information on what is considered Restricted data at WSU. For more information about data labeling and how to apply labels, visit the Data Labeling Guide on the Information Security website.

The Office of Student Accommodations and Testing (OSAT) Testing Center will need you to fill out the Test Information Form to enable scheduling through Register Blast for each course. OSAT offers proctoring for all WSU students. The faster OSAT has testing details, the faster students will be able to schedule and take their exams.

The Testing Center’s testing hours are 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. For questions, email testingcenter@wichita.edu or call 316-978-8378.

Public information doesn’t usually require privacy protections, but it still must remain accurate and maintain its integrity — both key privacy principles. Let’s take a closer look at the WSU Public label and the types of information it includes.

WSU Public data generally has a low sensitivity but still warrants protection in order to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the data. This type of data is explicitly or implicitly approved for distribution to the public without restriction. A few examples include information that is provided on the university’s public website, semester course schedules or information that has been approved for release by the Registrar’s Office. See WSU policy 19.20 / Data Sensitivity Classification for more specific information about WSU Public data.

Inaccurate personal information about an individual can still be harmful to them or to the organization. Check back tomorrow to learn about WSU Private data and how it differs from public data. For more information about data labeling and how to apply labels, visit the Data Labeling Guide on the Information Security website.

Make a book with the new Robert L. Cattoi Book Technologies Lab, located in the English department in 601 Lindquist Hall. The new lab will hold open hours this semester from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays.

Come by the lab during these times to learn about letterpress printing, bookbinding, zine making and other book-production techniques. Learn more about the space at wichita.edu/booklab.

Did you ever wonder what your role is in protecting the privacy of individuals whose personal information you manage? A great way to start is by understanding the data sensitivity classifications and labeling the personal information contained in documents and emails in our WSU system. To increase your knowledge in this area and in honor of Data Privacy week, learn more about data labeling.

WSU has four different categories of labels for data. They are WSU Public, WSU Private, WSU Restricted and WSU Proprietary. Check back each day this week to learn more about how to select and apply these labels. For more information about data labeling and how to apply labels, visit the Data Labeling Guide on the Information Security website.