Category: News

Wichita State University’s Policy 13.22 / Payment of Professional Dues or Licensing Fees has been updated to ensure compliance with governing state regulations and policies. The updates include changes in the procedures and requirements for requesting direct payment or reimbursement for the cost of job-related professional licenses, certifications and organizational memberships. Employees are expected to review and comply with the updated procedures and requirements. 

Questions regarding the updated approval process may be directed to Financial Services at accountspayable@wichita.edu.

A Wichita State University summer leadership course took 15 students from Kansas to South Carolina, where they utilized design thinking, contemporary research and scholarship to make a meaningful difference with local nonprofits.

WSU’s Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College’s Lead for Tomorrow course tackled real-world challenges from Wichita nonprofits: Wichita Clean Streams, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum and the Pando Initiative through a traveling leadership academy experience.

The Leadership Academy, part of the original Cohen gift, engages students in contemporary research and scholarship based on an annual theme. For the 2026 theme, “Currents, Waves & Tides: Leadership in Motion,” students participated in a Place as Text travel experience in Charleston, South Carolina.

The 2026 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 June 30 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:

• Hailey Aranda-Mayorga, 2026 WSU graduate, published a children’s book review entitled “Tiger-Trapping in the Elementary Classroom: A Review of When You Trap a Tiger.”
• Avery Gathright, 2026 WSU graduate, published a creative piece called “‘We’re Bored’: A Narrative Reflection.”
• Alice Huelskamp, 2026 WSU graduate, published a YA book review entitled “‘It’s Okay to be Scared’: Finding Hope Amid the Horror in Hell Followed With Us” and a creative piece entitled “The In-Between.”
• Katie Cramer published two YA book reviews (“Representation and Intersectional Identities in Last Night at the Telegraph Club” and “Cultural Identity, Family History, and Grito in Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir”), a teaching tip (“Beyond the Traditional Field Experience: Collaborating with Program Graduates to Design and Implement an Applied Learning Experience in a YAL Methods Course”) and the editor’s letter (“The Attacks on Public Education Continue”).
• Sun Young Lee serves as column editor for Diverse Children’s Book/Media Reviews.
• In addition, the 2026 editorial review board includes several WSU faculty and alumni: Robin Folkerts, Krystal Iseminger, Sally Kimball, Kim Moody, Reagan Murnan, Victoria Opalewski, Blake Overman, Nancy Sturm, Keely Tolbert and Nathan Whitman.

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

Summer 2026 graduates may find information regarding their diplomas on the Registrar’s Office diploma webpage (wichita.edu/diplomas).

• The deadline to submit a name change on diplomas is the last day of classes, July 24.
• The diploma distribution date for the summer 2026 semester is Sept. 8. Diplomas can be picked up at the transcript window on the first floor of Jardine Hall, and graduates must show identification.
• Graduates can request to have the diploma mailed to them for a fee through myWSU, clicking the myClasses tab, clicking the “Request for Diploma Mailing” in the “Graduation Links” box.
• Graduates will receive an emailed Secure ID on Sept. 8 from the eDiploma vendor inviting them to a one time purchase of an electronic diploma.
• The record of degree recipients will be inactivated due to graduation unless they are registered or admitted to a new program in a future semester. Learn more about your options after inactivation.

Step inside Shocker Studios, the School of Digital Arts’ professional-grade production facility at Wichita State University. From the LED Volume screen and motion capture lab to recording studios, editing suites and a full film studio, this is where students build the portfolio that gets them hired. Tour every space and see why SODA is shockingly different.

Degree Works will be unavailable Wednesday, July 8, due to scheduled maintenance. Students, faculty and staff who may need access to degree audits during this time are encouraged to save audits in advance.

Applications are now being accepted for the fall 2026 WSU I-Corps cohort.

Participants will go through a multi-session workshop alongside a cohort of fellow teams led by experienced instructors. Each week, participants will learn more about the customer discovery process and the business model canvas. Findings will be integrated to bring innovations closer to market. Participants will also take part in office hours with trained coaches from various entrepreneurship resources. Participants who complete the program are awarded up to $2,000 in funding to conduct customer interviews.

Are you ready to validate your innovative idea? For questions, contact icorps@wichita.edu. The application deadline is Sunday, Aug. 2. 

Welcomefest returns Aug. 14 through Sept. 12, bringing together events, activities and services that help new and returning Shockers connect with campus and start the semester strong.

Faculty, staff and student organizations are invited to submit events for inclusion in the official Welcomefest schedule. Approved submissions will be featured on the Welcomefest website and promoted through a variety of marketing channels, including printed materials, yard signs, social media, campus TV, newsletters and email.

If you’re planning an event during the Welcomefest campaign, submit an event by 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 22.

Wichita State’s Policy 11.03 / Unmanned Aircraft Systems regarding the use of drones has been updated consistent with federal law. All individuals operating UAS/drones on behalf of the university or on university property are expected to review and comply with all policy requirements.

Questions regarding compliance or approval processes may be directed to the University Police Department at 316-978-3450.

Check out what’s currently growing at the Community Garden for the week of June 22, 2026. The garden now has signage to let you know what is ready to be picked and what is still in the process of growing. Make sure to wash what you pick thoroughly before enjoying:

• Basil – Not ready to be harvested.
• Beets – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest mid to late August.
• Carrots – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest late August to mid September. 
• Chili peppers – Not ready to be harvested.
• Cilantro – Ready to be harvested. To pick, use clean scissors or gently pinch with your fingers and cut stems about one to two inches above the soil. Be sure to take the outer stems first to allow the inner leaves to keep growing. Gardeners also ask that you avoid pulling the entire plant or more than one-third of the plant at a time. Watch a video guide to harvesting cilantro.
• Cucumbers – Some are ready to be harvested.
• Peppermint – Ready to be harvested. Use clean scissors to cut or pinch at the stem just above a leaf node (the spot where two leaves grow from the stem). Gardeners ask that you avoid pulling off individual leaves, because cutting the stems encourages the plant to become bushier and produce more growth. For uses of peppermint, try blending it with basil for a basil-mint pesto; chopping and adding it to a summer salad; or muddling the leaves for a summer beverage.
• Radishes – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest mid to late July. 
• Squash – Not ready to be harvested.
• Sunflowers – Not ready to be harvested. The sunflowers have been planted to add some colorful beauty to the garden. Gardeners ask that you refrain from harvesting the sunflowers until they have reached their peak maturity. 
• Sweet Potatoes – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest mid to late October. 
• Tomatoes – Not ready to be harvested.

The Community Garden is a project of the Student Government Association, the President’s Office and Student Engagement & Belonging.

For questions, concerns or requests to plant your own produce in the garden, reach out to Lauren Madison, student governance coordinator for SEB, at lauren.madison@wichita.edu.