Category: News

What is a first-gen Student? A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parents/legal guardians have not completed a bachelor’s degree. A student who is the first person in their immediate family to attend a four-year college/university to attain a bachelor’s degree.

• Faculty and staff help spread the word, there is an all-call for first-gen artists to apply for a chance to exhibit in the second annual First-Gen showcase, “Identity.” Applications will be accepted through Oct. 9.
• The First-Generation Honor Society, Tri-Alpha (Alpha Alpha Alpha) is now accepting applications from all first-gen Wichita State faculty, staff, alumni and students. The intent of membership is to build support and advocate for the academic excellence of first-generation college students.
• FOCUS ON FIRST-GEN: This week we highlight Aaron L. Austin, Ed.D., Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
• F1RST-GEN T-Shirts are available in the RSC Shocker Store for $12.

A live faculty and staff town hall will be held 2-3 p.m. today, Oct. 1 via YouTube. This event is an opportunity to listen to and interact with President Rick Muma and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Shirley Lefever. The event will be moderated by Gabriel Fonseca, University Staff Senate president; and Whitney Bailey, Faculty Senate president.

Faculty and staff who participate can ask questions during the live chat YouTube stream. For participants who don’t have a YouTube account, follow the link below to create one. Creating an account will help facilitate questions in the live chat section of the Virtual Town Hall.

Six outdoor classroom spaces are now available for reservation Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. These spaces have been upgraded with 25 permanent Adirondak chairs.

For portable amplification, contact 316-978-7058.

Wichita State’s Student Involvement staff will be out of the office Thursday, Sept. 30 for professional development. The student involvement front desk staff will still be available for customer assistance during this time.

For more information, contact 316-978-3022, getinvolved@wichita.edu or stop by Rhatigan Student Center (room 216).

Innovation partners are asked to encourage children in grades 6-12 to submit designs for a CubeSat mission patch. The CubeSat (a tiny satellite) will be flown during a mission to collect data as part of Dr. Nickolas Solomey’s research on solar neutrinos.

The contest is a partnership between Wichita State and the Ad Astra Kansas Foundation. More information about the contest and the entry form can be found at the Ad Astra Kansas Foundation website. All entries are due Nov. 12.

In 2020, Wichita State University faculty, staff, administrators, student and community leaders were asked to serve on presidential taskforces as part of a commitment to shared governance and transparency. The findings from these efforts have helped shape and refine the priorities and strategy of the university. 

The work of these taskforces is complete. Their insight may inspire further initiatives that serve Wichita State’s vision and mission.

A new Wichita State University mental health clinic is helping its clients take a positive and proactive approach to their mental health. The WSU Integrated Support and Empowerment (WISE) Clinic offers comprehensive counseling services to everyone in the Wichita community, and all services are free of charge.

The purpose of the clinic is twofold: First, it engages the community and neighborhoods surrounding Wichita State and empowers people to take control of their mental health; and secondly, it gives WSU counseling students the opportunity for real-world applied learning through their work with clients.

Wichita State University has been chosen to host the 2023 Science Olympiad National Tournament, bringing national STEM notoriety to the university and up to 7,000 visitors and tourists to Wichita.

Approximately 1,800 students from across the United States, Canada and Japan will travel to Wichita State May 18-20, 2023, for the Science Olympiad National Tournament.

Approximately 1,800 students from across the United States, Canada and Japan will travel to Wichita State in May 2023 for the Science Olympiad National Tournament.

“Science Olympiad is a team competition that allows middle school and high school students a chance to learn about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas that they might not get a chance to in their regular classroom setting,” said Jill Fisher, community outreach coordinator for Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the national tournament director. “Competitions involve device-building, testing, lab work, and written exams.”

For example, teams might participate in an ornithology event, which includes identification of bird specimens, bird calls and testing of knowledge of avian diets, habitats and ranges. Testing and lab activities include wet chemistry, identifying unknown liquids and solids, and basic tests with titrations and potential of hydrogen (pH). Physics labs may include electricity or optics.

“Getting the national tournament is a huge deal,” said Dr. Andrew Hippisley, dean of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “It will associate Wichita State with STEM education at the national level, and the energy such a large flock of eager young minds brings to the campus is going to be amazing. These are the nation’s future students, researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs. Who knows how significant a step on their path this will be for them?”

Students will be accompanied by siblings, designated coaches, parents and extra students from their schools, bringing the expected attendance to between 4,000 and 7,000.

“This is a huge event. The opening program and the competition are usually high-energy,” Fisher said. “It’s a great way to wrap up the Science Olympiad season, which starts in September and goes all the way to May.”

Participants will stay in on-campus housing and local hotels during their visit to Wichita. All competitive activities will take place in the Rhatigan Student Center, classroom spaces, Koch Arena and other athletic facilities.

Wichita State first hosted the national competition in 2007. The university has hosted the Kansas Science Olympiad state tournament since 1988.

A champion for women and water quality, a world-reknown heart surgeon, and an ambassador to Tanzania — all exemplifying the merits and advantages of a liberal arts and sciences education — will be inducted at the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame ceremony 2-3 p.m., Oct. 22 at Wiedemann Hall. Induction into the Fairmount College Hall of Fame is the highest recognition of outstanding alumni who have had a significant impact on the region, nation and world. The event is open to the public.

The inductees are:

• Quincalee Brown, 1961, BA-English; BA-speech. Brown served the Water Environment Federation as its executive director and was a founding member of the Water Environment Research Foundation. She also worked as an independent water quality and association management consultant. Prior to her work with water quality, Brown held several positions in organizations that served the needs of women in the Washington, D.C., area. She is also the former Wichita State debate coach.
• Vincent L. Gott, 1951, BS-biological sciences. Over the course of his career, Gott assisted in developing the earliest pacemaker and artificial heart valves. During his time at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he performed the first heart transplant operation, and perfected operational procedures for correcting congenital heart defects in patients with Marfan syndrome. He also trained and mentored more than 50 thoracic surgery residents and fellows. Gott will be inducted posthumously.
• Alfonso Lenhardt, 1976, MS-administration of justice. The former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, Lenhardt has also served the U.S. Senate as Sergeant at Arms, as U.S. representative to the East African Community, and in high leadership positions for the U.S. Agency of International Development. Before holding these government positions, he had a long career with the U.S. Army, retiring as Major General.