Category: News

To successfully advance our new SEM 2025 Plan, we need engagement campus-wide. We want to grow our student body and see greater student success through improved retention and more equity for our underserved students.

Check out the featured strategy this week to see if it aligns with work in your area:

Strategy 2.5 Provide and support high impact opportunities for middle/high school students in the community and beyond

Idea for the classroom: Partner with Wichita State’s Admissions Office to schedule lab tours or classroom experiences for visiting high school students (i.e. Black and Yellow Days). For more information, contact Sarah.Brill@wichita.edu.

Ideas beyond the classroom: Host a high school conference or summer camp experience; Partner with pre-college TRIO, Gear Up, or Upward Bound or USD 259 AVID programs to develop college success skills. For more information, contact Deltha.Colvin@wichita.edu

Shout outs to:

• Dr. Catherine Searle, Dr. Yueh-Ju Lin, Dr. Yuan Liu, Dr. Mai Dao, WSU Mathematics, for their work on Sonia Kovalevsky Day
• Erin Shields, College of Engineering, for Project Lead the Way
• Dr. Alexandra Middlewood, WSU Political Science, for their model United Nations conference
• Jill Fisher, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, for their Science Olympiad
• Dr. Moriah Beck, Chemistry, for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Rocks
• Dr. Tamtam Perlekar, Engineering Technology, for the MindStorm competition
• Dr. Steven Skinner, College of Engineering, for Kansas BEST Robotics
• Ana Lazarin, College of Engineering, for engineering summer camps
• Dr. Tim Shade, Dr. Ryan Beeken, Dr. Mark Laycock, College of Fine Arts, for their local, regional and national clinician workshops for the performing arts
• Sabrina Vasquez,  WSU Dance, for the Children’s Dance Festival
• Dr. Mark Vermillion, Sports Management, for the Student Leadership Program with USD 259
• Dr. Peer Moore-Jansen, Department of Anthropology, tours of the anthropology bone lab
• Dr. Jessica Provines, Counseling and Preventions Services, for the WeSupportU campaign at Bishop Carroll High School
• Travis Yang, WSU e-sports, for hosting e-sporting events for local teams

For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Shaw at 316- 978-7130 carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu

Do you utilize library resources? Are you participating in Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF)? Applications are currently being accepted for University Libraries annual awards for undergraduate research until April 1. For more information or to apply visit Wichita State’s University Libraries website.

In celebration of Women’s Month, the Wilson K. Cadman Art Gallery located in the Rhatigan Student Center will showcase “Making HerStory: The Evolution of Marché, Forging A Way to Greatness,” March 21- April 2. The exhibit is a tribute to Dr. Marché Fleming-Randle, vice president and chief diversity officer, and director of Military and Veteran Programs.

The exhibition is designed by Tia L.W. Owens and chronicles Fleming-Randle’s life and professional experiences leading up to becoming the first African American woman executive administrator at Wichita State in 125 years. The exhibit contains a display of  Fleming-Randle’s personal artifacts, photos, awards, and a sneak peek of candid photos and quotes taken during the filming of the upcoming oral history interview project “Forging A Way to Greatness: The Evolution of Marché – HerStory Revealed,” also produced and directed by Owens.

CARE Team exists to support students through difficulty by connecting them with the resources and help they need to succeed academically and personally. During February, the CARE Team witnessed an increase of 56.45% of cases. When comparing February 2021 to February 2022, there was no change.

The CARE Team also provided a list of concerns they saw in February:

• Academic concerns or anxiety due to the increase of academic demands
• Grief and loss for many students who have lost loved ones to COVID
• Increase in emotional concerns due to academics and self-reporting struggling

What the CARE Team expects to see in March:

• Increase of academic concerns as students are finishing up midterms and exams
• Increased anxiety about graduation
• Mood improvement with the beginning of daylight saving time

What staff and faculty can do to help students:

• Get connected to Counseling and Protection Services (CAPS) 316-978-4792 to support mental and emotional health and well-being.
• ShockerSync and S.E.A.L to encourage students to get connected to groups and organizations.
• Encourage the practice of self-care by staying hydrated, being well rested, exercising and encouraging students to make time for themselves.

For more information or to submit a concern, visit the CARE Team website.

Encourage your students to apply for the spring 2022 Women for Women Innovation Fund are now due March 23. Awarded to female Wichita State students, the Women for Women Innovation Fund provides recipients with capital to advance their business ideas.

The fund has supported women with varied business ideas like:

• Angelique Bahn-Applied with the desire to create a sustainable retail fashion boutique.
• Michele Valadez-Applied to help people in the event of a car crash with a 360 Car Cam.
• Devon Creasman-Applied to help connect local businesses with more consumers.
• Madeline Shonka-Applied to help people suffering from chronic illnesses with CoVstat.

Spring 2022 Applications for the Women for Women Innovation Fund are now due at noon March 23. Awarded to female Wichita State students, the Women for Women Innovation Fund provides recipients with capital to advance their business ideas.

The fund has supported women with varied business ideas like:

• Angelique Bahn-Applied with the desire to create a sustainable retail fashion boutique.
• Michele Valadez-Applied to help people in the event of a car crash with a 360 Car Cam.
• Devon Creasman-Applied to help connect local businesses with more consumers.
• Madeline Shonka-Applied to help people suffering from chronic illnesses with CoVstat.

The Rhatigan Student Center (RSC) and its departments alter its hours for spring break March 14-18. You can view the full list of operating hours at the Wichita State RSC hours website.

Focus on first-gen: This week we highlight Coleen Pugh, vice provost for Research, dean of         the Graduate School, professor in the Department of Chemistry.

Why does advocating for first-gen matter?
Advocating for first generation students matters because we need to remember that the system we take for granted may be completely foreign to them.  We need to provide the missing information, as well as a welcoming environment and the assurance that they can be successful. If these students are successful, our university is successful, and our society   benefits from the economic prosperity that comes with an educated workforce that can serve societal needs, respond to challenges and innovate.

Sign up to join the First-Gen Affinity Shockers —This group is designed to foster a community of first-generation professionals, build a group that offers professional development and networking opportunities. It’s also meant to foster an environment where common experiences can be shared, while addressing the needs of first-gen professionals at Wichita State University.

Focus on first-gen: This week we highlight Zoë Gillis, graduate student in printmaking.

How does it feel to be the first member of your family to attend college?
When I was a teenager, I never really saw myself loving school this much. It’s been the most rewarding experience of my life.

What piece of advice would you share with an incoming first-generation college student?
Use the resources available to you. Scholarships and grants are everywhere, even if you don’t have a stellar GPA.

What do you hope to do after you graduate from Wichita State?
I want to teach art at a college level and continue to develop my own artistic career.

Sign up to join the First-Gen Affinity Shockers -This group is designed to foster a community of first-generation professionals, build a group that offers professional development and networking opportunities. It’s also meant to foster an environment where common experiences can be shared while addressing the needs of first-gen professionals at Wichita State University webpage.

The Widener Global Leaders Program is currently taking applications for the 2022-2023 class. Applications are now open from Feb. 1 to March 31. The program is looking for 10 women who are eager to learn and want to develop personally and professionally.

The Widener Global Leaders Program is an immersive, multidisciplinary approach to prepare Wichita State women scholars majoring in business, communication, or fine arts for leadership roles. The year-long program incorporates concepts from business, communication and music to develop a unique global perspective with an innovative mindset. It is designed to create a transformative experience while fostering an inclusive community and extended network. 

Participants will benefit from counsel and coaching from faculty leads in each of the areas, as well as individual consultations from a personal branding coach. The program also merges education and practical experiences with mentoring opportunities from a unique advisory board of distinguished women leaders from various industries, providing enviable one-on-one connections with and lessons directly from those who have walked the walk.

For more information about the Widener-GLP, please visit Wichita State’s Widener Global Leaders Program website.