Category: News

The John See Innovation Award is provided to support entrepreneurs and innovators with prototype development and moving your idea forward. All students and faculty are eligible to apply. Awards typically range from $1,000 to $20,000. Applications are open until Jan. 8, 2022, but will be awarded based on the order they are received.

The Wichita State Wind Ensemble Concert, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 11, has been canceled. The WSU Symphonic Band will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15 at the Miller Concert Hall. WSU students may receive one free ticket with their WSU ID.

The Department of Sport Management has secured approval for a new undergraduate certificate in Sport Leadership and Branding. The 15-credit certificate launches in the spring 2022 semester.

The new credential will be available to all students. However, it is particularly designed to support the educational needs of varsity student-athletes in the new Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) marketplace.

“Key to supporting student-athletes is educating them on personal leadership, branding and NIL-related concepts,” Dr. Mark Vermillion, interim associate dean and department chair in Sport Management, said. “The purpose of the new certificate is to support student-athletes and the athletic department by providing essential educational resources, support and content associated with student-athletes’ development in these key areas.”

The new certificate builds on the ALTITUDE student-athlete development program launched in fall 2021 by Wichita State Athletics in partnership with Opendorse. Students who complete various facets of the ALTITUDE program may secure academic credit toward the Sport Leadership and Branding certificate.

The new certificate includes nine credits of required courses in leadership, personal branding, and sport and entertainment agencies. The other six hours of electives include options in sport marketing, technology in sport management and an applied leadership experience.

Archaeology fieldwork can be arduous and painstaking, but it’s a vital part of preserving the heritage and history of indigenous people.

Wichita State University’s Dr. Crystal Dozier recently led a team of students in a cultural resource management project for the city of Wichita, ensuring that modern infrastructure wouldn’t destroy or damage ancient artifacts.

Are you working Veterans Day Nov. 11? Do you need help entering time and leave for the day?  To learn more about how to accomplish this, please review the Payroll Office’s Veterans Day frequently asked questions (FAQs) website.

The Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic is now bursting with new books. The books were purchased with a Walmart Community Grant that was awarded to Melissa Vagts — master’s in speech-pathology, Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, associate clinical professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The children’s books will be given to pediatric clients at the end of each semester to promote literacy, language development and foster child-caregiver bonding.

Holiday safety is an issue that burns brightest from late November to mid-January when students, faculty, and staff gather for holiday parties and decorate their offices or rooms. Decorating is one of the best ways to get in the holiday spirit, but fires and injuries caused by improper use of electrical decorations such as lights, candles or other open flames can injure or kill. To avoid these incidences, members can take basic precautions to ensure their safety throughout the season:

• Decorations of all types shall be either non-combustible or adequately treated to render them fire-resistant.  Decorations are allowed 14 calendar days before the holiday or event. All decorations are expected to be removed no later than seven calendar days after the holiday or event. Artificial wrapped presents kept on the floor are limited to lobby areas. Keep wrapping paper on artwork to a minimum (i.e., less than 10% of the wall). The use of trees or wreaths shall be restricted to artificial types containing a Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or (Factory Mutual) (FM) tag or seal indicating satisfactory fire resistance. No live or cut trees or wreaths are allowed. Do not use strings of lights on metal trees.
• Streamers, garlands, lights and other decorations cannot run along or across halls, obstruct or restrict aisles, passageways, or corridors; be hung from smoke detectors or sprinkler heads or obstruct exits signs, fire extinguishers or other fire equipment. Holiday lighting strings must be double insulated or grounded and have an approval rating from either UL or FM. A maximum of three strands may be connected together. No extension cords shall be used to light strings of lights, only a circuit breaker-protected power strip shall be used.
• Decorations may not be attached to doors, walls, or painted surfaces by any methods which would damage the surface or leave behind adhesive residue (i.e., low adhesive masking tape is preferred). Any costs associated with damage caused by the installation or removal of decorative materials will be the responsibility of the department.
• Prohibited items include, but are not limited to, the following list:
• • Latex balloons, silly-string, bubbles, glitter, confetti, rice or birdseed.
  • Fireworks (including sparklers) or weapons of any kind.
  • Live animals (except for those assisting individuals with disabilities).
  • Any item with an open flame such as candles or incense.
  • Decorative materials may not be placed on fire doors, smoke doors, light fixtures, electrical equipment, electrical outlets, circuit breaker panels, etc.
  • Cut trees, tree branches, pinecones, wreaths, mistletoe, and live potted plants. Artificial trees, wreaths, and other seasonal decorations must be fire or flame-retardant. It is the department’s responsibility to save packaging material as proof to the fire marshal that decorative materials have received flame-retardant treatment.

The following list of materials may not be used for decorations under any circumstances because they are inherently combustible or cannot be flame proofed:

• Bamboo
• Cedar trees or branches
• Corn stalks or shucks
• Cotton or confetti (loose, in large quantities)
• Dry moss or leaves
• Flammable powders or liquids
• Hay or straw (loose or baled)
• Paper streamers (serpentine)
• Plastic sheeting or pellets
• Sawdust
• Tumbleweeds
• Wood Bark or shavings

For more information, please contact the WSU Fire & Safety Office at 316-978-5803 or 5531.

Wichita State University will never send you a request to fill out a survey about your COVID-19 vaccination status or to provide any other personal private information via email. COVID-19 phishing emails are often more successful because of the focus and concern that many share over the pandemic or changes in regulations. 

If you have received an email that you are concerned about, send it to spamreport@wichita.edu. 

Other tips for email safety: 

• Never provide personal information to sources that you do not recognize and/or that you cannot validate. 
• We will never ask you for your password. 
• Never send credit card or social security numbers over email.  
• Never purchase gift cards from email requests. 
• Phishing emails often want to text you: This is to get around protections our email system provides. Be careful texting people from email 
• The yellow banner does not indicate the message is untrusted, only that it came from outside of WSU. This information helps you to provide context if a message is a concern or not.  

Cyber security takes all of us. If you have questions, please contact askinfosec@wichita.edu.

Learn more from our exchange students about their experiences here at Wichita State. This week, read about Sabrina Harrich’s time as a Shocker and her favorite experience at WSU. Visit  to read more about her experience.

Support Wichita State Track and Field order a Shocker holiday sweatshirt. Orders will be taken until Sunday, Nov. 14. Sweatshirts will be available for pick-up 9 a.m.-noon Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the new Student-Athlete Success Center (located South East of Koch Arena) on the 2nd floor in the track and field office area. For more information, contact Rob Garcia at rgarcia@goshockers.com or Heidi Benton at hyost@goshcokers.com.