Category: News

The Kansas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Wichita State University honored local small business owners Mark Buckley and Geneva Nisly, owners of the Toy Depot Inc., and Sarah Leslie, owner of Leslie Coffee Co., at the 2021 Kansas Small Business Awards Ceremony Aug. 2.

Toy Depot Inc. was presented with the award for best existing business of the year. Located in Hutchison, Kansas, this vintage 1920s-style toy store sells original board games, action figures, trains, dolls and collectible items. Since they began working with the Kansas SBDC, Buckley and Nisly have had a two-fold increase in sales on their website and on eBay, as well as increased customers in the store through social media marketing.

Leslie Coffee Co. was presented with the award for best emerging business of the year. Leslie learned and honed her coffee-loving craft while living in New York and was excited to bring the unique culture back to Wichita. The Kansas SBDC helped her develop a business plan, set financial projections, find a location, prepare for a loan request and assisted with the opening process.

Congratulations to our winners.

Parking services will close portions of the parking garage outside the Rhatigan Student Center Friday, Aug. 13, for an event. The fourth floor will close all day. The third floor and the ramp leading to it will close after 5 p.m.

Customers with a Yellow ePermit who park on the fourth level are permitted to park on the second and third floors Aug. 13.

The annual Michael Tilford Conference on Diversity and Multiculturalism until 11:49 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13.

Submissions should relate to the theme of this year’s conference, “Better Together: The Power of Coalition Building in DEI Work.” The conference will focus on the power and necessity of building coalitions within diversity, equity and inclusion work, in order to create lasting change within higher education.

For more information or to submit a proposal, please click the link below.

The new Wichita State Blackboard Support portal is open for business.

In addition to a frequently asked questions section, users can also access to connect via chat, calls or email for assistance. Simply search by phrase or keyword. 

Interested in joining the Shocker Rowing crew? The next rowing interest meeting will take place noon-6 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Shocker Rowing Boathouse at River Visita (150 North McLean Boulevard in Wichita) The meeting is also available via Zoom (Password 755225).

Wichita State University will host the Institute by LeaderShape Oct. 8-11at Rock Springs 4-H Center in Junction City, Kansas. LeaderShape is a nationally recognized organization that facilitates participants through a series of dynamic, challenging and exciting sessions designed to increase, develop and launch the leadership capacity of students.

Participants will cultivate leadership skills, reflect and discuss leadership lessons within a small cohort or cluster of students. LeaderShape will be held Oct. 8-11at Rock Springs 4-H Center in Junction City, Kansas.

For more information, visit the LeaderShape Institute website.

Summer 2021 Student Perception of Teaching Effectiveness (SPTE) results were mailed to your department Friday, Aug. 6.

For more information, contact Sandy Ranney, Social Science Research Lab associate director, at 316-978-5984.

After a national search, Aaron Hamilton is the next director of Wichita State University’s OneStop Student Services.

Hamilton received both his Bachelor of Arts in communications and his Master of Public Administration degrees from WSU. He previously worked at WSU Undergraduate Admissions since 2003. During this time, Hamilton served in progressive leadership roles as senior recruitment coordinator; assistant, associate and senior associate director of admissions. Hamilton also served on the President’s Diversity Council, was appointed the government relations chair for the Great Plains Association of College Admissions Counselors (GPACAC), and worked as president and treasurer for the Kansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (KACRAO).

In this new role, Hamilton will oversee the activities of OneStop, which provides first-level of support for all students in matters relating to admissions, registration, financial aid, student accounts. and general advising. OneStop also provides advising for all first-year students, providing seamless support for students navigating the complexities of college before they arrive on campus.

The OneStop is an important part of the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) team and reports directly to the associate vice president for SEM, Dr. Carolyn Shaw. OneStop began in 2014 in an effort to support students better and reduce the amount of work it would take students to resolve their nonacademic issues.

Due to COVID-19, the 26th annual McNair Scholars closing symposium took place with an online platform for 2021. The research presentations are now available via YouTube.

Please take time to view these presentations. Each presentation required approximately 200 hours of research for each student.

In addition to the presentations, the Bradley Cole Poster Competition took place as part of the symposium. There were a total of 160 Votes. The winners are as follows:

• Brenda Le — First place
• Tasnya Rowe — Second place
• Andrea Martinez — Third place

Despite the challenges presented by working primarily in an online environment, we are immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of each student. Please join us in celebrating their achievements.

Dr. Kevin Sylvester Harrison, formerly the Wichita State University Military and Veterans Affairs community engagement coordinator, joined the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College as assistant teaching professor and director of diversity, equity and inclusion.

In addition to developing and teaching honors courses, Harrison will oversee recruitment and community relationship-building. Harrison has spent the past five years transitioning into higher education from banking, financial services and telecommunications He received his doctorate in 2020, and has taught several courses since 2016. In his new role as a faculty member and brand ambassador, Harrison hopes to assist the college in its efforts to expose honors education to more diverse student populations. 

Along with Harrison’s professional endeavors, he is a published author, an active participant in various community advocacy initiatives, and a performing artist. This wide range of skills and experiences will be a tremendous asset as he strives to establish and nurture relationships between the honors college, the campus community and the local community.