Category: News

For the past seven years Jennifer Stone, associate professor of special education in the department of Intervention Services and Leadership in Education (ISLE) at the College of Applied Studies (CAS) has partnered with CAS patron Jay Hull to fulfill Christmas wishes for Starkey, Inc.’s Angel Tree project.

The number of angel wishes granted through this partnership varies year to year, but this year the partnership served 25 Angels — the largest to date. Funding for the Starkey Angel Tree project is donated by Hull and matched by CAS in addition to the student and faculty volunteers from ISLE donating their time to purchase, wrap and deliver the gifts to Starkey.

“This outreach project has meant a lot to us. It helps show students that being part of your community outside of your classroom is part of being a good teacher and citizen,” Stone said. “Often, students have gone in to volunteer at the Christmas and spring parties where they get to directly interact with and support the diverse population that Starkey serves.”

The relationship between CAS and Starkey started in 2005 when Jay Hull established the Joe Hull Scholarship (named after Hull’s brother Joe) to benefit the masters in special education program at Wichita State University (WSU). Recipients of the scholarship have been required to volunteer with Starkey to see where some of their future students may be employed as adults. The partnership between WSU and Starkey grew from there.

Hull’s commitment to supporting Starkey was inspired by his brother Joe Hull who has cognitive disabilities and a winning personality. “The Angels often have deceased parents and family that have ignored them so they wouldn’t have Christmas without the program,” Jay Hull said. “Many, like my brother Joe still believe in Santa. Still today, Joe can’t wait for Santa at age 59.”

Stone said that through the last seven years, they have completed the lists of 107 Angels through this partnership.

“Let’s Talk About It” — Season 2 Episode 4: Social Justice

We’ve seen a significant increase in social justice efforts both locally and nationally throughout the past two years. From civil rights to a global pandemic, we’ve hit a turning point and many have launched into action as a result. Today, we’ll be discussing social justice efforts with several guests who have been in the trenches doing this work for years. How do we maintain momentum and continue to make progress? Today’s episode features:

• Selena Jackson (she/her) — Staff psychologist and group therapy coordinator for WSU Counseling & Prevention Services
• Brandon Johnson (he/him) — Wichita city council person & vice mayor
• Kevin Harrison — WSU Community Engagement Coordinator
• David Garcia — WSU student and Director of Public Relations for the Wichita State Student Government Association

About “Let’s Talk About It”: The mission of the FUSE ICT is to prepare and inspire students to achieve their true passion and purpose; while providing the tools, opportunities, and diverse programming options for them to grow. One of the most effective tools that we have to spark dialogue and unearth passion is dialogue. Our goal with “Let’s Talk About it” is to create a safe, comfortable and casual environment that will foster connection with diverse people in an effort to create meaning, ask questions and start honest conversations about the topics that matter most to college students today.

Testing Services will be closed Jan. 10 for staff development. Regular hours will resume Jan. 11. Please call 316-WSU-TEST with any questions.

Testing Services offers make-up exams, classroom exams for students registered for accommodations with the Office of Disability Services, distance exams, certification exams, and more.

The WSU Open/Alternative Textbook (OAT) Initiative is designed to expand the use of freely-available resources in our classes in an effort to address the rising cost of textbooks and the impact of that expense on our students. To get an OAT designation for s fall 2022 course, submit the request form before Feb 15.

Courses with an OAT designation are visible to students in the course schedule so they can choose classes with low or no textbook costs.

Courses can be designated as either:

• OAT-Z:  Zero ($0) textbook or other course material costs
• OAT-L: Low (under $50) textbook or other course material costs

This program has been modified from the original design. There is no longer a course fee associated with these course designations.  www.wichita.edu/OAT 

The staff at Wichita State’s Student Wellness Center and Counseling and Prevention Services received cookies as the first Rick Rewards presentation on Monday, Dec. 13. 

Rick Rewards is a new program by President Rick Muma to show his appreciation for the efforts of a member, or members, of the campus community.

The Student Wellness Center was selected as the first recipient because of its staff’s dedication to the mental and physical health of WSU students and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first of many future Rick Rewards that will be handed out to applaud the many people on campus who go above and beyond every day.

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Center will be closed from 1 p.m to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15 for a holiday event. The LAS Advising Center will reopen at 8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 16.

The Rhatigan Student Center (RSC) will close temporarily Dec. 19–Jan. 2 for Winter Break. During this time, the RSC Shocker Store location will be open for a portion time. For specific building and department hours, visit the RSC operating hours website.

Registration is open for the first state-wide virtual Kansas Open Education Resources (OER) Summit 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 16 and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 17. Admission for this event is free.

The summit will provide sessions that allow participants to learn more and share ideas about OER, open pedagogy and other open education initiatives. The summit also allows participants to collaborate with their Kansas colleagues in discussions and workshops about different topics and discipline areas to obtain more insight on how they can utilize open education in their institutions or classrooms.

The Kansas OER summit is supported by the Kansas Board of Regents and Midwestern Higher Education Compacy (MHEC). Registration is required to attend.

Shockers have until 3 p.m. Dec. 13 to grab any last-minute items for the holidays at the Shocker Support Locker. The facility will close Tuesday, Dec. 14, and will reopen Jan. 17, 2022.

For more information, contact 316-978-3022 or visit the Shocker Support Locker website.

More than 1,100 Shockers are eligible for graduation in fall 2021. While each of their journeys are unique, they all share a common connection to Shocker Nation. Here’s what some of our graduates have to say about their time at Wichita State University and the future they see for themselves.