Category: News

It has come to WSU’s attention that the winter closedown schedule overlaps with the beginning of spring 2024 pre-session classes by one day, Jan. 2, 2024. The decision has been made to shift the winter closedown dates to begin and end a day earlier. This means the winter closedown will commence at the end of the day on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, and reopen on Tuesday morning, Jan. 2, 2024. The closedown is ten (10) days, two of which are paid holidays. Classes will not be in session during this period.

Employees who would normally be scheduled to work the days may use accumulated vacation leave or their 2023 discretionary day* during the winter closedown. Non-exempt employees can also use accumulated compensatory time off during the winter closedown.

If your role requires you to work during the winter closedown it must be approved in advance by your immediate supervisor. For those that are required to work during the winter closedown, we appreciate your dedication and service to the university.

Schedule of winter closedown:

• Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023
• Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023
• Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023
• Friday, Dec. 22, 2023
• Monday, Dec. 25, 2023 (Paid Holiday)
• Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023
• Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023
• Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023
• Friday, Dec. 29, 2023
• Monday Jan. 1, 2024 (Paid Holiday)

An employee must be in pay status the entire workday before and the entire workday after state holidays to receive holiday pay. The official state holidays are Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

*The discretionary day for 2023 must be used on or before Dec. 23, 2023.

Introducing HOPE Services at Wichita State. An acronym for Health, Outreach, Prevention and Education, HOPE Services was formerly housed under Counseling and Prevention Services.

HOPE Services promotes mental health and wellness as well as prevention efforts aimed at reducing substance misuse, suicide and sexual violence on campus. Located in the Student Wellness Center inside the Steve Clark YMCA, HOPE Services invites students and staff to engage with wellness resources, trainings and outreach activities that increase connection.

The Widener Global Leaders Program (WGLP) has announced that Barbara Shrut, president of SLB Advisors, will be joining its illustrious advisory board. The WGLP program is led by the Barton School of Business and directed by Dean Larisa Genin in collaboration with Fairmount College and the College of Fine Arts. It is an interdisciplinary program designed to create a transformational experience and foster an inclusive community for women majoring in business, communications or fine arts aimed at developing the next generation of global and transformational female leaders.

Over the next few weeks WSU Information Technology Services (ITS) will roll out new functionality regarding password resets.

This new feature, called Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR), will enable users to reset, unlock and change passwords with the added security of having an extra verification method.

The goal is to make your workday easier when you have issues with your password by enabling self-service password reset functionality.

Next Steps

Be on the lookout for more information from WSU ITS regarding when this functionality is available and how to set up your account.

The Barton School of Business has launched a new, industry-aligned Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program. The innovative curriculum will be taught by top faculty members and focused on the latest industry trends and content to more effectively prepare students for greater responsibilities at the executive level.

The 30-credit hour program spans 18 months and will begin October 2023. A key feature of the new EMBA program is students will be paired with a personal executive coach. Their coach will guide them to discover their unique talents and develop a strengths-based approach to solving current and future leadership and business challenges.

The Barton School of Business has chosen Paul R. Attwater III as the Erin and Kyle Cummings Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) industry faculty advisor. Attwater is a senior vice president and founder of his team at a major financial institution. As advisor, he will engage students participating in SMIF (recruitment will begin in fall 2023 semester) to invest $250,000 in stocks, bonds and other securities. Proceeds from the portfolio will be reinvested into the program, with a percentage going to strengthening student experience and success initiatives further.

Attwater has more than 38 years of experience in the financial services industry – focusing on comprehensive wealth management for high-net-worth families and small foundations. A native of Wichita, he graduated from Wichita Collegiate School, and then earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kansas State University.

The Barton School has partnered with Helm Inc., a leading technology and services provider serving the automotive aftermarket, to initiate a collaborative research project to create “data-driven consumer insights.” With substantial undergraduate students’ involvement, the project investigates consumer attitudes and preferences toward extended warranties across multiple product lines and identifies the key factors driving consumer decisions to adopt extended service programs.

The project will be split into three parts concluding at the end of the fall 2023 semester. Students will produce a comprehensive report of in-depth analysis of business models employed by companies offering extended warranties in the consumer electronics, consumer appliances, and vehicle industries. Students will also identify key factors driving consumer decisions in the aforementioned industries. Finally, the research team will conduct additional data analysis by implementing advanced machine learning techniques on consumer reviews for extended warranties to determine the driving factors of extended warranty adoption.

The Barton School announced the selection of three distinguished industry leaders to be inducted into its inaugural “Beyond” Hall of Fame. The inaugural group of inductees will be recognized for their visionary leadership and outstanding contributions to the Barton School and community during an induction celebration Feb. 17, 2024:

• Frank Barton: President of Barton Distributors from 1952 until 1979 and co-founder of Rent-A-Center in 1973 with partner Tom Devlin. In May 1987, he and his wife, Patsy, gave $12 million to endow WSU’s Business School, which was later dedicated in his name. He passed away in September 2000. His son, Craig Barton, will accept the honor on his behalf.
• Clark Bastian: Chairman of the board at Fidelity Bank. He served a three-year term as chairman of the dean’s advisory board of the Barton School of Business. He is also a member of WSU’s National Advisory Council. He has served on numerous boards, including those of the Wichita Community Foundation, WSU Foundation and Rotary Club of Wichita.
• Fran Jabara: Founded the Center for Entrepreneurship at WSU, which was the first of its kind on a college campus and has been recognized internationally as one of the finest, most comprehensive programs in the nation. He was a former dean of the Business School and in 1996, Jabara Hall was dedicated in his honor. Jabara passed away in 2015, and his family will accept the honor on his behalf.

The application process for the 2023-24 Widener Global Leadership Program cohort are now open. It is currently seeking 8-10 undergraduate women students from either the Barton School of Business, Elliott School of Communication or College of Fine Arts.

Interested applicants should submit a resume along with a statement of interest by Friday, July 7.

The Widener Global Leaders Program is designed to foster an inclusive community for women majoring in business, communication, or fine arts at Wichita State.

The Office of Admissions at Wichita State invites Innovation Campus partners and their high school or transfer students to get an exclusive look at what Shocker Nation is all about from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27 starting in the John Bardo Center lobby.

During the event, students and parents will have the opportunity to take a tour of campus and hear from Admissions staff about admission requirements, scholarship opportunities and everything in between at Wichita State. They will also hear from a student panel to learn more about the Shocker experience.

Tentative agenda for the day:

• 5-6 p.m.: Optional campus & housing tour
• 6-6:30 p.m.: Check-in opens, refreshments available
• 6:30-7 p.m.: Welcome and Admissions presentation
• 7-7:20 p.m.: Current student panel
• 7:20-7:30 p.m.: Questions and closing

This event is available at no additional charge, and refreshments will be provided. All students in attendance will receive a gift from WSU. RSVPs should be sent no later than 5 p.m. Monday, July 24. For more information, contact Rosie Lager at rosie.krenek@wichita.edu or 316-978-5698.