Category: News

Sally Jones, director of the Intensive English Language Center (IELC), has announced her retirement in March 2023.

Jones began as an adjunct in the intensive English program at Wichita State in January 1981, teaching one class until she continued to add classes and became a full-time instructor. Since then, Jones was given the title of ESL specialist in 1986 and continued teaching until she was appointed interim director of the program in August 2004. She has served as director since June 2005.

Jones attained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication sciences and disorders from WSU.

A celebratory event is scheduled on Friday, March 24. Contact Barbara Mazza Silhan, teaching professor at the IELC, at barbara.mazzasilhan@wichita.edu to RSVP for the event.

Wichita State has released its 2022 annual report detailing progress on university strategic goals throughout the 2022 academic year.

Here are some of the highlights:

• WSU launched Shocker Promise in the 2021-22 academic year, a four-year scholarship program for Sedgwick County and Shocker Neighborhood high school graduates, that pays for any remaining college costs not covered by Pell Grants, and paid out over $150,000 to students over the year.
• Funding for academic research is up to $180 million from the previous year’s $150 million. And non-athletic scholarships awarded is up to nearly $21 million, up from $19 million.

The deadline to submit abstracts for this year’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF) has been extended to Wednesday, March 29.

This year’s URCAF will be held on April 7 in the Rhatigan Student Center. The URCAF provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at Wichita State to present their scholarly and creative activity to a faculty, student and community audiences while competing for cash awards.

Each student’s work at the forum is presented under the mentorship of a WSU faculty member. WSU faculty and staff may also judge this year’s URCAF.

The deadline to submit abstracts for this year’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF) has been extended to Wednesday, March 29.

This year’s URCAF will be held on April 7 in the Rhatigan Student Center. The URCAF provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at Wichita State to present their scholarly and creative activity to a faculty, student and community audiences while competing for cash awards.

Each student’s work at the forum is presented under the mentorship of a WSU faculty member.

The HR Total Rewards team reminds faculty and staff that the deadline for summer 2023 tuition assistance applications is Monday, April 17. Tuition assistance applications for summer 2023 are submitted through the online application form.

Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied without exception.

Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

The Student Activities Council (SAC) will host the De-stress Fest from May 1 to May 4 and is accepting submissions from departments and organizations who would like to host a relaxing, decompressing and unwinding event for Wichita State students before finals week.

Events or workshops do not have to be 70s or groovy themed. The deadline to submit events is by Friday, March 31.

Applications for the 11th annual Shocker Leadership Awards have been extended to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 19. The Shocker Leadership Awards recognize the work of student-led organizations, students, faculty and staff at Wichita State.

Official WSU student organizations, university-affiliated student groups and individuals may be nominated by a student, faculty member, staff member or organization. Nominations can also be made by an individual for themselves.

For any questions, contact Abbi Whisler, student organization coordinator at Student Engagement, Advocacy and Leadership, at abbi.whisler@wichita.edu.

Students with business ideas can apply for funding to help make their idea a reality. There are a total of three funds offering support to student startups through the Center for Entrepreneurship:

• Women for Women Innovation Fund
• Don Hackett Support for Entrepreneurialism Fund
• Moral Family Fund for Innovation

The applications for all three funds close Friday, March 31, so be sure to to apply before it is too late.

There are diverse experiences all around, some that people may never know exist. These invisible diversities are given a chance to shine at the Humanities Conference. Any topic under the theme “Lost Voices: Diversity in experience,” from any major or academic level, can be submitted.

The new deadline to submit is Friday, March 31.

The conference is brought to WSU by the Philosophy Society, Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society), the Linguistics Club and EGSA and will be held in late April.

Want to be awarded up to $250? Apply for the University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award for utilizing library resources. All enrolled WSU undergraduate students or WSU concurrent students who submit a project to the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF) are eligible to register. The deadline to enter is Friday, March 31.

Students applying must be able to provide the following information:

• Details about them and their URCAF research.
• A 200-300 word description of how they used WSU Libraries’ collections, services, equipment and/or facilities in their URCAF project.
• Their works cited in a bibliography.