Category: News

As part of the Japan Festival, the annual haiku contest is being hosted in both English and Japanese. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that follows the 5-7-5 syllable sentence pattern. Haiku are traditionally written about nature and include a kigo, or seasonal word, a word or phrase that gives the reader a sense of time and place. The deadline for submissions is April 17.

There will be a prize worth $20 for the top winner in each category. No AI-generated submissions.

Submit an English haiku or submit a Japanese haiku.

Wichita State must meet new ADA standards requiring that all public‑facing prerecorded videos meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards and include audio descriptions when meaningful visual information isn’t explained through narration. This applies to all videos produced by Wichita State and all content creators associated with the university, including student creators for student organizations.

The first part of the plan asks creators to review their videos to determine which need audio descriptions, which can be archived and which should be removed. To help the campus community assess videos and determine remediation strategies, CTAC and the Media Resources Center are offering the following virtual open‑lab workshops, each from 2 to 3 p.m.:

• March 26
• April 2
• April 8

For more details on the plan and the timeline, as well as workshop links, visit the Video Audio Description workshop page. For other questions, email Krystal Iseminger, director of ADA and Section 504 compliance, at krystal.iseminger@wichita.edu or call 316-978-3205.

The Barton School of Business is excited to announce that two Wichita-area students are the recipients of the 2026 Professor Fran Jabara Endowed Scholarship. The winners are Adeline Lank from Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School and Gabriel Shaffer from Valley Center High School. Each will receive $36,400 spread over four years to attend WSU and major or double-major in entrepreneurship.

The Jabara Scholarship is one of the largest of its kind nationally for entrepreneurs. To qualify, students have to complete essay questions about the importance of education in entrepreneurship and ideas that they find intellectually interesting as well as score at least a 27 on their ACT, 1260 on their SAT or achieve a 3.5 high school GPA. The selection process culminated in the AGH Scholarship Competition held in late 2025 where they were interviewed by a panel of judges.

The newest cohort of Rudd Scholars includes 17 Kansas high school seniors who have chosen to attend Wichita State.

• Amiyah Beard — Newton Senior High School
• Gracin Bergmeier — Inman Junior-Senior High School
• Jayden Boggess — Washington High School (Kansas City)
• Ashley Caligiuri — Junction City Senior High School
• Adison Henderson — Central Junior-Senior High School (Burden)
• Gabriel Heredia — Pratt Senior High School
• Kinley Jones — Ellis High School
• Danielle MacKinney — South Barber High School
• Sumaita Masum — Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
• Madison McCaskill — Wichita South High School
• Sutton O’Crowley — Douglass High School
• Avery Powell — Andover High School
• Kenton Powless — Paola High School
• Vanessa Rayo Real — Dodge City High School
• Julissa Romero-Lopez — Wichita West High School
• N’Aliecia Taylor — Central Junior-Senior High School (Burden)
• Abraham Vasquez — Sumner Academy of Arts and Science

The Barton School of Business will take part in one of Wall Street’s most iconic traditions this spring as school leaders and key stakeholders travel to New York City to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), marking a milestone moment during the Barton School’s centennial celebration.

The bell-ringing ceremony, globally recognized as a symbol of market close and financial achievement, will showcase the Barton School’s 100-year legacy of excellence in business education, leadership and impact — across Kansas and far beyond.

President Rick Muma and First Gentleman Rick Case will join KMUW on air at 7 a.m. Wednesday, March 25 for its pledge drive, where they are matching donations dollar for dollar. Tune in to KMUW 89.1 FM or listen at kmuw.org.

Others at Wichita State will join KMUW throughout the week, including Telly McGaha, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement, and his partner Justin Brown at 7 a.m. Thursday, March 26.

Claire Staggs, a senior psychology major graduating in May 2026, is gaining hands-on experience at Wichita East High School, part of Wichita Public Schools (USD 259), where she supports students as they plan their next steps after graduation. She began the role during the fall semester and continues her work this spring.

“My applied learning role at Wichita East High School consists of assisting Ms. Kennedy with helping students prepare for their futures after high school graduation,” Claire said. “As a student, I meet students where they are at and help them find scholarships, coach them through their applications, and help them take advantage of every opportunity presented.” 

Wichita State Military and Veteran Services is pleased to welcome Marcus Hill to the team as the new VA school certifying official (SCO).

Marcus is an Air Force veteran who brings valuable military experience and a strong commitment to serving fellow veterans and military-connected students. In his role as school certifying official, Marcus will assist students with the certification of their VA education benefits, help ensure compliance with VA policies and support student veterans as they navigate their educational journey while attending Wichita State.

As you come back from spring break, you will notice ongoing and new construction across Wichita State University’s 330 acres and beyond.

CAC Theatre

Construction is underway in the first phase of the accessibility upgrades to the CAC Theatre.

Improvements will include an exterior wheelchair lift, new widened entry doors, the addition of an accessible restroom and ticket booth, and a new accessible seating platform within the theater area. Construction is anticipated to be complete in June.

Wilkins Stadium

Construction is complete on the indoor softball practice facility adjacent to Wilkins Stadium. Inside the building is a netted softball infield that is divisible into batting and pitching practice areas.

Construction of the softball team and operations building to the south of the new indoor facility is anticipated to start this month. Construction staging is underway in the north section of Lot 15. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2027.

University Stadium Phase 1A/1B

The renovation of Wichita State’s University Stadium (formerly Cessna Stadium) took a big step forward Jan. 8 when the WSU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to invest $38 million into Phase 2 of the project.

Phase 2 will begin after the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships May 29-30 with demolition of the west grandstand in June. Construction of the new west stadium will be phased to ensure that seating is available for the 2027 KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships. Construction is scheduled to be complete before the 2028 KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships.

Construction continues for Phase 1B. This phase of construction consists of widening the field to hold a regulation-sized artificial turf soccer field and installing a nine-lane track and internal stadium sidewalks that will connect the east and west sides of the facility inside of the fence.

Improvements to the throwing area south of Charles Koch Arena are also underway. A storage building is under construction. Additions also include a longer javelin runway and warmup lanes. Shot put competition will move to this area from inside the stadium.

Construction is anticipated to be completed in April ahead of the KSHSAA State Track and Field Meet on May 29-30.

Ablah Library

Construction is underway on the second floor of the library for a project to relocate the Lowell D. Holmes Anthropology Museum from the current location in Neff Hall. The project is anticipated to be completed in early summer 2026.

The museum relocation is the first step to vacate the building in preparation for demolition of Neff Hall. The anthropology department will relocate to the Geology Building in early 2027 following a renovation in the Geology Building anticipated to begin in summer 2026.

Henrion Hall HVAC improvements Phase 3 and 4

Construction is underway in Henrion Hall for a project to provide air conditioning to the remainder of the building following recent projects in the sculpture and ceramics classroom areas as well as relocating and expanding the wood shop.

The project will be phased to allow the building to remain occupied but will affect building entrances throughout the year. Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.

NIAR Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and Research

Interior construction on the NIAR HAMR building is complete. Progress continues on the exterior site work and is anticipated to be completed in April.

The 170,000-square-foot building is partly funded by an EDA grant and will house advanced manufacturing research labs and associated offices.

The building is located on Innovation Boulevard between the Partnership Building 1 and The Suites. The first floor is primarily labs with offices on the second floor.

Partnership Building 3B

P3B, located between Partnership Building 3 and The Smart Factory by Deloitte @Wichita, is under construction. It will house the Forensic Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The building is expected to be complete March 2026.

The Division of Student Affairs announced Grace Henderson has been promoted to director of Student Conduct and Community Standards.

Grace has served in progressive roles within Student Conduct and Community Standards, most recently as assistant director, where she demonstrated exceptional leadership in case management, policy application, student accountability and campus collaboration.

Her experience spans conduct investigations and hearings, academic integrity processes, residence life leadership and clinical mental health training. Grace brings a thoughtful, educational approach to accountability, grounded in fairness, due process and community care.

A Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Kansas, Grace integrates restorative practices, student development theory and trauma-informed strategies into her work. Her commitment to balancing student growth with institutional integrity has strengthened the conduct processes and reinforced a culture of responsibility and belonging.

In the coming weeks, Student Affairs will initiate a search for a coordinator of student conduct.