Category: News

Watermark’s Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) tool is Wichita State’s new course evaluation tool. Find more information over the coming weeks in WSU Today about CES.

Today’s focus is on “What Is CES?”

• CES is a course evaluation platform from Watermark. The evaluation portion of the platform is called “Course Evaluations & Surveys” and at WSU is referred to as CES.
• CES has replaced SPTEs as the source for course evaluations.
• CES is easy to use and is integrated with Blackboard.
• CES results are electronic and will be available at the end of the term the course is assigned.
• Using CES should increase response rates.
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

For questions, contact Sandra Ranney at evaluations@ces.wichita.edu.

Want to present your scholarship at the 2024 Kansas Gender & Sexuality Conference? The deadline for submitting your presentation proposal, consisting of a 200-300 word summary/abstract, is Sept. 8.

The purpose of this free annual interdisciplinary conference is to showcase the gender- and sexuality-related scholarship happening across the state — highlighting the scholarly and creative work of students, faculty, staff and community partners — and to provide an opportunity to network across departments and universities within Kansas.

Submissions of original research, interactive training/workshops or other scholarship and creative work related to gender and/or sexuality from Kansas communities and universities are currently being accepted.

The Wichita Eagle has released the 2024 Best of Wichita nominations, and Wichita State has been nominated in several categories:

• Education – College/university: Wichita State University, WSU Tech
• Education – Vocational school: WSU Tech
• Education – Childcare: WSU Child Development Center
• Health & beauty – Audiologist/hearing center: Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic
• Things to do – Art gallery: Ulrich Museum of Art, WSU Shift Space, Clayton Staples Gallery
• Things to do – Bowling: Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes
• Things to do – Hotel: Hyatt Place at WSU
• Things to do – Museum: Ulrich Museum of Art, Lowell Holmes Museum of Anthropology
• Things to do – Live theatre: Wilner Auditorium
• Eat & drink – Lunch spot: WSU Food Truck Plaza, Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen
• Eat & drink – Bar/tavern: Social Tap Drinkery
• Eat & drink – Beer selection: Social Tap Drinkery
• Eat & drink – Mediterranean restaurant: Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen
• Eat & drink – Sports bar: Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes
• Eat & drink – Tacos: Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

The community can vote once a day for their choices in each category through the voting period until Friday Sept. 6.

Fairmount College students entering Wichita State under the 2024-25 undergraduate catalog will need to meet new competency requirements in order to graduate.

The nine competencies are designed to help students to have a clearer understanding of what skills they are developing by taking specific classes as liberal arts and sciences majors. They also promote the value of a liberal arts and sciences education and incorporate skills employers value in employees.

“This is beneficial for students to know how the courses they are taking in the college fit into a degree program in a liberal arts education,” Brien Bolin, senior associate dean for student success, said. “ The competencies also address nine core areas of skills that employers are seeking.”

Students will be able to meet competency requirements by using classes they are already taking to satisfy requirements for their major and the general education program.

“Our academic advisors will work closely with students to make sure they stay on track to graduate,” Patricia Phillips, director of the LAS Advising Center, said.

The competencies were created by a 14-member faculty committee representing majors across the three academic divisions within Fairmount College.

The Shocker Inventive Minds Challenge is seeking applications. What’s the challenge? Gamify a factory line. Applications close Monday, Sept. 16.

Your challenge will be to create a video presenting a pitch deck along with its reference architecture; make connections with industry partners at the Smart Factory by Deloitte @ Wichita; and have chances to win prize money.

Life during the 16th century in France afforded few opportunities for women to make their voices heard. Its rigidly patriarchal culture expected them to be dutiful wives, mothers and daughters, not opinionated politicians, poets and painters, like their male counterparts.

But buried in the pages of manuscripts, annotating the margins, exists a historical record that, until recent decades, had gone undiscovered. Here, women could take part in literary production, if only privately and tangentially.

“Living in a patriarchal world, women learned to creatively negotiate a landscape that forbade them from writing,” Brigitte Roussel, associate professor of French, said.

The Latine Faculty and Staff Association wants to welcome new Latine employees to Shocker Nation:

• Iván Castillo, M.Ed. – Student programs coordinator for Student Engagement & Belonging
• Norma E. Logan – Branch manager for Campus Credit Union
• Ana Abente Rodríguez Alcalá – Career coach for Career Development
• Dr. Edma Delgado-Solorzano – Assistant professor of Spanish for Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures

The association looks forward to connecting with each and every one of them as they get settled into their new positions.

Student Engagement & Belonging is focused on creating opportunities for personal growth and real-world readiness to maximize your potential at Wichita State. The department oversees student organizations, fraternity and sorority life, civic engagement, community service programs, leadership programs and student activities. Additionally, it assists in off-campus student support, student advocacy efforts and mentorship programs aimed at enhancing academic and student success. It provide dynamic programs, ranging from speakers and film showings to award ceremonies, cultural festivities, LGBTQA programming and much more.

Through intentional growth, unique experiences and inclusive excellence, Student Engagement & Belonging cultivates a vibrant campus community that inspires world-ready leaders.

The Social Science Research Lab (SSRL) grades bubble sheet exams. Grading options include standard, weighted and up to three versions of an exam. Results include items the student missed, a raw score, a percent score and other statistics. Additionally, overall statistical information about the exam is available.

The students’ answers must be on a five-response scanner bubble form. The bubble sheets can be purchased at the Social Science Research Lab.

Simply bring your exams and a completed bubbled in answer key to the SSRL in 429 Lindquist Hall and fill out an Exam Grading Request. The staff will grade the exam and contact the instructor within four hours.

If you have used the services in the past, note that there have been some notable changes to the grading program. Feel free to ask office staff to show you the new reports.

If you have any questions, email Andrea Glessner, SSRL manager, at andrea.glessner@wichita.edu or Sandra Ranney, SSRL director, sandra.ranney@wichita.edu.

The WSU West building has reopened for classes starting Aug. 26.

WSU West was temporarily closed last month for issues relating to the building’s HVAC system, resulting in elevated humidity levels. The HVAC and software controller were replaced and updated last week, and humidity levels are back to normal.

Facilities Services will continue to monitor humidity in the building and make adjustments as needed.