Category: News

There will be no bus service from Wichita Transit on Friday, Nov. 11 in observance of the Veteran’s Day holiday. This includes the shuttle between the Metropolitan Complex and the campus that day.

Wichita State University President Rick Muma and Dr. Kevin Sylvester Harrison, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at WSU, were each presented awards this weekend from the Wichita chapter of the NAACP.

Muma was named Wichita NAACP’s Person of the Year, an honor that reflects the work he and WSU do on the WSU campus and in the Shocker Neighborhood to develop a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for a thriving community and a stronger Kansas.

Harrison — who also holds the role of visiting professor in WSU’s Dorothy & Bill Cohen Honors College — was named the winner of the H.N. Sims Excellence in Education Award. The award honors his dedication to education in the Wichita community, specifically as it relates to telling the complete story of America and the Black experience.

The HR Total Rewards team reminds staff and faculty that the deadline for spring 2023 tuition assistance applications is Thursday, Dec. 1.

Tuition assistance applications are submitted through the Online Application Form.

Because of the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied. There are no exceptions.

Full program details can be found at wichita.edu/tuitionassistance.

Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

Riccardo Harris, executive director of college and career readiness at Wichita State, was recently featured on the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) podcast — “On the Ground” — which focuses on the challenges and triumphs of the GEAR UP community.

Harris, a native of Wichita, is an acclaimed public speaker and published author who has been on the front lines for social justice and student advocacy for three decades and counting. He has written over $5 million in grants while expanding WSU’s GEAR UP imprint and leveraging this brand as means of making college accessible, affordable and attainable for youth who come from marginalized ethnic and social populations.

On the podcast, Harris discusses the value of the Common App and NACAC fee waivers, which allow GEAR UP students across the country to have their application fees waived. Harris emphasizes the value of allowing students throughout the nation to apply for Wichita State free of charge.

If you requested SPTEs for your first 8-week course(s), the sealed results have been sent to your department. Please check with your department administration if you are expecting these results.

Any additional SPTE information can be found at the Social Science Research Lab’s website.

Each month, the Office of Instructional Resources publishes a teaching-centered newsletter called Teaching Today. The October issue of Teaching Today addresses the important topic of digital transformation, and we are excited to share this conversation with our campus industry partners.

In this issue, we take on as many aspects of digital transformation as we can with topics such as high-performance computing, the influence of AI on teaching and learning, and practical applications of these technologies with approachable tools like ArcGIS and even some cool Microsoft 365 features. Along the way, we have lots of examples of how humans and AI can partner to create original creative work.

If you are interested in getting future issues of Teaching Today, please subscribe by emailing Wichita State’s Office of Instructional Resources at OIR@wichita.edu.

The October issue of Teaching Today addresses the very important topic of digital transformation. From what it is to where it’s going, we cover as many aspects of digital transformation as we could.

This month’s issue is huge! It also has many guests including Terrance Figy (high-performance computing), David Macdonald (music and artificial intelligence), Ethan Lindsay (Arc GIS), Ali Levine (Microsoft 365’s cool features), and Provost Shirley Lefever (digital transformation and education).

We hope you enjoy this issue, and as always, if you see something you like, please share it with a friend.

Anyone can subscribe to Teaching Today by simply emailing the Office of Instructional Resources at OIR@wichita.edu.

The Office of Adult Learning is preparing to host its third annual Adult Learner of the Year (ALOTY) Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 9. Every year, the ALOTYs recognize an outstanding adult student at Wichita State University and both a WSU partner and a community partner who support these adult learners on their journey toward a degree.

If you have an adult learner in mind who you would like to nominate for the ALOTY, you can nominate them at the link below. To learn more about the ALOTYs and see some of the past recipients, go to www.wichita.edu/aloty.

The Three-Minute Thesis is an academic competition that challenges doctoral and master’s students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience. The Graduate School will host the fifth annual 3MT competition Nov. 11 at the Rhatigan Student Center.

Registration is required and closes at 11:59 p.m. tonight.

On Oct. 14, the Physician Assistant program at Wichita State celebrated its 50th anniversary with an open house and reception for alumni, faculty, staff, students and supporters.

Founded in 1972, the WSU PA program was the first program in Kansas and one of the first in the nation. The program provides students with a patient-centered education that includes high-tech simulation scenarios, real-life cases and clinical problem solving.

“For 50 years, Wichita State’s PA graduates have improved health outcomes throughout the community and across Kansas by increasing access to medical care, particularly in underserved and rural areas,” said Dr. Rick Muma, Wichita State president and first certified PA in the nation to serve as a university president. “With our exceptional faculty and rigorous curriculum, Wichita State’s PAs have a reputation for providing excellent care and compassion for the people of our state.”