Category: News

Wichita State has awarded the 2026 Mike and Mary James Scholarship to Derby High School senior Noah DeVault, who plans to study communication at Wichita State beginning in fall 2026.

DeVault was selected from a competitive pool of more than 150 high school seniors considering majors in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the College of Fine Arts. Five finalists advanced in the selection process.

Make48 returns to Wichita State University to launch the 10th season of the invention competition and host teams from its first Classroom Innovation Experience on March 20-22.

Tom Gray, CEO and co-founder of Make48, views this visit to the Wichita State campus as a full-circle moment.

“Returning to Wichita for our 10th season feels like a homecoming,” he said. “When we first brought Make48 to GoCreate, we were blown away by the city’s unique density of doers – from world-class aerospace engineers to the students and educators who are redefining innovation and entrepreneurship daily.”

The competition takes place at GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative. GoCreate hosted the 48-hour collaborative inventor and maker challenge in June 2021.

To support a more efficient and trackable process, all requests for equipment transfers and/or disposals must be submitted electronically, via email using the new Transfer form and/or Disposal form.

Refer to “How to Complete the Transfer & Disposal Forms Guide” for assistance in completing the appropriate form. If you have any questions, reach out to Property Control at wsupropertycontrol@wichita.edu.

Follow the steps below if you need to dispose of and/or transfer equipment to a different location/department:

• Complete the Transfer or Disposal form.
• Email the completed form to wsupropertycontrol@wichita.edu.
• Ensure all required information and approvals are included.

Requests not submitted via email may be delayed.

Check out issue 15 of the myShockerhealth newsletter. Monthly, the Student Health newsletter provides relevant health information and wellness tips for WSU students and staff.

• International Day of Happiness
• Digital detox
• Altitude sickness
• Oral health
• Medication refills at SHS
• Employee Corner
  • Healthquest newsletter
  • Healthquest physicals and labs at SHS

You can find all previous issues on the Student Health website.

The Office of Student Engagement & Belonging is seeking full-time faculty and staff members interested in serving as advisors for Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs). Advisors play an important role in supporting student success by providing guidance, mentorship and institutional knowledge. With more than 200 RSOs on campus, there are opportunities to connect with student groups that align with your professional expertise, personal interests or passions.

Serving as an advisor is a rewarding way to contribute to the WSU community, foster leadership development and build stronger connections with students outside the classroom or office. Faculty and staff who wish to learn more or be matched with an organization can email Caitlin Nolen at catilin.nolen@wichita.edu.

The March 2026 issue of Teaching Tomorrow is now available. This month’s newsletter highlights ongoing conversations around accessibility, technology and higher education.

The contributors of this month’s issue moved beyond just how to do accessibility and touch on the larger ideas of shared culture and community. Heather Merchant shares how small, intentional accessibility practices can positively impact student learning, while Krystal Iseminger invites readers to rethink accessibility as shared culture. Both pieces offer valuable insights, especially with new ADA Title II changes approaching.

Also included are Blackboard features that spotlight these ideas as well as resources for extending this learning. You’ll find perspectives that connect mindset, technology and accessibility that present practical ideas you can apply in your teaching right away.

Wichita State’s College of Education, Wichita Public Schools, the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Board of Regents have partnered to launch a pilot program focused on strengthening early childhood literacy for Wichita students.

During a Wichita Public Schools press conference held March 10 at Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary School, Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld, WPS Assistant Superintendent for Learning Services Holly Ingram and Dr. Kimberly Moody from the College of Education shared information about the four-week program that will serve kindergarten through second-grade students.

The pilot program will take place at Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary, Spaght Science and Communications Magnet Elementary, and Washington Accelerated Learning Elementary School. The initiative will combine literacy instruction, high-dose tutoring and enrichment activities designed to support early reading development.

Wichita State teacher candidates will serve as tutors throughout the program, gaining hands-on classroom experience while supporting young learners.

Wichita State’s Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC) announced today the launch of the Kansas Data Trust, a new statewide, university-based initiative designed to bring data together from multiple sources to better understand issues, understand impact and strengthen evidence to inform decisions to improve the health of communities across the state.

Led by the PPMC, the Kansas Data Trust serves as a trusted platform for responsibly bringing information together across public agencies, nonprofit organizations and researchers to help paint a more complete picture of the challenges facing Kansans and the progress that’s being made.

Owen and Ellery Prothro consider sports a bond. Older brother Owen roots for the Kansas City Chiefs. Ellery, the younger sister, is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Nuggets. They talk about the NFL, the NBA and, above all, college basketball and their jobs covering Wichita State.

The Prothro siblings, from Wichita, are enjoying an up-close look at their favorite sport and working together in a different setting from the usual brother-sister relationship. They are charged with chronicling Wichita State University’s most successful men’s basketball season since 2021 for The Sunflower, WSU’s independent, student-run news source.

“It’s fun, and (Owen) knows a lot about it and will answer any questions I have,” Ellery said. “We could talk about it for a long time, all the technicalities and what makes it so awesome. There are times I can say that Owen is my best friend.”

On Thursday, March 12, the College of Engineering will host about 200 high school students for the Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED) event, commonly known as Girl Day. The event will be from about 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the majority of the event will be in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom. The second floor of the RSC will also be utilized from about 11 a.m. to noon. Although a private event, WSU students, staff and faculty are encouraged to have positive interactions with high school students, educators and event volunteers when in common areas.

IGED is a national event that takes place during or near National Engineers Week. IGED events inspire and encourage young students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields through mentorship with professional and collegiate role models.