Category: News

President Rick Muma and First Gentleman Rick Case will join Debra Fraser and Carla Eckels on air for KMUW’s pledge drive at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, where they will be matching donations dollar for dollar. Tune in at 89.1 FM, visit kmuw.org or ask Alexa to play KMUW.

Wichita State has released the list of the over 400 Shockers who graduated in summer 2026. Overall, 62 graduates were honored as cum laude, 60 as magna cum laude and 19 as summa cum laude.

Additionally, you can see the names of the over 80 students included in the summer 2026 semester honor roll list. To be included on the honor roll, students must be in full-time status and have at least a 3.5 grade point average on the 4.0 scale.

Marie Bukowski, dean of the College of Fine Arts, has been appointed as the interim director of the Ulrich Museum of Art to facilitate a smooth transition as the university moves forward in the search process for a new permanent director.

The decision to appoint Bukowski was made in part based on precedent and grounded in Bukowski’s more than a decade of leadership experience in the arts within higher education, as well as her direct museum and gallery experience in both university and public settings. Additionally, Bukowski is integrally involved in the community, the university and with many key stakeholders both on and off campus, and she will continue to maintain and grow these relationships as interim director.

Wichita State thanks Bukowski for her leadership in stepping into this role on an interim basis.

Back-to-school is a great time to refresh privacy practices. As part of the ongoing commitment to protecting the institution’s information, please collect, use and retain only the personal data needed to support academic and administrative activities.

For more information on the data minimization principle, visit the WSU Privacy SharePoint site. If you have questions or concerns regarding privacy, reach out to privacy@wichita.edu.

The Heskett Center pool remains closed as a comprehensive assessment of the facility continues.

While the original plan was to close the pool for approximately four weeks beginning Aug. 17, mechanical issues delayed the start of the draining process by more than a week. As a result, the evaluation timeline has been extended.

As the assessment progresses, we hope to have a clearer understanding of the pool’s condition and potential next steps in the near future.

Additional updates will be shared as more information becomes available. For the latest information, visit wichita.edu/heskett.

The Kansas Board of Regents voted to name three faculty and one staff member from Wichita State as some of the Faculty and Staff of the Year for 2026. The program recognizes the outstanding contributions of faculty and staff at state universities to teaching, student success, research, institutional excellence and Kansas communities.

Faculty of the Year:

• Dr. Amy Drassen Ham, clinical professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences in the College of Health Professions
• Dr. Suresh Keshavanarayana, professor and chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering (not pictured)
• Dr. Imran Musaji, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Professions

Staff of the Year:

• Debbie Franklin, associate vice president of Strategic Initiatives and Industry Engagement

The Shocker Career Accelerator photo booth will be closed Friday, Sept. 18. Regular hours will resume Monday, Sept. 21.

Visit wichita.edu/photobooth for photo booth hours and additional information.

While each weather event is different, and no decision can perfectly fit the circumstances of every member of the university, in the case of inclement weather, university leadership reviews local forecasts, evaluates transportation conditions, and assesses campus facilities, operations, and impact on courses and research activity. In the event an adjustment to normal operations is necessary, the university considers:

• Projected excessive wind chills, especially when combined with snow, ice or hazardous travel conditions;
• Whether or not the weather has created, or might create, unsafe road conditions for commuting;
• Whether or not the weather will compromise campus infrastructure; and
• The level of risk of damage to property.

If there are changes to normal campus operations, notifications will be shared through WSU’s communication channels, and individual class information will be sent by instructors to students. You can check the current status of campus and sign up for Shocker Alerts to your phone at wichita.edu/alert, or text “SHOCKERALERTS” to 67283 to sign up.

Even if operations are not moved to remote, each individual must evaluate their own situation, prioritize personal safety, and make responsible choices about whether it is safe to come to campus.

Wichita State joins communities nationwide in celebrating National GEAR UP Week and the impact GEAR UP has on students and families. As part of the celebration, Wichita State will observe National GEAR UP Day on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Wichita State is home to four GEAR UP programs: Haysville GEAR UP, Kansas Kids @ GEAR UP, Heights & Southeast GEAR UP and South & West GEAR UP. Together, these programs expand college access, strengthen college and career readiness, and help students see higher education as an achievable goal.

Learn more about Wichita State’s GEAR UP programs and the National GEAR UP Week at wichita.edu/gearup.

As the community gathered Sept. 3 to celebrate Chris Cavanaugh’s upcoming retirement, Brian Howell, WSU’s new chief audit executive, wanted his first Internal Audit blog post, as Chris’ successor, to both thank Chris and recognize his 35 years of service to Wichita State University. Throughout those 35 years, he served in the vital governance role of Internal Auditor and as a steadfast standard-bearer for integrity and accountability.