Category: News

The fifth annual Stock the Shocker Support Locker challenge between faculty and staff has concluded. This year, a total of 4,328 items and $155 were donated by university employees to support the locker.

And the winner of the friendly competition to collect the most items this year was the staff. Staff donated 4,240 items and $145 and faculty donated 88 items and $10. Congratulations to the staff on winning the competition for the fifth year in a row, and thank you to all employees who donated items or funds to support this important resource for our students.

The HR Total Rewards team reminds staff and faculty that the priority deadline for spring 2024 tuition assistance applications is Friday, Dec. 1, with the final deadline extended to Jan. 5.

Reminder: Tuition assistance applications for spring 2024 are submitted through the online application form.

Awards for applications received after the priority deadline will be based on availability of funds. Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied with no exceptions.

Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.

Do you know a WSU employee who deserves special recognition for their contributions to Wichita State? The Staff Senate invites the campus community to submit nominations of outstanding staff members for the President’s Award for Distinguished Service by 5 p.m. Jan. 26.

These awards recognize the dedication and excellence of WSU employees who have provided exemplary, dedicated and caring service to the WSU community that is beyond the expectations of the duties and responsibilities of their position. Selected honorees are recognized at the annual Shocker Pride Celebration.

Award details and the nomination form can be found on the Staff Senate Awards website. Nominations can be submitted to marissa.kouns@wichita.edu.

Watermark’s Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) tool is Wichita State’s new course evaluation tool.

Today’s focus is on CES results:

• Results will only be available at the end of the completed semester. It does not matter when your course took place during the semester. Holding results until the end of the semester complies with KBOR policy and allows for accurate norming.
• Results will become available the Friday after grades are due.
• The electronic results can be found through the Instructor Dashboard under “Project Results.”
• There are restrictions on results. If the response rate is 0% or if the number of respondents is lower than five, then there will be no results.
• Results will include the mean, standard deviation and median for the course. It will also show these statistics by university and division benchmarks. This benchmark data will be from the same semester as the evaluation and will not include any other data.
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

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

Applications for the 2024 John A. See Innovation Award will be accepted now until Friday, Jan. 12.

The award was established in 2013 by John A. See to support prototype development, which may include the development of products in engineering and science, development of life-enhancing therapeutic products, creation of application of new knowledge and artistic ventures.

Faculty and students are eligible to apply for the proof of concept award.

Fall 2023 graduates may find information regarding their diplomas on the Registrar website (wichita.edu/diplomas). Graduates should keep in mind the following information:

• The deadline to submit a name change on the diploma is the last day of classes, Dec. 7.
• The diploma distribution date for the fall 2023 semester is Feb. 8, 2024. Diplomas can be picked up at the transcript window on the first floor of Jardine Hall, and graduates must show identification.
• Graduates can also request to have the diploma mailed to them for a fee through myWSU under the myClasses tab, “Graduation Links” and “Request for Diploma Mailing.”

Undergraduate students who wish to take courses after graduation need to reactive their record after receiving their diploma.

On Friday, Nov. 16, the College of Engineering will host about 170 high school seniors and 220 parents for the Wallace Invitational for Scholarships in Engineering (WISE) competition. All mandatory events will occur from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second and third floors of the Rhatigan Student Center with optional events occurring from 1 to 3 p.m. in the John Bardo Center.

Although a private event, staff and faculty are encouraged to have positive interactions with the students and their parents when in common areas. According to the College of Engineering, the WISE competition is one of its largest recruiting events annually.

The Barton School of Business welcomes Darren Ercolani to its Dean’s Advisory Board. Ercolani serves as the senior vice president and chief financial officer for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP.

“As an alumnus of Wichita State and the Barton School, it’s an honor to become one of the fifty industry leaders helping advance the School that shaped me,” Ercolani said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

A proven leader with nearly three decades of industry experience, Ercolani has served as a change agent in Chevron Phillips Chemical’s finance organization and innovation champion for numerous companywide initiatives. Prior to his current role at Chevron Phillips Chemical, he was the company’s senior vice president of business transformation as well as a general auditor. He has held several finance management and treasury functions at the domestic and international levels, including owner relations manager, Asia-region controller, as well as CFO and finance manager at Q-Chem in Qatar. Ercolani began his career with Koch Industries in 1993 before transitioning to Phillips Petroleum in 1997. He later joined Chevron Phillips Chemical as treasury associate in 2000.

The Faculty Support Committee would like to invite faculty to submit proposals for the Multidisciplinary Research Project Awards (MURPA) competition. The four- and seven-year success rate for MURPA applications is 89% and 55% respectively. In this pilot round two opportunity, the Faculty Support Committee would like to extend the eligibility for MURPA grants to also include distinguished and endowed professors, and non-tenure track (teaching) faculty who can serve as co-PIs. Up to four MURPA grants will be awarded. 

Proposals are due to the Office of Research no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. The MURPA opportunity provides funding of up to $7,500 for faculty projects that involve two or more investigators from different disciplines that focus different perspectives and capabilities on complex problems that intersect established areas of study. Proposers must work with a Grant Specialist in the Office of Research before submission and all complete applications require an endorsement from the chair and dean. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed or considered. Contact proposals@wichita.edu to get started or visit the website for additional information.

The Strengths, Assessment & Staff Engagement (SASE) Department in Student Affairs focuses on opportunities to equip, empower and engage divisional staff, including student employees and graduate assistants, in a culture of support, growth, investment and belonging. Beyond the staff experience, SASE oversees the ShockerStrengths Initiative and divisional assessment initiatives. SASE also collaborates with departments on first-generation programs and initiatives.

SASE loves to engage with campus partners in various ways, but the most common collaboration exists within the ShockerStrengths Initiative. Designed to connect Shockers with their talents and strengths, SASE offers administration of the CliftonStrengths inventory, individual and team coaching, and workshops for classes, groups and organizations on campus. For more information on requesting a workshop, inventory or general information, visit the SASE webpage.