Category: Student Success and Persistence

Encourage your students to get extra support from TRIO Student Support Services (SSS). TRIO SSS is a project 100% funded by the Department of Education dedicated to empowering first-generation and limited income students, and students with disabilities to achieve their academic and career goals. Through personalized advising, tutoring, financial literacy education and career skill-development opportunities, SSS provides the resources and guidance for students to navigate the path to success in college.

Free services include: scholarships exclusively for SSS participants, educational trips, peer mentoring, textbooks/technology checkout, private computer lab access with free printing, academic skill-building workshops and more.

Students can apply online or learn more at wichita.edu/sss. Visit SSS in 307 Shocker Success Center or call 316-978-3715.

Help your students make informed academic decisions by learning when AI can strengthen their work — and when it can’t — at the next Savvy Scholar workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21. With the new attendance tracking system, offering extra credit for student participation is now simpler than ever.

AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can streamline research tasks, but they may not always provide accurate information. The workshop will show students how to use these tools effectively while evaluating their limitations.

Help your students make informed academic decisions by learning when AI can strengthen their work — and when it can’t — at the next Savvy Scholar workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21. With the new attendance tracking system, offering extra credit for student participation is now simpler than ever.

AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can streamline research tasks, but they may not always provide accurate information. The workshop will show students how to use these tools effectively while evaluating their limitations.

The Office of Financial Aid is celebrating Financial Aid Day with another open house from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 in 203 Jardine Hall — and you’re invited. Grab a snack, meet the team and learn about the services the office offers. Plus, you can enter raffles for great prizes.

This fall, Wichita State launched a new course designed specifically for students beginning their English degree. ENGL 198: English Career Seminar is an eight-week, one-credit-hour class that introduces students to the wide range of possibilities available to English majors and equips them with tools to begin shaping their academic and career pathways.  

The course was developed through collaboration between Dr. Francis X. Connor and Katie Lanning, Department of English, and Sarah Mathews, Shocker Career Accelerator. Together, they created a class that blends academic exploration with practical, career-focused learning.  

“Students often ask, what can I do with an English degree? This course helps answer that question early in their college journey,” said Connor. 

As deadlines approach and stress levels rise, many students are feeling the pressure. Encourage them to attend Procrastination Prevention Night from 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Ablah Library for the support they need to stay on track and finish the semester strong.

The event features workshops, tutoring and more to help students tackle assignments and stay on track — as well as arts and crafts, games and food to reduce stress as deadlines approach. Plus, the library has them covered with coffee and snacks to keep them fueled and focused throughout the night, all for free.

Sponsored by the Shocker Learning Center and University Libraries.

Discover why the Student Early Alert System (SEAS) matters for student success and how success coaches play a key role in guiding students through challenges in this episode of “Teaching Matters.”

Don’t forget to RSVP for the live session to be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 virtually via Microsoft Teams. Grab your lunch and join online to hear from a panel of students sharing their insights on persistence and the impact faculty support can have on student success, especially during times of transition.

For questions or more information, contact Sarah Taylor at sarah.taylor@wichita.edu.

This week is a great week for faculty to provide student feedback in the Student Early Alert System (SEAS), the system that enables you to give feedback to all students in your courses on their individual progress in terms of attendance, participation, assignments and exams/quizzes. Also remember to remove the risk for any students making progress whom you flagged in prior weeks to provide the most accurate data on the impact this tool has on student behavior.

For more information about SEAS, visit the SEAS website.

Wichita State’s Open/Alternative Textbook (OAT) Committee would like to congratulate:

• Amy Drassen Ham
• Anastasia Smith
• Andrea E. Banke
• Carolyn Speer

On their successful creation and approval of 10 new OAT-Z (zero-cost) and OAT-L (low cost of under $50) courses and on their commitment to making higher education within reach for more students.

If you would like more information on OAT courses, visit the Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative website, where you can also access the OAT course designation request forms.

The deadline to submit OAT designation request forms for fall 2026 is Feb. 15, 2026.

The Department of Political Science has extended the application deadline for the spring 2026 Washington D.C. and Topeka Internship Program to Friday, Oct. 10. Academic credit and housing funding is available for accepted students. For any questions, contact Dr. Neal Allen at neal.allen@wichita.edu or 316-978-7133.