Category: Student Success and Persistence

If you have students who need help with their financial aid, through Friday, Aug. 29 advising at the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships will be walk-in only, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday in 203 Jardine Hall. No appointments necessary — students can just stop by. Students can also visit for financial aid questions at OneStop in the Shocker Success Center for quick support and answers.

• Don’t forget to let students know they can check their Financial Aid Dashboard in their myWSU to stay on top of their aid status and requirements
• There’s still time for them to complete their 2025-26 FAFSA
• Do your students need help after hours? They can call the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships at 316-978-3430

Join the Faculty Collaboration Corner where you can co-create innovative classroom strategies, build stronger support networks and foster a deeper sense of belonging. Check out the updated and refreshed Faculty Toolbox and options for Shocker Sparks, Learning Labs, Classroom Remixes and more.

It is important for students to make connections with their peers, faculty, staff and resources on campus. Encourage students to arrive early to their classes, in-person or remotely, to get to know other students and their instructors. For tips on what to say to professors, students can check out the Student Success website. Students should also attend Welcomefest events to meet their peers and get connected to campus resources.

Awareness of early deadlines is important for this and future semesters:

A new semester which brings excitement but also urgency in relation to early deadlines that can contribute to student success. Encourage students to visit the academic calendar to find deadlines related to schedule changes, payment arrangements and refunds. If students are planning on applying for scholarships to cover costs next year, they should visit the scholarship website to access opportunities. Some scholarship deadlines may have already passed, so let students know now is the time to submit the required information.

RSVP to hear from the authors of “Rethinking Student Transitions: How Community, Participation and Becoming Can Help Higher Education Deliver on its Promise” to reimagine how we think about students in transition Sept. 11-12.

The experience is designed to help faculty and staff develop creative ways to build stronger connections and a deeper sense of belonging in the classroom and through engagement on campus. During the event, the authors will host sessions for both faculty and staff, lunch is included (if you RSVP), and you’ll hear from current students about their transition experience into Shocker Nation.

Find the agenda and place your reservation on the event website. Space is limited, so RSVP soon.

While students are wrapping up their spring semesters, they may begin to feel the pressures of finals. The following are a few resources students who may be struggling can use:

Time management and scheduling

• Encourage students to check Blackboard and their syllabi for their final exam schedules. Visit wichita.edu/finals for a complete schedule if they need additional assistance
• Suggest strategies they can use to create a practical study plan so they can balance academic and personal time
• Student Success also has a number of tips and techniques available to help them tackle studying

Academic and mental health support

• Shocker Learning Center: Located on the second floor of the Shocker Success Center, the SLC offers help with various subjects
• Counseling and Psychological Services provides mental health resources. Encourage students to seek help if their feeling overwhelmed
• Peer support: Remind students to lean on their peers. You can also submit a CARE Team report if you are concerned about a student or encourage students to submit reports for their peers
• Additional, specialized help is available in the Shocker Success Center, including the Office of International Education, Adult Learning, Military and Veterans Services, and Hispanic-Serving Initiatives

Study spaces

If your students are looking for places to study on campus, here are a few standout spots you can recommend:

• Ablah Library: Offers quiet study spots, room rentals and a 24/7 study area
• Woolsey Hall: Features modern study rooms and the Cargill Café
• Shocker Success Center: Located in the center of campus and houses many resources

For outdoor areas, consider suggesting the following:

• NetApp recreational area: Has ample seating with great views and has easy access to the NetApp Café
• Promise Bridge: Scenic spot outside of Woolsey Hall and near the Food Truck Plaza for a quick bite to eat
• Braeburn Square: Vibrant area with multiple dining options and ambiance throughout the day and evening

Applications are currently open for the 2025-26 Retention Faculty Fellows. Retention Faculty Fellows support the university’s Strategic Enrollment Management Goal 3 to Increase persistence rates of degree seeking student populations. The university identifies faculty who are interested in becoming more engaged in retaining students and promoting student success and persistence through excellent and creative pedagogy. These faculty will share best practices and create opportunities for other faculty members to be in dialogue about quality instructional design and student engagement.

More information and the application can be found by visiting the Retention Faculty Fellows website. Applications are due by Monday, May 5. For more information or questions, contact Cindi Mason, 2024-25 Retention Faculty Fellows coordinator, at cindi.mason@wichita.edu; or Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for Student Success & Persistence, at brett.bruner@wichita.edu.

RSVP for this month’s Teaching Matters session, “Resource Refresher: A Review of Reasons for Leaving and Resources to Support Students” and free pizza from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 28 in 323 Woolsey Hall, Bank of America Room. RSVP by Wednesday, March 26.

Join for pizza and an informative session focused on increasing student retention. Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for Student Success and Persistence, will go over data on why WSU students are leaving, and then there will be a refresher of student support resources.

For questions or more information, contact Cindi Mason, associate teaching professor and undergraduate coordinator of industrial, systems and manufacturing engineering, at cindi.mason@wichita.edu.

“Teaching Matters” is a monthly session open to faculty, staff and students involved in teaching. The sessions are hosted by the Retention Faculty Fellows to promote student success and retention through a community of knowledge sharing.

The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice Team will be hosting its spring 2025 High DF Course Institute from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in the Shocker Success Center and Ablah Library. The morning will provide instructors of high D/F courses with a community of practice to examine promising practices from the Student Experience Project as well as technology resources and resources from the Shocker Success Center that can be utilized with your course. With support of NISS funding, faculty who participate in this experience will receive $50.

Wichita State is focused on student success and persistence for every student from admission to completion. In spring 2022, WSU received the National Institute for Student Success report that focused on identifying and resolving institutional barriers to college completion. This report provided four recommendations that focused on key actions that all members of Wichita State (faculty, staff and administrators) should implement to fully support the success of each student. Within NISS recommendation one, WSU is focusing on the use of academic data for course retention in ongoing efforts to fully support student success and persistence. One such data source examined are high D/F courses. These are courses where a larger percentage of students are not successful and would benefit from continuous support.

Attend an informational meeting from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 in 245 Rhatigan Student Center, CUW Room, to learn about the new Journeys feature within Navigate Student. Discover how Journeys can help students achieve their success goals by guiding them through essential milestone steps.

This informational session will assist offices, departments and units who may be interested in building a specific Journey within Navigate Student to student populations.

For more information, contact Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for Student Success & Persistence, at brett.bruner@wichita.edu.

Attend an informational meeting about Shocker Pre-Season Programs from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13 in 245 Rhatigan Student Center, CUW Room, to learn how your office, unit or department can develop a Shocker Pre-Season Program for fall 2025.

Shocker Pre-Season Programs provide an opportunity to assist incoming students transition smoothly into college life at WSU. These programs are a key part of WSU’s student success and persistence initiative as they provide intentional pathways to help students learn about, select and transition between majors. For more information or questions, contact Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for Student Success & Persistence, at brett.bruner@wichita.edu.