Category: University Update

At our annual fall address in August, President Muma shared one of our priorities is to identify funding for employee compensation – something that impacts each and every one of us. Recognizing we cannot depend solely on the state to solve this funding gap for us, we have established a cross-functional committee called Project Bridge.

The Project Bridge committee is exploring recommendations for how to fund our employee compensation gap, and we’d like your input. We invite you to share your thoughts and recommendations on ways we, as a university, can either:

• Increase revenues while still meeting our affordability priorities or
• Decrease/reallocate expenses to free up existing dollars for employee compensation.

We are looking for ideas that can be implemented immediately, as well as those that may take time.

To share a suggestion, please click here to visit the Budget Advisory Committee’s Idea Generator system.

As part of Wichita State’s Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan, applied learning opportunities and career outcomes continue to be an integral part of Wichita State University’s mission for students.

Applied learning is the application of a student’s academic learning, giving students a chance to further develop their critical thinking skills and knowledge and enhance what they’ve learned in the classroom

These opportunities serve students in multiple ways, including preparing them for their careers after Wichita State; helping fund their collegiate experience through paid opportunities; and facilitating them to form connections.

Within the last year, WSU has furthered its commitment to giving students the best opportunity to succeed and gain experience before they graduate:

• Shocker Career Accelerator recently completed its move to the newly constructed Milly Marcus Annex of the Marcus Welcome Center. This move strengthens WSU’s Admission to Career focus.
• Bobby Gandu, assistant vice president of SEM and director of Admissions, was named associate vice president of SEM and Applied Learning, further aligning WSU’s Office of Admissions and Shocker Career Accelerator.
• Sara Muzzy, director of Career Development, was named director of Applied Learning.
• Sarah Mathews, manager of Career Development, was named director of Career Development.
• Brian Austin — director of Employer Relations — and Mark Bengtson — director of Talent and Sourcing — and their teams shifted from Industry and Defense Programs to Academic Affairs.

“With additional resources and infrastructure in place, Wichita State is excited to further expand applied learning on our campus,” said Ashlie Jack, senior associate vice president of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Enrollment Management. “This work further solidifies our commitment to access and affordability, developing a talent pipeline that meets employer needs and increasing economic prosperity with higher education which benefits the Kansas economy.”   

The goal is to ensure all students leave Wichita State with more than just classroom learning, opportunities for which have expanded across all colleges and majors as part of the SEM plan, strategy 1.4. Thanks to WSU’s commitment, students at WSU worked more than 9,000 jobs from over 700 employers and earned over $32.1 million in wages during the 2022-23 school year through the university’s applied learning model according to the 2023 WSU Annual Report.

Students engaged in applied learning are more likely to retain the jobs from their internships and more likely to be employed within six months of graduation versus students who didn’t have an internship, according to a study from LinkedIn.

While documenting academic learning has traditionally been done through a student’s academic transcript, such documents do not include the extent of applied learning experiences students had. That’s why students graduating from Wichita State will soon leave with not only their transcript, but also with a newly developed Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR).

The CLR is a record of a student’s achievements in curricular, co-curricular and applied learning activities. Similarly to a transcript being a verified record of academic learning, a CLR is a verified record of learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

Applied learning at WSU dates back to at least 1979 with the creation of the Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning, which is now the Shocker Career Accelerator, though students were gaining applied learning experiences well before that, including when Wichita State (then University of Wichita) partnered with what is now Heartspring in 1934 to create a program for students to help children with disabilities.

Opportunities to gain applied skills like those in 1934 have continued to the present day, such as students working in WSU’s Molecular Diagnostics Lab, which started as a COVID-19 testing lab in 2020 before expanding and engineering students manufacturing handrails for Charles Koch Arena to serve attendees. And Wichita State’s Innovation Campus brings businesses to campus, which gives students even more opportunities to work in their careers while they are still getting their degrees.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 5, WSU will limit its irrigation at all Wichita locations, consistent with the City of Wichita’s Stage 2 drought response declaration.

The university supports the city’s recent implementation of outdoor water use restrictions. We recognize the vital importance of water conservation, particularly in times of environmental stress, and are committed to playing our part in ensuring sustainable water usage.

Members of the campus community who notice areas of campus not being watered in compliance with the city’s restrictions can contact Facilities Services at 316-978-3444.

Learn more about the City of Wichita’s declaration and stay up to date on any future developments.

An Evergy power outage Thursday in the Rhatigan Student Center, Morrison Hall and Jardine Hall has been resolved. All three buildings are fully functional, and normal in-person activities — including dining in the RSC — have resumed.

Evergy is working to restore full power to three buildings at WSU: Rhatigan Student Center, Morrison Hall and Jardine Hall.

The RSC has partial power that could be intermittent throughout the day as Evergy works on the issue. The Shocker Store, Campus Credit Union and Card Center remain open, but there are no dining services available. Food and drinks are available in the Shocker Store and Groundhouse. Student Affairs offices on the second floor will work remotely today.

Morrison Hall is on a backup generator and is open for normal operations.

Jardine Hall is without power and closed. Services are available remotely. Please contact those offices via email or leave a message and someone will return your call promptly.

Full power to all buildings may be restored by mid- to late-afternoon. Updates will be communicated via WSU email.

The Kansas State Legislature has approved $1.69 million for our FY25 compensation plan, 50% less than was originally proposed. Therefore, on May 3, Wichita State’s divisional officers approved a 1% across-the-board pay increase, totaling $1 million for all benefits-eligible employees participating in the market-based compensation program. The remaining funds will go toward market-based compensation adjustments for staff and faculty.

The changes will take effect on June 9 and will be reflected in your July 5 paycheck Or, for those on a 9/10 appointment, the change will take effect on Aug. 4 and will be reflected in the Aug. 30 paycheck.

Please note that the university is working with limited resources, and this small increase doesn’t begin to reflect the tremendous value each member of our faculty and staff brings to this institution. We appreciate your dedication and hard work, and we’re committed to continue working with the Kansas Board of Regents, the governor and Legislature in striving to provide fair, market-based compensation within our means.

As you may be aware, there has been a national spotlight on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and the Kansas Legislature and Kansas Board of Regents have been focused on this issue for the past several months.   

As those conversations have been ongoing, WSU has been working diligently to ensure all our students — regardless of background — are positioned to succeed, graduate and start their careers. To that end, WSU is focusing on using more inclusive terminology, signaling our dedication to holistic and integrated approaches to excellence and inclusivity. You may notice a change in commonly used nomenclatures at WSU, including the re-naming of some offices and strategies to “inclusive excellence” and similar language. Information on other efforts can be found in these frequently asked questions (see below). 

Changes to these efforts have no effect on curriculum, instruction or research, ensuring the preservation of academic freedom.  

“At WSU, we recognize the evolving landscape of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Our focus remains steadfast on providing an inclusive environment where all students can excel,” says Dr. Marché Fleming-Randle, vice president and director of Military and Veteran Programs. “We’re transitioning our efforts to embrace a more integrated approach, ensuring every student has the resources and support necessary to achieve their goals.”  

“WSU is committed to fostering an environment where every student has the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging that allows them to thrive,” says Dr. Shirley Lefever, executive vice president and provost.   

University listening and feedback sessions will be scheduled for this fall and communicated in WSU Today.  

Frequently asked questions:  

• What happens to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)? ODI and the Office of Student Engagement Advocacy & Leadership (SEAL) are merging to provide a more comprehensive and expanded effort to enhance student engagement and belonging. The merging of these offices will result in a more sustainable utilization of resources, eliminate redundancy in programs and help develop more comprehensive programs and initiatives for students. Staff positions within ODI and SEAL will become part of Student Engagement and Belonging, providing an opportunity to serve and support students.  
• What happens to scholarships that address diversity? The university is in the process of reviewing current scholarships to ensure the most inclusive application pool.  
• What are the changes to state law? State universities, community colleges and technical colleges are prohibited from using diversity, equity or inclusion consideration in their admissions, student aid and hiring decisions.  
• What are the changes to Kansas Board of Regents policy? KBOR institutions are barred from requiring statements pledging allegiance to, support for or opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in applications for admission, hiring or promotion.  
• How does this affect academic freedom? Changes to these efforts have no effect on curriculum, instruction or research, ensuring the preservation of academic freedom.