WSU Today: Thursday, July 16, 2026

Human Resources

University shares schedule for the 2026 Winter Break

To help employees plan for time off and work schedules throughout the year, the university has shared Winter Break has been approved this year to commence at the end of the day on Friday, Dec. 18, 2026, and the university will reopen on Monday, Jan. 4, 2027. The break is 10 business days, three of which are paid holidays. Thanks to President Rick Muma, employees may use four “Additional Personal Days” to remain in pay status during Winter Break. Classes will not be in session during this period.

Unclassified Professional and University Support Staff may use accumulated paid leave, Additional Personal Days or their 2027 discretionary day* to cover time off during Winter Break. Non-exempt employees may also use accumulated compensatory time off during Winter Break.

If an employee’s role requires them to work during Winter Break, it must be approved in advance by their immediate supervisor.

Dates of Winter Break:

Monday, Dec. 21, 2026
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2026
Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026
Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026 (paid holiday**)
Friday, Dec. 25, 2026 (paid holiday)
Monday, Dec. 28, 2026
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2026
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026
Friday, Jan. 1, 2027 (paid holiday)

An employee must be in pay status the entire workday before and the entire workday after state holidays to receive holiday pay. This year the official state holidays (bolded) are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Employees required to work during Winter Break will be allowed to use their four Additional Personal Days anytime from Dec. 21, 2026 through Jan. 31, 2027.

*The discretionary day for 2026 must be used on or before Friday, Dec. 18, 2026, prior to the beginning of Winter Break. The discretionary day for 2027 will be available as of Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026 and may be used during the 2026 Winter Break.

**The governor may designate additional paid holidays for state employees, often around holiday seasons in some years. In 2026, with Christmas falling on Friday, the governor has designated an additional holiday for Thursday, Christmas Eve.

Learn more about Winter Break

Health and Safety

Stay safe and healthy with Student Health Services

Interested in learning more about staying safe and healthy this summer? Check out Student Health Services’ health advisories, weather safety and travel health page to get the most up-to-date information, including on the recent surge of cyclosporiasis cases.

July myShockerHealth newsletter is now available

Check out issue 18 of the myShockerHealth newsletter. Monthly, the Student Health newsletter provides relevant health information and wellness tips for WSU students and staff.

For this issue, learn more about:

Strength training
Benefits of yoga
Swimming for your health
Working out while in bed
Massage therapy on campus
Harmful algae in lakes
Moving together as a family
Employee appointment opportunities and services

You can find all previous issues on the Student Health website.

News

Graduates at commencement in their gowns pose for the camera in Charles Koch Arena

Wichita State shares class of spring 2026 graduates and honor roll students

Wichita State has released the list of the over 2,400 Shockers who graduated in spring 2026. View the list of Kansas graduates and the list of national and international graduates.

Overall, graduates completed a total of 2,449 degrees — 1,627 undergraduate degrees and certificates and 822 graduate degrees and certificates — with 336 honored as cum laude, 527 honored as magna cum laude and 149 honored as summa cum laude.

Additionally, you can see the names of the over 3,600 students included in the spring 2026 semester Dean’s Honor Roll list. To be included on the honor roll, students must be a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours) and have at least a 3.5 grade point average on the 4.0 scale.

Rows of boxes filled with different greens and a shed in the background, with the RSC in the back

Check out what’s at the Community Garden

Check out what's currently growing at the Community Garden for the week of July 13, 2026. The beds in the garden are now numbered to help you quickly find what you're looking for.

A chili pepper plant in a raised garden bed that has a the number 2 on it

Check out what’s currently growing at the Community Garden for the week of July 13, 2026. The beds in the garden are now numbered to help you quickly find what you’re looking for. Make sure to wash what you pick thoroughly before enjoying.

Cilantro, bed #7 – Ready to be harvested. To pick, use clean scissors or gently pinch with your fingers and cut stems about one to two inches above the soil. Be sure to take the outer stems first to allow the inner leaves to keep growing. Gardeners also ask that you avoid pulling the entire plant or more than one-third of the plant at a time. Watch a video guide to harvesting cilantro.
Cucumbers, bed #5 – Some are ready to be harvested.
Peppermint, RSC wall – Ready to be harvested. Use clean scissors to cut or pinch at the stem just above a leaf node (the spot where two leaves grow from the stem). Gardeners ask that you avoid pulling off individual leaves, because cutting the stems encourages the plant to become bushier and produce more growth. For uses of peppermint, try blending it with basil for a basil-mint pesto; chopping and adding it to a summer salad; or muddling the leaves for a summer beverage.
Basil, bed #7 – Not ready to be harvested.
Beets, bed #2 – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest mid to late August.
Carrots, bed #1 – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest late August to mid September.
Chili peppers, bed #8 – Not ready to be harvested.
Radishes, RSC wall – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest mid to late July.
Squash, RSC wall – Not ready to be harvested.
Sunflowers, beds #10-11 – Not ready to be harvested. The sunflowers have been planted to add some colorful beauty to the garden. Gardeners ask that you refrain from harvesting the sunflowers until they have reached their peak maturity.
Sweet Potatoes, beds #10-14 – Not ready to be harvested. Expected to be ready for harvest mid to late October.
Tomatoes, beds #1, #3 and #7 – Not ready to be harvested.

The Community Garden is a project of the Student Government Association, the President’s Office and Student Engagement & Belonging.

For questions, concerns or requests to plant your own produce in the garden, reach out to Lauren Madison, student governance coordinator for SEB, at lauren.madison@wichita.edu.

Learn more about the Community Garden

Back-to-school compliance training refresh starting this August

Compliance training has often felt fragmented and time-consuming. To improve this experience in the future, all required training will be delivered through a single platform during a coordinated training session in August.

Events and Recreation

Register for the 2026 Women in Public Service conference

Everyone is invited to join professionals, students and community leaders for the Public Policy and Management Center’s 2026 Women in Public Service conference “Engaging & Empowering Others” from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Rhatigan Student Center.

The conference features an opening keynote by Dr. Katie Ervin, along with engaging sessions on leadership, resilience, financial empowerment, servant leadership, coaching and community impact. Registration is $85 for members and $130 for non-members and includes a light breakfast and lunch. Register by Monday, July 27.

Whether you’re a student, public servant, nonprofit professional or aspiring leader, this conference offers practical tools, meaningful connections and inspiration to help you grow as a leader.

Professional Development

Join professional development session on transformational leadership July 21

Learn how to inspire and motivate others through purpose-driven leadership. Led by Kathy Sexton of the Public Policy and Management Center, this session focuses on aligning vision, values and action to create meaningful change. Join from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 21 (check-in is at 12:45 p.m.) at the Wichita Public Library Evergreen Branch, 2601 N. Arkansas Ave.

Cost is $100 per person. Shockers can use code 2025ProDev to receive 10% off registration for any class.

Register for Microsoft Excel essentials training July 23

This hands-on training, from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, July 23 virtually via Microsoft Teams, covers foundational skills in the spreadsheet tool used across higher education for everything from rosters and budgets to schedules and reports.

Whether you are new to Microsoft Excel or looking to strengthen your existing skills, this session will leave you better equipped to format cells, build simple calculations, work with tables and flash fill, set up print areas and manage multiple sheets within a workbook.

To register, log in to myTraining and search for “Excel: Essentials.” Space is limited, so register early.