Tag: SSP

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Daniel Ludlow, custodial manager of special events and projects.

Daniel graduated from Wichita State in fall 2022 with his Bachelor of Arts in Education, emphasis in mathematics (secondary), while working full time in custodial services and took on his current role in October 2022.

While he found it difficult to work full time and earn an education at the same time, staff in the now Office of Online and Adult Learning (OAL) supported him every step of the way.

“Every time I hit a bump in my education and thought I needed to step away or couldn’t keep going, they were there to help me find a solution that kept me going,” Daniel said.

The department assisted him in determining the right major for him and shifting to being a part-time student to help him balance work and his education. Thanks to the department’s help, Daniel was able to graduate and further his career to support his family.

“If it wasn’t for a multitude of people in the department, I would not have earned my degree,” Daniel said.

One staff member who contributed to his success during his time as a student was Pamela O’Neal, associate director of student engagement in OAL.

“Daniel was an exemplary adult learner in that he was working full time, raising his family and earning his degree,” O’Neal said. “As an Osher Scholar, Daniel was a great asset to new incoming students, giving advice where he could and always having a great attitude. Wichita State benefited from having him as a student and now benefits from him being an employee.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Robin Monroe.

Robin — a junior social work major — hopes to eventually get her postgraduate degree in social work with an emphasis on advocacy and social policy. She has received tremendous support from the Office of Online and Adult Learning (OAL) while pursuing her degree.

Staff at OAL assisted Robin with finding solutions to her problems both in and out of school, and she has been thankful to all the faculty and staff she has reached out to for always making themselves available for questions.

“My experience at Wichita State has been the most fulfilling, rewarding and challenging time of my life,” Robin said. “I’ve waited a long time to get here, and I am so grateful for this opportunity.”

It’s been thanks to OAL that Robin has had the tools she needs to succeed at Wichita State, and OAL remains dedicated to helping all students persist to their graduation.

“Robin is the kind of person both students and professors want to have in class,” said Pamela O’Neal, associate director of student engagement in OAL. “She’s attentive, personable and intelligent. Not only is she a high achieving student, she brings wisdom and experience to the classroom and wherever she goes. When she comes into the office, we know we are going to be inspired by all that she does and her willingness to help whomever she can.”

You can hear more about Robin on the Shockers Learning Out Loud podcast from OAL.

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Brooke Allen, academic advisor and tutor coordinator with TRIO Disability Support Services (DSS).

• What role do you think faculty and staff play in a student’s success and persistence?
  “I think every single interaction that a student has with faculty or staff has an impact on their sense of belonging, perception of themselves and the university, and motivation to persevere when challenges arise. One of the most important things we can do to support students and encourage their success is to make sure our interactions are supportive, helpful and positive.”
• How do you promote student success through your campus duties?
  “As an advisor with TRIO Disability Support Services, I have the unique opportunity to support students with a wide range of issues and decisions they may be facing as they navigate their college experience. From the minute I meet the students I have the pleasure of working with, I make a genuine effort to build meaningful and lasting relationships with them. I strive to ensure WSU students who participate in TRIO DSS know they have someone they can go to whenever and however its needed, whether that’s celebrating their accomplishments or being there for them through difficult circumstances.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Kara McCluskey, associate educator for the Department of Applied Engineering in the College of Engineering.

• What role do you think faculty/staff play in a student’s success and persistence?
  “As a faculty member, I believe we can play a big role in student’s success and persistence. We need to set a high expectation level but make sure students know we believe in them and know they can succeed. By listening to students and getting to know what they are passionate about, we can guide them to a career path they will succeed in. We also help students by letting them know it’s ok to stumble along the way in their academic journey, and we are here to help them get back on track.”
• What is one small thing any faculty/staff member can do to make a student’s day or let them know they’re cared for?
  “Getting to know students and letting them know you care is the single most important thing a faculty member can do. I ask students how their days are going as they walk into my class. Giving them encouragement and empathy when their days aren’t going well and celebrating the positives on good days is a small way of letting them know I care about them. It makes my day better when students come early to class just to share something about their day with me.”
• How do you promote student success through your campus duties?
  “Faculty advising is a time when I get to know students and their career goals. Before teaching, I worked in industry, so I share my perspectives with students and give them advice when they are finding their ‘dream’ job.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Trevr Bahr.

Trevr — senior majoring in applied engineering with a concentration in facilities management — a Burlington, Kansas native who graduated from Burlington High School, will be one of the first students to graduate from the facilities management concentration.

He says that faculty and staff need to remember what students’ needs are, and understand how the work they are assigned impacts their education, but in his department, he has found faculty who understand what student life is like and have helped him succeed inside and outside of the classroom, notably Kara McCluskey, associate professor of engineering.

“Kara McCluskey has always been very helpful with academic advising. She assisted me through the new curriculum. Also, Kara is connected with industry and set me up with an internship after my freshman year of college.”

McCluskey is excited to see how well Trevr has done in the program and is excited to see where his career will take him.

“Trevr is an outstanding student and will be a highly successful facility manager. We could not have asked for a better student to be the first graduate from this program. He will be a great representative of Wichita State.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Mercedes Lubbers, student success and retention specialist in the Business Student Success Center.

• What role do you think faculty/staff play in a student’s success and persistence?
  “I think faculty and staff, outside of finances, play one of the largest roles in a student’s success and persistence. I feel it is my job to make my students feel understood, supported and cared about while guiding them because I remember what it felt like to be a student who struggled and at the end of the day, the faculty that supported me and who made me feel important were the reason why I successfully graduated (shout out to the English department).”
• What is one small thing any faculty/staff member can do to make a student’s day or let them know they’re cared for?
  “I think one of the easiest things we can do is making genuine eye contact with our full attention as we ask a student, ‘How are you?’ or ‘How was your weekend?’ Some question, whatever it may be, that allows you to show consideration and active interest in the student’s answer. Some questions are easy to throw out there as habit, but people can tell when the question is asked as formality and when it is asked from genuine care.”
• How do you promote student success through your campus duties?
  “It depends on how we define student success. For me, student success is when a student realizes what the best option, path or resolution is for them. I think this is where my strength lies since I engage students as individuals and care about their experiences and what they’re going through. I utilize a ‘strengths’ mindset and will go over with students their strengths and areas they feel they need support; I ask them open-ended questions, and when requested, offer my own personal experiences and perspective to help them look at situations with more clarity, so that they ultimately draw—or learn to accept—their own solutions. This is ultimately why I love being an advisor and working with students.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Truong “Max” Duong.

Max — a junior majoring in music education with a concentration in piano and a resident assistant at Shocker Hall — came to Wichita State from Hanoi, Vietnam after earning his Associate of Keyboard Performance from the Military University of Culture and Arts. Max is also a cultural ambassador at the Office of International Education, treasurer for the American Choral Director Association chapter at WSU and a teacher assistant at Juniper Arts Academy.

Max promotes more diversity training in education, as he believes future educators will have to navigate increasingly more diverse classrooms. He has found other faculty and staff members who have similar beliefs who have pushed him to succeed, one of whom is Andréa Banke, assistant professor in the School of Music.

“The two biggest things I learned from Professor Banke are passion and empathy. She has an endless passion for music and education, and this is reflected evidently in her lessons. Furthermore, Professor Banke’s above-and-beyond educational assistance, such as extended office hours and advocacy for women’s rights and the LGBT community, show her aspiration to provide appropriate help to all students in her classroom.”

Banke appreciates Max’s capacity and enthusiasm in the classroom and in the field of music, as she also sees the future of the field growing more diverse.

“Of all the many wonderful attributes that come to mind when describing Max, the foremost is his intellectual curiosity. Max frequently arrives to class early, and stays late, to ask questions about content, further study or — my favorite — musical applications that he’s found during the week on his own. Whether it be K-pop, movie soundtracks or Mozart, Max incorporates and applies our learning to his musical life. More importantly, he approaches his studies with me with such joy and rigor. Our field is rich, diverse and evolving rapidly, and Max is a perfect example of this evolution. He will be a force in any classroom as an educator to the next generation of young musicians.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Andréa Banke, assistant professor of music theory and program director for the Master of Arts in Arts Leadership and Management.

• What role do you think faculty/staff play in a student’s success and persistence?
  “I think we can proactively foster a classroom environment in which students feel heard, seen and comfortable seeking support, both academically and emotionally, if they need it. And everybody will need it at some point. Frequent and regular office hours are a must, especially in applications-based courses like the ones I teach. The one thing I try to stress above everything else is to engage in the process, don’t chase the reward. The process and progress is so much more important than the grade, and here’s a success secret: if you deeply engage in and commit to the process, you’ll get the result you want faster than if you had just chased the grade anyway.”
• What is one small thing any faculty/staff member can do to make a student’s day or let them know they’re cared for?
  “Greet them whenever you see them — in the hallway, foyers, etc. Students who feel seen will connect better in class. Observe and describe without judgment: ‘I see you’re struggling this week. How can I help?’ then listen to the reply. The best conversations are not started with a discussion of a grade or an absence.”
• How do you promote student success through your campus duties?
  “Our field of music has historically been dominated by white, male composers. My goal is to create a diverse classroom advocating for, and using as examples, women composers, BIPOC composers and LGTBQ musicians. When students see themselves represented, they thrive.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Fatemeh Farokhi.

Fatemeh — a senior majoring in medical laboratory sciences — graduated Farzanegan High School from her home city of Kerman, Iran before coming to Wichita State.

Being an ESL student, Fatemeh worried that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with her workload, but those fears were quickly unfounded when she found the Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) faculty and staff were understanding and accommodating.

“The staff and faculty of MLS were really friendly and made me feel like I belong. They patiently answered any questions I had and gave me great advice along the way. Aisha Waite, chair of MLS, also introduced us to a book called ‘Who moved my cheese?’ in a management course that tells us not to fear change and adapt to the change quickly. It helped me a lot to look at things differently and reduce my stress when any change happens.”

Katie Baskins, clinical educator in MLS, says it’s important for faculty and staff to be open and available to students to help them not only with their stress, but also to share with them the passion for the subject.

“I valued Fatemeh’s eagerness to learn. She is always well prepared with questions and didn’t hesitate to reach out to me when needed. I think being open to students’ needs is a vital piece in their educational growth, and being present with them helps alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with higher education. I know this profession is my passion, and I share this with the students. For the student to be successful, the material needs to be clear so they can make those connections when it comes to patient care.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Autumn Ginther.

Autumn — a senior in medical laboratory sciences with a minor in health science — came to Wichita State after graduating from Mustang High School in Mustang, Oklahoma.

Autumn currently serves as the Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) Student Association president and found the encouragement she needed through the faculty in the MLS department, who went above and beyond in supporting her. She says that all faculty need to be available in making sure students are able to not only succeed, but thrive.

“One small thing that all professors should do is go the extra mile to connect with students. Whether this be reaching out when they notice a student is not doing well in a class or notice a change in attendance. Many students feel alone in college, and they feel that their instructors do not understand what they are going through, so I encourage both students and professors to reach out and be transparent with each other.”

Aisha Waite, chair of medical laboratory sciences, agrees that faculty and staff always need to be available to students in order for them to succeed, and that this needs to be a united effort:

“I strongly believe that departments that operate as a team are successful in their goals, which is the success of the student. Being approachable and providing a strong support system is, in my mind, the key in successfully guiding students on their journey. Having that support system builds confidence, and confidence helps you move forward.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.