Campus Connection: Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Wichita Biomedical Campus

Wichita Biomedical Campus nearly reaches final height as construction continues

Construction on Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus continues as work on floors eight and nine has begun, leaving only the roof left to be put up, nearly extending past the construction livestream.

Concrete pouring has been completed up to the third floor and will begin on the fourth floor this week. Steel will begin being placed on floors seven through nine for the remainder of the week, and the first floor has seen duct work installed.

Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus — a joint venture of Wichita State, the University of Kansas and WSU Tech — is a $222 million, 350,000-square-foot joint health sciences center, located at the southeast corner of Broadway and William. Once complete, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions programs, including the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, WSU Tech’s health care program and the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy.

Programs and Courses

Badge programs can enhance your skillset and broaden your opportunities

Human Resources Management - Mentoring Employees

Professionals looking to boost their skillsets or retrain for new opportunities can enroll in the many Badge courses offered at Wichita State in the fall 2025 semester. With Badges, professionals can take bite-sized, one credit hour or less courses to learn or enhance their skills.

Wichita State has been a national leader in creating a standard for microcredentials, allowing employers to be confident that meaningful learning has occurred when you list the badge on your resume. Badges are developed with input from employers, government licensing agencies, trade associations and faculty.

One such series of Badges is the Human Resource Management series, which can enhance your capabilities of being an effective supervisor. Badges in this series cover designing jobs, recruiting, hiring and managing and mentoring employees.

To learn more about Badges, including how to enroll, visit wichita.edu/badges.

Shocker Athletics

TBT is Coming Back to Wichita July 18 - 23 | Secure Your Seat

WSU basketball alumni team, AfterShocks, tip-off at TBT this Friday

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) returns to Charles Koch Arena Friday, July 18. The AfterShocks — led by former Shockers Conner Frankamp, Markis McDuffie, Trey Wade and Rashard Kelly — are poised for another run at the $1 million prize.

Their journey begins with a first round matchup against number seven No Excuses at 8 p.m. July 18 in Charles Koch Arena. With a win, they would advance to the second round at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 20.

They need the help of Shocker Nation to secure homecourt advantage throughout the tournament to boost their chances of winning the $1 million prize. Secure your seats at goshockers.com/TBTTix to help the team be one of the first to sell 4,000 tickets to lock in homecourt advantage.

Presentations and Talks

A large-scale sculpture by artist Abhidnya Ghuge.

Abhidnya Ghuge will present an artist talk at McKnight Art Center

Multidisciplinary artist Abhidnya Ghuge is known for her immersive site-responsive installations made of thousands of rolled woodblock prints. Her practice engages with themes of belonging and community and is inspired by the ephemeral nature of the human experience. These ideas are quite literally reflected in her means of creating through hands-on community collaboration, wherein different perspectives and patterns naturally emerge and enrich the piece.

In connection with the site-specific installation she has been installing in the Polk/Wilson Gallery at the Ulrich Museum, Ghuge will share her unique practice, her story, and her inspirations. This free event starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 in 210 McKnight Art Center. Everyone is welcome.

Register for DOD SBIR/STTR webinars Aug. 14 and 21

The DOD SBIR and STTR programs offer a wide range of opportunities for small firms to address military needs in just about every technology area from software to training systems, from medical products to air, land and sea platforms.

News

Students in their regalia attend fall 2023 commencement.

Wichita State shares class of spring 2025 graduates and honors students

Wichita State has released the list of the over 1,950 Shockers who graduated in spring 2025. View the list of Kansas graduates and the list of national and international graduates.

Overall, graduates completed a total of 2,122 degrees — 1,430 undergraduate degrees and certificates and 692 graduate degrees and certificates — with 336 honored as cum laude, 425 honored as magna cum laude and 108 honored as summa cum laude.

Additionally, you can see the names of the 3,710 students included in the spring 2025 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.

Dr. Chris Broberg, interim director of the Center for Entrepreneurship

Barton School appoints Dr. Chris Broberg as interim director of the Center for Entrepreneurship

The Barton School of Business is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Chris Broberg as interim director of the Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE). Broberg currently serves as associate professor of entrepreneurship and associate dean for faculty and research within the Barton School. The Barton School extends its sincere gratitude to Nancy Kersenbrock for her service as interim director. She will return to her longstanding role as associate director of the Center, a position she has held since 2015.

Founded in 1977 by Fran Jabara — professor, former dean of the Barton School, and inaugural member of the Barton School’s “Beyond” 2024 Hall of Fame — the Center for Entrepreneurship has been internationally recognized as one of the finest and most comprehensive programs in the nation. The Center for Entrepreneurship was one of the first of its kind on a college campus, launching with a workshop titled “Entrepreneurship: Your Future in Business,” developed by Jabara.

Woolsey Hall continues to bloom, featured in Sedgwick County’s annual Garden Tour

Since its opening in 2020, Woolsey Hall has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors — from students and faculty to architectural, artistic and recreational enthusiasts. As the proud home of the Barton School of Business, it continues to captivate individuals from around the globe. Over the weekend of May 31, that number grew significantly, as more than 5,000 guests toured the grounds to experience the Kay Woolsey Gardens, one of six featured locations in the annual Garden Tour sponsored by the Sedgwick County Extension Office’s Master Gardener Program.

“We were honored and excited to be selected for this year’s garden tour,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School. “At the Barton School, we believe in blooming — in our students, our community and the vibrant plant life that surrounds Woolsey Hall and the Promise Bridge. The gardens reflect both the natural beauty within us all and the resilience it takes to grow in any environment.”

Submit your events for inclusion in Welcomefest

Welcomefest is the official welcome campaign for new and returning Shockers and features events, activities and services designed to help everyone have a successful transition to life at Wichita State. Popular programs awaiting new and returning Shockers include the NXT LVL Garage Party, Clash of the Colleges, Involvement Fair and much more.

Hosted by various student groups and campus departments, most events are free and give all students a chance to get acquainted with each other, learn their way around campus and find ways to connect with the community.

Want your event featured in the Welcomefest lineup? Submit it by Wednesday, July 23 at wichita.edu/welcomefest.