WSU Today: Monday, Aug. 5, 2024

University Update

Wichita State will limit irrigation in compliance with City of Wichita drought response

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.

Parking and Traffic

Partial closure of Lot 19W by Eck Stadium Aug. 6

A portion of lot 19W, the parking lot near Eck Stadium, will be closed Tuesday, Aug. 6 for an event at Woolsey Hall. Faculty and staff that typically park in this lot will need to park elsewhere during this time. The YMCA lot is not available for faculty, staff or event guest parking and could result in a citation.

The purpose of lot reservations is to help accommodate large groups of guests visiting campus for events. Lot reservations are not to be used for WSU affiliates. Remember, visitors to campus can park without an ePermit up to three times each semester.

Red reserved and ADA stalls are not subject to lot closures and proper use is permitted during this time.

Lot 41 by Woolsey Hall to be closed Aug. 6-8

Lot 41, the parking lot near Woolsey Hall, will be closed Tuesday, Aug. 6-Thursday, Aug. 8 for events in the building. Faculty and staff that typically park in this lot will need to park in other yellow lots during this time frame. The YMCA lot is not available for faculty, staff or event guest parking and could result in a citation.

Red reserved and ADA stalls are not subject to lot closures and proper use is permitted during this time.

Academic Resources Conference

Shocker Teaching Community of Practice invites you to attend the DFW Institute during Academic Resources Conference

The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice invites faculty of high D-, F- and W-outcome courses to attend the inaugural DFW Institute as part of the Academic Resources Conference from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12 at Wichita State Connect. The afternoon will provide you with a community of practice to examine promising practices from the Student Experience Project as well as technology resources that can be utilized with your course.

The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice and the DFW Institute align with WSU’s Strategic Enrollment goal three (to increase persistence rates of degree seeking student populations) – Strategy 3.5 (to provide best practices for student success … fostering a success-oriented mindset and sense of belonging).

For questions or more information about the Shocker Teaching Community of Practice, contact Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for Student Success and Persistence, at brett.bruner@wichita.edu.

Human Resources

University announces schedule for the 2024 winter closedown

To help employees plan their time-off and work schedules throughout the year, Wichita State has shared the winter closedown schedule, which has been approved this year to commence at the end of the day on Friday, Dec. 20 and end starting the morning of Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The closedown is 10 days, two of which are paid holidays. In addition, employees may use Presidential Administrative Days to remain in pay status for the four days between Christmas and New Years Day — thanks to President Rick Muma. Classes will not be in session during this period.

Unclassified professional and university support staff who would normally be scheduled to work these days may use accumulated vacation leave or their 2025 discretionary day* during the winter closedown. Non-exempt employees may also use accumulated compensatory time off during the winter closedown.

If your role requires you to work during the winter closedown it must be approved in advance by your immediate supervisor.

Winter closedown schedule:

Monday, Dec. 23, 2024
Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024
Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 (Paid holiday)
Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024 (Presidential Administrative Day)
Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 (Presidential Administrative Day)
Monday, Dec. 30, 2024 (Presidential Administrative Day)
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 (Presidential Administrative Day)
Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 (Paid holiday)
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025
Friday, Jan. 3, 2025

An employee must be in pay status the entire workday before and the entire workday after state holidays to receive holiday pay. The official state holidays are Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2025.

Employees required to work during the winter closedown will be allowed to use their four Presidential Administrative Days anytime from Monday, Dec. 23 through Jan. 31, 2025. WSU appreciates your dedication and service to the university.

*The discretionary day for 2024 must be used on or before Friday, Dec. 20 prior to the beginning of the winter closedown. The discretionary day for 2025 will be available starting Sunday, Dec. 22 and may be used during the 2024 winter closedown.

News

Discover what WuHire has in store

Wichita State University is thrilled to share more about the new features and enhanced processes that WuHire, the new talent management system provides to the community.

Read more of Discover what WuHire has in store

Shocker Central is now live for students

Shocker Central is now live for students. Faculty and staff access will be available soon — stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, help spread the word by sharing the exciting news with your students.

Read more of Shocker Central is now live for students

Research

Tools for computing success in education and in research

Wichita State students and faculty have access to a wide range of computational resources, locally and through regional and national partnerships. Make the most of these powerful tools to boost your research and projects at no cost.

Local resources:

BeoShock – Wichita State: The BeoShock High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster at WSU provides computational resources to students and faculty, as well as KBOR constituents outside of WSU. To request an HPC account, visit the HPC user access request page. For further information, visit the HPC website or contact the HPC director at WSU, Dr. Terrance Figy, at terrance.figy@wichita.edu.
If you are new to HPC, the best resource to start with is BeoShock HPC system. Once you educate yourself about HPC and your computing needs grow, you are welcome to explore the following large-scale computing clusters.
Ryan Doll and Terrance Figy via Award Abstract # 2346097, “CC* Planning: Establishing a Sustainable Framework for High-Performance Computing Growth at Wichita State University,” are formulating plans for the next generation of advanced computing resources. If you would like to be involved or have opinions, contact either Terrance Figy (terrance.figy@wichita.edu) or Ryan Doll (ryan.doll@wichita.edu).

Regional resources:

Pete – Oklahoma State University: The Pete Supercomputer at Oklahoma State University offers advanced computational resources and data storage, accessible to students and faculty at WSU to support diverse research initiatives.
New computing resource coming soon
This is an outcome of a collaborative effort among Wichita State University, Oklahoma State University and six other institutions in the OAK region, resulting in the MRI award for the “Acquisition of a High-Performance Computational System for OAK Region to Enable Computing and Data-Driven Discovery.”
BeoCat – Kansas State University: Beocat, a high-performance computing cluster at Kansas State University operated by the Institute for Computational Research, offers free access to any educational researcher in Kansas and their collaborators.

National resources:

Open Science Grid: The Open Science Grid facilitates high-throughput computing, enabling the parallel execution of numerous tasks or simulations that demand substantial computational resources over extended periods.
ACCESS: ACCESS (Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support) supports computational- and data-intensive research with resources like HPC clusters, virtualization clusters and massive storage clusters. For account creation and resource information, contact Campus Champion Dr. Terrance Figy at terrance.figy@wichita.edu.
NRP: The National Research Platform (NRP) is a heterogeneous, nationally distributed, open system that includes different types of processors: standard CPUs, GPUs optimized for different precision levels and FPGAs. It has two types of setups at three locations: one for high-performance tasks and two optimized for specific types of GPUs. This setup supports various tasks like data science, simulations and machine learning or AI. It also allows easy data access through a large, connected network that shares content across the country.

New Faculty

Welcome new visiting professor of performing arts in scenic/lighting design

The School of Performing Arts welcomes Ben Juhnke as its visiting professor of performing arts in scenic/lighting design. With his exceptional talent and vision, it can’t wait to see the creativity and innovation he brings to stage.

As a seasoned professional in technical direction, lighting and scenic design, Ben brings a unique blend of creativity and expertise. With a career spanning work with iconic artists and productions around the world, including Broadway, Ben’s passion for fostering an open and innovative atmosphere is truly inspiring.

His dedication to making every production an enjoyable and boundary-pushing experience aligns perfectly with the values of the School of Performing Arts. It looks forward to the fresh perspectives and vibrant energy Ben will bring to the community.

Learn more about Ben

Welcome new assistant professor of performing arts – musical theatre

The School of Performing Arts welcomes new assistant professor of performing arts – musical theatre, Jacob McGlaun.

View Jacob's faculty profile

Events and Recreation

Wichita State offering walk-in headshot photos at event

The Office of Strategic Communications will offer headshot photos to WSU faculty and staff at no additional charge. These opportunities are quick and walk-in only without needing to schedule an appointment.

The next headshot photo event is from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7 in 266 Rhatigan Student Center, Pike Room.

Additional dates will be announced in the future.

Join 2nd annual KMUW ‘You’re Spelling It Wrong’ spelling bee for grown-ups

Part fun, part fundraiser, KMUW’s “You’re Spelling It Wrong” offers an entertaining opportunity for proficient spellers to show off their skills.

Led by bee-master Fletcher Powell, host of KMUW’s “You’re Saying It Wrong” podcast, at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 at Wichita Brewing Company Event Venue, 6160 E. Central Ave. Taco buffet provided by Custom Cuisine Catering.

$35 – participant entry
$250 – table of six (each receives a buffet pass and drink ticket)
$40 – VIP individual ticket (includes a buffet pass and drink ticket)
$25 – General admission

KMUW thanks its “You’re Spelling It Wrong” sponsors:

Jill Docking
McClelland
Two Trees Technology
Walkers Jazz Lounge
Brain Balance of Wichita
Comfort Care Homes
Wichita Brewing Company
Kent Audio Visual
Carps Bees
Custom Cuisine Catering
McPherson Opera House

Buy audience or contestant tickets