SI and MGC announce ribbon-cutting ceremony today (Friday, April 26)
Student Involvement (SI), in conjunction with the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Multicultural Greek Council Quad at 11 a.m. today (Friday, April 26), on the RSC east patio. The rain location will be the RSC east atrium.
The idea for an MGC Quad was first discussed in spring 2013. The Multicultural Greek Council, Student Involvement and university entities were in support of this idea, however, it took several years to bring the quad to fruition. Over a six-year period, the quad went through several redesigns, and monies were secured to pay for the landscaping, pillars and banners incorporated into the space.
The location of the quad, at the crossroads of the Rhatigan Student Center, Clinton Hall, Neff Hall and the Geology Building, was chosen by the MGC Council and Facilities Planning. Feedback from students within the MGC Council was gathered on the landscaping, pillars and banners.
The purpose of the quad is to provide our culturally based and National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek chapters a visible space on campus. These chapters traditionally do not have chapter facilities. Providing them a space on campus increases their visibility and affords them a gathering space.
The quad currently hosts active chapters on campus. As more culturally based and National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek chapters are brought to 鶹ƽ State, banners will be added to represent these groups.
The chapters currently on campus include, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc., Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc., Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority Inc., Chi Sigma Tau Fraternity Inc.
Two more chapters will be added to the quad over the next year; they include Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas Inc. and Mu Delta Alpha.
A special thanks to those who donated to the project, including Sean and Melissa Conley, WSU Student Affairs and WSU Panhellenic Council.
For more information about this event or the MGC Quad, go to or call 978-3022.
Shock the Yard Step Show coming tomorrow (Saturday, April 27)
Tickets for the 10th Annual Shock the Yard Step Show are on sale. Tickets are $10 until today (Friday, April 26), and $15 day of the show, 7 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, April 27), in Charles Koch Arena.
Tickets can be purchased at the Student Involvement Office, at the Koch Arena Ticket office or online at . Questions? Please contact greeklife@wichita.edu.
Sixteen teams to advance to Shocker New Venture Competition Trade Show
The Center for Entrepreneurship’s Shocker New Venture Competition (SNVC) is underway and will award start-up capital to aid competitors in the launch of their new ventures.
The Trade Show will take place from 2-6 p.m. today (Friday, April 26), at Charles Koch Arena, where these teams will set up displays and pitch their business concepts to more than 100 business leaders. The public is welcome and encouraged to come out and witness this next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.
Sponsors of this year’s competition include Foulston Siefkin, High Touch Technologies, IMA Financial Group, INTRUST Bank, Lubrication Engineers, NetWork Kansas, Riverside Health Foundation, Jeff & Kelley DeGraffenreid.
This week wrapped up the judging of the 10-page business plan round. The result is the movement of 16 teams into the trade show round of the competition. Selection was based upon market viability, the likelihood to launch and financial projections.
The 16 teams advancing to the Trade Show are:
- Bionic6
- Boost Hoop
- DUO Health
- ERC
- HandiLift
- Liberty Limbs Prosthetics
- Nuria
- PARROT
- Phantom Technologies
- Safety Headphones
- Senior Design Spirit
- Shiver
- Smart Warehouse Advanced Technologies
- TableTop
- Team Ascenseur
- TechHead
The six teams with the most “investments” by the judges will advance to the final round which takes place on May 3. The final round will take place from 1-4 p.m. in 107 Devlin Hall. An awards ceremony will follow at 5 p.m. in Devlin Hall. The public is encouraged to attend the final round presentations and the award ceremony.
Graduate School dean candidate to visit April 29-30
Rajalingam Dakshinamurthy, Interim Director, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Austin Peay State University, will visit 鶹ƽ State University as a dean candidate for the Graduate School on Monday, April 29 and Tuesday, April 30.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to a public forum at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in 319 Rhatigan Student Center. Information is also available on the Academic Affairs website.
Dive into summer classes and get ahead
Shockers, summer is approaching and it might be a good idea to start thinking about how you want to spend it.
The summer is the perfect time to get ahead or get back on track with your classes. Whether you want to get your prerequisites out of the way or just need to raise your GPA, taking summer classes will let you dive into classes that are related to your major sooner.
For information on how to enroll in summer classes, please visit .
Want to win $500 in textbooks?
All Shockers registered for fall 2019 courses by Wednesday, May 15, will be automatically entered to win one of 25 textbook scholarships for the fall semester. If you’re enrolled in at least six credit hours, you’ll be automatically entered to win $250. Enroll in at least 12 hours, and you could win $500!
Full details here: .
Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) Symposium today (Friday, April 26)
Come support students at the opening remarks and poster session from 9 a.m.-noon. Submit your “People’s Choice” vote for best poster. Judges will review posters and listen to presenters. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners at the closing general session from 1-1:30 p.m.
For more detail on the event visit .
Apply to be a student representative
Do you want to make an impact on campus? Apply today to be a student representative on a university committee for the 62nd Session of the Student Government Association. The term of service will be from appointment until April 2020.
For a full list of committees and to apply visit the . Applications are due Monday, April 29 to the SGA Office, 219 RSC. For more information, contact sga@wichita.edu or call 978-3480.
In case you missed it
In case you missed the Weekly Briefing on Thursday, here’s the university update from that briefing.
WSU Tech embedded training
WSU Tech was recently recognized for its beneficial embedded training support partnership with Spirit AeroSystems in the areas of new hire onboarding, certification training and recertification for skilled workers in production.
WSU Tech has a longstanding relationship with business and industry to support skilled training needs by offering a customized approach that yields notable impact to their bottom lines. In a recent client survey, Spirit reported the following stats in favor of their partnership and services provided through WSU Tech, including:
- $19.8 million in opportunities for increased sales
- $13.2 million in retained revenue
- 2,305 jobs retained as a result of training skilled workers and upskilling workforce
- $87,300 in cost savings that would have otherwise been spent
- And a Net Promoter Score of 10 out of 10, meaning Spirit is very likely to continue this project with WSU Tech.
We applaud WSU Tech’s efforts to make a positive impact on our workforce and economy.
Applied learning update
With applied learning and research at the center of everything we do, Shockers in every academic program have unmatched opportunities to gain the valuable real-world experience needed to achieve their career goals.
Recent numbers from the Career Development Center illustrate the positive impact the university’s commitment to applied learning has on our students.
In 2017-18, more than 1,100 WSU students earned $4.9 million in co-op internship wages and gained more than 370,000 hours in professional experience, all while working with nearly 500 different employers.
NIAR programs for Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems and other aviation and manufacturing organizations around the world have led to a 30 percent increase (240 total) in student employment at NIAR and in the Applied Learning Program. NIAR is hiring 60 more students per year than in 2016.
The presence and demonstrated commitments of WSU collaboration with industry and DoD has provided millions of dollars in new funding for advanced research programs. These partnerships are the reason 鶹ƽ State ranks first in the nation in industry-financed aeronautical research and development. To put it simply, no other university in the country employs more students in aerospace R&D. And we need more student employees – NIAR is hiring.
The WSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions will now play a larger role of linking newly admitted students to our brand of applied learning, where every student has an experience leading to employment upon graduation. Two offices will be integrated in this approach, Admissions and Career Development. By creating this link, we make our promise of an applied learning experience for every student even more explicit at the moment of being admitted.
Strategic Planning town hall – May 2
As the university continues working toward fulfilling its vision and mission, we want to thank all of the faculty, staff, students and community members who help steer the university toward success by volunteering on WSU’s strategic planning activation teams.
These teams form the foundation of the strategic planning process by reviewing the university’s Strategic Plan and ongoing goals—to help it better fulfill its mission to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good.
The teams have engaged more than 160 individuals from campus and the broader 鶹ƽ community. On average, 55 persons have attended each of the activation teams’ Tuesday sessions.
Each team, led by a chair and a co-chair, works through a playbook, provided by the steering committee, which leads the team through guided conversations around critical issues facing the university and higher education. Additionally, the playbook outlines a SWOT analysis format that each team goes through together over the semester.
With the spring semester nearly finished, we’re inviting everyone to a Strategic Planning town hall at 3 p.m., on May 2, in the RSC Beggs Ballroom, where the activation team leaders will share the results of their meetings and make recommendations.
Community events
We hope that everyone enjoyed all of the fun campus events at last Saturday’s Family Fun Day. There are two more can’t-miss events we want to let you know about.
The Multicultural Greek Council will host its annual Shock the Yard Step Show at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in Charles Koch Arena. Now in its 10th year, the show has grown to become one of the most creative, entertaining and competitive events on campus—and a reflection of the rich diversity found in WSU’s student body and campus culture.
Shock the Yard was started by some of the university’s historically black fraternities and sororities. It features performers from a wide variety of campus organizations, in addition to drawing participants from across the region. Teams compete in group dance routines where performers’ bodies are used as instruments to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word and hand claps.
We encourage the community to come out and attend this high-energy event. Tickets are available for $10 through goshockers.com. They can also be purchased for $15 at the door.
Also, this Saturday is the Kansas Optimist Club’s oratorical scholarship competition at 1 p.m. in 100 Lindquist Hall. The competition gives younger students the opportunity to gain experience in public speaking while competing for multiple college scholarships. Winners advance to the world championships with a chance to compete for a scholarship worth more than $22,000. The topic for this year’s event is “Is there a fine line between optimism and reality?”
We’re honored to support this competition and other events and initiatives that inspire and enable excellence in our community’s youth. We wish the competitors the best of luck—and we hope to see all of you there.
Dean search
On Wednesday, we were happy to have welcomed the first of three graduate school dean finalists to campus. Dr. Coleen Pugh is a professor in the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Akron. Two more candidates are scheduled to visit campus on April 29-30 and May 6-7. The second candidate’s public forum will be held at 3:30 p.m., April 29, in the RSC, room 319. The third’s will at 3:30 p.m. on May 6 in Clinton Hall, room 204. We look forward to having them on campus, and we’ll release more information when it becomes available.
Commencement T-shirts available
Are you graduating this spring? Commemorate this achievement with a commencement T-shirt! Your name will be listed on the back with all the other spring 2019 grads.
Pre-order online at under the “Graduation” tab and pick-up your shirt at graduation! Or you may purchase at the Shocker Store’s Koch Arena souvenir store during commencement. These shirts are not available for sale or pick-up at the RSC store.
For more information, call 316-978-7490.
Senior Honors 2019 selected
The Class of Senior Honors 2019 at 鶹ƽ State University were honored at a banquet recently in the Shirley Beggs Ballroom. Being named a Senior Honor is one of the most prestigious honors a 鶹ƽ State student can receive. Since the program’s inception in 1917, more than 1,060 students have been selected for this honor.
Less than 1% of all 鶹ƽ State students receive this distinction. Selection is based on a student’s commitment to academic excellence, their involvement on campus and contribution to the community, academic standing and oral and written communication skills. Ten students have been selected for this year’s honor.
Pictured above from l-r: Kent Dang, Clayton Baughn, Courtney Nichole Grosch, Kyle Kopecky, Amy Lightfoot, Breck Towner and Sam Belsan.
The following 2019 Senior Honors were honored at the banquet:
Ashruta Acharya, 2014 graduate of Rato Bangala School, Lalitpur, Nepal
Clayton Baugh, 2015 graduate of Goddard High School, Goddard, Kansas
Samuel Belsan, 2013 graduate of Christian Liberty Academy, 鶹ƽ, Kansas
Meghan Carver, 2015 graduate of Mulvane High School, Mulvane, Kansas
Kent Dang, 2014 graduate of Southeast High School, 鶹ƽ, Kansas
Courtney Nichole Grosch, 2015 graduate of Newton High School, Newton, Kansas
Kyle Kopecky, 2015 graduate of Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kansas
Amy Lightfoot, 2015 graduate of Rampart High School, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Shelby Rowell, 2015 graduate of El Dorado High School, El Dorado, Kansas
Breck Towner, 2015 graduate of El Dorado High School, El Dorado, Kansas
Service-Learning Spring 2019 Showcase results
The Service-Learning Showcase is a unique opportunity for students who participate in service-learning through applied learning opportunities to showcase their experience through a research or reflective poster about the application of their course work to current community issues. The showcase is an open forum for students to interact with faculty / staff, community partners and other students to engage in conversation about 鶹ƽ State University's commitment to the public good.
鶹ƽ State Theatre film project showing this weekend
鶹ƽ State University Theatre students and faculty members produced a feature-length film, “A Long Story Short,” as part of the WSU Theatre season this year. The movie is written and directed by Director of Media Arts at WSU, Bret Jones.
The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. today (Friday, April 26), and Saturday, April 27, in The Welsbacher Theatre, Hughes Metropolitan Complex. For tickets, call 978-3233 or click on . Admission is free for students with a WSU ID.
“A Long Story Short” is a mystery / suspense film following a small town book club who find messages crying out for help written in library books. The group decides to investigate to see if it’s a hoax, or if there is someone out there needing saving.
Strategic Planning Town Hall Update coming May 2
Come one, come all to hear the greatest and latest on the WSU Strategic Plan coming to you from 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Shirley Beggs Ballroom, third floor, RSC. *Speakers*Updates*Activities* with dessert and beverages following.
Photo exhibit to open Monday at the Lowell Holmes Museum of Anthropology
The WSU community is invited to opening of the upcoming photo exhibit “Reimagining Aleppo through Peace and Pain: A City in Syria’s War,” from 2-5 p.m. Monday, April 29, on the second floor of Neff Hall. Organized by Rachelle Meinecke, director of the Lowell Holmes Museum of Anthropology, and Jens Kreinath, associate professor at the Department of Anthropology at WSU, this exhibit was made possible through the generous funding of the David and Sally Jackman Foundation at 鶹ƽ State. The project was finalized with the dedicated work of undergraduate student assistants Bailey Fimreite and Jeff Leddy.
The discussion following the opening at 5 p.m. in 117 Neff Hall is intended to elaborate on the idea behind this exhibit. This discussion will include some further background for hosting the exhibit within the context of ongoing research. Please note that some images might be quite disturbing, but they have been purposely chosen to disclose the poignant reality of the situation in Aleppo, Syria.
The exhibit features “A Time of Peace” with photographs taken by Dr. Jens Kreinath during a day trip to Aleppo on May 29, 2010. This selection of pictures conveys a tranquil atmosphere and is contrasted directly with photographs by the world-renowned war photojournalist Narciso Contreras. The collection of photos by Contreras—named “A Journey of Pain” and taken in the fall of 2012—are from the very frontline of the battlefield and capture unfiltered moments of utter despair as experienced by the inhabitants of the once-glorious city that is now drawn into the fray of Syria’s merciless war.
A further small exhibit “Remembrance—From Antakya to Aleppo” displays only nine photographs that capture cheerful moments during Dr. Kreinath’s two brief encounters with Boulos Yazigi, the Metropolitan Bishop of Aleppo at the celebrations of the city-wide festival on the Day of St. Peter and Paul in Antakya (formerly known as Antioch) in 2010 and 2012. Yazigi and his companion, Bishop John Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church, were abducted on their return trip from Antakya on April 22, 2013. With their location being unknown, the Greek Orthodox community in Antakya continues to commemorate its cherished leader and still mourns his ineffable loss.
Looking forward to welcoming you for the occasion of the opening! As we host this exhibit during the next five years, we will organize various events all thematically related to research on the cultural heritage of Aleppo and the interreligious relations in the surrounding areas of the Northern Levant–including Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon. If you are interested to receive notifications about upcoming events or research projects, contact Jens.Kreinath@wichita.edu.
Tulip giveaway concludes next week
Giving tulips to the WSU community is a longstanding tradition, so you can have a piece of WSU in your yard. The tulip giveaway concludes on Monday, April 29. The tulip beds to be pulled are at Morrison Hall, Clinton Hall planters and by the Ablah Library ramp.
If anyone wants to donate canned goods when picking up tulips, we will provide blue containers and deliver to the Food Locker which supports WSU students, faculty and staff.
Lynne Davis shares commentary on the Cathedral of Notre Dame
Following the recent fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Lynne Davis, the Robert L. Town Distinguished Professor of Organ at 鶹ƽ State University, has written a reflective piece, “Fire: The Unthinkable.” Davis is familiar with the cathedral and the Great Organ and Choir Organ, having performed two concerts there.
Read her thoughts on the history and significance of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and its world-renowned Great Organ.
Graduate School community event – Grad Students at the Ulrich
Come celebrate the near-end of the semester at a relaxing social with other grad students and faculty from 3-5 p.m. Friday, May 3, at the Ulrich Museum of Art.
Cosponsors Graduate School and the Ulrich Museum will supply good eats (heavy hors d’oeuvres, adult and soft beverages) at WSU’s nationally recognized modern and contemporary art museum. A wonderful summer exhibition will be on display in all galleries.
Shocker Rowing to host Plains Regional Regatta on May 5
Shocker Rowing is proud to host the first annual Plains Regional Regatta on Sunday, May 5. The regatta will hold races for teams in the plains area, providing them with the opportunity to race close to home.
The regatta will take place at Shocker Rowing’s River Vista boathouse and the teams will race on the Big River. Races will start at 8 a.m. and end around 3 p.m. Come and cheer on the Shocks as they race on their home river. See the Plains Regional Regatta website for more information.
Collecting children’s paperback books for students in Paraguay
The South American Travel Seminar class is collecting children’s books to be taken with them for students in Paraguay. They request the books be at or under a 7th-8th grade reading level, be in English and preferably paperback. The collection of new or good condition paperback children’s books is happening now to Friday, May 10.
Boxes for donations are located in 216 RSC, 114 Neff Hall, GoCreate lobby in the Experiential Engineering Building, Shocker Hall lobby and Garvey International Center lobby.
Your support is appreciated!
Startup Grind U event coming May 7
The last Startup Grind U event for the semester will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in 265 RSC. The event is free. The guest speaker will be Christina Long, owner of CML Collective LLC, and the president / CEO of Create Campaign Inc. Passionate about building the community in 鶹ƽ and empowering urban entrepreneurs, she has launched initiatives to aid in launching, innovating, and excelling in their ventures.
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Active Minds advocacy student group is searching for a new executive team
Do you want to be an advocate for mental health on campus? Active Minds is a mental health advocacy student group at WSU searching for a new executive team -- president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. Serving as a leader in this organization is a great way to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and advocate for mental health awareness!
For more information, please visit our .
To be considered for an executive team position or if you have any questions, please send an email to activemindswichitastate@gmail.com.
Get a discount and experience ‘Space Odyssey’ with Mark Herman
Space Odyssey with Mark Herman is a musical journey through space with the 鶹ƽ Wurlitzer. The program at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 6, in Exhibition Hall, Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center, will feature a vast range of music, composers, and genres. Herman is one of America’s busiest theatre organists, performing more than 30 concerts and silent film presentations each year across the United States and abroad.
Tickets are available at . WSU faculty, staff, students and employees on the Innovation Campus can purchase a $20 general admission ticket for $17 by using the code WSU.