Wichita State News: College of Engineering

Velma Wallace leaves $6 million estate gift to WSU Foundation

Mon, 1 Jul 2013 16:27:00 CST

The legacy Velma and Dwane Wallace created at Wichita State and that Velma nurtured and advanced after Dwane Wallace's death in 1989 will live in perpetuity with Velma Wallace's $6 million estate gift to the Wichita State University Foundation.

Elizabeth King

"She was an icon in our community because she supported so many worthwhile nonprofit organizations and special initiatives," said Elizabeth King, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation. "But dearest to her heart was the Wallace Scholar program and the emotional investment she made in her students, in addition to the financial commitment to their futures."

More than half of the estate gift will be added to the Dwane L. and Velma L. Wallace Endowment Fund, benefiting engineering students and the College of Engineering.

About 39 students — freshmen to seniors, received scholarships from this fund during the 2012-13 academic year. It has not been decided whether the number of students or the amount per scholarship will increase.

"The scholarship is more about what we do, not about how much we get from it," said Elisa Acosta, WSU senior and fourth-year Wallace Scholar majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in mathematics. "I hope I can one day be even half the philanthropist and woman she was."

Helping the future
Jim Johnson, one of the Wallaces' sons-in-laws, believes it is important to impart to WSU alumni the concept of giving back or paying forward and using his in-laws as role models.

"With the positive experiences students received as a direct result of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace's generosity, I hope they leave with a feeling that they want to help future students receive what they did."

Joan Wagner, former Wallace Scholar and current program manager for the Spirit/Boeing Cost Reduction Team at Spirit AeroSystems Inc., was asked what she learned from Velma Wallace.

"Making a difference where you can," said Wagner. "Although I don't have the financial means that she had, I still support where I can, and that is why I am so proud of the Wallace Alumni Legacy Scholarship that was set up by the Wallace Scholars to honor Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, and to help support another group of students who are trying to complete the engineering education."

Though engineering was the Wallaces' first love, they gave generously across campus, which is echoed by other portions of her estate gift going to the School of Music in the College of Fine Arts, the College of Education and WSU athletics.

Through the years Velma Wallace touched a multitude of lives.

She made future-changing impacts that some of us only dream about. And now, her belief in Wichita State, her inspiration and this final act will continue to shape Wichita State and those who walk its campus.

Relationship with Beechcraft provides jobs for students

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:40:00 CST

Thanks to a strong relationship between Beechcraft and Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), dozens of WSU students are getting hands-on experience creating 3-D designs for Beechcraft airplanes.

The students are working at Beechcraft as employees of NIAR's CAD/CAM Lab. They're using CATIA 3D CAD design software and Mentor Graphics software to implement change requests for all production lines and recreate outdated two-dimensional drafting plans.

"They physically become part of the Beechcraft team," said Shawn Ehrstein, NIAR's CAD/CAM Lab director.

Much of the design work the students are completing was previously contracted to other companies. In 2010, bringing those jobs back to Wichita became a goal for Ehrstein and Scott Yeakley, Beechcraft's director of engineering operations.

"It's a winning situation for everyone," said Ehrstein. "The university provides hands-on learning opportunities, students get industry experience using industry tools while earning a paycheck, and Beechcraft gains a pipeline for new hires."

'A win-win scenario'

Most of the students are participating in the university's Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning program to satisfy curriculum in the engineering program.

Before students are hired, they must commit to working for the lab for the remainder of the semester. And, in turn, Beechcraft guarantees the students a job for as long. This has been a main contributor to the program's success.

"The NIAR/Beechcraft relationship is a win-win scenario in every sense of the meaning. We are proud to be a part of this successful business relationship," said Yeakley.

The partnership has already provided opportunities for nearly 40 students, and an additional 30 students will soon be hired for a new program this summer. Individuals to fill these positions have already been selected. Ehrstein recruits students by word of mouth and by posting flyers in and around Wallace Hall.

Students who have worked for NIAR's CAD/CAM Lab are in high demand in the aircraft industry. Since the program began in 2010, all of the lab's long-term student employees have secured jobs in the industry. Even Dassault Systems, the manufacturer of CATIA design software, has called Ehrstein looking for recruits.

"We hope we can continue to build this relationship and use it as a model for working with additional organizations," said Ehrstein.

Construction of new Wichita State residence hall moves forward

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:15:00 CST

Wichita State University held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, June 11, to celebrate construction of the new residence hall.

Farha Construction and Dondlinger & Sons will officially break ground Monday, June 17. Plans are for the building to be complete and ready for students to move in for the fall 2014 semester.

The $65 million residence hall will be in the parking lot south of Cessna Stadium. The hall will be paid for by revenue bonds. Housing revenues will be used over a period of time to repay the bonds.

The lot is no longer available for parking. Some of the handicapped-accessible spaces have been relocated to Alumni Drive.

The loss of about 750 parking spaces will be offset somewhat with the addition of 400 parking spaces along 21st Street east of Corbin Education Center. Those spaces are scheduled to be available in mid- to late-July.

Even with the parking lot going offline, there should be ample parking for students attending summer school at Wichita State.

New and improved

Mostly first-year students and some returning students will reside in the new residence hall. Several room configurations will be available — singles, standard doubles, double rooms with two singles, and quad rooms with four single rooms. Some will have small living room areas.

Each floor will have a laundry room, community kitchen and lounge area.

After completion of the new residence hall, Wheatshocker Apartments and Brennan Halls will no longer be residence halls. Plans are to raze those buildings for future development. Fairmount Towers will be available for returning students only.

Grad student wins WSU's $6,400 Sawan Fellowship

Thu, 6 Jun 2013 10:17:00 CST

Vijay Venkitachalam, a graduate student in electrical engineering, is the fourth recipient of the Maha "Maggie" Sawan Fellowship for Graduate Students at Wichita State University.

Venkitachalam will receive the award at 9 a.m. Friday, June 7, at the WSU Ablah Library, first floor, Reserve Section, Leisure Reading Room.

The Sawan Fellowship awards $6,400 for an academic year and is to be divided evenly between the spring and fall 2013 semesters, said Armin Gerhard, executive director of International Education at WSU.

Venkitachalam did his undergraduate work in India. He worked hard saving money to come to the United States to continue his studies, which he did by starting at WSU in January 2012.

The Maha "Maggie" Sawan Fellowship for Graduate Students was established by Edwin Sawan, professor emeritus in electrical engineering and computer science at Wichita State University.

It is established in memory of his late wife, Maha "Maggie" Sawan, who died in 2010, and honors her lifelong dedication to education and service to family and community.

WSU grad recognized by White House

Mon, 3 Jun 2013 16:22:00 CST

Alex Cavgalar came to the United States in 1993 to study at Wichita State University.

Now, the Turkish-born engineer is building a local high-tech business, and he was recognized at a White House event this week for those efforts.

Cavgalar, who has a doctorate in electrical engineering from WSU and is founder and chief technology officer of Ulterius Technologies, was an Obama administration Champions of Change nominee.

The Champions of Change program is aimed at showcasing groups of Americans -- individuals, businesses and organizations — who the White House said in a news release "are doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities."

Cavgalar was nominated by Joni Cobb, CEO of the Pipeline entrepreneurial fellowship program. Cavgalar was one of three Pipeline fellows who were invited to attend the Immigrant Innovators Champions of Change event Wednesday at the White House.

Read full story

Parking lot to close for construction of new residence hall

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:30:00 CST

Editor's note: The closing of the parking lot south of Cessna Stadium will close permanently Sunday, June 9. Go to www.wichita.edu/parking for updates.

The parking lot south of Cessna Stadium will close Sunday, June 9, so construction can begin on a new residence hall at Wichita State University.

The lot will no longer be available for parking. Some of the handicapped-accessible spaces will be relocated to Alumni Drive.

The loss of 800 parking spaces will be offset somewhat with the addition of 400 parking spaces along 21st Street east of Corbin Education Center. Those spaces are scheduled to be available in mid- to late-July.

Even with the parking lot going offline, there should be ample parking for students attending summer school at Wichita State.

To accommodate the loss of handicapped-accessible parking spaces in the lot going offline, several spaces will be re-assigned as handicapped-accessible parking spaces adjacent to Morrison Hall. This work will be completed during the summer.

In the meantime, there should be adequate handicapped-accessible parking dispersed throughout campus, and additional handicapped-accessible stalls will be created in these areas with re-striping.

University officials continue to work on plans to help alleviate the demand for on-campus parking for students, faculty and staff when fall classes begin in August.

Faculty, staff, students and visitors are encouraged to go to wichita.edu/parking for the latest information on where parking is available, a map and helpful tips.

WSU to hold commencement ceremonies May 17-18

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:13:00 CST

More than 2,200 students are eligible to participate in the 115th spring commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, May 17-18, at Wichita State University. Ceremonies will be held in Charles Koch Arena.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees will be conferred in individual college ceremonies.

Information on individual college ceremonies is available at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?2195.

Links to stories about some of the graduates are available at:

http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/cnews/?cnid=11220

Sri Lanka native finds success in WSU aerospace engineering

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:50:00 CST

His pleasant demeanor presents an unassuming college senior at the beginning of the rest of his life, but most seniors at Wichita State didn't grow up moving in and out of a war zone.

For Tharindu "TJ" Jayaratne, it was a fact of life. As a native of Sri Lanka, he lived in danger nearly every day because of the 30-year-long civil war in the country.

In 1994 when he was 6 years old, Jayaratne and his mother left Sri Lanka during one of the most violent periods of the war. Just four years earlier, hundreds of police officers were massacred by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in one day.

"I was glad we were in the U.S. when we were growing up," said Jayaratne. "While we were here [in the U.S.], the terrorists blew up the building my mom worked in back home."

While his mom was earning her master's degree at Vanderbilt University, Jayaratne spent some of his childhood in Nashville, Tenn.

"I enjoyed both lifestyles," said Jayratne about the cultural diversity he experienced as a child.

Upon returning to Sri Lanka, 10-year-old Jayaratne could not speak Sinhalese. He learned it with ease as a fifth-grader that year and spent the rest of his adolescence in his native country.

Coming back to America

In 2008, Jayaratne returned to the United States and began attending Wichita State University. He credits his decision to a "world-class aerospace engineering program for one-sixth the cost of other such programs." Jayaratne will graduate in May 2013 with a degree in aerospace engineering and a 4.0 GPA.

Jayaratne's interest in engineering is also clear to his teachers. Larry Whitman, associate professor at the department of industrial and manufacturing engineering, emphasized Jayaratne's passion for learning as an engineer.

"His passion to learn more — engineering is not static, and he tries to learn more about the subject at hand," said Whitman. "He does a good job trying to get better."

When asked about his experience at Wichita State, Jayaratne said he most enjoyed the "truly extraordinary" hands-on curriculum the aerospace engineering program provides.

"A lot of engineers haven't built anything by the time they get out of college," said Jayaratne. "That's the good thing about WSU."

Jayaratne has also served as president of the International Student Union (ISU) and project chair for Interfest. Under Jayaratne's direction, Interfest doubled its ticket and food sales in 2012.

As president of ISU, Jayaratne helped organize airport pickups for international students with help from other student groups. The student-run program picks up more than 200 students before each fall semester.

Jayaratne now has a co-op position at the National Institute for Aviation Research, working with the certification and testing of the Learjet 85 business jet. He plans to continue his work there after graduation.

As for graduate school, Jayaratne will apply to several programs.

"I'll probably stay here, though. I like it here," he said.

Outside of work and school, Jayaratne is researching building a 1967 Mustang Fastback.

Faculty/staff news update: March/April 2013

Wed, 8 May 2013 13:26:00 CST

Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

William Proctor Artz, instructional technologist and designer, School of Community Affairs, presented a paper "Secure Testing in the Virtual Classroom: Is It Even Possible?" at the Innovative Technology to Recharge and Connect (ITRAC) instructional technology conference on March 8.

Dinorah Azpuru, associate professor of political science, was invited to present her research on U.S-Latin America relations at the Woodrow Wilson Center, in Washington, D.C., on March 27. In the framework of the seminar "China in Latin America: Public Impressions and Policy Implications" she compared public opinion in the Americas about the influence and role of China and the United States in the region. Watch the webcast here.

Michael Birzer

Michael Birzer, professor, School of Community Affairs, worked with the Wichita Police Department's Command Staff on organizational transformation and issues. He also recently received a $32,000 grant award from the Kansas Department of Transportation to continue his research on racial profiling across the state of Kansas.

Travis Bruce, assistant professor, history, has published a book about the trading community of Denia, a Muslim city state in al-Andalus in the Middle Ages, and the trade links and cultural ties between the Muslim and Christian worlds.

Amy Delamaide, director, community and organizational development, WSU Center for Community Support and Research, was recently named a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer and is now certified to deliver BoardSource's signature nonprofit governance trainings in the Midwest and Great Plains area. BoardSource supports and promotes excellence in nonprofit board service by providing cutting-edge thinking and resources on board effectiveness and by engaging and developing the next generation of board leaders.

Amy DeVault, assistant professor, Elliott School of Communication, earned four awards in the Kansas Professional Communicators 2012 contest: First and second in magazine page design; first in PR magazine (editing/creative direction); and second in magazine feature story. First-place winners move on to compete at the national level.

Ed Flentje

Ed Flentje, professor, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, was recognized at the December 2012 legislative policy summit for outstanding service in fostering regional cooperation for south-central Kansas. At the invitation of the Center for Information and Resources for Development, he also traveled to Asuncion, Paraguay to participate in the Public Policy and Presidential Elections Project. This trip was the seventh of an eight-part series to educate and engage political activists on democracy, elections and public policy prior to upcoming elections in April 2013.

Mark Glaser, professor, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, and Misty Bruckner and Corinne Bannon, both from the Center for Urban Studies, collaborated with the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County as part of a four-step process to guide a comprehensive plan update and to develop and implement a multiphase citizen engagement effort. Glaser was also recently appointed to the publication committee of the American Society for Public Administration. This is a prestigious appointment to the committee that oversees publication of the Public Administration Review, the top rated journal in the field.

Sabrina Perez Glatt, director of field practicum, School of Social Work, is the 2013recipient of the Wayne Carlisle Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented to an unclassified professional who models the standard of extraordinary service.

Brandy Jackson, undergraduate program director, was approved to receive funding from the College of Health Professions' IPE Fund to support participation in the Team STEPPS training program at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Phyllis Jacobs, assistant professor, nursing, and her husband, Lou, are receiving the 2013 Joel A. Gingras, Jr. Award from the American Brain Tumor Association. The award recognizes individuals, organizations or groups who through philanthropy, advocacy, discovery or patient care and support, have had a transformative impact on the advancement of the mission of the American Brain Tumor Association. Phyllis and Lou have facilitated a brain tumor support group called Headstrong at Victory in the Valley in Wichita for the past 14 years. The Award will be given at the American Brain Tumor Association national conference in Chicago in July.

Kim Johnson, DNP Candidate, whose submission titled "Does primary care provider advance directive education influence attitudes and practice?," was accepted as a poster presentation at the Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects. She was also selected to participate by WSU in the Rising Stars of Scholarship and Research Poster Program at Sigma Theta Tau International's 42nd Biennial Convention.

Stuart Lasine, professor of religion, has been elected vice president of the Society of Biblical Literature's southwest region. In 2014 he'll become president-elect and then in 2015, president.

Jacquelyn McClendon, senior clinical educator, Kelly Anderson (Dental Hygiene) and Mary Koehn (CHP IPE coordinator) abstract, "Making IPE Discipline Relevant" was accepted for presentation at the Collaborating Across Borders IV Conference in Canada.

Cheryl Miller, assistant dean, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, earned several awards in the 2012 Kansas Professional Communicators contest: First in personality profile, first in editing; second in advertising; and third in editing. Miller also received honorable mentions in feature writing, personality profile, and specialty articles - travel. First-place winners move on to compete at the national level.

Pamela O'Neal, SON Academic Writing Specialist, and Michelle Dreiling, a graduate student at the Elliott School of Communication, were invited to Wiley College in Marshall TX to speak at the Ethical Student Leadership Conference about the WSU Hunger Awareness Initiative.

Susan Parsons, assistant professor; Carla A. Lee, Debbie Strickert and Margaret Trumpp are authors of an article entitled "Oral Care and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia-An Integrated Review of the Literature" accepted for publication in the forthcoming May/June 2013 issue of Dimensions in Critical Care Nursing.

Elaine Steinke, professor, nursing, Adult Health & Illness Clinical nurse specialist program coordinator, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program coordinator, had two book chapters published. Steinke, E. E. (2014). Ineffective sexuality patterns. In B. Ackley, G. Ladwig. Nursing Diagnosis Handbook,10th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; pp. 724-730. And Steinke, E. E. (2014). Sexual dysfunction. In B.Ackley, G. Ladwig. Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, 10th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; pp. 717-724.

DISTINGUISHED AND PHENOMENAL AWARDS
The Wichita State University Women's Association named its Distinguished Gentlemen Award winners in March. They are: Wilson Baldridge, chair, Modern & Classical Languages; Michael L. Birzer, professor, criminal justice/director SCA; William Bischoff, professor, geology; Buma Fridman, chair and professor, mathematics; Terre Johnson, vice president for major gifts, WSU Foundation; Chuck Koeber, associate dean, liberal arts, professor, sociology; Ron Matson, interim dean, liberal arts and sciences; Rodney Miller, dean, College of Fine Arts; Rick Muma, associate provost and professor, public health; Ravi Pendse, vice president, Information Technology, and chief information officer; Wade Robinson, vice president for Campus Life and University Relations; Mel Whiteside, director, engineering technology program;

The Office of Multicultural Affairs announced its Phenomenal Women of the Year at the fifth annual Phenomenal Women Award Recognition on March 14. Jean Patterson, from the Educational Leadership Department was awarded Faculty Phenomenal Woman of the Year. Frankie Brown, from Human Resources was awarded the Unclassified Professional Staff Phenomenal Woman of the Year. Juanita Reed from the Alumni Association was awarded the Classified Staff Phenomenal Woman of the Year. These women were recognized along with five other nominees.

IN MEMORIAM

Ronald Christy, 63, business instructor at Wichita State University, died Monday, April 22. He is survived by a son, Cody; Cody's mother, Linda Pool; extended family members, Jamie Doss, Mary Giordenella Belden and Wanda Aikin, and their children Jordan Doss, Kaylee Doss, Brooklyn Aikin, Madison Aikin, Makenna Belden and Cade Belden, who referred to Mr. Christy as Grandpa. Mr. Christy was a pioneer in entrepreneurial education and was instrumental in helping Fran Jabara found WSU's Center for Entrepreneurship in 1977. Mr. Christy taught the widely acclaimed "Your Future in Business" class to thousands of Kansans in the 1970s and 1980s. He co-authored four books on entrepreneurship, was the recipient of the prestigious Sargent Americanism Award, as well as the Outstanding Teaching Award from the W. Frank Barton School of Business. As a businessman, he founded several businesses and was a sought after consultant for over 35 years. The Ron Christy Entrepreneurship Memorial has been established through the WSU Foundation. Donations can be sent to support this memorial, in lieu of flowers, to 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0002. Services have been held.

Jeraldine Cobb, 77, retired, died April 15. Services have been held. Survivors: husband, James; sons, Terry (Diane) Evans, Larry Evans, Michael Cobb ; daughter, Jacqueline Cobb ; sister, Roberta (Lawrence) Crockett; brother, Claude (Linda) Dayton; 7 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; a host of other relatives, Strangers Rest family and friends.

Donald Leroy Foster, 77, retired Wichita State Physics professor, died Sunday, May 5. He taught at WSU for 39 years, where he served as department chair. He is preceded in death by parents, Raymond and Hilda Mae (McCrea) Foster. Mr. Foster is survived by his cherished wife, Deanna; sister, Susan A. Foster; children, Andrew (Amy) Foster, Matt (Lucinda) Foster, Brandie (Kevin Blount) French and Kelly French; 12 grandchildren, Josh, Nick, Jack, Ethan, Luke, Zach, Alex, Sebastian, Sofia, Evelyn, Levi and Lydia; and one great-grandchild. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 9, followed by the funeral mass at 10:30 a.m., both at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Memorials may be sent to National Parkinson Foundation, P.O. Box 51018, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741. Baker Funeral Home, Wichita.

Doris Kathleen "Kathy" Lewis, 73, former chair and associate professor, physical therapy, died March 11 in Peoria. Services have been held. She is survived by her daughter, Terri Lewis, and son-in-law, Daniel Angot, of Peoria; grandsons, Dustin and Jordan Angot; four brothers; two sisters; and many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery Program in Peoria.

Marguerite "Mickey" Miller, 92, professor emeritus and longtime former chair of keyboard, College of Fine Arts, died April 17. She was preceded in death by parents, Joe and Mary Smith; husband, Luther; and grandson, Brandon. Survivors include sons Joe of Wichita, Jay (Madeline) of Lake Forest, Ill., and Jon of Kechi; daughter, Jean Little (Kent) of Kechi; three grandchildren. In accordance with her wishes, services will be private.

Gilbert "Gil" Perez, 61, WSU Environmental Scientist, passed away Saturday, April 27, 2013. He is survived by his wife, Lisa Perez; children, Paul (Annie) Perez, Angela Perez, Isaac (Crystal) Perez, all of Wichita; grandchildren, LaTaylah, Zayda, Adrian, Evan, Aiden, Brittany (Kade), Cidnie, Daphne, Emilie and Remi; mother, Beatrice Perez of Kinsley; brothers, John (Olga) Perez of Dodge City, Larry Perez of Kinsley, Tom (Diane) Perez of Dodge City; sisters, Rose Perez of Kinsley, Gloria (Joe) Lock of Lewis and Mary (Alvaro) Bencomo of Dodge City; many other family and friends. Services have been held. Memorials to Riverlawn Christian Church, 4243 N. Meridian, Wichita, KS 67204. Baker Funeral Home, Valley Center.

WSU announces spring commencement schedule, speakers

Wed, 1 May 2013 10:14:00 CST

Undergraduate and graduate degrees will be conferred in individual college ceremonies.

Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
More than 800 liberal arts and sciences students are eligible to participate in commencement exercises at 3 p.m. Friday, May 17. Kenny Wilk will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be Mike James, president of the Critical Care Systems subsidiary at Express Scripts.

College of Health Professions
About 400 health professions students are eligible to participate in commencement at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17. Kenny Wilk will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be Dr. Paul Uhlig, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Central Plains Cardiothoracic Surgery.

W. Frank Barton School of Business
About 275 business students are eligible to participate in commencement at
8 a.m. Saturday, May 18. Robba Moran will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be Wayne Chambers, president and CEO of High Touch Technologies.

College of Education
Almost 300 education students are eligible to graduate in a ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18. Robba Moran will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The speaker will be Brad Neuenswander, deputy commissioner for Learning Services for the Kansas State Department of Education.

College of Engineering
More than 320 engineering students are eligible to graduate in a ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18. Dan Lykins will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be John Lovitt, former senior executive for Rational Software and former CEO of Pattern Insight.

College of Fine Arts
About 100 fine arts students are eligible to graduate in a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18. Dan Lykins will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The speaker will be Bob Workman, director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University.

Wichita State University unveils strategic plan

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:45:00 CST

Strategic Plan background

A strategic plan defines the future of an organization. Wichita State University's strategic plan will shape the future of the university, guide decision-making and determine resource allocations.

The new plan will be used to guide the next phase of strategic planning at Wichita State University. In the next phase, all departments will create plans appropriate to their areas that respond to the institution's strategic plan.

Changes in direction and resource allocations are likely as everyone on campus strives to accomplish the lofty vision and the big audacious goals set out by the institution's strategic plan.

John Bardo

On Sept. 5, 2012, Wichita State University President John Bardo kicked off a campus and community-wide strategic planning process for the university. He appointed a steering committee composed of WSU faculty, staff and students, along with leaders from the larger Wichita community, and charged them with developing a strategic plan for Wichita State University.

Since that time, the steering committee received thousands of comments from students, faculty, staff, community leaders, business people and others with a stake in the future of WSU, Wichita and the region. The goal of the steering committee was to use this input to map a strategic course for the university. To create a new strategic plan the steering committee thoughtfully analyzed this large body of work. The result is a phenomenal integration of the comments received to create an exciting and energizing strategic direction for Wichita State University.

The steering committee's work is almost complete with today's (Thursday, April 25) preview of the new strategic plan for Wichita State University. Following several meetings to reveal this new plan to interested groups, a formal document will be finalized in the summer of 2013. The details of the draft plan follow.

The new vision — Wichita State University is internationally recognized as the model for applied learning and research — means that WSU will aspire to be "the model" not simply "a model" for requiring students to apply their skill sets in practical or real world contexts.

The new mission — The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good — identifies WSU's unique niche in the higher education system of Kansas.

Goal 1: Guarantee an applied learning or research experience for every student by each academic program.

Ensures that every student will study a curriculum that engages them in real world experiences that allows them to develop and apply their skill sets, preparing them for jobs upon graduation.

Goal 2: Pioneer an educational experience for all that integrates interdisciplinary curricula across the university.

Ensures that faculty will work across disciplines to create integrated student experiences to develop students' critical thinking skills and help them make important connections between their fields, society and culture.

Goal 3: Capitalize systemically on relevant existing and emerging societal and economic trends that increase quality educational opportunities.

Ensures a process where all new initiatives exploit relevant existing or emerging trends including social, business, technology, demographic, policy or economic trends that add to the educational opportunities in Kansas.

Goal 4: Accelerate the discovery, creation and transfer of new knowledge.

Improves the educational, cultural and economic well-being of Kansas through increased quantity and quality of research projects that enhance the reputation of WSU, attract funding, or lead to new products by advancing knowledge, producing intellectual property, or transferring knowledge for practical application.

Goal 5: Empower students to create a campus culture and experience that meets their changing needs.

Allows students to create a desired destination campus by stepping away from dictating to students what they should want, or what we think they want, in a student experience.

Goal 6: Be a campus that reflects — in staff, faculty and students — the evolving diversity of society.

Ensures successful fulfillment of WSU's mission by mirroring the variety of types of people found in society.

Goal 7: Create a new model of assessment, incentive and reward processes to accomplish our vision and goals.

Develops an integrated reward system that breaks down the insularity that exists across the colleges on campus.

For full details of the strategic plan see:
http://wichita.edu/wsustrategy.

Strategic plan preview for Wichita State to be revealed

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:21:00 CST

A draft of Wichita State University's strategic plan will be revealed to the WSU campus and Wichita-area community in a town hall meeting from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in 208 Hubbard Hall.

The strategic planning steering committee developed the plan following numerous sessions with faculty, staff, students, community leaders, business people and others with a stake in the future of WSU, Wichita and the region.

President John Bardo will make comments, and the strategic plan will be presented by steering committee members.

In addition, a structured group discussion will be facilitated by strategic planning steering committee co-chairs Cindy Claycomb and Ed O'Malley.

WSU group helps Wichita City Hall reduce electricity use, costs

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:47:00 CST

Wichita State University industrial and manufacturing engineering faculty Bill Wentz, Michael Overcash and Janet Twomey led the Industrial Sustainability Initiative group that collaborated with Wichita City Hall to lower lighting use and cost at the building.

The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, allowed City Hall's team, led by Rebecca Lewis, environmental services, and Kay Johnson, manager of environmental initiatives, to purchase and install occupancy sensors in offices on eight floors in the building. The Wichita State group analyzed the effects and results of the automatic lights.

The WSU team projected $280,000 in savings over the next 10 years for City Hall—the result of a 10 percent light electricity reduction, or 620,000 pounds less carbon dioxide emissions per year at Westar Energy power plants.

Wichita State College of Engineering's involvement in the project was sponsored by the Sam Bloomfield Chair in Sustainable Engineered Systems—a part of WSU's Sam and Rie Bloomfield Foundation.

WSU professors' research could enhance quality of human life

Tue, 9 Apr 2013 15:35:00 CST

Coronary stents have saved a lot of lives over the years, but there is a growing interest in what happens when a stent stays inside the body for too long.

With that in mind, Wichita State assistant industrial and manufacturing engineering professor Anil Mahapatro is focusing his research on the investigation of biodegradable metallic stents.

Mahapatro, who came to WSU in August 2011, is collaborating with associate mechanical engineering professor Ramazan Asmatulu and Li Yao, assistant biology professor.

The goal of their research is to someday develop metallic implants, including cardiovascular stents, that will safely dissolve inside a person's body.

"There exists a critical clinical need, as well as a growing interest, in development of biodegradable stents," Mahapatro said.

About biodegradable stents

A biodegradable metal is a metal that would degrade inside the body without causing any harm to the human body. Biodegradable metallic implants are being explored for applications that currently use permanent metallic implants but do not required those implants to be in the body lifelong.

Examples include cardiovascular stents and orthopedic fracture fixation devices. Coronary stents are placed during a percutaneous coronary intervention procedure, better known as an angioplasty, for treating coronary artery diseases resulting from narrowing of coronary arteries.

A stent is a tubular mesh-like scaffold that is placed and expanded inside a coronary artery during angioplasty.

There have been many arguments within the medical research community over the potential benefits of having the stent removed after 12-18 months, by which time most of stents have fulfilled their purpose.

Mahapatro said the most obvious argument for stent removal is the fact that the stent is a foreign object, and its presence is associated with the potential for inflammatory reactions and other damage.

Researchers also worry that the long-term presence of a stent could cause remodeling of the arterial wall in a person's heart.

But a biodegradable stent would provide a temporary opening to a narrowed arterial vessel. When the vessel is fixed, the stent would progressively disappear.

A successful biodegradable stent could possibly phase out other long-term clinical problems sometimes associated with traditional metallic implants, Mahapatro said.

Contributing to society's well-being

The research being done by Mahapatro, Asmatulu and Yao includes the testing of magnesium-based alloys as possible metallic biodegradable stent material.

Typically, pure magnesium corrodes too quickly, losing its mechanical integrity before the tissue has had time to heal.

One of the focuses of their research is to develop surface coatings and modification strategies to control and slow the biodegradation rates of magnesium-based materials.

Mahapatro's interest in this line of work started with casual discussions with clinicians and slowly evolved from there.

"Being involved in biomaterials and biomedical engineering research enables me not only to be involved in basic and applied research, but also in contributing to the well-being of the society by developing medical technologies that improve and enhance the quality of human life."

Vizzini named VP for academic affairs at Wichita State

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:17:00 CST

Anthony Vizzini

Anthony Vizzini has been named vice president for academic affairs at Wichita State University, effective July 1, according to President John Bardo.

Vizzini assumes the position vacated in 2011 by Gary L. Miller, who left to become chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Keith Pickus has served as interim provost since Miller's departure.

"I am pleased Dr. Vizzini has accepted the offer to become WSU's next vice president for academic affairs," said Bardo. "His academic background will prove invaluable for advancing the university's academic programs, and he brings to campus a wealth of experience in the development of entrepreneurship and business innovation in private and public partnerships. I am excited to have his breadth of experience in both business and academics."

Vizzini earned his undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research involved the manufacture, testing and analysis of composite structures.

He is a Fellow of the American Society for Composites and served as president of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering.

Vizzini served as a catalyst in the economic development of the aerospace corridor in Mississippi.

"I am eager to be joining so many exciting individuals and to be part of the team of students, staff and faculty who will make great things happen for Wichita State University and the state of Kansas," said Vizzini. "I have had a great welcome thus far."

Since 2009, Vizzini has served as dean and professor of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Michigan University.

Previously, he was department head, professor and inaugural holder of the Bill and Carolyn Cobb Chair for the aerospace engineering department at Mississippi State University.

Vizzini started his professional career as assistant professor at the University of Maryland, where he eventually became founding director of the Composites Research Laboratory, graduate director of aerospace engineering and associate professor.