Wichita State News: Wichita

Leaders converge to grow aviation

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:11:00 CST

Gov. Sam Brownback held his first economic summit in Wichita on Monday, focusing on the aviation industry and what Kansas can do to maintain and grow the sector.

The summit —"Kansas Aviation: Soaring into the Future" — was attended by about 160 leaders from large and small aviation companies, the state's colleges and universities, unions, and local and state government.

More also should be done to help foreign engineering students take jobs with Wichita companies after graduation, leaders said.

A large portion of engineering graduates are ethnically diverse, but companies have to battle bureaucratic obstacles to hire them.

"There has to be an effort to increase the number of visas to international professionals, Brownback said. "That's where the bottleneck lies."

Eighty percent of Wichita State University engineering undergraduates are domestic students, said WSU College of Engineering dean Zulma Toro-Ramos. However, 75 percent of the engineering master's degree students are international students, while 80 percent of doctorate-level students are international.

They come here for their education, but take that training back home with them, leaders said.

Read full story.

Stafford High School band to hold memorial concert at site of 1970 WSU plane crash

Wed, 12 May 2010 10:23:58 CST

The Stafford High School Band is taking its annual band/senior trip to Denver. But first, the band will hold a memorial concert at the Colorado memorial for the 1970 Wichita State University plane crash. The estimated time of arrival at the memorial site on I-70 is 4 p.m. Friday, May 14.

The idea for the memorial concert came from senior Jordan Hildebrand, and was a surprise to Steve Gill, band and vocal music teacher, since the students weren't even born when the tragedy occurred.

The band also plans to place a sunflower wreath at the memorial site with the inscription "Gone but Not Forgotten, Stafford Trojans remember the WSU Shockers."

Stafford is on Highway 50 west of Hutchinson.

Wichita State to celebrate fitness; open new public walking path

Wed, 12 May 2010 09:34:57 CST

Wichita State University will celebrate National Employee Health and Fitness Day with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that will open a new 1.5 mile marked walking path on campus at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 20.

The ribbon-cutting will take place on the sidewalk at the intersection of Yale and Perimeter Road north of the Heskett Center. Wichita City Council member Lavonta Williams will cut the ribbon with an assist from WuShock. Other dignitaries planning to participate are Mim McKenzie, chair of the Wichita Health and Wellness Coalition; Cheryl Adams, dean of students at WSU; Dan Mehl, director of the Heskett Center; and Sally Beckett and Shelley Rich, Campus Fitness and Wellness staff.

These bronze Shocker Walker markers will mark the 1.5-mile path in quarter-mile increments.

The idea for a walking path on campus was spurred by a Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita's Healthy Perceptions Survey in 2008. Of the 2,000 respondents, fewer than half said that Wichita neighborhoods were designed to encourage walking, and two-thirds said lighting and safety was also a problem.

Wichita State responded to the needs of the community. Beckett wrote a grant in the development of walking groups and $4,889.80 was awarded by The Wichita Community Foundation in partnership with the Health and Wellness Coalition in August 2009.

The Campus Fitness and Wellness staff used a portion of the grant to purchase bronze survey markers to mark a 1.5 mile path around Perimeter Road at WSU in quarter-mile increments. The markers will have a picture of WuShock and the name of the path. This new path will be the only well-lit designated walking path in northeast Wichita. Additional walking paths on campus are expected to be developed in the next year or two.

McKenzie said, "The results from the Healthy Wichita Perception Survey in 2008 showed our community members need safer walking areas, and the Shocker Walker project gives just that. We are thrilled to see a new physical activity opportunity for citizens."

The new WSU walking path has a safe environment with university police and well cared-for sidewalks that are 14 feet wide and accessible for people with disabilities.

"This new walking path is a great way for people in Wichita to get outside, enjoy our beautiful campus and engage in healthy behaviors," said WSU President Don Beggs. "I am proud of the way that Campus Recreation has responded to a need in this community by promoting walking on campus to our neighbors, faculty, staff and students."

MFA student connects people to the arts with Fractions

Thu, 6 May 2010 09:28:08 CST

Andrew Bales, a creative writer in the Master of Fine Arts program at Wichita State University, joined two designers to create Fractions, an arts and literature journal serving the Wichita community.

"The only experiences I had in writing or publishing were rounding up and arranging articles at Metro Boulevard for our school newspaper and creating satire pieces about the inequity of our bathrooms," Bales said of his Wichita High School.

But he continued with writing at WSU through workshops about theory and analysis to sharpen his criticism skills.

"At the same time, these lessons show us writers how critics will eventually, if we're lucky enough to gain their attention, tear our life's work to shreds," Bales said.

The fiction workshops are the cornerstone of WSU's writing program.

"Without them, we wouldn't be able to have our work reviewed or become familiar with other students' work," Bales said.

The workshop courses let writers get to know each other's work, give insightful critiques and offer advice.

"The larger idea of a writing community that works both individually and as a group is what we're here for," he said.

Fractions Journal, Bales' creative idea come to life, embodies the philosophy of an arts and literature community.

After Bales was accepted to the MFA program in spring 2009, he quit his job to travel for the summer. He stayed with friends in Beijing.

"During the evenings, we'd go out to eat, walk around the neighborhood and have these tall, green-bottled beers in various beer gardens by the university," Bales said.

But, during the day, he wandered the city one his own "clutching his phrase book."

"It was having this free time to wander and think that led me to have the vague idea that, when I got back to Wichita, I'd like to work on a publication that could get out whatever writing the workshops would produce," he said.

Graphic designers Andrew Stephens and Matthew Miller were on the same page as Bales. The three got together to discuss collaborating on the project.

"From there, we had lots of talks that led us to the current concept of Fractions," Bales said.

Bales described Fractions as a journal that gives exposure to artists by putting a focus on the work they create rather than cluttering the presentation with nonessential information.

"This design lets artists have their work presented in the purest way possible – in print," Bales said.

Having a physical, print-based publication, instead of just an online journal, gives weight to the content and helps promote the art community in Wichita.

"I think print publications have a lot to do with community mentality and their relationship to their city," he said.

Physical copies are distributed to diverse locations around town including Watermark Books, the Donut Whole, all over downtown and in Lindquist Hall at WSU. A full digital version is also available online at www.fractionsjournal.com.

Because of the high quality paper and professional printing, Fractions is an expensive mission of the arts.

"The journal is funded by community sponsors, both individuals and businesses," Bales said. "(It) is free, so it's essential to have this generous community backing to produce each installment."

Sponsors and sales of limited ad space generate most of the funding, but Fractions' editors also hold benefit shows and sell brownies on their bikes.

To the creators, Fractions is a labor of love more than an expense.

"We're really optimistic about the future of Fractions," Bales said.

The journal is continually expanded online with Collections, a free music download catalog, and Forward Slashes, a podcast.

"This is a passion of ours," Bales said, "and we're just trying to offer the best service we can at no cost for our friends and the community."

To see Fractions Journal online, go to http://fractionsjournal.com/.

Mother's Day weekend special at Lake Afton Public Observatory

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:10:32 CST

In honor of Mother's Day, Lake Afton Public Observatory is offering the following special: Bring mom or grandma to the observatory from 9-11 p.m. Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8, for the program "Big, Bigger and Biggest," and they will receive free admission when accompanied by a paying child.

When compared to other objects in the universe, Earth is a small, insignificant object. During "Big, Bigger and Biggest," LAPO will look at Saturn, a giant star, a cluster of stars and another galaxy through the observatory's 16-inch telescope to get a better perspective on just how small Earth is.

In addition to viewing through the telescope, visitors can enjoy displays and activities, including exhibits that allow patrons to make a telescope, explore the properties of light, learn about the phases of the Moon, the Cassini mission to Saturn, or touch a space rock.

Visitors may also use the computers to go on a scavenger hunt through the solar system or practice landing a spacecraft on the moon. LAPO also has small telescopes and binoculars outside that visitors may use to find objects in the night sky.

The observatory is located about 20 miles southwest of downtown Wichita on MacArthur Road at 247th St. West in Lake Afton County Park. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children 6-12; children under 6 are admitted free.

The observatory is open Friday and Saturday from 9-11 p.m. May 1 through Aug. 31. Current programs and times, along with events taking place in the sky, are available in a recorded message by calling WSU-STAR (978-7827).

Lake Afton Public Observatory is operated by the Fairmount Center for Science and Mathematics Education, a part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science at Wichita State University.

WSU indexes reflect an improving local economy

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:49:45 CST

During the four months ending in February, the WSU Leading Economic Indicators Index experienced a net gain of 2.8 percent. Following months of decline, this increase is a welcome development, according to Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University.

Seven of the nine index indicators improved from January to February, suggesting broad improvement across the economy. Those improvements included news that the number of Kansas initial unemployment claims declined by more than 50 percent; the inflation-adjusted value of Wichita's residential building permits increased 40.2 percent; the aerospace stock index increased 13.6 percent; and the national inflation-adjusted value of new orders for aircraft and parts increased 8.1 percent.

The WSU Current Conditions Index also increased in February by 1 percent. Four of the six seasonally adjusted index indicators showed improvement. Wichita's home sales increased 16.5 percent; the Wichita hotel occupancy rate increased 10.3 percent; the outbound volume of airfreight shipments at Mid-Continent Airport increased 11.3 percent; and the unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percent.

The index still has a lot of recovery to do to reach pre-recession levels, but February brought a flicker of hope to a situation that has been predominantly downhill since the end of 2007. This, coupled with the positive performance of the WSU Leading Economic Indicators Index in February, suggests that measurable year-end recovery of Wichita's economy is feasible.

The WSU indexes are sponsored and maintained by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research, W. Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University.

Longhofer to review Exchange Place plan

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:19:45 CST

Stan Longhofer, director of Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate, has been retained by the city to conduct a third-party review of Real Development's Exchange Place project.

Longhofer's review will go before the Wichita City Council on Tuesday as it takes action on a request from Real Development to approve $2.3 million more in TIF financing for the downtown condo project.

Longhofer's job is to analyze city cash flow projections to see whether the Exchange Place project will generate enough new property taxes to repay the city's higher investment — $11.6 million instead of the originally approved $9.3 million in TIF revenue.

Read full story.

Before arena events, dinner will be a main concern

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:48:34 CST

Mary Wright's decision this week to keep the Old Mill Tasty Shop open on event nights at Intrust Bank Arena surprised even her.

"We've been here for a while and I'm close to retirement age, so my first thought was to just see what happens with the businesses here on our block of Douglas," said Wright, owner of the Old Mill at 604 E. Douglas.

Instead, unexpected lines of enthusiastic diners during the arena open house last Saturday changed her mind.

"I think the excitement the public felt when they got their first look at the arena convinced me to open," Wright said.

Old Mill's longer hours are just one of many issues Old Town restaurateurs are sorting out as the arena opens Saturday with a sold-out concert by Brad Paisley.

The arena and its events will force downtown restaurateurs out of their longtime comfort zones, said Jeremy Hill, director of Wichita State's Center for Economic Development and Business Research.

But that's a good thing, Hill said.

"There may well be a need for these people to reposition themselves," he said, "figure out how to keep your loyal customers satisfied while at the same time taking the potential the arena generates and growing your market."

Read full story.

Rates, tax credit may prod market

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 08:50:58 CST

Tuesday's dose of snow and ice marked the traditional end of the yearly home-selling season.

Or did it? Bankers and brokers think that two unique variables — the extension and expansion of the homebuyer tax credit through June 2010, and continued low mortgage rates — could keep buyers and sellers active this winter.

"We don't expect to traditionally see the sales in December and January that we do in May and June and that's true again this year," said Stan Longhofer, the economist who heads the Wichita State Center for Real Estate.

"But I'd expect you'll see sales up slightly this year on a seasonally-adjusted basis, or at least not declining at previous rates."

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Best bang-for-the-buck cities

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:35:03 CST

Solid housing markets, relatively stable employment, enviable cost of living and quick commutes make these metros among the country's most affordable to live.

Omaha, our No. 1 bang-for-the-buck city (also rated the city best surviving the recession), joins a number of Great Plains metros near the top of our list. These include Wichita, Kan. (No. 6) and Tulsa, Okla. (No. 19). This swath of prairie in the center of the country was somewhat buffered from the disastrous effect on coastal markets of the housing crisis, enabling it to emerge solidly from the recession. Housing sales here kept a steady, if slow, pace during the boom.

"Quite frankly, we saw both buyers and sellers staying away," says Dr. Stanley Longhofer, chair of the Center for Real Estate at Wichita State University, of the Plains States during a period when developers rushed to satisfy a ravenous appetite for new homes in much of the United States. "We didn't have any of the overbuilding of some parts of the country. As the general economy recovers, we're well-positioned to pick up where we left off."

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Come tell your story during national StoryCorps event

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 14:46:21 CST

StoryCorps, a new initiative to record the nation's stories in sound, is coming to Wichita Monday, Oct. 19 – Sunday, Nov. 15.

The event is an opportunity for communities in south-central Kansas to be part of the largest oral history project in the United States.

In anticipation of the event, there will be a planning meeting for community groups that want to take part at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in 107 Devlin Hall on the Wichita State campus.

RSVP by calling (316) 978-6789 or go to info@kmuw.org.

StoryCorps is sponsored by National Public Radio, KMUW 89.1 and affiliated with the Library of Congress. It was established to create an oral history of regular citizens, allowing everyday people to preserve personal stories for their own families and for future generations to hear.

Participants reserve an hour-long recording session at the traveling StoryBooth to interview someone they know – loved ones, friends or members of their community. At the end of the session, the participants receive a CD copy to take

home, and, with their permission, another copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

For more information, go to http://www.storycorps.net.

WSU releases 2009 economic forecast

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 14:39:50 CST

The Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University has released its 2008 review and 2009 forecast for the Wichita area.

According to the forecast, Wichita is expected to increase jobs by 2 percent, or nearly 6,100 jobs, in 2009, after an increase of 1 percent in 2008.

"Wichita's economy continues to outperform the U.S. economy in income growth and job growth," said interim director Rob Allison.

The outlook is confirmed by the WSU Current Conditions Index. Designed to mirror the current Wichita economy, the index has shown stable growth over the past year.

In addition, the WSU Leading Economic Indicators Index, which signals change in the Wichita economy approximately six months into the future, has grown steadily over the past five years, suggesting at least moderate growth into 2009.

A major positive influence on the Wichita area economy that helps to differentiate it from the rest of the United States is the significant backlog of orders for both commercial airliners and business jets.

The backlog is bolstered by strong international sales, improved balance sheets and the demand to hire a significant number of workers.

A second positive influence is a housing market that has remained stable with continuing, slow appreciation in home values.

"The Wichita housing market has remained more stable than much of the country," said Allison. "While construction activity slowed in 2008, the time on market for houses being sold has been very consistent."

The U.S. economy will continue to confront significant challenges, including ongoing strains in financial markets, contractions in housing activity, softening labor market and rising prices.

Taken together, the indicators point to another year of moderate growth for the Wichita area. In addition to these factors, the overall economic picture depends to a large extent on the actions taken in response to the national financial situation.

For the complete forecast, go to www.wichita.edu/cedbr and click the Forecasts button.

Professor's research aimed at better health for older Kansans

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:31:08 CST

For Wichita State professor Deborah Ballard-Reisch, helping to ensure the well-being of older Kansans is a high priority. It's also the focus of a research project that Ballard-Reisch, Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Chair in Strategic Communication, is conducting with a $19,084 research grant by the Gridley-Hoover Pilot Research Program.

Her goal for the project, titled "Promoting Health Independence: Rural Kansas Seniors & Effective Health Promotion," is to find out what older adults living in rural areas need in order to stay healthy.

The issue is becoming increasingly important because of the growing number of Kansans who are 65 or older. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2030, 20 percent of the Kansas population will be in that age group, up from 13 percent throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

Helping Ballard-Reisch with the project are Bobby Rozzell and Lisa Booth, both graduate students in the Elliott School of Communication. All three travel to communities in Elk, Chase and Wabaunsee counties — identified as areas that are lacking in health professionals — and conduct focus groups with older adults to assess their health care needs and preferences. They also conduct interviews at the local, county and state levels with service providers such as senior center directors and aging specialists.

With the information Ballard-Reisch and her student assistants gather, they will evaluate the best strategies for helping older adults in those counties know what health care services are available.

"While there is clearly a need to enhance primary care services to deal with the increasing medical issues facing adults as they age, it is also important to enhance health promotion efforts that help seniors stay healthy longer, particularly in areas where primary health care is limited or a significant distance away," said Ballard-Reisch.

Creative approaches

There are a number of things Ballard-Reisch is hoping to find from the project, starting with what older adults are looking for to help them stay healthy.

"A lot of time and resources can be wasted if programs are developed top down and implemented because they would be 'good' for people without first assessing their interest," said Ballard-Reisch.

That's why, she said, it's important for health experts to sit down with older adults, find out their needs and then tailor programs for them.

"The process through which programs are designed and implemented can create ownership, involvement and excitement on one hand — or disinterest at best, and alienation and disenfranchisement at worst — if the interests of participants are not taken into account," she said.

Another goal for the project is to assist county service providers with sharing knowledge and coordinating services. Ballard-Reisch said many providers already do this within their county, but she's finding unique approaches to issues that can benefit the other counties as well.

She hopes eventually to coordinate a statewide conference on best practices in health promotion to rural and frontier counties that would bring together service providers from around the country to share their programs with one another.

"Creative approaches to meeting the needs of older adults will become more and more important," she said.

Ballard-Reisch also hopes the community-based model will be an example that can lead to an expanded statewide — and maybe even regional — program. That, in turn, will result in a healthier population, she said.

On a personal level, the research project is meaningful to Ballard-Reisch because she gets the chance to explore Kansas.

"When we were visiting Cottonwood Falls, we asked people what they appreciated most about living in Chase County, and one woman said she liked to sit quietly on her porch and listen as the 'Flint Hills whispered gently' to her," said Ballard-Reisch. "Having come from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which demand attention through their commanding presence, I particularly appreciated this sentiment."

Local universities use Wichita's size to prepare students for life after classroom

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:53:29 CST

Wichita State University's method for preparing students for careers in the Wichita area would seem to be an obvious path for success.

Yet nearly 13 years have passed since Connie Dietz, director of WSU's cooperative education and work-based learning office, came to the university. She still sees WSU's career-oriented office well ahead of the curve nationally.

The office helps students who have met specific GPA and credit-hour requirements, and who take part in cooperative education experiences or internships suited to their majors at companies such as Hawker-Beechcraft Corp., Koch Industries Inc. and BKD LLP.

The office also helps with resume design and interview preparation.

"We want kids to get their learning in the classrooms and connect it to actual work within the professional work arena, so they can begin to draw that connection and see how learning it in here applies to a real-world job," Dietz says.

Read full story.

WSU Foundation lands $2M Knight Foundation grant

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:08:36 CST

A $2 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with the help of Wichita State University's College of Engineering, will allow for the expansion of Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a pre-engineering curriculum and teacher training program for middle and high school students. The program currently is in three Wichita high schools.

Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO, announced the approval of the grant on Sept. 15.

Kansas is facing an alarming shortage of engineers and Senate President Stephen Morris issued a challenge to universities to double the number of engineering graduates during the next five years. Wichita aviation companies need about 300 new engineers every year. WSU, with the aid of the Knight Foundation, will help meet that challenge.

"What appeals to the Knight Foundation is that this project will make technology and critical thinking central to more students' lives. Project Lead the Way will equip students with the skills in science, technology, engineering and math needed to work in our leading industries. Preparing the workforce for the 21st century is key to our region's success and is part of our overall grantmaking strategy for Wichita and Sedgwick County," said Anne Corriston, program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Zulma Toro-Ramos

"The Knight Foundation gift will enable the Wichita State University College of Engineering to transform the lives of many youngsters in Sedgwick County, broaden participation in the engineering profession as well as build the 21st century workforce for the aerospace industry and beyond," said Zulma Toro-Ramos, dean of the College of Engineering, "in this way contributing to maintain the standard of living in the city of Wichita and the state of Kansas."

The Knight Foundation grant will help expand Project Lead the Way into 18 middle schools and increase the number of high schools from three to nine. It will provide the money to help the schools buy necessary equipment and computer software.

Middle school students will have opportunities to visit WSU and its College of Engineering, gain exposure to and experience in various teaching labs and meet WSU faculty and students. Some of the courses they will study are design and modeling, magic of electrons and automation and robotics.

At the high school level, opportunities will exist for students to gain college credit through PLTW coursework and take college courses at WSU while still in high school. Those courses include introduction to engineering design, principles of engineering and digital electronics.

In facing such a critical need for engineers, the state's aviation industry looks to the WSU College of Engineering to take a leadership role in growing this pipeline of future engineers.