Wichita State News: Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Come to public observatory to learn how to use your telescope

Wed, 3 Jul 2013 10:50:00 CST

So you have a telescope but you haven't figured out how to get the most out of it yet? You're in luck.

The Lake Afton Public Observatory and the Kansas Astronomical Observers invite you to bring your telescope to the observatory for one or more "Bring Your Own Telescope" events at 9 p.m. Friday, July 19, and/or Friday, Aug. 16.

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WSU social work programs receive reaccreditation

Mon, 1 Jul 2013 23:21:00 CST

The bachelor's and master's programs in Wichita State University's School of Social Work have been reaccredited through June 2021 by the Council on Social Work Education.

"The accreditation assures that the School of Social Work will continue to educate knowledgeable, skilled and ethical social work professionals to meet the changing and growing social service needs of our community, state, nation and world," said Brien Bolin, associate professor and director of WSU's social work school.

The School of Social Work's bachelor's program was first accredited in 1974, and, in 2003, the master's program received its initial reaccreditation. In 2013, more than 70 bachelor's students and 50 master's students graduated. There are about 400 undergraduate and graduate students in the social work school.

During the 2012-2013 academic year, WSU social work students completed more than 90,000 unpaid practicum hours at local social service agencies, equaling about $1.7 million in economic impact.

Since 2007, more than 600 students have graduated from WSU's School of Social Work.

Grad student taking census of Wichita's snowy egrets

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:58:00 CST

A pint-size gray fluff ball peeps its head out of its twig nest, only to see its own tiny reflection in a mirror.

Just underneath, Hannah Holden – armed with her 6-foot ladder and a 15-foot mirror on a pole – scribbles her daily observations on a 5-by-7-inch note card.

After she finishes with this nest, there will be plenty more for her to examine.

Every year, approximately 4,000 migratory birds take up temporary residence in a tree line on North Doris, near 13th Street and I-235 in west Wichita, and this year it's Holden's job to track 30 of their nests.

Holden, 24, a student at Wichita State University, is writing her master's thesis on the population dynamics of Wichita's snowy egrets – what the colony's rate of growth is. This is a two-year project for her.

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Heart app highlights ties between WSU, inventors

Mon, 24 Jun 2013 08:20:00 CST

Jeremy Patterson and Jibo He are inventors creating an app they call the Heart R8.

As in "heart rate."

It can read heart pulses in peoples' faces. It can tell what your heart rate is even with no electrodes hooked to your chest.

Patterson, who has a doctorate in physical exercise, says the Heart R8 could be a nifty invention for the fitness industry.

John Tomblin is a fan of Patterson's lab. He says that perhaps the best invention Patterson's lab came up with in the past year is not a webcam app but a new way to do business at a university.

Tomblin has been filling in for several months as WSU'"s acting vice president for research and technology transfer. He said that what Patterson did in recent months, with approval from Tomblin and WSU president John Bardo, is create a new business, with partners including He, another faculty member, a student -- and WSU.

Tomblin's regular job is to run the National Institute for Aviation Research, one of the world's premiere aerospace testing institutes. He's seen many inventions. He's excited about the Heart R8 app but is more intrigued about the partnership.

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Future psychologists gain experience in internship program

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 15:00:00 CST

When Adam Bradford began applying for internships to complete his psychology doctorate, he did not know where he would land a year-long position; neither did doctoral candidate Kori Bennett.

Now, both Bradford and Bennett are interns in the Wichita Collaborative Psychology Internship Program (WCPIP). Wichita State University's Counseling and Testing Center is one of five agencies in WCPIP.

Bradford works for COMCARE of Sedgwick County and Prairie View Inc.; Bennett interns at Wichita State's CTC and COMCARE.

Bradford, who will receive his doctorate from Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz., said he appreciates the diversity in work experience and supervision, and the camaraderie amongst his fellow interns.

"One of the greatest benefits of WCPIP I've noticed is the cohort," he said. "This is an amazing group of future doctors."

Interns in the program work primarily at one agency throughout the year; however, they also have the opportunity to work at a secondary location, or "switch site," which allows for broadened clinical training and experience.

Bennett, a student at the University of Indianapolis, can recognize areas of professional growth and is prepared to enter into the next career phase.

"In addition to providing psychotherapy and assessment services in the CTC, I've had the chance to interact with WSU students and staff members through multiple outreach efforts," said Bennett. "These experiences have fostered in me a deep appreciation for the WSU community."

About WCPIP

The five agencies that make up the Wichita Collaborative Psychology Internship Program are COMCARE of Sedgwick County, Prairie View Inc., South Central Mental Health Counseling Center of Butler County, WSU's Counseling and Testing Center and University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita.

"WCPIP is unique in that many other programs are located at only one site," said clinical psychologist Jessica Provines, WCPIP training director and associate director for Wichita State's CTC. "The fact that we collaborate with our community partners gives future psychologists varied training experiences to draw from in multiple settings."

Each year, the internship program receives around 150 applicants from doctoral clinical, counseling and educational psychology programs across the country, and accepts only about 10 students.

During summer 2012, the American Psychological Association (APA) reaccredited WCPIP for seven more years—the highest number of years the association can grant a program. As of August 2013, about 425 psychologists will have completed their internships with WCPIP, the most famous being psychologist Albert Bandura.

"The program has a huge impact on mental health services in Wichita," said Provines. "It is the most important factor in recruiting psychologists to our community. Many Wichita psychologists are WCPIP grads."

WCPIP first received accreditation from the APA in 1953, making it the first accredited consortia in the United States.

Observatory holding informational telescope program

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:18:00 CST

The Lake Afton Public Observatory and the Kansas Astronomical Observers invite you to bring your telescope to the observatory for one or more "Bring Your Own Telescope" events this summer.

The program will be held evenings on the third Friday of each month through August.

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Humanities scholarship awarded to Northwest High senior

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 13:37:00 CST

Erin Gray

Wichita senior Erin Gray has been selected to receive the Anna Elizabeth Walsh Humanities Scholarship, one of the largest awarded at Wichita State University.

Gray, 17, the daughter of Daniel and Susan Gray of Wichita, graduated in May from Northwest High School. She plans to major in creative writing in WSU's Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The Walsh scholarship covers the recipient's costs for tuition, books, room and board and certain other expenses. It is renewable for all four years of college as long as the recipient meets academic standards, making the value of the award in excess of $50,000 over its life.

Officials in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences select the recipient for the prestigious scholarship, which was established in 1994 by WSU alumna Kathleen Walsh in honor of her mother, a teacher. Since then, it has been awarded to 11 students in the Fairmount College.

Gray was selected because of her 3.5 grade point average as well as a long list of accomplishments and activities, says Eunice Myers, Fairmount College associate dean.

Gray was a drum line co-captain in her school's marching band, served as vice president of the Drama Club and won a playwright competition in the Kansas Thespian Contest in 2012. She says her dream is to be a playwright.

"I really enjoy writing and especially playwriting," Gray says. "At first, I thought I might want to be a journalist, but now I want to pursue creative writing. Wichita State has a great creative writing program."

"She's clearly a leader and a talented young woman," Myers says. "We're talking about a young woman with a wide range of abilities as a musician, writer and actor/director. We're thrilled to have a student of such high quality join us at Wichita State."

Gray competed in Wichita State's Distinguished Scholarship Invitational, which awards some of WSU's most sought-after scholarships to high-achieving students.

Special Father's Day program at public observatory

Tue, 4 Jun 2013 15:16:00 CST

Come to the Lake Afton Public Observatory for Father's Day weekend and enjoy the free program, "Moons, Rings and Other Things."

The program is Friday and Saturday, June 14-15. Fathers and grandfathers get in free with a paying child.

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African American business history is the focus of WSU project

Fri, 31 May 2013 10:00:00 CST

Robert Weems worries that the history of African American businesses in Wichita may someday be lost forever. That's why he's made it his mission to document all that he can.

Weems – the Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State – is coordinator of The Wichita African American Business History Project.

The goal of the project, which he has worked on since coming to WSU in 2011, is to document the role of business and entrepreneurship in the development of Wichita's African American community.

Weems has been conducting interviews and collecting related historical artifacts. When completed, he hopes to have recorded the history as spoken by 50 to 75 people. The interviews and artifacts will be housed in Ablah Library's Special Collections at WSU.

"My interest in undertaking this project is linked with my research in African American business history," Weems said. "This aspect of the African American historical experience remains one of the most understudied."

'Come and gone with barely a trace'

As late as the 1960s, there were 50 viable African American insurance companies in the United States; today there are two. Even more telling, Weems said, is that only four African American-owned insurance companies have had their histories documented in book-length manuscripts.

"It appears that this important phenomenon related to African American history has come and gone with barely a trace of its existence," he said.

Based on those national statistics, Weems is determined to document the history of African American enterprise locally.

Weems said the information he gathers will be an archive of materials that students and other scholars can use as a resource for future research papers, articles and books.

Some of the people Weems has interviewed include U.L. "Rip" Gooch, whose Aero Services Inc. was a pioneering fixed-based operation; Charles F. McAfee, a world-renowned architect based in Wichita; the recently-deceased Eugene "Genie" Jackson, whose grandfather Abner B. Jackson Sr. started Jackson Mortuary in 1926; Frankie Howard Mason, whose mother Xavia Howard was the first Afican American woman in Kansas to hold a dual license as a funeral director and embalmer; and Robert Alford, whose Wichita lighting company was the first business of this type owned by an African American in the United States.

"In the end, my methodology of conducting individual interviews, along with gathering pertinent business artifacts, should result in a database of materials that will be both useful to students and scholars, as well as help document an important aspect of Wichita history," Weems said.

Flint Hills stories lure Elliott School students out of classroom

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:36:00 CST

The Flint Hills Media Project at Wichita State University helps students become well-rounded journalists by getting them out of the classroom to look for real stories.

The Elliott School of Communication summer course will mark its fourth year in June when students and faculty go onsite to cover the ever-mobile Symphony in the Flint Hills. The course runs June 10-July 5, with the event on June 15.

"(Sitting in a classroom) doesn't teach you to be a journalist or a storyteller," said Amy DeVault, an assistant professor for the Elliott School.

"You have to be out there meeting and talking to people and finding out what makes them tick," she said.

The students not only gain experience creating media for digital and print formats, but they also cross into other disciplines as they prepare to cover a range of topics.

"Students have to prepare to interview orchestra musicians and to write intelligently about the symphony concert," DeVault said. "They learn everything they can about the tallgrass prairie and the history of each region we're covering."

This summer, the students will add military history and knowledge to their repertoire.

The Symphony in the Flint Hills (SFH) has been staged in a different pasture every year since 2006. This year's symphony takes place in historic Ft. Riley. Students will also cover the stories about current Army training and life at the fort.

'A learning lab'
Since 2010, Elliott School students and faculty in the four-week course have helped tell the story of music, rural life and small towns as the symphony has moved through a new Flint Hills county each year.

The first week, they drive to the chosen site, set up headquarters in a nearby motel some days before the symphony, and fan out in teams to find stories.

The following three weeks back in the classroom are feverish as they write features; edit stories, photographs and videos; and design, layout and publish work on a project website and in a glossy, four-color magazine.

Some of the stories are even picked up by state and local newspapers and television stations.

"The (Flint Hills Media Project) provides a great learning lab for students and teachers alike," said DeVault.

She has taught the course for three years, the first two with late professor Les Anderson, who developed the course concept.

Last year, associate professor Kevin Hager co-taught the course with DeVault and quickly caught her enthusiasm.

"It's one of the classes that people who teach should want to teach because it's not books and lectures and classrooms," said Hager. "It's going out and doing what you love to do."

"This class is becoming one of our leading examples of experience-based learning," said Lou Heldman, interim director for the Elliott School.

Trending nationally
Nationally, out-of-classroom environments are increasingly seen as vital teaching opportunities for many professions. Education Week and related publications are emphasizing the value of real-world settings to improve digital learning, gain a broader base of knowledge and hone skills in problem-solving and creative thinking.

Meanwhile, the Elliott School's popular media project has attracted the attention of national education associations.

In April, DeVault and Hager were invited to co-present the Flint Hills Media Project at the 2013 National Broadcast Educators Association conference in Las Vegas. And last November at the National High School Journalism Convention in San Antonio, DeVault led a daylong workshop on team storytelling by taking more than 50 high school students out into the city to find and tell stories.

The messages: Get out of the classroom and into real stories. Think like a reader. Use multiple tools to tell your story. Work together using each person's strengths.

When Matt Cecil, the new Elliott School director, learned about the project during his Wichita State interviews last fall, he took the idea back to South Dakota State University and helped create a similar experience for students to get off campus and cover an annual summer festival.

On the scene
"Les taught me how to teach this way," said DeVault, who, in 2009, joined Anderson in a similar lab environment in tornado-wiped Greensburg, Kan., as its residents rebuilt their lives and their town.

As with Greensburg, the Flint Hills course puts faculty working side by side with students and encouraging them to develop their own relationships with sources.

"It's like the old apprentice model," said DeVault, adding that it builds strong bonds between all participants.

Good journalism is all about relationships, she noted. When the students get to know the people they are interviewing and something of their culture, they become more involved in the stories they are producing.

Kristin Baker, an Andover High School journalism teacher who participated in the 2012 Flint Hills Media Project, wrote about the closing of Marlow Woodcuts in Americus, Kan., after touring the dusty remnants of the once thriving business with its last owner, Wanda Douglas.

"Whenever Wanda got teary-eyed, so did I," said Baker, who was taken aback at the delicately carved beauty of the woodcuts once sold all over the world.

"When we started, our goal was to help Symphony in the Flint Hills get these stories in the media. Second, of course, was to give our students that experience," said DeVault.

And, while helping the SFH organization narrate the story of the distinct Flint Hills eco-region, which has the most dense coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America, something else has happened, DeVault said.

"What we didn't expect is that students from everywhere would come home with a love for the Flint Hills and an appreciation for Kansas people."

WSU professor Wilson Baldridge receives fundraising award

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:30:00 CST

Wilson Baldridge, professor and chair of Modern and Classical Languages at Wichita State University, is the recipient of the WSU Foundation Faculty/Staff Fundraising Award.

The award was established to recognize WSU faculty or staff members who have played a key role in cultivating and securing a major gift for WSU.

This is the second year the award has been presented.

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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

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.

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.

Observatory presents 'Black Holes in Space'

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:40:00 CST

"Black Holes in Space" will be one of the programs presented by the Lake Afton Public Observatory from May through August.

And there will be a special opportunity to participate in the program on Mother's Day weekend. Bring your mom or grandma 9-11 p.m. May 10 or 11, and they will get in free when accompanied by a paying child.

Visit the observatory to learn how astronomers expose the mysteries surrounding these massive gravity wells even though they cannot be directly observed.

Read full story.