For WSU News and WSU Today content older than July 2018, search the WSU News Archive.

WSU News Archive   Return to WSU News Home

Juneteenth Graphic. Juneteenth (a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth”) is the day that federal troops came to Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 and made sure that enslaved people in the area were set free. This was two-and-one-half years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Media and the community are invited to attend the JunteenthICT Parade, sponsored by Wichita State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

The parade celebrates the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth during the JuneteenthICT Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 19. The parade route will begin at 17th Street and Hillside, going west, and eventually ending at McAdam’s Park, where the all-day Juneteenth ICT celebration will take place.

Courtney Calder

June 9, 2021 - Wichita State’s Esports director Courtney Calder played soccer more often than video games growing up in California. Those experiences, however, helped prepare her for running the Esports program, as did her time working in sales for Apple after graduating from Northwestern University. Wichita State’s varsity program, housed in the Heskett Center, offers four teams competing in Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Valorant.

Tara Nolen

May 5, 2021 - Tara Nolen, a 2012 health services management and community development graduate of Wichita State, is community health manager at Hunter Health, which has three locations in Wichita. She oversees outreach programs and coordinates COVID-19 vaccines. “This is what we do in public health - when there’s a crisis we try to work to stop it,” she said.

Campus aerial

April 2, 2021 -- While the future of this pandemic and its effect on our daily lives still remains somewhat unknown, we are pleased to be coming to you with a message of cautious optimism as we continue our transition to a pre-pandemic mode of operation. Sedgwick County Commissioners voted to rescind all local COVID health orders, effectively immediately. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have followed all guidance and orders issued by state and local public health authorities. Accordingly, WSU has rescinded all guidance requiring masks, social distancing and mass gathering limitations on our campus. However, we continue to strongly encourage our entire campus community to engage in these practices whenever possible. We also encourage everyone to get the vaccine when they become eligible.

Yuki To

March 11, 2021 – Yuki To, senior at Wichita East High School, is the winner of the 2021 Lenora N. McGregor Endowed Scholarship at Wichita State University.

3D printed objects

March 5, 2021 – Students and faculty at the Wichita State Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic have teamed up with the College of Engineering to help a 9-year-old child communicate effectively.

Freedom of Expression graphic

March 1, 2021 - Wichita State University will present a virtual panel on freedom of expression from 3-4:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 31. The event will be moderated by Lee Pelton, a WSU alumnus who has been president of Emerson College in Boston the past 10 years.

2021-22 Sherr scholarship winners

Feb. 26, 2021 — Seven students in the College of Health Professions have been named Sherr Scholars.

Veterans Upward Bound Program of Wichita State University

February 23, 2021 — The purpose of the Wichita State Upward Bound Program is to improve participants’ academic performance, to assist with enrolling into a post-secondary institution and to ensure enrolled participants will graduate from their chosen program.

Student Wellness Center

Feb. 17, 2021 - In the fall, Wichita State University public health sciences students took on the questions and uncertainty of helping with COVID-19 testing at the Student Wellness Center. Most are considering a career in health care. The volunteer time offered an applied learning opportunity working with the public during a pandemic and added to their understanding of public health.

Noel Live is an suspense/thriller.

January 20, 2021 — “Noel Live” follows Noel, a man with a mysterious case of short-term memory, who has lost everything. As he seeks to kill the man who took everything from him, he finds himself with a choice: forgiveness or revenge. Which will he choose? The film is told using reverse chronology and inspired by Christopher Nolan’s movie “Memento.”

Dawna Raehpour

December 11, 2020 - Dawna Raehpour is the recipient of the Stanley Z. Koplik Memorial Scholarship for 2020-21. She will graduate in May with major in public health science and a minor in sociology. The $1,200 scholarship is in honor of Koplik, who served as executive director of the Kansas Board of Regents from 1982-93.

Sigma Lambda Beta

Dec. 2, 2020 — Wichita State has been successful in minimizing the spread of COVID-19 because college students are following social distancing guidelines. Wichita State’s Rho Beta Chapter of Sigma Lambda Beta and the Zeta Beta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta have had no cases of COVID-19.

Shocker Nation bus

Dec. 1, 2020 — Two new battery-powered buses wrapped in Shocker pride will soon be seen zipping through Wichita’s streets. Wichita Transit recently unveiled the Wichita State University-branded buses, which are ecofriendly, filled with modern conveniences, and will circulate among the university’s main campus, as well as Wichita State South, WSU Tech and the Metroplex.

WuShock will be the readers tour guide through Wichita State's history.

November 23, 2020 - Jay Price, a history professor at Wichita State, is honoring Wichita State’s birthday by creating a graphic novel of Wichita State's history.