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Dr. Sarah Beth Estes

April 28, 2025 — Wichita State University has appointed Dr. Sarah Beth Estes as the new dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Estes brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to student and faculty success.

Dr. Mary Liz Jameson shows off her dung beetles to a student at the lab

April 28, 2025 When the email notification popped up, Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, professor of biological sciences, thought there must have been a mistake. It must have been for someone else at the university or perhaps another Mary Liz at a different university. Once the shock wore away, Jameson realized it was true: She had been elected to the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Fellows, class of 2024, for her integrated work on entomology.

CARE/SOS Teams in their Suspenders4Hope T-shirts.

April 14, 2025 The CARE Team and Student Outreach and Support (SOS) are being recognized as a Suspenders4Hope Mental Health Advocate for their proactive support for the campus community. Their work ensures students, staff and faculty alike all have the tools necessary to work and learn at their full potential. Hear from Katie Davidson, director of SOS, on how the teams are supporting mental health.

Two students hold out an artifact from an archeology dig in Texas

April 10, 2025 — Wichita State students spent summer 2024 excavating the Boxed Springs archaeological site in East Texas, uncovering 6,000 years of Caddo history through hands-on research, artifact analysis and academic publishing.

Suspenders4Hope

March 12, 2025 - Suspenders4Hope through HOPE Services has been awarded a $287,000 grant from Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Program through the Sunflower Foundation to expand its substance misuse prevention efforts.

Dr. Darren DeFrain holds a phone that shows the Vizling app he created.

Feb. 25, 2025 — The National Endowment for the Humanities recently awarded a Wichita State University faculty member $150,000 to further develop a smartphone application that allows visually impaired people to read materials rich in visual content.

Dr. Moriah Beck, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Wichita State

Feb. 14, 2025 — Dr. Moriah Beck's journey as a scientist is rooted in the belief that research is a powerful driver of innovation and personal transformation. For Beck, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Wichita State University, research is far more than an academic pursuit — it’s a way to connect with a global scientific community and spark change.

Melissa Penkava Koza works on a costume for a show.

Jan. 31, 2025 What started as a work study position in the costume shop of her university’s theater department has propelled Melissa Penkava Koza’s sewing hobby into guiding the next generation of costume creators.

Snowy campus

Jan. 6, 2025 — Wichita State University will return to normal campus operations Tuesday, Jan. 7.

WSU and other officials standing in front of an airplane

Dec. 3, 2024 — As part of the U.S. Air Force’s Survivable Airborne Operations Center contract, Wichita State University is partnering with SNC to modernize and deliver a new fleet of “Nightwatch” aircraft — the airborne command center for the president of the United States, secretary of defense, and chairs of the joint chiefs of staff, ensuring continued critical command, control and communication during national emergencies.

Image of the rubble in Antakya, Turkey, caused by an earthquake in 2023.

Nov. 18, 2024 — In the wake of the devastating 2023 earthquakes that obliterated much of Antakya, Turkey, Wichita State cultural anthropologist Dr. Jens Kreinath turned to his writing to preserve the region’s rich interfaith history, honor its victims, and confront the ethical dimensions of human dignity amid an apocalyptic tragedy and government inaction.

Dr. Monica Lounsbery

Nov. 13, 2024 -- Wichita State University has named Dr. Monica Lounsbery as its next senior executive vice president and provost, effective Jan. 5, 2025.

Military and Veterans Service members wear their Suspenders4Hope T-shirts

Oct. 30, 2024 Suspenders4Hope, a program developed at Wichita State University, is highlighting different departments and individuals on campus who are advocates for mental health in hopes that their stories will inspire others to continue supporting one another in the community. Military and Veterans Services is being recognized for its work in supporting our campus’ military service members and veterans, ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed.

Perinatal HOPE kits

Oct. 18, 2024 — For more than a year, HOPE kits, from WSU’s Health Outreach Prevention and Education Services, have helped people deal with crises. Wichita State is taking that successful program and adapting it to the perinatal population with Growing HOPE kits.

Students work in the Molecular Diagnostics Lab

Oct. 15, 2024 – Wichita State University’s Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, a vital resource during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now leveraging its expertise to explore new frontiers. By addressing critical gaps in the healthcare system, the lab is also offering invaluable hands-on training for students, shaping the future of health care.