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

WSU News Archive   Return to WSU News Home

Brianna Escoto

Nov. 6, 2023 Wichita State University is home to nearly 5,000 first-generation students, individuals whose caregivers weren't able to complete a college degree and who lack the firsthand experience to tackle college life. To help with their transition, Wichita State offers a number of resources to first-gen students to support them during their time in college, including F1RST GEN SHOCKERS.

Eduardo Avila

Nov. 6, 2023 — Wichita State University is home to nearly 5,000 first-generation students, individuals whose caregivers weren't able to complete a college degree and who lack the firsthand experience to tackle college life. To help with their transition, Wichita State offers a number of resources to first-gen students to support them during their time in college, including F1RST GEN SHOCKERS.

Hallie Fritz

Oct. 26, 2023 - Support from the Rudd Scholars program helped Hallie Fritz adjust to college and find internships. She is active in the St. Paul Catholic Student Center and works at Credo Coffee Shop. Wichita State is proud of its role helping Rudd Scholars pursue passions and realize dreams in the state’s largest city.

Leslie Rudd Learning Center at League 42

Oct. 25, 2023 - Wichita State’s Rudd Scholars work with youngsters in the “Bright Lights Educational Enrichment Program” at the Leslie Rudd Learning Center at League 42’s McAdams Park baseball complex. Each afternoon, several of them work on math skills with students in fifth through eighth grade and literacy with students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Innovation Campus aerial

Oct. 19, 2023 — The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) has awarded Wichita State’s Innovation Campus with the 2023 Emerging Research Park Award at its annual international conference held this week.

WSU student Cat Kee at National Stage Combat Workshop

Oct. 17, 2023 - WSU seniors Emily Redfield and Cat Kee attended the National Stage Combat Workshop in Ruston, La. The three-week course offered instruction, testing and certification with weapons such as swords, shields, firearms, rapiers, daggers and quarterstaffs.

Cessna Stadium plaque

Oct. 5, 2023 - As part of the Memorial ’70 ceremony, football players, friends and families from those years received a piece of Cessna Stadium seating. Former WSU Foundation Vice President Mike Lamb proposed the idea to preserve some of the stadium and share it with the Memorial ’70 group.

Fall 2023 enrollments for WSU and WSU Tech

Sept. 27, 2023 — Wichita State University's efforts to transform the educational experience for students and redefine the role of a university to foster statewide economic growth have yielded remarkable results: the highest enrollment in its 128-year history.

Wiilkin's Stadium rendering

Sept. 21, 2023 — John and Gail Wadsworth have given a lead gift of $1.5 million to Wichita State University and Shocker Athletics, earmarked for the Softball Team Operations Facility at Wilkins Stadium. The building is a part of the $9.65 million Phase 1 of the stadium renovation plan, which will begin development in the spring of 2024.

Greg Heiman and Murphy Ownbey hold a FireaPoint sign in front of a yellow background with black letters that spell out

Sept. 19, 2023 — Through the inaugural Student Practical Architecting Challenge (SPARC), FirePoint Innovations Center at Wichita State University awarded nearly $40,000 to two student-based teams for their novel innovations in devising future-ready, modular and adaptable software systems to support the Department of Defense's (DOD) Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) initiative.

Students in parade

Sept. 11, 2023 — Wichita State University is holding a parade next month and is inviting anyone in the community to join in. Starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 on the WSU campus, the parade is part of the university’s annual Shocktoberfest celebration.

Students working on handrails for Koch Arena

Sept. 5, 2023 - Wichita State University students designed handrails for Charles Koch Arena and producing around 400 for installation. The applied learning project will make walking up the arena stairs safer for fans and is a response to surveys and listening sessions.

Amenities like the new lactation and wellness room in the John Bardo Center are part of WSU’s efforts to further provide a supportive environment for faculty, staff, employees and students to reach their breastfeeding goals.

Aug. 30, 2023 – Wichita State University has received the Gold Level Employer Supporting Breastfeeding award and has been designated as a Breastfeeding Welcome Here campus by the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition.

Kathy Downes

Aug. 28, 2023 - Kathy Downes, dean of University Libraries since 2017, came to Wichita State in 1979 as a biomedical librarian. She will retire this fall semester. Downes played a central role as Ablah Library expanded and the digital services of University Libraries grew in number and importance.

A WSU engineering student works with a Ecuadorian village to take measurements for a bridge.

Aug. 28, 2023 — Through the Wichita State University chapter of Engineers without Borders, three Shockers recently began the process of working with the rural community of Mercedes de Agua Sucia in Manabi, Ecuador, to build a pedestrian bridge that will give residents safe passage to the main road and nearby cities to sell the goods and products from their farms, shop in nearby El Carmen, and for children to attend school.