Student Centered. Innovation Driven.
Over the past year, Wichita State has continued a bold journey to reimagine what a urban research university can be. Our work to refresh the university’s strategic plan — an effort that began in spring 2025 — was driven by a changing national landscape, our HLC accreditation cycle, and the evolving needs of our campus community. It was the right moment to step back, listen, and chart a clearer path forward for the years ahead.
What emerged from this work was a meaningful shift: moving from Presidential Priorities to University Priorities. This change captures the spirit of shared ownership that defines Wichita State. Even as the framing evolved, our focus remained constant — expanding access and affordability, strengthening the talent pipeline to meet employer needs, and driving economic prosperity for Kansas.
This university-wide effort brought together leadership, faculty, staff, and stakeholders from every corner of campus. Through collaboration and reflection, we streamlined our goals and, in fall 2025, introduced three university priorities:
- Access and affordability
- Talent pipeline development
- Economic prosperity
Aligned with these are three strategies that guide our daily work:
- Student centeredness and campus culture — empowering students, faculty, and staff to foster a supportive environment where all can grow and succeed.
- Partnerships and engagement — expanding the industry and community collaborations that are essential to meeting workforce needs.
- Research and scholarship — solving emerging problems and accelerating the creation and sharing of new knowledge and innovation.
As part of this refresh, we also unified Wichita State’s institutional values into one cohesive set. Grounded in feedback from faculty and staff following the 2025 Fall Address, the Strategic Planning Committee refined our values to better reflect who we are and who we aspire to be. Previously split between core and distinctive values, the new single set strengthens alignment across decisions, priorities, and culture.
Our five university values — Integrity, Collaboration, Innovation, Academic Excellence, and Community — express the character and aspirations that define Wichita State. They speak to our commitment to ethical action, shared purpose, bold thinking, rigorous learning, and a deep sense of belonging.
In spring 2026, the updated values were showcased across campus as plaques displaying our vision, mission, and values were refreshed. These visible reminders symbolize not just what we stand for, but what we strive to build together.
This annual report tells the story of a university embracing change with clarity, courage, and collaboration. It reflects a community united by purpose and energized by possibility — as we reimagine not just Wichita State’s future, but the future we help create for Kansas and beyond.
University Priorities
Helping families through access and affordability
Supporting Kansas businesses with a talent pipeline that meets employer needs
Increasing economic prosperity with higher education that benefits the Kansas economy
University Strategies
Student Centeredness and Campus Culture
Empower students, faculty and staff to create a supportive culture that inspires growth, meets evolving needs and fosters success.
Research and Scholarship
Find solutions to emerging problems and accelerate the discovery, creation and dissemination of new knowledge and innovation.
Partnerships and Engagement
Advance industry and community partnerships to provide quality educational opportunities and collaborations to satisfy rapidly evolving community and workforce needs.
University Values
Integrity
Students, faculty, and staff at Wichita State University uphold the highest standards of honesty, transparency, ethical decision making and personal accountability - fostering trust and respect in every aspect of university life.
Collaboration
Students, faculty, and staff at Wichita State University work across disciplines and roles with mutual respect, trust, and shared purpose — communicating openly, supporting one another, and combining strengths to drive innovation and workforce development.
Innovation
Students, faculty, and staff at Wichita State University embrace forward-thinking solutions — seizing emerging opportunities with intention, creativity, adaptability, and bold action to drive transformation, spark discovery, and knowledge that shapes a better future.
Academic Excellence
Students, faculty, and staff at Wichita State University advance education through engaging, rigorous experiences — delivering high-quality programs, fostering lifelong learning, and generating meaningful outcomes.
Community
Students, faculty, and staff at Wichita State University foster belonging through shared purpose, pride, and meaningful connection — cultivating lasting relationships across campus and beyond through collective experiences that strengthen identity and inspire engagement.
Ongoing Initiatives
Applied Learning
At Wichita State, every degree we offer has an applied learning or research experience built-in. Our students work side by side with professionals, building contacts, confidence and a strong resume before graduation.
Applied Learning at WSU
Student Success and Persistence
Wichita State has embarked on an initiative that uses data and campuswide coordination to bring student supports to scale, increasing enrollment, retention and graduation rates for all students.
Visit the SSP website
WSU Master Plan
The 2024 Master Plan Update builds upon the rapid growth of the university over the past decade and defines the path for continued success and transformation into the future.
View the Master Plan