Carrie Wyatt
Student Support Specialist, Marketing and Communications, and Chair of CSD Student Affairs
Communication and Sciences Disorders College of Health Professions
I am honored to join in celebrating the accomplishments of Mrs. Carrie Wyatt as she is recognized as one of Wichita State University’s Bender of Twigs Honorees. Over the years, she has been a wonderful colleague, a Department advocate, and a smiling face to our students.
I have known Carrie as a colleague since August 2009 when she joined the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). Before then she was with WSU’s Community Engagement Institute (CEI, formerly the Center for Community Support and Research). Prior to her work at CEI, she served in the role of the Dean’s Assistant and Scholarship Coordinator for the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science (LAS). We are so glad that she moved to the College of Health Professions (CHP).
When she joined CSD in August 2009, Carrie started as the Senior Administrative Specialist and the Website and Social Media Coordinator. In these roles she provided administrative support to faculty and students, and began coordinating strategic communications between CSD, CHP, and WSU’s Strategic Communications.
In Spring 2017, she transitioned to the role of Academic Records Data Manager. This position continued her duties from the previous roles with additional duties relating to schedule building every semester across our four programs, admissions support for our two clinical graduate programs (MA-CSD [Speech-Language Pathology] and AuD [Doctor of Audiology]), undergraduate student program tracking and archiving, and accreditation support (e.g., tracking graduate students’ national certification testing results).
During the post-COVID period when communication with the general public was crucial, Carrie took on additional roles with student outreach and Departmental online development.
Carrie and I have worked together for several years on those aspects of every Department that require much time and attention to detail, including schedule building, faculty and student recognition, and Department event planning. In all these endeavors, she has supported the Department positively and effectively. As important as all those things are, there is something even more important on which she has always focused: supporting students in all aspects of student life. For example, she has been available to the students in our Recognized Student Organization, the Wichita State University Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (WSUSSLHA). She has not just helped them build their schedules, register for classes, and find classrooms. She has helped them connect to the university, our Department, other students, and—most importantly—our professions so that they see themselves in the future as audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Carrie is receiving university recognition for 25 years of service. However, this recognition truly reflects service, not simply longevity at WSU. Her service record to WSU is notable. She has been a member of the Unclassified Professionals Senate, serving in several leadership roles (Senator/Secretary/Scholarship and Communications Chair) when the group was the University Staff Support Senate (2014 to 2016). As a member of the Council of University Women (since 2000), she served as the President/Scholarship Chair in the 2007 academic year. She is the Co-Chair of the CSD Faculty/Staff/Student Affairs Committee (since 2009). Regarding awards, she has been recognized multiple times for her service, including the CHP Optimization Award (2019), the President’s Distinguished Service award (2012), a Leadership Academy Senior Fellowship (2011), and the CHP Classified Staff Award (2011). Finally, she also serves the community beyond WSU as a member of the Young Professionals of Wichita (since 2008).
Again, the Bender of Twigs Honor is not a “longevity award.” It is a recognition of service to WSU, one’s College, and one’s Department. As a Bender of Twigs Honoree, Carrie Wyatt is being recognized as a 25-year great ambassador of WSU, LAS/CHP, and CSD.
It is an honor to be her Departmental colleague. Through her university service, she truly has earned the right to be a Bender of Twigs Honoree.
Douglas Parham
Chair and Program Director
Communication Sciences and Disorders