March 2026

Scholarship Season celebrates opportunity, excellence and access

Spring at Wichita State is what I proudly call Scholarship Season. It’s a time when we celebrate opportunity, recognize excellence and reaffirm a defining value of this university: ensuring that a high‑quality education remains accessible and affordable for every student we serve.

Each year, we award some of Wichita State’s most prestigious scholarships to students whose talent, leadership and determination inspire us. This spring, those honors include students like Natalia Malcolm, a Wichita Southeast High School senior and the first recipient of the Bhagat Family Foundation Overcoming Adversity Scholarship. Her story — marked by resilience, perseverance and ambition — reminds us that scholarships are investments in students whose potential might otherwise go unrealized.

We also celebrated Noah DeVault, a Derby High School senior selected for the Mike and Mary James Scholarship, one of our premier awards supporting outstanding students in the liberal and fine arts. Noah’s academic achievement, leadership and involvement exemplify the promise we see in our incoming Shockers.

‘Forward Together’ Episode 42: American Sign Language at Wichita State with Edward Bart

Join President Rick Muma when he engages with Edward Bart, director for the American Sign Language program in WSU's Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, about curriculum, career paths and deaf culture.

Click the photo above to watch the video of the podcast. The podcast is also available on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts or Apple Podcasts.

President Muma stops by ‘Ask a Kansan’ podcast to discuss his background and innovation at WSU

President Rick Muma joined Gust Applequist and Sydney Collins for the latest episode of the “Ask a Kansan” podcast.

Applequist and Collins came to Wichita State University's Innovation Campus to talk with President Muma about his journey from PA to university president and how WSU has become a powerhouse for innovation.

WSU College of Applied Studies returns to its roots by renaming to College of Education

Since 1926, education has been at the core of the college now known as the College of Applied Studies. As the College of Applied Studies at Wichita State marks its centennial, it is honoring its origins by returning to its original name: the College of Education.

The name change took effect March 1 and coincides with the college’s 100th year. The update reflects the college’s historical identity and its current academic focus on education and related professional fields.

In 1926, the College of Education at what was then known as the University of Wichita was founded with two professors and about two dozen students. Over the past century, the college has evolved alongside the changing needs of schools, communities and learners. Today, it serves nearly 2,400 students and supports experience-based applied learning opportunities through more than 350 affiliation agreements with schools, clinics and community organizations.

As Wichita Biomedical Campus exterior enters final stages, interior work progresses

Interior work, including tiling and glass and aluminum door frames, and exterior work, including finishes and glass windows, continue to progress on track for a 2027 open date of Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus.

And you can follow along with the construction by watching the continuous livestream of the construction site online.

Phase 1 of the location is a $222 million, 350,000-square-foot joint health sciences center, in downtown Wichita. Once complete, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions programs, WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology’s (WSU Tech) health care program, and the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy.

Men's basketball ends season in quarterfinals of NIT, records most wins since 2018

• Men’s basketball finished an exciting season with National Invitation Tournament wins over Wyoming and Oklahoma State before falling in the quarterfinals at Tulsa. The Shockers finished with a 24-12 record, the team’s most wins since 2018. The two post-season wins are the most since the 2019 team played in the NIT.
• Coach Paul Mills has improved WSU’s record in each of his three seasons. He is 58-46 and owns the second-most wins for a WSU coach after three seasons (behind Eddie Fogler’s 61 from 1986-89).
• Guard Kenyon Giles earned a spot on the All-American Conference team after averaging 19.1 points. He set WSU’s season record for three-pointers by making 125. His season total of 689 points ranks third in the record books behind Xavier McDaniel (844 in 1984-85) and Dave Stallworth (769 in 1963-64).
• Forward Karon Boyd earned a spot on the College Sports Communicator’s Academic All-District team. He is the first Shocker to be honored since Graham Hatch in 2010. Boyd was also named third-team All-American Conference.
• Women's bowling earned a No. 2 seed for the Arlington Region in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Shockers will face No. 3 Newman in the opening round on Friday, April 3.
• Softball plays its next home series against Tulsa starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 2 at Wilkins Stadium.
• Baseball opened American Conference play by taking two of three from Charlotte and Memphis. Tulane visits Eck Stadium for a series that begins at 6:05 p.m. Thursday, April 2.
• Women’s tennis started last week ranked No. 27 nationally with an ongoing 13-match win streak. The Shockers head to Texas to face Liberty on April 4 and North Texas on April 5. Its next home game is against UT Arlington on April 7.
• Men’s tennis moved up to No. 63 after winning eight straight matches, including No. 56 Charlotte, No. 52 Nebraska and No. 34 OSU. The teams plays its last game before the American Championship against Drake April 4 in Iowa.
• Abby Cater, Taya Davis and Maimouna Sissoko of women’s basketball earned spots on the College Sports Communicator’s Academic All-District team.

For updates on athletics at Wichita State and to buy tickets, visit goshockers.com.

Shocker Nation scholarships

17 WSU-bound students awarded full-ride Rudd Scholarships

The newest cohort of Rudd Scholars includes 17 Kansas high school seniors who have chosen to attend Wichita State University.

• Amiyah Beard — Newton Senior High School
• Gracin Bergmeier — Inman Junior-Senior High School
• Jayden Boggess — Washington High School (Kansas City)
• Ashley Caligiuri — Junction City Senior High School
• Adison Henderson — Central Junior-Senior High School (Burden)
• Gabriel Heredia — Pratt Senior High School
• Kinley Jones — Ellis High School
• Danielle MacKinney — South Barber High School
• Sumaita Masum — Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
• Madison McCaskill — Wichita South High School
• Sutton O’Crowley — Douglass High School
• Avery Powell — Andover High School
• Kenton Powless — Paola High School
• Vanessa Rayo Real — Dodge City High School
• Julissa Romero-Lopez — Wichita West High School
• N’Aliecia Taylor — Central Junior-Senior High School (Burden)
• Abraham Vasquez — Sumner Academy of Arts and Science

Kapaun and Valley Center students named 2026 Jabara Scholars

The Barton School of Business is excited to announce that two Wichita-area students are the recipients of the 2026 Professor Fran Jabara Endowed Scholarship. The winners are Adeline Lank from Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School and Gabriel Shaffer from Valley Center High School. Each will receive $36,400 spread over four years to attend WSU and major or double-major in entrepreneurship.

The Jabara Scholarship is one of the largest of its kind nationally for entrepreneurs. To qualify, students have to complete essay questions about the importance of education in entrepreneurship and ideas that they find intellectually interesting as well as score at least a 27 on their ACT, 1260 on their SAT or achieve a 3.5 high school GPA. The selection process culminated in the AGH Scholarship Competition held in late 2025 where they were interviewed by a panel of judges.

Natalia Malcolm

Southeast senior Natalia Malcolm learned in front of her classmates that she will receive a four-year scholarship to attend Wichita State University beginning this fall from Wichita Southeast High School graduate Ronal Bhagat.

Bhagat returned to his alma mater on March 6 with the surprise: a $50,000 investment in a student’s future.

Bhagat, managing director of Trez Capital in New York City, announced Malcolm as the first recipient of the Bhagat Family Foundation – Wichita Southeast High School Overcoming Adversity Scholarship during a school assembly.

Noah DeVault

Wichita State has awarded the 2026 Mike and Mary James Scholarship to Derby High School senior Noah DeVault, who plans to study communication at Wichita State beginning in fall 2026.

DeVault was selected from a competitive pool of more than 150 high school seniors considering majors in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the College of Fine Arts. Five finalists advanced in the selection process.

The James Scholarship is valued at $40,000 and recognizes outstanding students pursuing studies in liberal arts or fine arts at Wichita State. DeVault’s total combined scholarship package from Wichita State is $50,000.

WSU College of Education partners with WPS, KSDE and KBOR on early literacy pilot program

Wichita State University’s College of Education, Wichita Public Schools, the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Board of Regents have partnered to launch a pilot program focused on strengthening early childhood literacy for Wichita students.

During a Wichita Public Schools press conference held March 10 at Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary School, Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld, WPS Assistant Superintendent for Learning Services Holly Ingram and Dr. Kimberly Moody from the College of Education shared information about the four-week program that will serve kindergarten through second-grade students.

The pilot program will take place at Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary, Spaght Science and Communications Magnet Elementary, and Washington Accelerated Learning Elementary School. The initiative will combine literacy instruction, high-dose tutoring and enrichment activities designed to support early reading development.

Wichita State teacher candidates will serve as tutors throughout the program, gaining hands-on classroom experience while supporting young learners.

Shocker Design Experience increases retention by leading students through challenges

While many factors help student retention, Samantha Corcoran’s favorite is fostering curiosity. She likes to ask her students: “Do you love learning? Do you love going new places?”

“We’ve chosen to focus on increasing student curiosity in everything that we do,” says Corcoran, associate engineering educator in the College of Engineering.

Wichita State University’s First-Year Seminar “Introduction to Technology and Innovation,” and Shocker Design Experience are producing impressive retention increases. Freshman persistence has increased to 80% from fall 2024 to fall 2025. That's a 14% increase since the program was updated in 2021.

Open Streets ICT returns to WSU, Shocker Neighborhood in April

Open Streets ICT returns to Wichita State University’s campus for a fourth spring featuring community events, resources for families, art and food in Shocker Neighborhood.

“This year highlights PreK–12 engagement, connecting families to summer resources that support learning, growth, and opportunity,” said Naquela Pack, director of K-12 connections and special projects for Wichita State Connect.

Open Streets ICT is a community-building event on a closed street, intended to promote healthy active living and social engagement. From noon to 4 p.m. April 19, Open Streets ICT - WSU & Shocker Neighborhood will take place on 17th Street from Oliver to Volutsia.

Spring 2026 WSU campus expansion and renovation update

NIAR Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and Research

Interior construction on the NIAR HAMR building is complete. Progress continues on the exterior site work and is anticipated to be completed in April.

The 170,000-square-foot building is partly funded by an EDA grant and will house advanced manufacturing research labs and associated offices.

The building is located on Innovation Boulevard between the Partnership Building 1 and The Suites. The first floor is primarily labs with offices on the second floor.

University Stadium Phase 1A/1B

Phase 2 on University Stadium (formerly Cessna Stadium) will begin after the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships May 29-30 with demolition of the west grandstand in June. Construction of the new west stadium will be phased to ensure that seating is available for the 2027 KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships. Construction is scheduled to be complete before the 2028 KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships.

Construction continues for Phase 1B. This phase of construction consists of widening the field to hold a regulation-sized artificial turf soccer field and installing a nine-lane track and internal stadium sidewalks that will connect the east and west sides of the facility inside of the fence. Improvements to the throwing area south of Charles Koch Arena are also underway. A storage building is under construction. Additions also include a longer javelin runway and warmup lanes. Shot put competition will move to this area from inside the stadium.

Construction is anticipated to be completed in April ahead of the KSHSAA State Track and Field Meet on May 29-30.

Wilkins Stadium

Construction of the softball team and operations building to the south of the new indoor facility started this March. Construction staging is underway in the north section of Lot 15. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2027.

Partnership Building 3B

P3B, located between Partnership Building 3 and The Smart Factory by Deloitte @Wichita, is under construction. It will house the Forensic Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Shocker Esports Rocket League team qualifies for College Rocket League main event

Wichita State Rocket League qualified for the College Rocket League main event for the first time in program history Feb. 28.

The 16-team season culminates in the College Rocket League National Championship. Wichita State earned its spot through the second open qualifier after narrowly missing qualification in the first. The team defeated Virginia Tech, Davenport, The Autonomous University of Nuevo León, No. 22 Columbia College and No. 11 Oklahoma Christian.

“It’s been an extremely long time coming. After four years of improving, it’s an honor to have the opportunity to finally represent Wichita State on the biggest stage in collegiate esports,” said senior and team captain Brooks Valdez.

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