October 2023

Historic enrollment speaks to WSU’s commitment to students and the community

The year 1989 was a big one: The Shocker baseball team won the College World Series, downtown Wichita got a big boost with the building of the Epic Center high-rise, and Wichita State University achieved its highest ever enrollment with 17,419 students. Until now.

In September, the Kansas Board of Regents announced its fall enrollment data, and Wichita State came in at (drumroll, please) 17,548 Shockers! And when we include WSU Tech’s numbers, total enrollment across all locations is 23,203.

While our success is not entirely unexpected, it’s a remarkable achievement. I couldn’t be more thankful for the work everyone in Shocker Nation has done to get us where we are today.  

The enrollment reports include granular data with interesting metrics to help us truly understand who our students are and how we can support their academic and professional goals. There are a few bits of information that I’m particularly pleased with for 2023.

October podcast: Dave Isay with StoryCorps

Join Wichita State President Rick Muma when he talks with Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps and One Small Step. Designed to “remind the country of the humanity in all of us,” One Small Step brings people with different political views together to record a facilitated 50-minute conversation. The moderator asks questions to keep the conversation moving. The focus is on the lives of the participants, not politics. Wichita is one of four anchor communities working closely with One Small Step and StoryCorps.

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

Wichita State keeps retirees connected through new WSU Retiree Association

Wichita State University has announced the creation of the WSU Retirees Association (WSURA), aimed at providing new paths for Shocker faculty and staff retirees to continue active engagement with the university. The new association adds to the existing array of perks available to retirees.

The association was announced Oct. 4 at Wichita State’s annual Retirees Breakfast.

Anyone who is officially retired from WSU is automatically a member of the association. The association is organized and led by retirees and will provide new opportunities for members to connect not only with other retirees but also with the wider WSU community. This association contributes to WSU’s strength as the only Kansas member of the Age-Friendly University Global Network and as an age-inclusive campus.

Memorial '70 families receive piece of Cessna Stadium as tribute to WSU’s football history

Cessna Stadium opened in 1969 as a place meant to propel Wichita State football into a new era.

A crowd of 28,245 watched the Shockers defeat Utah State 17-7 on Sept. 13 of that year. The stadium featured stands that expanded the capacity to 31,500 from 12,500. A year-long fund-raising effort for $1.5 million resulted in “lush, green synthetic grass” known as Poly-Turf, a two-level press box with private boxes, covered seating for the 220 Turf Club members and a new running track.

“It was so cool – I was from back East and the stadiums held maybe 3-4,000 people,” said Ed Plopa, a freshman defensive back in 1969. “When we played Utah State, that place was going nuts.”

On Oct. 2, as part of the Memorial '70 ceremony, football players, friends and families from those years received a piece of Cessna Stadium seating.

WSU Innovation Campus wins Emerging Research Park Award

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.

Each year AURP recognizes a research park or innovation district that, within 10 years, has created an exceptional ecosystem which brings technology from inception to market, creates high-paying jobs, and contributes to the economic health of its region.

In 2012, WSU had a bold vision of what the Innovation Campus could be. And now — as the Innovation Campus nears its 10th anniversary — an underutilized area of campus has been transformed into 120 acres of state-of-the-art research facilities, collaborative partnerships and educational opportunities with more than 50 partner businesses to date.

The merger of a nonprofit project and local history is a perfect fit for Wichita State University junior Kian Williams.

“History runs in my family,” Williams said. “I was immediately hooked.”

Wichita State’s Public Policy and Management Center is working with the Kansas Aviation Museum on strategic planning. Williams, a junior majoring in political science and international studies, is an undergraduate student research assistant assisting PPMC Program Manager Kate Young.

The research and writing Williams does to help the museum chart its future connects with the background that shaped a love for history. Williams, who uses they/them pronouns, volunteered at the Reno County Museum to help Ceeley Williams, their mother, who worked as the museum’s archivist.

Wichita State Athletics events ramp up for the fall 2023 semester

Shocker Nation should prepare for all the upcoming Shocker Athletics season events this fall semester:

• Volleyball continues its 15-5 season with a match against Florida Atlantic University at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at FAU.
• Cross country goes to the AAC Championships Saturday, Oct 28 in Greenville, North Carolina.
• Men’s basketball will host an exhibition against Rogers State at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 in Charles Koch Arena. Men's basketball kicks off its season proper with a game against Lipscomb University at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6 in Charles Koch Arena.
• Women’s basketball will host Missouri Southern for an exhibition game at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1 in Charles Koch Arena, and its season proper begins on the road against the University of Oklahoma at noon Monday, Nov. 6.
• Baseball will compete in the Fall World Series Nov. 3-5 in Eck Stadium.

Community invited to Wichita State’s 2023-24 performing arts season

The School of Performing Arts in the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University invites the Wichita community to its 2023-24 season of productions.

This year’s season is centered around “Building Community.”

Fall 2023:

• Move on Litwin: Dance Up Close – 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26-28 in Litwin Theatre, Heskett Dance Studios
• A Chorus Line – 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2-4; 2 p.m. Nov. 5 in the Wilner Auditorium
• Senior Capstone Celebration – 6 p.m. Dec. 2; 2 p.m. Dec. 3 in Wilner Auditorium



Spring 2024:

• Wichita Children’s Dance Festival – 2 p.m. Jan. 28 in Wilner Auditorium
• Peter and the Starcatcher – 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29-March 2; 2 p.m. March 3 in Wilner Auditorium
• Christmas Dish – 7:30 p.m. April 5-6 in the Welsbacher Black Box Theatre, Hughes Metropolitan Complex
• Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre – 7:30 p.m. April 25-27; 2 p.m. April 28 in Wilner Auditorium

Rudd Scholars at Wichita State: Bayle Sandy

The Rudd Scholars Program was created in 2018 and provides scholarships that cover college tuition, room and board, books, supplies, and other costs. Wichita State is the proud host to many of these amazing scholars every year.

WSU Rudd Scholar Bayle Sandy encourages prospective students to look into options like the Rudd Scholars Program at Wichita State.

“The Rudd Scholarship and the support structure at Wichita State played a pivotal role in my academic progress,” Sandy said. “College can be incredibly challenging, and the Rudd Scholarship has made it significantly easier by ensuring that I have the resources and guidance I need to succeed. I have never had to worry about a school bill.”

WSU Center for Real Estate releases 2024 Kansas Housing Markets Forecast series

Kansas home values will continue to appreciate in the coming year, according to the 2024 Kansas Housing Markets Forecast series published by the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate.

“The inventory of homes available for sale is very limited,” said Dr. Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate. “As a result, the market still favors sellers despite the softening of demand due to higher mortgage rates.”

The 2024 Kansas Housing Markets Forecast series that reviews current housing market conditions in the major markets across the state – including Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka and Wichita – and forecasts housing market activity through the end of 2024. The series also includes Housing Outlooks for 10 smaller markets across the state.

Wichita State hosts Innovation Campus mixer with College of Fine Arts

Faculty from the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University and WSU's Innovation Campus partners assembled for an hour of networking and making connections Oct. 25.

Featured faculty from each school in the College of Fine Arts shared a sample of scholarly and creative activities to Innovation Campus partners and other faculty from across campus. 

The mixer was part of a series of networking opportunities facilitated by WSU to encourage knowledge sharing and establish relationships among faculty and Innovation Campus partners. The College of Applied Studies was the featured college for the spring mixer.

Keep in touch.