F1RST-Gen Shocker Friday: Sarah Shaffer
What is a first-gen Student? A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parents/legal guardians have not completed a bachelor's degree. A student who is the first person in their immediate family to attend a four-year college/university to attain a bachelor's degree.
- FORM-A-LINE: Become a subcommittee member of FGCC. The First-Generation Coordinating Council (FGCC) is looking for individuals to join in the work. Currently seeking subcommittee
members for the following:
- Marketing
- Faculty and staff engagement
- Data and assessment
- Graduate School
- FOCUS ON FIRST-GEN: This week we highlight Carri McMahon, Organization and Collaboration Specialist for the Community Engagement Institute.
- F1RST-GEN T-Shirts are available in the RSC Shocker Store.
- If you're interested in being featured as a first-generation profile, contact Lydia Santiago at fgshockers@wichita.edu.
Updates coming soon to WSU Today and Shocker Blast
Coming soon, you will notice slight changes to WSU Today and Shocker Blast. You’ll receive the same content — but with an updated process. The updates will take place in early May.
Improvements to the updated format:
- Those who submit items to the newsletters will now have more control over the content-creation process, including being able to add links, bullet points and notes to the Strategic Communications staff. See above to watch a short video on how to submit.
- Each submission to the newsletter will now live on its own web page, so you can share your own submission with whomever you want.
- Each headline in the daily newsletter email will be clickable, taking you to that item in the web version of the newsletter.
- For us here in Strategic Communications, these changes will allow us to greatly streamline the newsletter process and decrease errors.
What else do you need to know?
- There is now a new link to submit to newsletters: . Click “Submit a News Item” to begin. We suggest you bookmark this link for future use. If you forget and submit to the old link instead, don’t worry; Strategic Communications will still receive your submission.
- You do not need to do anything for previously submitted items. Those are being transferred to the new system.
- Once we launch, you can view the old newsletters at wichita.edu/wsutodayarchive and wichita.edu/shockerblastarchive. The existing links ( and ) will then be redirected to the new newsletters.
For more information about how to use the new form submission link, or to submit feedback or questions, email sara.ornelas@wichita.edu or lainie.mazzullo@wichita.edu.
Watch market-based compensation briefing
If you missed the Market-Based Compensation implementation briefing for faculty and staff that was held on Friday, April 23 it was recorded and is available for viewing on the HR dedicated webpage.
Women in Public Service invites you to participate in sexual harassment survey
Is sexual harassment problematic in your public service organization?
Important public conversations about workplace sexual harassment have been taking place nationally and locally. Women in Public Service wants to know how the issue affects public service organizations in Kansas. WPS invites you to participate in a brief, anonymous survey.
Responses are confidential and are part of a broad gathering of data, which will only be shared as part of consolidated findings during the WPS conference on July 29.
New landing page for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The updated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan and resources are available online for your convenience. Visit the new landing page today.
Have questions or would like to provide feedback? Leave a written message for WSU's Chief Diversity Officer online at the bottom of each page.
Cadman seeks art show applications
The Cadman Art Gallery, located on the first floor of the Rhatigan Student Center, is accepting applications for fall 2021 exhibits through midnight on Sunday, May 9. The world needs art now more than ever. The Cadman accepts proposals from degree-seeking students wanting to exhibit their work solo, group shows with several students, or groups sponsored by student groups, clubs, or faculty and staff. All proposals must be art oriented, and there is no limit on the style of art displayed. Applicants will interview with a selection committee on the evening of Thursday, May 13. For more information and our easy application, please visit .
ICYMI: President’s awards presented April 23
The President’s Distinguished Service Awards and the unclassified professionals’ Wayne Carlisle Distinguished Service Award honorees were presented at 2 p.m. Friday, April 23.
To see the list of honorees or view the livestream visit .
Enter a Mother's Day gift basket drawing
Are you looking for a Mother's Day gift that your mom will love? Lambda Pi Upsilon presents you with a Mother’s Day basket drawing. Enter for a chance to win a gift valued at $114. Our basket will include the following: $25 nail salon gift card, an illustrated 8x10 portrait print of your choice of photo, scented candle, mini-hand sanitizer, hand lotion, perfume, and a box of yummy treats from local businesses that includes half a dozen strawberries, half a dozen cookies, and six slices of churro cheesecake!
Prices start at $5 for one ticket, $12 for three tickets, and $18 for five tickets!
This sale will run through May 6, and the winner will be announced Friday May 7! The basket will be delivered contact-free so don’t miss out!
SBIR/STTR proposal preparation webinars
WSU Strategic Initiatives is planning two webinars to help participants prepare proposals for SBIR/STTR and May 4 and May 6. The May 4 webinar runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will go over an SBIR/STTR overview and a review process for developing a competitive NSF Phase 1 proposal. The May 6 runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. webinar and will go over an SBIR/STTR overview and a discussion of differences among agencies and DoD proposal format. For more information and to register for the webinars, go to .
Faculty to be recognized for excellence in teaching and research
The honorees for the 2021 University Faculty Awards will be recognized at 2 p.m. Friday, May 7 in Lowe Auditorium at Hughes Metropolitan Complex. The university faculty awards recognizes excellence in teaching, research and creative activities.
To RSVP for in-person attendance or view the livestream visit 鶹ýӳƷ.edu/facultyawards.
2021 University Faculty Award honorees:
- Academy for Effective Teaching: Sergio Salinas
- Excellence Award for Community Research: Michael Birzer
- Excellence in Online Teaching: Amy Chesser
- Excellence in Research: Michael Rogers
- Excellence in Teaching: Aaron Rife
- Young Faculty Risk Taker: Mythili Menon
- Young Faculty Scholar: Patrick Bondy
The Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching, Excellence in Accessibility Award, Excellence in Creative Activity Award and the Faculty Risk Taker awards were not awarded for 2021.
Panel: The Movement of the Plastics Industry Toward Sustainability
We wrap up our Earth Day celebrations with a special panel moderated by Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate School Dean Coleen Pugh at 2 p.m. April 30. Dr. Pugh will be be joined by experts in the plastics industry:
- Joel Matsco, Covestro
- Mike Biddle, Evok Innovations
- Abdala Bashir, Danimer Scientific
ODI, CHAMPS hosts panel of DEI professionals
Join the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and CHAMPS for a panel of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) professionals at 1 p.m. today virtually on the . Learn about their experiences, and what they believe the future of DEI work will be.
Sunday: MFA creative writing graduate reading
Come celebrate the graduating class of 鶹ýӳƷ State’s MFA Program in Creative Writing as they read from their final projects. The virtual program, part of the Writing Now/Reading Now series, is at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2. It is free and open to all, but .
Writing Now/Reading Now is cosponsored by the 鶹ýӳƷ State Department of English, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Watermark Books & Café, and the Ulrich Museum of Art.
Physics talk features LBNL professor
Please join us for our next physics seminar talk at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 5 via Zoom. This talk features Professor Christian Bauer, Theory Group Leader of the physics division at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, and the title will be “Quantum Computing for Collider Physics using Effective Field Theories." Go to the physics webpage to get more details.
Dance performances tied to Ulrich's 'Solving for X' exhibition
If you've been by the Ulrich Museum of Art on the 鶹ýӳƷ campus to see the exhibition "Solving for X=Identity: Sharing Matrilineal Memories at WSU," you know that it's full of powerful memories shared by members of the Shocker community about their mothers and maternal grandmothers.
As a part of that exhibition, students in sociology, dance, and Honors College will present research and choreographed performances in response to those collected memories. The performances are on at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 4 (repeat performance). Both performances will take place outdoors on the front terrace of the Ulrich Museum where proper social distancing will be encouraged. Free and open to all.
"Solving for X=Identity: Sharing Matrilineal Memories at WSU" is on display at the Ulrich through May 8.
Students seek participants to study back pain
Five students in Ph.D. program for physical therapy area looking for participants 50 years of age or older with chronic low back pain. Your participation may help physical therapists understand and treat chronic low back pain in a technological age using at-home therapy services.
If chosen to participate and are placed in the experimental group, you complete an eight-week home exercise program that will be monitored via e-mail. The exercise program will not require external resistance (weights or resistance bands). You will fill out one questionnaire prior to starting the program and three questionnaires eight weeks later. If you are placed in the control group, your only responsibility will be to complete one survey at the beginning of the program and two surveys eight weeks later.
If interested, please complete the survey below. It will only take about 10 minutes. After returning the survey, you will receive an email with further information.
Your participation is greatly appreciated, voluntary, and your responses will remain confidential. If you have questions or concerns, please email Austin Foley at amfoley1@shockers.wichita.edu.
Faculty invited to NSF grant seminars
The WSU Office of Research is offering seminars and mock proposal reviews to prepare faculty for applying to upcoming deadlines to the National Science Foundation. The first seminar was on April 23, but the second seminar is National Science Foundation CAREER Proposal Development and will be led by Dr. Jan Twomey, associate dean of engineering for research and faculty development.
After attending the seminars, Faculty are invited to submit proposal documents for review by a panel of your peers. Faculty who submit proposal documents must also commit to reviewing other proposal documents and sharing feedback at an in-person review event.
- 11 a.m. April 30: NSF CAREER Proposal Development seminar led by Dr. Jan Twomey (addresses the NSF CAREER program in greater detail)
- 5 p.m. May 21: Deadline for submissions of proposal documents for peer review
- 11 .m. June 4: Peer Review Discussion led by Dr. Pugh and Dr. Twomey. Lunch provided.
Please email proposals@wichita.edu or sign up via myTraining to attend. Please email fran.cook@wichita.edu if you have any questions.