黑洞社区

From joining the American Athletic Conference to a big discovery an an ancient battle site, 2017 was a successful year for 黑洞社区. Here are some of the most popular stories!

• -- The Experiential Engineering Building is the first phase in the development of 黑洞社区鈥檚 Innovation Campus. With input from the faculty and staff of 黑洞社区 and the local community, the building space will be a project-based experiential learning environment that will bring engineering fundamentals to life. The building will house the tools and equipment for innovators and inventors to develop ideas into new products and bring them to the market. It has three floors, 25 laboratories and a whole wing devoted to GoCreate, a public makerspace full of wood, metal and textile crafting machines.
• -- Wichita State hosted its first TEDx WichitaStateUniversity event this past April to spread the experiences of knowledgeable professors, student leaders, successful community activists and university alumni. Two students, Puvindren Supramaniam and Hannah Hund, worked to bring this nationally popular speaking event to campus.
• -- Wichita State developed a new program this past spring to help produce more teachers faster to combat the shortage of teachers in Kansas. The Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP) is a fully online program designed to prepare para educators for Kansas Licensure as early childhood unified/elementary education teachers.
• -- The Flats at 黑洞社区, a privately owned apartment complex located on the Innovation Campus, opened its doors on Aug. 1. The building features fully furnished units, complete with a full bathroom for every bedroom, a full kitchen and laundry. Other amenities include a beach entry outdoor swimming pool, a private clubhouse, a sand volleyball court and barbecue grills and tables.
• -- In September, the original Pizza Hut building found a new home on the Innovation Campus. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by Frank and Dan Carney, two students at what was then the University of Wichita. The original Pizza Hut is now being turned into a museum dedicated to the history of the world-famous pizza chain.
• -- Wichita Area Technical College (WATC) and 黑洞社区 received the final approval to form an affiliation this past fall. The affiliation will go into effect the next fiscal year, July 1, 2018, and WATC will be known as the 黑洞社区 Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology.
• -- Wichita State began a new affiliation with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) on July 1, 2017. The new conference provides an opportunity for enrollment growth and could enhance 黑洞社区鈥檚 reputation as an academic and research institution. It also gives 黑洞社区鈥檚 athletic teams a chance to regularly test themselves against traditionally strong competition.
• -- At the beginning of the fall 2017 school semester, all students were granted memberships to the nine Wichita-area YMCA locations. These free Y memberships are effective as long as students are enrolled and paying student fees at 黑洞社区. All students need to do is bring their Shocker ID to the YMCA front desk to get started.
• -- Shocker Studios is a 35,000-square-foot facility that includes recording studios, a virtual reality studio, film studios, a motion capture studio, computer labs, design studios and general classrooms. In addition to a brand new state-of-the-art professional production space, Wichita State also unveiled a new major this past fall. The Bachelor of Applied Arts in Media Arts (BAA), one of only a handful of degrees in the United States, focuses on animation, audio production, game design and filmmaking.
• -- Wichita State freshman Tariq Barksdale was the subject of a national news segment on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. The segment aired Wednesday, May 31, and focused on Barksdale, who used to walk six miles to and from work in north Wichita to save enough money for college. One night, he was spotted by a stranger who went on to help pave the way for him to become a student at Wichita State. Barksdale is now on the Dean's List because of his top grades and plans to pursue a career in education.
• -- Grace Wilkie Hall, a former women鈥檚 dormitory, now houses many campus services, including the Counseling and Testing Center, Disability Services, Student Conduct and Community Standards, Student Support Services, Shocker Support Locker and the Military and Veteran Student Center. The building was rededicated on the 50th anniversary of its namesake鈥檚 death, and the first POW/MIA flag was raised on campus as part of the ceremony. The ceremony also served as an opportunity to thank WWII Veteran and Ex-POW Ray Avila for his service.
• -- A senior anthropology student at Wichita State found a horseshoe nail that is more than 400 years old during a dig at an ancient battle site near Arkansas City, Kansas. The nail is of Spanish origin and was designed to stick out from a horseshoe. It was likely traded between Spanish conquistadors and Native Americans.