Don't forget about accessibility revisions when completing your FAR
As our campus continues to work on improved accessibility in many areas, faculty are redesigning coursework and modifying documents to be fully accessible. This valuable work can be time consuming and often requires some creative pedagogical modifications.
Faculty are encouraged to include details of this work in their Faculty Activity Record (FAR) in section I on Teaching / Librarianship. The Instructional Design and Accessibility office (IDA) is happy to do a review of revised courses and provide a letter of support to document this work, if desired.
Faculty, staff and alumni invited to attend Shocker Legacy Day
On Saturday, Jan. 18, the Office of Admissions invites high school and transfer student children of university staff and faculty to Shocker Legacy Day. The event, intended to grow our Shocker Family from within the ranks of our employees and alumni, provides lunch, a campus tour and two tickets to the Shocker men鈥檚 basketball game that afternoon.
To RSVP, go to and click on 鈥淎dmissions Events.鈥� For questions, contact Ellen Nikkel at ellen.nikkel@wichita.edu or 978-3168.
Holiday greetings requests for ITS Telecommunications
Most departments on campus will be closed during the holidays from Monday, Dec. 23 through Wednesday, Jan. 1. Now is the time to submit your request if your department needs a holiday greeting activated on your calling-tree or call distribution number. Please submit the request at . Choose 鈥淭elephone Request鈥� as the requested service, then choose 鈥淧rogramming鈥� as the telephone service. Please ensure to include all details in the description.
Only requests received via this method will be processed. Please email telecomservices@wichita.edu or call 978-3535 if you have any questions or need any help with this.
Barton School's Usha Haley covered in Fortune on US-China trade negotiations
Usha Haley's research on China trade was covered in Fortune, as the US and China continue their trade negotiations, which have had an outsized effect on global financial markets and global strategies. Haley is W. Frank Barton Distinguished Scholar in International Business, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for International Business Advancement in the Barton School of Business.
Classroom Technology Training Schedule for spring 2020
Classrooms across campus are equipped with uniform technology and media equipment. Access is available to faculty and staff with consistent keys for most classrooms that are issued during a short training session. We encourage you to bring your personal laptop to test in the room during training. If there are additional needs or questions, please call 978-3588.
Faculty are encouraged to verify that their assigned rooms have the technology they need prior to the start of the semester.
Spring 2020 Classroom Technology Training Schedule
Registration is now open for the inaugural 黑洞社区 Analytics Showcase
The 黑洞社区 Analytics Showcase will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, April 17, 2020, in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex. Registration is free for students and faculty, but space is limited.
- Learn about innovative analytics research, curricular and applied learning activities across 黑洞社区; groundbreaking analytics applications; and state-of-the-art analytics software/hardware solutions from leading technology providers.
- Network with 黑洞社区 faculty, staff and students, community partners, and industry leaders working in the analytics field to build personal and career connections.
- Collaborate and Partner. Discover industry, community and government opportunities in research, applied projects and software development.
- Please visit wichita.edu/analytics to register and learn more about this exciting event which is supported by the colleges of Business, Engineering, Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Applied Studies.
Contact the Analytics Showcase organizers
Learn more and register for the Showcase
Business Advising Center closed this morning (Wednesday, Dec. 18)
The Barton School of Business Advising Center will be closed for staff breakfast from 8 a.m.-noon today (Wednesday, Dec. 18). The center will reopen for regular services at noon.
Career Development Center closed part of tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 19)
The Career Development Center will be closed from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 19) for staff development.
Campus Post Office to provide limited hours during the holidays
As in previous years, the Campus Post Office will provide only limited hours during the holidays. No deliveries will be made to university departments, however, departments may come to the Campus Post Office to collect incoming mail at the following times:
8:30-11:30 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 23-24
8:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 26-27
8:30-11:30 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 30-31
The Campus Post Office will be closed for Christmas on Wednesday, Dec. 25, and New Year鈥檚 Day on Jan. 1.
No bulk or automated mailings will be accepted during this time. The final day any mass mailings will be processed before the holidays is Thursday, Dec. 19. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, Jan. 2.
No passports will be processed during the holidays, and no stamp purchases will be provided through state accounts during this time.
Registration for Goal-Setting Workshop is now available
黑洞社区 faculty and staff looking for tips about how to set and keep both personal and professional goals should sign up for this free workshop facilitated by ComPsych / Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Qualified employees will receive a HealthQuest point for completing the session! This workshop will be held January 鈥� March, and will take place in the RSC. Seating is limited. Registration is required through the myTraining link (found in my黑洞社区). For assistance with myTraining, email myTraining@wichita.edu.
Goal-setting gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. The process of setting goals allows you to choose where you want to go in your personal life as well as your professional career. A life without goals is like a road trip without a map. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you are less likely to get lost, and you will be happier and less frustrated along the way.
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Define what goals mean to you
- Identify the specificity that differentiates goals from wishes or dreams
- Identify the reasons goals sometimes fail
- Describe how you can overcome common pitfalls
- Describe how to write your goals effectively
- Identify how to use a goal-setting worksheet
- Describe your action plan for keeping to your goals
Financial processing deadlines for December
As of 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, the university will officially be closed until Thursday, Jan. 2.
To ensure all financial processing is completed for the month prior to Holiday Closedown, the following items were to have been received by the office listed, no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16:
- Invoice Control Documents (ICDs) - Office of Purchasing
- Payment requests associated with a purchase order - Financial Operations Office/Accounts Payable
- Inter-Organization Transfer Documents (IOTDs) and Correction Requests - Financial Operations Office/Accounts Payable
Expense Reports must be final approved in Chrome River no later than 5 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 19).
Transactions received after the above dates may not be processed until January 2020.
Heating and cooling, personal space heaters, and sustainability
We need your help.
Facilities Services staff continue their work to ensure our campus is in compliance with Policy 11.27/HVAC Systems Standards, which went into effect on Dec. 10, 2018. Please review this policy here.
Based upon standards of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and OSHA recommendations, Policy 11.27 aligns with the best practices used at many colleges and universities. Focused on energy efficiency and comfort, these standards recommend buildings, when occupied, be heated to 68 degrees in the winter, and cooled to 76 degrees in the summer. Studies have determined these temperatures are comfortable for most people who are dressed appropriately for the season.
Many universities suggest students, faculty and staff partner in sustainability efforts by dressing for the season and in layers to help moderate their own personal temperature. Others suggest keeping a blanket or throw at your desk for those particularly cold days. They also suggest considering how office furniture can be rearranged to provide faculty and staff with optimal heating and cooling comfort. (Facilities Services will help rearrange most offices at no charge.)
An important component of the HVAC Systems Standards policy states that space heaters are not allowed on our campus due to their excessive energy consumption, the safety hazards they can create, and their negative impact on the efficiency of HVAC systems. As winter is upon us, we are again asking that faculty and staff remove personal space heaters from our campus. 黑洞社区鈥檚 Space Heater Policy can be viewed here.
Regarding energy consumption, space heaters typically use more energy than your computer, lights, and all your office equipment combined. During the summer of 2014, Stanford鈥檚 Office of Sustainability conducted a plug load equipment inventory which revealed that there were approximately 1,000 space heaters on their campus, creating $150,000 of additional electrical cost annually. Given our approximately $6,000,000 annual utility costs, with just a 5% reduction in consumption we can achieve significant savings.
If you believe a learning or working space on our campus is too hot or cold, it is essential that a work order request be submitted here.
Upon receipt of the work order request, Facilities Services staff will respond and investigate in a timely manner. Should Facilities Services staff determine the space cannot be maintained in compliance with Policy 11.27, temporary use of space heaters will be approved by Facilities Services Fire and Safety staff while repairs are in progress.
Thank you for continuing to work with Facilities Services staff to ensure campuswide compliance with Policy 11.27/HVAC Systems Standards. As partners, we can enhance the success of 黑洞社区鈥檚 sustainability efforts by reducing our energy consumption, lowering our utility costs, and reducing our carbon footprint.
Sign up for Preventing Suicide Training
Looking for something to do while classes are out? Help support your community by taking the #黑洞社区WeSupportU Preventing Suicide Training, where you鈥檒l learn tools such as the Share, Ask, Support method, so that you can aid someone in need.
Sign up through your myTrainings tab in my黑洞社区, or visit to learn more.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers wide variety of services to employees at no charge
As an employee of the state, benefits-eligible employees of 黑洞社区 and their dependents have access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services at no charge. EAP can provide information and connect you with professionals who can help with a wide variety of services, and your use of EAP services is completely confidential.
Some services provided are:
- Connecting with a financial expert for financial related issues and questions
- Legal advice for concerns such as divorce, custody, adoption, real estate, debt, landlord/tenant issues, etc.
- Locating support groups
- Short-term personal counseling services
- Family and parenting questions
- Customized resources and referrals for child and elder care, moving, pet care, home repair, selling a home, college planning and more.
. To check out the EAP services offered, visit the EAP Website at using Company ID: SOKEAP or call EAP at 1-888-275-1205 (option 1).
New Student Wellness Center opening in January
Student Health Services and CAPS are moving to the Steve Clark YMCA building. Both departments will be closed now to Monday, Jan. 6 to pack and relocate. The departments plan to reopen at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6, in the new Student Wellness Center.
Save the date: W-S-YOU on March 28
W-S-YOU for admitted high school seniors and transfer students is an event scheduled for Saturday, March 28. This come-and-go program assists students with the next steps they need to take in order to become an official Shocker. Students are able to meet with financial aid representatives, submit their contracts for housing, sign up for an orientation program, have a discussion with an advisor, and more. Last year, more than 1,100 students and guests attended the event.
One aspect of the program is a Shocker Experience Fair from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the RSC Shirley Beggs Ballroom. It is our hope that the fair will be the 鈥減arty place鈥� and showcase the many opportunities available to our students to get involved. We encourage you to bring hand-outs, giveaway items, displays, etc., for the prospective students. Faculty, staff and students who work the fair will be provided lunch.
If your department would like a table, contact Mandy Harmon, associate director, at mandy.harmon@wichita.edu, to reserve your space.
Meet a Shocker: Noah and Shauna Holloway, education grads
Noah and Shauna Holloway are education majors in the Teacher Apprentice Program at Wichita State.
They are parents of two who took classes while teaching full-time. They earned their degrees with help from family and by working with professors when life intervened.
They graduated together on Sunday after a busy two years as students, teachers and parents.
Shauna and Noah were among more than 1,100 students eligible for fall 2019 graduation. Learn more about their time at Wichita State and what is next for the grads.
Read Noah and Shauna Holloway story.