Wichita State鈥檚 engineering graduate programs are now the highest ranked in Kansas
In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings of universities offering a Ph.D. in engineering, the College of Engineering at 黑洞社区 is again ranked in the top 100 engineering graduate programs, the only institution from the state of Kansas to make it in the top 100.
The are based on a number of factors including reputation among peer institutions and industry recruiters, student selectivity, faculty resources and research expenditures 鈥� an area where Wichita State far outperforms peers. A recently released total engineering research expenditures ranked Wichita State 54th in the nation, well ahead of any other institution in Kansas.
Impressively, Wichita State鈥檚 rank 鈥� 94th 鈥� is tied with a number of state 鈥渇lagship鈥� universities, including the University of Missouri, the University of Kentucky and the University of Nebraska 鈥� Lincoln. This is particularly noteworthy given Wichita State鈥檚 urban-serving role. In fact, less than a third of the top 100 engineering programs 鈥� Wichita State included 鈥� are located in one of the country鈥檚 200 largest cities.
Changes to your HSA/HRA/FSA for 2020 due to CARES Act
Due to the recent CARES Act legislation, there have been some updates to how you can use your HSA, HRA and/or Healthcare FSA funds. Updates include the ability to use funds for over-the-counter (OTC) medications without a prescription, and for menstrual care products. These changes are retroactively effective to Jan. 1, 2020.
Your NueSynergy debit card may not immediately work for purchases of these items as merchants are in the process of updating their systems to accommodate these changes, but you are able to pay out-of-pocket and submit reimbursement requests through the NueSynergy .
You can find more information from NueSynergy at . If you have more specific questions about eligible purchases, you can reach NueSynergy directly at 1-855-750-9440 for further assistance. When calling, identify yourself as a State of Kansas employee, and be prepared to provide your SHaRP ID (found by logging in to my黑洞社区 and hovering the mouse over the white box in the 鈥淪HaRP ID鈥� channel).
Loaner mifi (wireless internet) device return
As the semester comes to an end, please return the mifi devices that were rented out by ITS Telecommunications. These can be returned to the Media Resources Center. Please contact them at 316-978-3588 or cms@wichita.edu when you come to drop off your device so they can let you in the building and get your check-out sheet ready for you to sign the device in.
If you are needing to mail the device back, please mail it to:
黑洞社区
ITS Telecommunications
1845 Fairmount, Box 61
Wichita, KS 67260
ITS Telecommunications will deactivate devices on Monday, June 1, unless notified that you are taking / teaching summer courses, or are a staff member who will continue working remotely and needs the device active.
If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please email us at telecomservices@wichita.edu or respond directly to the TDX ticket you have open for the device rental.
If you still need a device for summer coursework, please .
USS & UP joint senate meeting set for May 19
The USS and UP Senates joint meeting will be held via Zoom at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. All meetings are open to the campus community. If you are interested in joining the meeting, please email Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu for details on how to attend.
Wichita laboratory scientist gives inside perspective on the fight against COVID-19
Sarah Nickel is an assistant professor working at Wichita State, who also works for Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital.
Nickel receives samples from dedicated nurses working in a unit that specifically deals with COVID-19 cases. Once Nickel receives the samples, she outsources the results from independent laboratories.
Pictured above: Dr. Sarah Nickel teaches her students in the medical lab at 黑洞社区 before COVID-19 social distancing measures were put in place.
Join the Student Government Association's final Virtual Town Hall of this spring semester
Join the Student Government Association as we host our final Virtual Town Hall of this spring semester at 2 p.m. today (Thursday, May 14), live on YouTube, moderated by Student Body President Rija Khan. The panel will include University President Dr. Jay Golden, Provost Dr. Muma, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Teri Hall and Dr. Carolyn Speer, Manager, Instructional Design And Access
The Town Hall will be hosted on the .
We will accept questions live during the Virtual Town Hall, but to submit a question ahead of time, .
Virtual Celebration set for Saturday, May 16
We look forward to honoring the spring and summer 2020 graduates with Wichita State University鈥檚 first ever Virtual Celebration beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 16! We invite you to visit the commencement website at that time, or thereafter, to watch prerecorded congratulatory remarks from the University President, Provost, Deans, and Alumni Association.
Participating graduates will have a custom slide posted within the event link, showcasing the photo and message they鈥檝e provided. You鈥檒l also be able to hear their name read aloud. A 鈥淰irtual Celebration Recognition List鈥� will be posted with the names of the eligible spring / summer 2020 graduates, their degrees, and honors.
We hope you鈥檒l join us in celebrating these graduates from the comfort of your home.
If you鈥檇 like to post a congratulatory remark to a student on social media, please use #2020WichitaStateGrad!
Go to Spring 2020 Commencement and click on 鈥淰irtual Celebration!鈥�
HealthQuest May 2020 newsletter
You can find the HealthQuest May 2020 newsletter here.
Highlights include:
- Keep Calm and Sweat On Challenge: Sign up by Monday, May 25 in the . Challenge runs from now through June 19.
- Naturally Slim: Sign up by Friday, May 15 at .
- Health News: Melanoma Awareness Month, Understanding Your Blood Pressure
- Support During the COVID-19 Crisis through the Employee Assistance Program
State Employee Health Plan Updates in response to COVID-19
Governor Laura Kelly announced four provisions on March 13, 2020 that have been extended through June 30, 2020 for employees and dependents enrolled in medical insurance through the State Employee Health Plan.
- SEHP will cover medically necessary diagnostic tests that are consistent with CDC guidance related to the COVID-19 at no cost share to member, where it is not covered as part of the Public Health Service response.
- SEHP will allow early refills on 30 or 90-day prescription medications and/or allow
members to use their mail order benefit.
Read full story
- Given the nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, seeking in person medical care has the potential to further spread the virus. SEHP partners with Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas to provide Telehealth services with a virtual doctor鈥檚 office. There is 24/7/365 access to this service. The member cost share will be waived for any Telehealth service. In addition to telehealth services provided by Teledoc or Amwell, the member cost share will also be waived for services from your in-network physician that are billed as telehealth services.
- For plan participants that reside in the Topeka area, the HealthQuest Health Center available to members enrolled in the health plan, is located at 901 S. Kansas Ave., Topeka
- Phone screening is recommended before going to the center: 785-783-4080
- If a patient walks into the clinic, they will have them put on a mask and clean their hands with hand sanitizer. The health center staff will evaluate the patient鈥檚 symptoms and recommend they isolate if the initial findings and/or symptoms present are a positive indicator for the virus.
- Testing is not available at the health center for COVID-19 and the clinic will refer all patients that meet the risk criteria to the local health department for testing and further evaluation.
For all up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and the 黑洞社区 campus, please visit .
Get your Blackboard classes ready for summer and fall with IDA鈥檚 help
Instructional Design and Access is offering hands-on workshops to help instructors prepare for online/remote delivery of their course content for this summer and fall. Workshops are scheduled May 12-14 and May 19-21, and run for three hours each. Instructors are invited to sign up through MyTraining. All workshops will be offered through Zoom and have no in-person attendance requirement. There are three workshops to choose from:
*"Remote/Online Instructor: First Steps" is designed for instructors who have never used Blackboard and/or Zoom in a significant way.
*"Remote/Online instructor: Intermediate Steps" is designed for instructors who have used (or have been trained in) Blackboard and/or Zoom some, and are now ready to master more tools and learn how to troubleshoot problems.
*"Remote/Online Instructor: Course Building" is for instructors who would like to work on building their courses while an instructional designer is 鈥渘earby鈥� to help. Instructors signing up for the Course Building workshop will be given a Blackboard course template to help get them started.
If you can鈥檛 attend workshops next week, don鈥檛 worry! These will be offered throughout the summer as well as part of our summer-long "Academic Resources Conference" training events.
If you have any questions about these workshops or want to request specific trainings to be added to the Academic Resources Conference, please reach out to Instructional Design and Access at IDA@wichita.edu.
Celebrating high school seniors on social media
High school seniors missed out on many celebratory aspects of their senior year. While we can鈥檛 fill all the holes left by the current global situation, we wanted to do our best to celebrate the senior class as they complete their high school career and transition to us as Shockers.
The admissions team reached out to several high school seniors to see if they would be interested in being featured on the Wichita State Admissions social media channels. They each sent in a senior photo along with a list of high school accomplishments. Once the first six students were posted, the response was overwhelming!
So far on the and accounts, these posts have reached 17,397 people and had 537 likes with many shares and comments as well.
If you know a high school senior who is planning on attending Wichita State and would like to be featured, have them send us a senior photo through any of our social media handles along with a list of their high school accolades!
Participants sought for undergraduate research, please share with your students
I am recruiting study participants for my Experiences with Language and Schooling Research Project. This is undergraduate research. Upon completion of the interview, they will also be able to enter a drawing for a $50 gift card. Please help by sharing the following information to your classes:
Experiences with Spanish and Schooling Research Project
Would you like the chance to win a $50 gift card?
Participate in our study. Interviews will last about 60 minutes and will be conducted to examine the school experiences of students from Spanish speaking backgrounds in terms of language and identity. To participate you must be 18 years or older and have attended a U.S. public school at some point in your academic career. We are looking for Hispanic participants from Spanish-speaking backgrounds, whether you speak Spanish yourself or were just raised in a Spanish-speaking environment. All responses will be confidential.
If you are interested, contact cizacarias@shockers.wichita.edu or jennifer.pearson@wichita.edu for more information.
Enjoy free online self-paced courses!
黑洞社区 Office of Workforce, Professional and Community Education in partnership with Ed2Go is excited to announce free professional development opportunities to the community. Ten free self-paced tutorial courses are now offered to you at no cost!
Free self-paced courses include:
How to Register
To register and view the courses, . To take advantage of this special opportunity, you must select the courses titled, FREE Self-Paced Tutorial.
Courses are available through June 30, 2020.
For more information or questions, contact jennifer.harry@wichita.edu
Shocker Celebration Sale
We know graduation may look different this year, but you may be looking for gifts to honor a graduating Shocker! The Shocker Store is hosting a Shocker Celebration Sale online at from now to Saturday, May 16. You can save up to 25% off select alumni and graduation merchandise. Sale may not be combined with other discounts or promotions.
黑洞社区 Parking Services will again enforce faculty / staff parking
Starting Tuesday, May 26, 黑洞社区 Parking Services will again enforce faculty / staff parking on campus. This means that anyone parking in a lot designated as Faculty / Staff parking (signified by yellow signage at the lot entrances), must have a valid ePermit registered through the Shocker Parking Management System.
Those who had an epermit for faculty / staff parking before the shutdown and have not requested any changes to their epermit need not take any further action.
Access to the Shocker Parking Management System is through the tab labeled 鈥渆Permits鈥� on your my黑洞社区 home page. Reserved parking (as signified by red signage) and ADA parking will also continue to be enforced. Parking in student lots (signified by green signage at the lot entrances) and overflow lots (signified by green / yellow-striped signage at the lot entrances) will remain free until further notice.
Should anyone need help in purchasing an ePermit, contact the OneStop office at 855-978-1787. For in-person assistance, the Parking Office located inside the Police Department will be open from 10 a.m.-noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays now through May 22, and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays starting Tuesday, May 26.
Faculty and staff who wish to park in lots designated as Faculty / Staff will need to fill out this form for parking payroll deduction.
Let Your Fellow Shockers Know That They're #NotAlone | 黑洞社区 CAPS
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year, Counseling and Prevention Services needs your help! Let your fellow Shockers know that they're #NotAlone and that you're thinking of them by throwing on your #黑洞社区WeSupportU suspenders T-shirt and posting a picture or a video with #NotAlone and #黑洞社区WeSupportU. While you're at it, tag us at @ShockersCAPS so we can share your post and let as many Shockers see it as possible. If you don't have a suspenders T-shirt, just write #黑洞社区WeSupportU on a sheet of picture and make sure it's in frame.
Shocker Support Locker continues to provide resources during pandemic
Opened in February 2016, the Shocker Support Locker at 黑洞社区 provides free nutritional and functional resources to students, faculty and staff who need them. The locker aims to alleviate food insecurity on campus and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the 黑洞社区 community.
What started out as a small food pantry, has blossomed into a resource that has helped more than 5,600 visitors since the end of 2018 alone. Today, the locker provides a range of nonperishable food items, personal hygiene products and 鈥� newly added 鈥� baby care supplies, including food, formula, diapers and wipes.
Starting May 26, a limited supply of cloth masks purchased by 黑洞社区 and made by GoCreate, a Koch collaborative, will be available at the locker, as well as the RSC info desk and the Shocker Hall front desk.
Pictured above: Collin Munson, the Shocker Support Locker graduate assistant, organizes cans inside the food locker.
Invitation Extended by Councilman Brandon Johnson, Wichita City Council, District 1
Attention Shockers!
Do you want to add your voice to conversations about community development happening both near and around our campus?!
Do you know what Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) are and how they can help support the needs of 黑洞社区鈥檚 students, faculty, staff and neighbors?
Do you believe that it is important for those who live, work, or play in the community to have a voice in what happens there?
During the next six weeks, a committed group of community residents will host Virtual CBA Focus Groups to discuss all these questions and more.
Sign up today to participate and have your voice be heard!
Public service reminder from the 黑洞社区 Police Department
Traffic is much lighter than normal on campus right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, motorists need to be reminded that when driving on campus, the speed limit is still the same, 20 mph. Slow down and be safe for those who are walking or driving on campus.
Meet a Shocker: Rachel Wiebe, exercise science major
Rachel Wiebe will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in exercise science. She plans to continue her education at 黑洞社区 to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
"I believe my most helpful learning experience resulted from holding the president position on the Pre-Physical Therapy Organization executive board," Rachel said.
Rachel Wiebe is one of more than 2,400 students eligible for spring/summer 2020 graduation. Learn more about her time at Wichita State and what is next for the grad.