Category: Faculty and Staff Resources

All faculty and teaching staff are invited to an American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapter meeting for updates on campus issues. The meeting will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21 in 257 Rhatigan Student Center, Ashton/Bridges Room.

Bring a friend or two for updates on events around the campus and state. For questions or a link to a zoom remote link, contact AAUP chapter secretary, George Dehner, via email at george.dehner@wichita.edu.

Jonathan Cross and Stephen Cross Jr., investment adviser representatives with Voya Financial, will be available for in-person meetings at Wichita State Dec. 4. Faculty and staff can get one-on-one advising and review their Voya Financial accounts as part of their KBOR retirement plan, or new employees can receive assistance in enrolling in their KBOR plan.

If you are interested in meeting with Jonathan or Stephen, you can schedule a time to meet and select the “Wichita State University / One-On-One Financial Counseling” while selecting your location. Time slots are limited, so reserve a time soon. For questions, you can call Voya Financial Advisors at 316-686-2428.

Periodically, information will be posted regarding Watermark’s Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) tool to help users better understand Wichita State’s course evaluation tool.

Today’s focus is on response rate.

• A response rate widget will appear on the instructor’s dashboard when the semester’s project starts. However, data for a course may not appear until that course evaluation is available to the students.
• In the list below, there are some suggestions to potentially increase response rates and receive useful and constructive feedback.
  • Designate time in class for students to complete evaluations.
  • Add a blurb about course evaluations in the syllabus.
  • Let students know that you value their honest and constructive feedback and tell them how you use their feedback.
  • When evaluations open for the course, remind students that they are available.
  • Remind students that evaluations are completely anonymous, and results are not available until after grades are turned in to the Registrar’s office.
  • It is best to complete the evaluations sooner in the evaluation period rather than later. Blackboard will be affected if the student has not taken some action regarding the evaluation towards the end of the administration period.
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

For questions, contact Sandra Ranney at evaluations@ces.wichita.edu.

Faculty in their first three years as WSU are invited to join the Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence’s (FARE) New Faculty On-Ramp from noon to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in 262 Rhatigan Student Center, Herrman Room for a panel on tenure and promotion for tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty.

The panel will feature faculty from across the university who have served on T&P panels and will provide valuable insights into the promotion process at WSU.

For more information, contact fare@wichita.edu.

Faculty, if you have not already done so, submit your spring 2026 textbook requests to the Shocker Store. The latest Access Now requests will be accepted is Sunday, Nov. 30.

Requests for course materials to be in the Access Now program will be accepted via email at lisa.fitzsimmons@wichita.edu, in person in the RSC Shocker Store or campus mail at Box 55. For any questions or concerns, contact the Shocker Store at shockerstore.books@wichita.edu or 316-978-7032.

Applications are now being accepted for undergraduate research support during the spring semester from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) program. Students in this program are supported with an hourly wage for a ten-week period and mentors are allocated funds for lab supplies.

To be eligible, students must identify a mentor and a research lab in which to work. For full announcement and eligibility requirements, email Meris Carte, research laboratory manager for biological sciences, at meris.carte@wichita.edu. Applications are due at end of day Nov. 20.

Faculty in their first two years at WSU are invited to join a casual social hour(s) with the Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence (FARE) from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 at Social Tap in Braeburn Square. Order yourself a drink, appetizer, dinner or even just water and come get to know your colleagues. Come and go as needed.

Email fare@wichita.edu for more details, or reach out to one of the faculty organizers: Fiona Holly, Kate Compton or Haley Schroer.

The table below is to assist instructors with certain dates regarding CES. The dates shown are for the fall 2025 semester.

• The first column includes the various start/end (part-of-term) dates for fall semester courses.
• The second column includes dates meant for instructors. This is the timeframe when instructors will receive emails about the CES process and procedures that they should complete. Instructors will receive additional emails during and after the student CES access dates.
• The last column includes the dates that CES will be available for the students to complete course evaluations.

If your course is in bold, then your fall 2025 CES evaluation process will start soon. Review the start/end dates in each column so you know when your access to the CES system will start and end.

The table below is to assist instructors with certain dates regarding CES. The dates shown are for the fall 2025 semester.

• The first column includes the various start/end (part-of-term) dates for fall semester courses.
• The second column includes dates meant for instructors. This is the timeframe when instructors will receive emails about the CES process and procedures that they should complete. Instructors will receive additional emails during and after the student CES access dates.
• The last column includes the dates that CES will be available for the students to complete course evaluations.

If your course is in bold, then your fall 2025 CES evaluation process will start soon. Review the start/end dates in each column so you know when your access to the CES system will start and end.

Justin Pierce, financial consultant with TIAA, will be on campus for in-person meetings Nov. 18 and 19. Schedule a time to meet with Justin Pierce.