Category: Faculty and Staff Resources

The WSU Spark Society is now accepting applications for its 2026-27 academic year scholarship.

Preference for the scholarship will be given to single family head of household student(s) (undergraduate or graduate) with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Recipients must be enrolled in at least six credit hours per semester in the semesters they receive awards. Two scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded.

WSU Spark Society, formerly Women of WSU, formed in July 2018 when the Wichita State University Women’s Association (WSU Dames), founded in 1928, and the Council of University Women (CUW), founded in 1930, merged. The purpose of the group is to serve the interests of WSU by providing student scholarships and promoting member involvement and university interaction.

If you qualify, complete the online application through ScholarshipUniverse by searching for “WSU Spark Society.” Applications are due by April 1, 2026.

Higher education has seen many challenges to its value and the validity of expertise in recent years. How do academics push back against this rising narrative? The Office of Faculty Advancement, Retention, and Excellence (FARE) will host a Faculty Support Network discussion from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 in 102C McKinley Hal over “The Attack on Higher Education: What is our Response?” Snacks and drinks are provided.

Faculty Support Network events are facilitated by Dr. Rhonda Lewis, community psychology professor, and are intended to be a safe place for faculty to discuss challenging and sensitive topics that affect their work. The Nov. 13 event will create space for discussion around recent changes affecting the academic community, including enrollment declines, policies affecting international students and faculty, the devaluing of expertise, and more.

Email rhonda.lewis@wichita.edu for more information.

The Faculty Ombuds program can clarify policies, explain available university resources and guide you to the right place to address your concern. Sometimes the hardest part is knowing where to start — let the Ombuds help.

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 the student experience.

• Students will receive an email and notification on Blackboard when an evaluation is open.
• Students can access the evaluation through Blackboard and through links provided in an email sent during the CES collection window.
• When students login to the CES system, they will see a table containing evaluation information. This table will show which evaluations are completed along with the date and time. It will also show upcoming evaluations with the dates they are scheduled to open. 
• Students will see regular pop-up notifications in Blackboard during the CES evaluation time window.
• Students will receive a certificate of completion for each evaluation that is submitted.
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

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

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.

Faculty juggle many responsibilities between teaching, research and service. The next installment of the FARE New Faculty On-Ramp will host a panel of veteran faculty to share insights into how they’ve learned to effectively manage their time and tasks. The gathering will be noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 in 262 Rhatigan Student Center, Herrman Room. Faculty in their first two years at WSU are welcome to attend.

The panel, moderated by David Eichhorn, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senior associate dean, will feature:

• Jay Price, professor of history
• Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, assistant dean of the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College and assistant professor of organizational leadership & learning
• Carolyn Shaw, professor of political science

Faculty coming to/from class are welcome to arrive late or leave early as needed for classes. Bring your lunch if you’d like, and FARE will provide dessert, snacks and beverages. If you’d like to be added to the Outlook calendar invite for the event, email fare@wichita.edu.

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.

Join the first meeting of the WSU Faculty/Staff Club from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 at Club 95 in Partnership Building 11. The event will feature the College of Health Professions, the College of Fine Arts and University Libraries with a rotating slide presentation. There will also be three live presentations starting at 4:30 p.m.:

• Dr. M’Lisa Sheldon will present on the state of access to care and rehabilitation for children in local school districts.
• Ed Baker will present “Replace Fear of the Unknown With Curiosity,” centered on the power of curiosity to overcome fear and unlock human creativity and growth.
• Brent Mai will present “The Volga Germans of Kansas,” a niche group of ethnic Germans who spent 110 years living on the Russian steppe before migrating to the plains of Kansas in 1876 and who have had a significant impact on all things Kansan.

Come have fun and enjoy the company of your colleagues as well as some good music, food and drink.

In preparation for migration to a new Integrated Library System (ILS), in February 2025, WSU Libraries became a member of MOBIUS, a consortium of 65 academic libraries stretching from Iowa to Texas. The new ILS would manage all of WSU Libraries’ resources regardless of format.

WSU adopted the open-source FOLIO platform, and following months of planning and testing, went live with the new system Sept. 16. Later this fall, phase two of this implementation will launch OpenRS which will provide WSU researchers with access to over 30 million items and streamline delivery of materials across the consortia.

Brent Mai, dean of WSU Libraries, noted that adopting FOLIO will advance the university’s student-centered and innovation driven mission by not only improving management of extant resources but also by expanding resource accessibility for WSU students and faculty.

“Joining MOBIUS opens new doors for our students and faculty to access resources and collaborate with their colleagues at peer and aspirant institutions across the region,” Dean Mai said. “Coupled with our adoption of FOLIO, we are positioning the WSU Libraries to deliver innovative, sustainable library services that support the libraries’ unique role in fostering teaching and learning and advancing research and scholarship.”

Student Health Services has flu vaccines available for WSU students, faculty and staff. Cost is $25 plus administration fee but may be free with your health insurance benefits (all plans are different). Financial assistance for self-pay students may be available for the administration fee. Walk-in to the Student Wellness Center 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday for your flu vaccine before cold and flu season.

Student Health Services is also hosting two upcoming pop-up flu shot clinics:

• 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the Woolsey Hall atrium
• 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in the lobby of The Flats