Gleanings

Benders of Twigs
This September, 18 members of Wichita State's faculty and staff were recognized for 25 years of university service - and added to the roster of Benders of Twigs. Named for the way trees grow to light and as students, led by dedicated educators and support staff, grow through education, 2007 Benders of Twigs are: Lisa Belt, dental hygiene; Gary Bequette, WSU police; Karen Brown, biological sciences; Jeri Carroll, curriculum and instruction; Sarah Daugherty, English; Oleta Ewing, RSC reservations; Buma Fridman, mathematics and statistics; James Kelley, campus life and university relations; Patricia Kieffer, curriculum and instruction; Gerald Lichti, liberal arts and sciences; Diane Lincoln, art and design; Abu Masud, industrial and mechanical engineering; Ruth Matz, athletics; Peter Nolasco, custodial maintenance; Michael Papadakis, aerospace engineering; Valerie Peck, counseling, educational and school psychology; Dixie Petersen, curriculum and instruction; Cathy Razook-Ellsworth, cooperative education; and Brigitte Roussel, modern and classical languages and literature.

WSU Enrollment Up
Wichita State, Kansas’ third largest university, welcomed 14,442 students to campus this fall semester, a one percent increase from last year, according to numbers released by the Kansas Board of Regents. The number of international students climbed by 11 percent, while the number of freshmen from Sedgwick County rose by 8.4 percent. A new scholarship program, which offers one-year $2,000 scholarships to Sedgwick County high school seniors who enroll at WSU, is credited in large measure with the rise. Kansas’ two largest universities — the University of Kansas and Kansas State — posted 2007 enrollments of 29,260 and 23,332, respectively.

Refer a Shocker
Do you know someone who would make a great Shocker? A son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild? A student, neighbor or co-worker? An adult friend who’s thinking of going back to school but needs a little encouragement?
If so, Aaron Hamilton ’97 and other WSU Undergraduate Admissions personnel would like to hear from you. “We want to recruit our own. To do so, we need to know who and where they are,” says Hamilton, assistant director of undergraduate admissions. “This website will help us do just that.” The simple, straightforward online form lets you clue admissions pros in on that ideal candidate — with space for extracurricular as well as academic interests. Once they’ve got the info, admissions staff can contact prospective students first rather than waiting for them to make the first move. Everyone loves to feel sought after. By referring a Shocker, you can help the university make these vital connections — and maybe make a perfect match!
— Anna Perleberg

WSU Trustees
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has appointed Denny Senseney ’69/74 and reappointed Joan Beren ’83 and Cindy Schwan ’77/85 to the university’s Board of Trustees. The BOT, established under the 1963 legislation that provided for the university’s entrance into the state system, is unique in the Regents system. This nine-member board, appointed by the governor, oversees the use of the 1.5 mill property tax levied by Sedgwick County. This resource is used to further WSU’s urban mission, including student support and economic development initiatives. Senseney, the newly appointed trustee, lives in Wichita and is president of Senseney Music Inc., which provides products and services to musicians of all ages. A former music teacher, he has served as president of the National Association of School Music Dealers. In 2004, he served on Sebelius’ Business Education Partnership.

Beyond Words

Dancer and actor Taye Diggs and collaborator, Andrew Palermo, were in residence at WSU this September, putting student dancers through their paces. Diggs and Palermo created a new work specifically for WSU dancers. Called “Beyond Words,” the dance was presented in a free public performance Sept. 15 in Wilner Auditorium. Diggs and Palermo, who each have stellar Broadway credentials, grew up together in Rochester, N.Y., and formed a contemporary dance company three years ago. Nicholas Johnson, WSU’s director of dance, relates that the Diggs-Palermo residency wasn’t typical because of the celebrity of the two. But, he adds, “in the end, that has had no impact on the students. They were totally ready to learn the choreography and do the best job that they can.”

Bravo! Bravo-Elizondo
Pedro Bravo-Elizondo, professor of Latin American literature, film and culture, is being recognized this December for his outstanding intellectural work. He has been invited to participate in the Second Meeting of Historians to observe the 100th anniversary of the workers massacre at the Santa Maria School in Iquique, Chile. Bravo-Elizondo has published works about the 1907 massacre, and was designated a member of the Committee of Honor for his work. Other panelists will include historians from Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Peru and the United States.

Sigma Delta Pi: Honor Chapter
Wichita State’s chapter of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, earned the Honor Chapter Award for its outstanding 2006-07 actitivies. Only 13 of 546 chapters were presented this award. Assistant professors Maria Akrabova and Kerry Wilks are chapter advisors. They explain that award recognition is based on the caliber of projects that reflect the Sigma Delta Pi mission of honoring excellence in the study of the Spanish language, contributing to cultural understanding and upholding the goals of the society. Among chapter activities that garnered the national praise were “Movements and Manners in the Golden Age,” a workshop about 17th century Spanish culture; !Viva la expresión!, a night of Hispanic poetry; and a trio of Hispanic movies, collectively dubbed Ciclo de Cine.
— Molly Walsh

RSC Director to Retire
Bill Smith, director of WSU’s Rhatigan Student Center since 1978, has announced his retirement effective Jan. 31, 2008. Smith is only the second director in the history of the student center, which opened in 1959. A national search will be conducted to find a replacement. As director, Smith is responsible for providing leadership for a facility with a budget of $9 million and 100 employees. His many professional honors include the 2005 Distinguished Service Award, presented by the WSU Alumni Association.

Arts Educator
Wichita’s Arts Council is celebrating its 38th Annual Art Awards in October. Among the 2007 award recipients is John Boyd, WSU School of Art and Design professor, who will be honored with the council’s Art Educator Award. While Boyd’s prints and drawings reside in more than twenty-five institutional collections and garner high praise, the art educator consistently relates that high on his own list of accomplishments is simply the feeling of pride he gets when one of his former students goes on to a fulfilling arts career. “Art,” he says, “is a difficult area to have success in.”

In Search of a New Dean
Gary Miller, provost and vice president for academic affairs and research, has announced that Peter Cohen, dean of the College of Health Professions, will chair the national search for the new dean of the Barton School of Business.
In the meantime, W. Bartley Hildreth, the Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance at Wichita State since 1994, has been named interim dean of the business school. John Beehler, the dean since fall 2000, has left WSU to become associate provost for economic initiatives and the dean of the College of Business at Northern Kentucky University, located near Cincinnati.

Guess Who’s Turning 50?
The Hugo Wall School, which is housed in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and serves as the academic home for the Master of Public Administration degree, the Center for Urban Studies and the Kansas Public Finance Center, will turn 50 years old in 2008.