Our Time
Wichita State has launched a new multimedia campaign that, as WSU President John Bardo explains, “touches the head and heart by focusing on the individual journeys that begin at WSU.”
Called “Our Time,” the campaign includes traditional newspaper and TV advertising, plus web-based advertising and new content on WSU’s website and social medial channels. Developed by WSU Strategic Communications staff, the visuals of the promotional pieces highlight — shoes, a symbolic image of the life-changing journey that is higher education at Wichita State.
Global Trading Center
With the Sept. 19, opening of the Koch Global Trading Center, students are getting the kind of applied learning experience that WSU’s strategic plan promises. Students who take classes at the trading center have access to live market data and market research that come from the same sources that professionals use. The center, located in Clinton Hall, features a 60-foot-long digital financial ticker, continuously showing stock prices.
Researching Ballistics
The National Institute for Aviation Research has opened a Ballistics and Impact Dynamics Research Lab in the former Britt Brown Arena at the Kansas Coliseum. The new lab, part of NIAR’s environmental test labs, uses a custom built ballistic firing device to propel 22-50 caliber rounds into components inside a concrete containment building. The lab, led by director Paul Jonas, was designed to better understand the dynamics of impact and material performance.
Our Shocker Deans
With so many changes going on at Wichita State, it’s sometimes difficult to keep on top of what’s what and who’s who. This is a fall 2014 listing of WSU deans; some are veterans of the position, some are brand-new:
Shirley Lefever-Davis was named dean of the College of Education in October. She came to WSU in July 2005 to serve as department chair for curriculum and instruction.
Ron Matson, longtime chair of WSU’s sociology department, was named dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in November.
James Jordan-Wagner has been interim dean of the Barton School of Business since September. He has been a fixed income analyst, a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University and dean of the College of Business at Tennessee Technological University.
Sandra Bibb, dean of the College of Health Professions, arrived at WSU in August from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where she was associate dean for faculty affairs in the Graduate School of Nursing.
Royce Bowden, dean of the College of Engineering, came to WSU in January 2014 from Mississippi State, where he was associate dean for academic affairs at the Bagley College of Engineering.
Kimberly Engber, dean of the Honors College since January 2014, previously served as director of the Emory Lindquist Honors Program.
Rodney Miller, dean of the College of Fine Arts since 2004, is a veteran of the professional operatic stage.
Abu Masud, Boeing Global Engineering Professor in industrial and manufacturing engineering, is interim dean of the Graduate School.
Christine Schneikart-Luebbe, associate vice president of student engagement and dean of students, has been at WSU since 1994.
Don Gilstrap, dean of University Libraries since 2011, oversees all of the university’s collections, library locations, online services, staff and operations.
Celebrating 25 Years
As WSU’s Elliott School of Communication celebrates its 25th anniversary, Matthew Cecil is celebrating his second year as director. An innovation leader in experiential learning for a quarter-century and counting, the Elliott School serves as a model of the best way to teach and learn communication.
Under Cecil’s leadership, the ESC is focused on expanding its hands-on approach. “We’ve got all the advantages here,” Cecil reports. “A faculty that believes in experiential learning, a community that understands it and an administration that rewards it. We’ve got all the pieces to make this the premier experiential communication program in the country.”
— Travis Gillespie
Pitts Veteran Center
On Nov. 7, Wichita State dedicated and renamed its year-old veteran center in honor of Riley Pitts ’60, the first African-American officer to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Pitts, who lost his life in Vietnam in 1967, also has been posthumously recognized with the WSU Alumni Association’s 1997 Achievement Award. Wichita State’s newly christened Captain Riley Leroy Pitts Military and Veteran Student Center is located in Room 107 of Lindquist Hall.
