DEAR FELLOW SHOCKERS, there are many changes to be excited about on campus this semester and looking forward to 2016. One of them is the progress being made on our Innovation Campus, where we have two buildings taking shape.
One is our first partnership building, a 90,000-square-foot building that will bring Airbus to campus.
The other is our 142,661-square-foot Experiential Engineering Building, which will house a number of centers of innovation, including the 3DExperience Center and a new makerspace. This past October, our planned makerspace gained a clearer identity –– and a name.
GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative, is the name of this state-of-the-art, 15,000-foot space, which I think is going to be a real game changer for Wichita State and the wider community. GoCreate is going to be a location where people can meet, collaborate and make things happen.
It will be part manufacturing plant, part design studio and part garage workshop. It’s a place where creative people of all ages and skill levels will have access to sophisticated equipment and training, shared work spaces and a supportive community.
I’m confident that GoCreate is going to be a launch pad for innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and technology, and a catalyst for business creation and economic growth. Koch Industries and the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation pledged a $3.75 million gift to the WSU Foundation to support this makerspace.
The Experiential Engineering Building is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2016 and to be available for full academic use of its numerous learning laboratories beginning in spring 2017. It’s going to be an exciting resource for the campus and our community. Both memberships and scholarships are available, and I invite you to engage with us and follow our progress at GoCreate.com. I also challenge you to make use of our makerspace: “Go Create!”
I’m also excited to take this opportunity to introduce you to Marché Fleming-Randle, assistant dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, whom I’ve appointed to our university’s executive team and charged to serve as an assistant to the president for diversity.
Since I returned to WSU four years ago, Dr. Fleming-Randle has consistently provided me with wise counsel on a variety of academic, student affairs and employee matters. She is well respected throughout the university for her high standards and sound advice. I thought it was time to officially bring her voice to the table to help the university move forward on these important matters.
Marché came to Wichita State in 2007. As assistant dean, she has been responsible for student services planning and implementation, encompassing undergraduate recruitment activity, the enrollment process, and matriculation to degree completion. She consults with faculty and students on academic issues. She is also an ethnic studies lecturer. She has also received a number of awards and honors.
She was recognized with the WSU Office of Multicultural Affairs 2010 Phenomenal Woman Award and TRIO Disability Support Services 2010 Lighthouse Award for Faculty of the Year. She is a Fellow of WSU’s Leadership Academy and was recognized in 2013 with a Unity Award for her commitment to diversity at Wichita State.
And I’m excited to share with you just a few of our 2016 plans for alumni gatherings outside of Wichita. With the WSU Foundation taking the lead and in partnership with the WSU Alumni Association, we have the following events scheduled for January and are looking forward to having you join us, if you live in one of these areas:
Shocker Gathering at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Mo., beginning at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 7: Joining me in Kansas City from the university will be Rodney Miller, dean of the WSU College of Fine Arts; Elizabeth King, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation; and Courtney M. Marshall, president and CEO of the WSU Alumni Association.
Shocker Men’s Basketball Watch Party in Orange County, Calif., tipping off at 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23: Joining me from the university at this alumni and university friends get-together will be Elizabeth, Courtney and Anand Desai, dean of the Barton School of Business.
Shocker Men’s Basketball Watch Party in San Jose, Calif., starting at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27: Joining me from the university at this alumni and university friends get-together will be Elizabeth, Courtney and Royce Bowden, dean of the engineering school.
Back in the fall of 2014 in my first message in The Shocker magazine, I shared some thoughts on matters of importance in alumni affairs and offered a few suggestions about priorities for WSU Alumni Association programming as we go forward.
One of those was this: “Rebuild national alumni chapters and grow the number of chapters. All major U.S. cities with a concentration of alums should have an active chapter, with a board and regular schedule of activities.” I’m excited to see that the WSU Alumni Association is working hand-in-hand with the WSU Foundation in mapping out alumni concentrations and organizing events that will draw Wichita State alumni and university friends together – wherever it is they call home.
It’s an exciting time to be a Shocker!
