2025 Wichita State University Annual Report: Partnerships and Engagement

Wichita State advances partnership and engagement by collaborating closely with industry, education, health care, and community organizations to expand high quality learning opportunities and meet Kansas’ rapidly evolving workforce needs. Through initiatives like the Healthy Corner Store Initiative, WSU works with local businesses and organizations to improve food access and strengthen neighborhood economies, while partnerships with Groover Labs to connect students and faculty with entrepreneurs to support real-world innovation, prototyping, and applied learning through the ACCELKS grant program.

The university also strengthens regional talent pipelines through collaborative education pathways such as the Future Teacher Academy with WSU Tech and Wichita Public Schools, which creates seamless 2+2 academic pathways that expand access to teacher preparation and provide paid, classroom-based applied learning for students. In health care, Wichita State’s longstanding relationship with Ascension Via Christi supports the development of the Wichita Biomedical Campus and expands interprofessional education, clinical training, and workforce development across nursing and allied health fields.

Additional initiatives — including a joint feasibility study with Fort Hays State University to address Kansas’ critical dental care shortage — demonstrate WSU’s commitment to building statewide partnerships that broaden educational access and respond to community needs. Combined with strong student participation in course-based applied learning, paid applied learning positions across hundreds of companies, and robust 2+2 articulation agreements that strengthen transfer pathways, Wichita State’s partnerships create a collaborative ecosystem that drives opportunity, innovation, and economic prosperity across Kansas.

• Employed students are defined as:

1. 1. Degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any time during the academic term and holding employment in any defined employee class who receives payroll from WSU and

   2. Degree-seeking undergraduate and graduates students who are non-enrolled for the academic term but are employed in defined student employment classes and receiving payroll from WSU. ICAA student employment classes are excluded. Employed student positions (jobs) may include applied learning activities.

• The term "Employed Student" should not be confused with "Student Employment." "Student Employment" refers to a set of defined employee classes that are only eligible to students whereas "Employed Students" include students employed in any employee class including student employment classes.
• For the "Approximate Total Number of Positions Held by WSU Students" metric, students may be counted multiple times.
• Student employment figures are approximate and include on- and off-campus positions, co-ops and internships and applied learning experiences.

• WSU's Community Engagement Institute helps bring fresh food to Wichita's neighborhoods
• Ascension Via Christi names School of Nursing at Wichita State University
• WSU Board of Trustees approves feasibility study for dental school in partnership with FHSU
• Groover Labs grant to boost innovation opportunities for Wichita State students
• Wichita State joins other institutions in receiving renewed $20 million grant for generative AI R&D
• Wichita State, WSU Tech, Wichita Public Schools partner to support Kansas' teacher workforce