Clark and Sharon Bastian and the fourth-generation, family-owned Fidelity Bank have
pledged an additional $500,000 to the campaign to build a new home for the W. Frank
Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, supplementing a $1 million
gift made in 2018 to the WSU Foundation.
Clark Bastian is chairman of Fidelity Bank and both he and Sharon Bastian graduated
from Wichita State in the 1970s.
“Sharon and I are grateful for the quality education, fond memories and formative
life lessons that came from our time at Wichita State,” Bastian said. “Through this
gift, our family is helping to build a magnificent space for future generations of
Shockers to experience the boundless opportunities that come from collaboration, innovation
and entrepreneurial pursuits. For us, it is a deep source of pride.”
So far, $31.5 million has been raised in private funds to build Wayne and Kay Woolsey
Hall, named for the Wichita couple who provided the lead gift. The WSU Foundation’s
goal is to raise $35 million from private sources for the $60 million facility, to
be built on WSU’s Innovation Campus. Clark Bastian, who recently completed two terms
on the Foundation’s Board of Directors, is helping to lead fundraising efforts for
the project.
“This remarkable new gift from Clark and Sharon Bastian and Fidelity Bank signifies
their dedication to Wichita State students who will help build our community’s future,”
said WSU Foundation President Elizabeth King. “We are proud to be a trusted partner
in their visionary work to advance our city and region.”
Woolsey Hall will provide a collaborative learning environment that allows Wichita
State to deliver the kind of business education students need to contribute to and
compete in a rapidly evolving job market. Groundbreaking is scheduled for Oct. 22
and the new facility is expected to be completed in spring 2022.
Aaron Bastian, president and CEO of Fidelity Bank, said the bank is pleased to partner
with Wichita State on the business school project.
“The progress of our family business and the city we call home is only possible when
people work together toward a shared vision,” he said. “Woolsey Hall will be so much
more than a building. It will serve as a connecting point for students, businesses
and community partners to learn from each other and nurture the type of innovative
ideas that will help Wichita meet its great potential.”
Wichita State University serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling
more than 20,000 students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries.
Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation
driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in
the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),
Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of
applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one
of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing
over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
