Wichita State University will participate in Festi-Ful — one of the nation’s largest street food festivals, taking place across 300 U.S. colleges and universities — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. today, Friday, Sept. 24 at 2020 Perimeter Road near Shocker Hall on the WSU campus.

Festi-Ful is the first signature event from Chartwells’ Joy-Ful program, a year-long campaign aimed at welcoming students back to campus in a memorable way after a year of campus closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone is welcome to attend the event.

In partnership with Chartwells Higher Education, Wichita State’s foodservice provider, WSU students will join 300 other schools in simultaneous celebration of the return to campus through a nationwide street food festival.

“The event is meant to make students feel a sense of connectedness with hundreds of thousands of other students across the country,” said Matthew Pray, WSU senior director of dining services. “It also aims to bring students back together to celebrate friendship and rekindle a sense of community on campus.”

In addition to offering students a variety of street food, the event will include street fair activities, a cooking competition from celebrity Chef Jet Tila, broadcast live from Louisiana State University’s campus on Chartwells’ Instagram Live to all 300 campuses.

During the event, WSU Dining will also help give back to the local community including a canned food drive.

Future Joy-Ful signature events will take place in November, March and May. Each month will feature special events and moments focused on specific themes that create joy, such as "Cheer-Ful" in September and "Mind-Ful" in January.

For more information on Chartwells and the Joy-Ful campaign, please visit www.ChartwellsHigherEd.com.

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Wichita State University serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling more than 15,000 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.

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