Wichita State University will be closed Thursday, Jan. 9 in observance of the National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter. 

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued an executive order closing state offices to honor the former U.S. president, who died Dec. 29. At 100, President Carter was the longest-lived president in U.S. history. 

Gov. Kelly has designated Jan. 9 as a paid legal holiday for state employees. In addition, all pre-session classes will be canceled for the day.

WSU previously observed the legal holidays for deceased Presidents Ronald Reagan in 2004, Gerald Ford in 2007 and George H.W. Bush in 2018. 

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including 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 National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

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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