Seeing an opportunity to support partnerships with the Wichita community, Wichita State University has established the new Office of Community Partnerships.

Under the new office, the Community Engagement Institute (CEI) and Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC), alongside other WSU affiliates such as the Small Business Development Center, will seamlessly support collaborations between the university and community partners.

The creation of the office was a joint effort led by Dr. Scott Wituk, CEI executive director, and Misty Bruckner, PPMC director.

“The office’s purpose is to serve as a backbone support and collaborative hub for those interested in community-focused initiatives,” Wituk said. “There are many faculty, departments and students who are doing amazing work in the community. We hope the office can help elevate those community partnerships, create new ones, offer opportunities to learn from each other and provide some infrastructure support to those interested.”

WSU has a long history of connecting with the community to support the campus, city and state, but university members will now have a hub that can not only strengthen existing partnerships but serves as a support structure for new opportunities and for new connections.

By making these new partnerships, faculty are given a tool that can enhance their students’ applied learning opportunities by developing those connections organically within their programs.

“I think this just fits in with the overall goal that Wichita State has to be a proven partner across the state to address real issues that our state is facing and preparing students for what it's like to go out into the workforce,” Bruckner said. “And I think this is just one more tool in the toolbox where Scott and I and the rest of us get to lean into what we do well.”

While the Office of Community Partnerships will provide opportunities for additional collaboration and connection for the centers that formally report through it, other Wichita State centers, offices and staff who have an interest in community-oriented services, projects and research can become affiliated with the office to help develop a supportive structure for similar interests and developments.

“By providing an infrastructure through the Office of Community Partnerships, we can continue to build upon and create new opportunities for faculty, staff and students to serve our state,” Bruckner said. “The Office of Community Partnerships is an intentional effort to connect, elevate and identify new opportunities to serve.”

The Office of Community Partnerships will report to WSU’s senior executive vice president and provost, Dr. Monica Lounsbery.

Those interested in learning more can contact Wituk at 316-619-1367 or scott.wituk@wichita.edu or Bruckner at 316-651-7247 or misty.bruckner@wichita.edu.

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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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