Barton School Secures $150,000 Gift For Student Experience and Success Initiatives
Sept. 19, 2023
By Barton School of Business
About the Barton School of Business
Located in Kansas’ business hub and with significant ties to the business community,
the W. Frank Barton School of Business provides extensive applied learning opportunities.
With in-person and online options, Barton School undergraduate and graduate programs
are tailored to transform the lives of its students. It also holds a double AACSB
accreditation for business and accounting, which puts it in the top 1% of business
schools worldwide. The Barton School was established as the university’s College of
Business Administration and Industry in 1926 and has thousands of graduates around
the world.
The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has received a
$150,000 gift to support its Student Experience and Success Fund including its Office
of Career and Professional Development (OCPD). The contribution was given on behalf
of Elizabeth and Edward Burns, whose charitable fund was established through their
estate at the Wichita Foundation in 2013.
“The Barton School is honored to receive this substantial gift from the Burns estate
through the Wichita Foundation,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the Barton School.
“This contribution will provide a breadth of opportunities for our students to challenge
themselves and grow into the best versions of themselves.”
OCPDis aimed at linking academic programs to meaningful personal and professional lives
by preparing Barton School undergraduate and graduate students to land quality internships
and employment in their desired field. Many of the college’s signature career programs
are now housed within OCPD including Executive-in-Residence, Entrepreneur-in-Residence,
Widener Global Leaders Program, Professional Edge and others.
To honor Elizabeth and Edward Burns for their gift, the Barton School is naming its
Student Leadership Suite in Woolsey Hall after the couple.
“Every Barton student who aspires to be a leader in their community will see and know
the Burns name,” said Mel Whiteside, Executive Director of the Office of Career and
Professional Development in the Barton School of Business.
This is not the first donation the Burns have made to Wichita State. During their
lifetime, they supported the Marcus Welcome Center project and the addition to the
President’s Residence.
“Over the years, thousands of students have benefitted from the generosity of Elizabeth
and Edward Burns,” said Dr. Shirley Lefever, executive vice president and provost
at WSU. “The efforts aimed at advancing Barton School’s student experience and success
initiatives will continue to uphold their legacy.”
