WSU President Dr. John W. Bardo died March 12, 2019, after a long illness. In his
nearly seven years leading WSU, Dr. Bardo strategically and physically transformed
the university and set us on an exciting course of innovation and creativity.
Wichita State University has never seen a more effective, vibrant agent of change
than Dr. John Bardo. From the first days of his presidency, he began to outline the
path to a bold, audacious new future for the university and the city of Wichita.
He was the right person at the right moment in time. I can’t envision anyone else
who could have done it better. He was looking 40 years into the future. His creativity
and broad vision of education that he brought to the university has changed it forever.
— David Mitchell, 1970, 1972 alumnus and WSU Innovation Alliance board member
He was a breath of fresh air and a visionary who saw where this community could go
and how this university could lead us there better than anybody else.
