Wichita State University is participating in the VOLARÉ Institute as part of a project to build research capabilities and expand STEM initiatives for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. 

VOLARÉ Institute participants, chosen from an application process, will engage in a series of activities designed to enhance skills and boost the ability to compete for funding while elevating the research enterprise.  

“We are grateful to have been chosen by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to participate in the first cohort of the VOLARÉ Institute,” said Coleen Pugh, dean of the Graduate School. “We consider this an important step to attaining our HSI goals, while also contributing WSU’s expertise to the program.” 

Pugh will join Rhonda Lewis, professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Psychology, and Sara Mata, executive director of Hispanic Serving Initiatives, to participate in a virtual program beginning Sept. 20. The program continues, with both virtual and in-person meetings, until July 2025. 

The virtual and in-person events are designed to help universities: 

• develop and implement a systematic research enterprise framework.
• form and strengthen regional consortia to share resources and expertise.
• pilot new strategies for research enterprise sustainability and growth.

The VOLARÉ Institute — “Visioning, Organizing, Leading, and Advancing the Research Enterprise at HSIs” — is made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation.  

Wichita State is an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution, with 17 percent of its students identifying as Hispanic as of 2023-24. Participation in the VOLARÉ Institute will enhance WSU’s research goals, including achieving R1 Carnegie Classification research status. 

“We hope the exchange of ideas with the VOLARÉ Cohort I will help us make institutional changes to create more equitable and collaborative work and educational environments that are conducive to retaining and empowering our faculty researchers,” Pugh said.