Wichita State University
WSU program builds supportive, flexible community for parents and caregivers
Oct. 21, 2026
Kristen Knott (right) with husband James, daughter Kenzie and son Brantley. Kristen
Knott studies health management at Wichita State and is helped by WSU's Parents and
Caregivers Community. “(WSU) gives you a lot of support and is there if you need anything," she said.Courtesy photo
Kristen Knott returned to college at Wichita State University to provide a good example for her two children.
“I wanted to show my kids that no matter where you are in life, you can do anything,” she said. “They have a choice. They can do whatever they want in life.”
Wichita State’s Parents and Caregivers Community, started in 2024, is designed to help adult learners make those choices and succeed with a community of people in similar family and work situations. The online programs, part of Shocker Pre-Season, offer academic support, family friendly study sessions, counseling, wellness activities and cultural events.
“Parents need to know there is support and they’re not alone,” said Dr. Pamela O’Neal, associate director in the Office of Online and Adult Learning. “This notion of creating an online community where they can see each other and have conversations is representation for them that there are others in the same boat.”
The Office of Online and Adult Learning in the Student Success Center intentionally created features targeted at this group of students — and their families. Shocker Busy Bins in the Shocker Success Center are full of toys to occupy the students’ children during visits. The resource room offers computer access and free printing.
Applied learning funds pay students to work as peer ambassadors.
“We intentionally focused on the population of adult learners,” said Brett Petersen-Bruner, associate vice provost for Student Success and Persistence. “WSU students who are parents said, ‘I’m trying to find my community, trying to find people, trying to find people with shared lived experiences.’”
The program is special, and it’s even attracted national attention in recent months from Inside Higher Ed and U.S. News & World Report.
“I like to think we’re on the forefront of higher ed really leaning into how we’re designing our programs, our services,” Petersen-Bruner said.
Knott, 37, graduated from Douglass High School in 2008 and works in the healthcare industry. She earned an associate’s degree in 2023 from Cowley College and transferred to Wichita State in 2025 to major in health management.
“Regardless of how old you are, it’s not too late to go back to school,” she said. “(WSU) gives you a lot of support and is there if you need anything.”
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 24,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (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- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 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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