Two faculty members will serve as Cohen Faculty Fellows in summer and fall 2019: Elaine Bernstorf (Fine Arts – Music Education) and Robin Henry (LAS-History). Fellows will work with the Dean through the summer and early fall on the Honors first-year experience. They will consider current Honors curriculum and opportunities identified by students at the spring General Assembly as well as research and discuss best practices. 

In addition to these faculty serving as first-year fellows, Moriah Beck will coordinate the First-Year Research Experience program for spring 2020. Dr. Beck first initiated exploration of this program in fall 2017, created the program structure in summer 2018, and worked with Heidi Bell to implement the pilot for spring 2019. 10 students and 8 faculty mentors participated in the first year. 2 FYRE students received KINBRE awards to continue their research.

Instructional Design and Access is hosting an Academic Resources Conference for established instructors on August 15th, and Honors is hosting a panel during the conference.  Please join Honors teaching faculty and interested faculty to talk about Teaching in Honors during Session 2, 10:40-11:30. 

The Honors College expansion has a tentative completion date of July 28th. This is not a move in date, as furniture and technology installation will still need to be completed. 

The new space will feature a 24-hour study room, new classroom technology, meeting rooms, and office space. One goal of the expansion is to position the Honors College as a campus hub, where all who are interested in more meaningful work are welcome.

To read more about the expansion process, read this Sunflower Article. 

Watch the completion countdown on the Honors College Twitter. 

Faculty and student participation in the University and College governance is vital to the proper functioning of the University. Faculty interest in direction and development of the Honors College not only reflects their formal right to contribute to University decision making but indicates their responsibility to do so as professional scholars and researchers. Honors faculty and the faculty council have been busy this year!

Particular thanks to council chair, Doug Parham, Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Visit the Faculty Council page to learn about new Honors curriculum opportunities and other council business, including:

• Honors Science Track Minor Proposal
• Science Track Minor Tracking Sheet
• Curriculum Changes Proposed - University Honors Minor, INterdisciplinary Track & Transfer Policy
• HNRS 306G Alternative Spring Break Leadership - Repeatable for Credit
• Curriculum Changes Proposed - Leadership Track

Wichita State’s original Innovation Campus building will be renamed for the university’s recently deceased president, John Bardo. The Kansas Board of Regents Wednesday (June 19) approved the name change, recommended by WSU Interim President Andy Tompkins.

“President Bardo had an amazing vision for WSU that transformed the university and the campus,” Tompkins told the Regents. “The Experiential Engineering building, with its 25 engineering laboratories and community makerspace, was a reflection of his vision of applied learning that helped launch the Innovation Campus expansion.”

Wichita State University has modified its tuition request to the Kansas Board of Regents, asking to hold all tuition rates flat for the 2019-20 academic year – a 0.0% increase for undergraduate / graduate and resident / non-resident students.

Seventeen key fees remained unchanged in WSU’s proposal. These include fees charged by colleges and special programs, those involving laboratory fees and the fee to support student health and wellness programs.

As a tutor, you will benefit from improved reasoning skills, increased self-esteem and empathy, a greater feeling of connectedness on campus and flexible work hours.

Tutors must be enrolled as a sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student and possess good communication skills. They must also maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 or better and have a letter grade of B or better in the courses they wish to tutor.

TRIO Student Support Services is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide services to students from first-generation and limited income families, as well as students with disabilities. To learn more, go to wichita.edu/sss or call 978-3715.

 We are delighted to welcome, Erin LeBegue, new Records Coordinator for Honors. Erin will maintain student records; provide administrative support and event management for undergraduate research, recruitment, and scholarship programs; support graduation audit processes and advising program assessment. In addition, she’ll serve as the college commencement coordinator. We look forward to providing even better service to the growing Honors community and to students and faculty across campus with this new administrative role.

Erin is an alumna of Wichita State University. She earned her BA in English with a minor in history in 2014 and will be graduating with her MA in History in fall 2019. She has worked in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Center, as the W. Frank Barton School of Business Graduation Coordinator, and most recently as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the department of history.

To schedule an Honors Advising Appointment email Honors@wichita.edu or Jessica.Raburn@wichita.edu. If you happen to be in Hubbard Hall or nearby when a question occurs to you, please feel free to stop by to see if the Honors Academic Advisor can visit with you immediately.  

-Jessica Raburn, Assistant Director and Academic Advisor

Thursday 3p.m. to 5 p.m.

113 Hubbard Hall

Student drop-in questions welcome

To submit a story to the Weekly Update fill out this form.