USS and non-teaching UP employee self-evaluation is due today!
The USS and non-teaching UP employee annual myPerformance self-evaluation is due by 11:59 p.m. today (Friday, Jan. 31).
This is an opportunity for employees to provide input on job performance and accomplishments made since March 1, 2019. Employees can access their self-evaluation through the myPerformance link found in myWSU.
For more information, including quick reference guides and other assistance, go to .
鈥楬elp! my evaluation has disappeared!鈥� 鈥� myPerformance tips and tricks
鈥淚 need to access my evaluation again, but it has disappeared! How do I get it back?鈥� or 鈥淗ow can I access past evaluations?鈥� These are the most common questions the myPerformance Team gets this time of year.
Never fret, the solution is simple: After you have accessed an evaluation for the first time, the status automatically changes from 鈥淣ot Started鈥� to 鈥淚n Progress.鈥� Therefore, you will need to checkmark the (teeny-tiny-easy-to-miss) box that says, 鈥淪how completed and expired tasks鈥� and then click on the Search button. Voila! You should be able to access your current and past evaluations from there.
Remember: During Employee Self-Evaluation (Jan. 16-31), only employees will have unlimited access to their 2019-20 myPerformance evaluations. Leaders / Managers will have access to their direct report evaluations again during Manager Review (Feb. 1-29).
More information, including myPerformance training, can be found at .
成人头条 State launches new features for wichita.edu
The 成人头条 website has launched several new features in response to input from Dr. Golden and WSU students, faculty and staff.
Among the changes are:
- A new secondary navigation including key student-facing links.
- A new Faculty/Staff directory that is integrated with WSU Profiles links.
- A new front page research feature.
- A Shocker Store link in the footer
New travel advisory for China
The US State Department has elevated its travel advisory for the entire country of China to a Level 4 (Do Not Travel). Previously, only Wuhan was at a Level 4. The travel advisory has not yet been elevated for Hong Kong or Macau, but those special administrative regions are expected to be elevated to a Level 4 within 24-48 hours.
The US Embassy in Beijing and the consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan were also closed. There has been no word yet on when they will reopen. Most US airlines have reduced service to China through March or April due to the outbreak. To read the most current State Department travel advisory for China, .
Because of the travel advisory, WSU won鈥檛 authorize any WSU students to do Study Abroad in China until the travel advisory has been lowered. Fortunately, we don't have any WSU students currently studying at our partner school, Sun Yat-Sen University, in Guangzhou.
Any travel to China, Hong Kong, and Macau by students, faculty and staff is discouraged at the present time.
Shared Governance and the Shocker Circle
As an exercise in shared governance, a series of Shocker Circles were held in September 2019. First, 鈥淲hat is a Circle?鈥� A Shocker Circle is a gathering of Shockers who, while sitting in circle, has the opportunity to speak about a single topic or run of questions of interest without interruption. A Circle facilitator supports the process and allows everyone an opportunity for full participation. A scribe records the responses.
There were three common questions that were asked during each of the 2019 Shocker Circles:
- What is something you value about the current decision-making process at the university?
- What can the university do to demonstrate respect, trust, and transparency in the decision-making process?
- How can the university best solicit input from staff, faculty, students, and administrators?
A summary report is now available.
In a continued effort to shape a culture of community and engaged listening, the trained Shocker Circle Keepers are available to host future circles. Please share your ideas or requests for future Shocker Circle topics or to learn more about how to become a Shocker Circle Keeper. Questions may be submitted to shocker.circle@wichita.edu.
Recent Effective Teaching Award recipient to make presentation today
The Academy for Effective Teaching invites you to a presentation by Katie Cramer, recent winner of the AET Effective Teaching Award. Her presentation "Teaching and Learning: Setting Expectations, Building Relationships, and Designing Effective Instruction" will be presented at 2 p.m. today (Friday, Jan. 31) in the Media Resources Center. This presentation will be of interest to all teaching faculty.
Gearhart to give legislative update today
Zach Gearhart, director of Government Relations, will provide a legislative update from 9-9:30 a.m. today (Friday, Jan. 31) in the Morrison Hall boardroom. Interested faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend.
Gore Scholars to be announced today
The announcement of the Gore Scholars will be at 11:30 a.m. today (Friday, Jan. 31) in the Marcus Welcome Center. All finalists will receive competitive scholarship packages to attend WSU in the fall of 2020.
Read the complete story about the finalists.
It鈥檚 here! myTraining has a new look!
Out with the old, in with the new. myTraining has a new look! myTraining now has a sleek new design to help you customize your subjects and find free training sessions, presented by 成人头条 State subject-matter-experts, available to all WSU faculty, staff, and student employees.
Worried about the training sessions you had previously registered for? What about your myTraining Transcript? Never fear. All previous content should have rolled over to the new layout. Same content, new look.
More details about this myTraining and much more can be found at or by contacting the myTraining Team at myTraining@wichita.edu.
Add subjects to your new myTraining Learner Homepage
The new myTraining Learner Homepage is here! Upon your very first visit, you will be prompted to add subjects you would like added to the (also new) main carousel! Choose any subject area you are interested in (i.e. Technology, Diversity, Finance) and the myTraining Learner Homepage will customize your learning experience with suggested training sessions! For more information, visit the myTraining webpage at or email the WSU myTraining Team at myTraining@wichita.edu.
Sign up now for Chrome River Invoice training
If you have any involvement with paying invoices (including but not limited to Office Managers, Admin. Assistants, Budget Officers, Business Managers etc.), we strongly encourage you to attend Chrome River Invoice Training. Topics will include transition to Chrome River Invoice, creating invoices, tracking payments, training resources, approvals and live demonstrations in the system. For hands-on experience and step-by-step instructions, sign up now to attend a Chrome River Invoice training beginning Thursday, Feb. 6.
Attendees are encouraged to bring examples of completed ICDs in electronic format to enter into the Chrome River test environment. Sample invoices will also be available for those without invoices to enter.
Chrome River Invoice training will be offered beginning Thursday, Feb. 6.
These trainings are free and available to all WSU employees (faculty and staff). Seating is limited, so sign up early! Log in to myWSU and register through myTraining. For questions, contact myTraining@wichita.edu.
WSU Police Department asks for design ideas for new uniform patch
Current Police Patch
In an effort to represent the community we serve, the WSU Police Department is soliciting ideas for a redesign of the patch worn on police uniforms.
We would like something that represents WSU or 成人头条, and get away from the State Seal currently used, to give a more local or university representation.
Examples could include the iconic clock tower on Morison Hall or the Keeper of the Plains Statue, a Buffalo Soldier representing the linkage of diverse service in Kansas, or whatever you might suggest.
We welcome faculty, staff and student input on what the patch should look like and become.
Please send ideas to Police@wichita.edu by Saturday, Feb. 29.
University update from Weekly Briefing
The following university update was provided at Thursday鈥檚 Weekly Briefing.
STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES MONITORING CORONAVIRUS SITUATION
You might have heard about the outbreak of coronavirus that originated in China.
A small number of cases have been reported in the U.S. 成人头条 State鈥檚 Student Health Services is monitoring the situation with information provided by federal, state, and local authorities.
To learn how to protect yourself and to get the latest news about the coronavirus outbreak, visit Student Health's Travel and Health Advisory webpage at wichita.edu/services/studenthealth.
GORE SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED
The three recipients of the Harry Gore Memorial $64,000 scholarship will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Marcus Welcome Center.
They were chosen from a group of 14 finalists, who competed in November鈥檚 Distinguished Scholarship Invitational. The finalists come from six states and as far away as Alaska.
Six hundred and fifty-six students 鈥� the largest group in the event鈥檚 history - took part in the DSI. They earned an invitation with a 27 or higher ACT score, or a 3.5 or higher GPA, or rank in the top 10 percent of their class. The 14 finalists this year have an average ACT score of 28 and average GPA of 3.93.
PRESIDENT GOLDEN MEETS WITH STUDENTS, STAFF
President Jay Golden is learning the campus and community and exchanging ideas through scheduled events, meals, speeches and meetings, as well as numerous informal discussions.
In January, Golden asked faculty, staff, administrators and student leaders to nominate individuals across our campus to serve on multiple task forces as part of a commitment to shared governance, transparency and refining the focus of the university.
To stay up to date or ask questions, visit 成人头条.edu/taskforces. Email addresses for task force co-chairs are included.
Golden is also holding town halls with students and staff from all university colleges as a way to get feedback on the campus experience and ways to move forward. They will be completed by Feb. 10.
In an effort to learn about student experience, Golden is scheduling meetings with student groups on campus throughout the semester.
On the first Tuesday of each month, Golden will send out two email newsletters, one for students, faculty and staff and one for alumni, donors, industry leaders and community members.
The newsletters begin on Feb. 4 and will be posted on the president鈥檚 website at 成人头条.edu/president.
GOLDEN ASKS FOR CONVERGENT SCIENCE IDEAS
Multiple lines of inquiry can converge on a single problem, and that鈥檚 the kind of problem that is both interesting to solve, and pressing. Golden is encouraging the formation of research groups equipped to address this kind of problem through the President鈥檚 Convergent Sciences Initiative. Two general areas that have been identified are:
- Health disparities and delivery
- Digital Transformations
Success in addressing the challenges in these areas will provide new opportunities for the economic prosperity of the state, and career pathways for our students.
A third area will be identified by the faculty, who should send their ideas to their deans by Feb. 14. The area should be broad enough to subsume an array of complex challenges and opportunities to change Kansas and the world.
A call for proposals will go out shortly after the naming of the third area, and while the call is active there will be opportunities for potential collaborators to come together and ideas to collide through a series of town halls. Diversity of expertise is strongly encouraged such that experienced researchers team up with emerging researchers, and researchers from disciplines traditionally focused on external funding with those less so. Interdepartmental and intercollegiate collaboration will be inevitable.
ARMY WORKS WITH WICHITA STATE ON STEM
Juanita Christensen, executive director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Aviation & Missile Center, and colleagues visited 成人头条 State鈥檚 National Institute for Aviation Research on Tuesday.
The CCDC works closely with WSU鈥檚 FirePoint Innovations Center recently signed an Education Partner Agreement with 成人头条 State, aimed at encouraging student interest in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering including recruitment of the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.
The agreement is intended to strengthen student and educator science, mathematics, and engineering education capabilities and maintain a strong base to enhance the caliber and pool of talented graduates. CCDC Aviation & Missile Center conducts research, exploratory and advanced development, and technology demonstrations to advance the capabilities of Army Aviation Platforms and Missile Systems along with providing life-cycle engineering services for all Army aviation and missile systems.
WSU TECH OFFERS HELP
Two weeks ago, we talked about the Air Capital Commitment, which is providing immediate support and resources to those impacted by the layoffs at Spirit AeroSystems and its supplier companies.
One facet of this comes from WSU Tech, which is giving its graduate workers from Spirit and other aerospace companies the chance to go back to school during layoffs in hopes of keeping talent in 成人头条.
Some of those graduates are among the thousands of workers who were laid off after the 737 Max suspension.
Anyone who has been affected by the layoffs from the supply chain or Spirit AeroSystems is eligible for 成人头条 Promise scholarship funding to upskill their training, reskill or complete their associate of applied science degree. Classes range from four to six weeks so workers can complete them while laid off and be ready to return once the companies call back employees. More information regarding the initiative can be found at .
Nine music faculty members present Stravinsky's 鈥楾he Soldier鈥檚 Tale鈥� on Feb. 2
The School of Music invites you to experience one of Stravinsky's early theatrical works, L'Histoire du soldat, and 鈥淭he Devil's Tale,鈥� a sequel to the piece written by James M. Stephenson at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, in Miller Concert Hall, Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Performed in English and featuring nine School of Music faculty members, the afternoon concert promises to be an electrifying start to your Super Bowl Sunday.
Admission is free for a student with a WSU ID.
Click here for tickets.
2020 Biometric Screenings appointment scheduler now open
Biometric screening dates for 2020 have been scheduled, and the appointment scheduler is open. All screening events are held 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Walk-ins may be available, but preference is given to those with scheduled appointments. There is no required wait period between when you had your 2019 screening and when you can schedule your 2020 screening. To avoid a long wait, employees and covered spouses are encouraged to schedule their appointments as early in the year as possible.
Attendees earn 5 HealthQuest points just for attending, and up to 18 additional points for blood pressure, blood glucose, and total blood cholesterol within ideal ranges, for up to 23 points and $230 HSA/HRA rewards dollars. If your metrics are outside of the ideal ranges, you can still earn the same points by participating in the CCE learning modules in the HealthQuest portal on blood pressure, blood sugar management, and / or high cholesterol, as needed.
Tuesday, Feb 18 in 265 RSC
Monday, Mar 9 in 266 RSC
Tuesday, Apr 14 in 266 RSC
Tuesday, May 19 in 266 RSC
Tuesday, Aug 18 in 266 RSC
Tuesday, Sep 8 in 266 RSC
Tuesday, Oct 20 in 266 RSC
Tuesday, Oct 27 in 266 RSC
To schedule your appointment, register or log in to the , or call to schedule at 1-888-275-1205, option 3! All employees and spouses will need to re-register for the new 2020 HealthQuest portal. Click here for registration instructions.
Graduate School Professional Development 'Failure is Necessary' is Feb. 6
Everyone wants innovation, but being an innovator means you must have a high tolerance for failure. Join the Graduate School and Instructional Design & Access for 鈥淔ailure is Necessary,鈥� a panel discussion lead by Carolyn Speer from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in 266 RSC, to hear about the upside of failure, and begin working on your own ability to accept the concept of "failing fast, failing forward."
Professional Development Series
Register for the F1RST-Gen Friday with the First Gen Coordinating Council
The 成人头条 State First Generation Coordinating Council invites faculty, staff and administration to F1RST-Gen Friday from noon-1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in 264 RSC.
You bring your lunch and we will bring your dessert!
ISME Colloquium on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by Jatin Talreja
Jatin Talreja, CEO of Viaanix Inc., will present 鈥淚ndustrial Internet of Things (IIoT)鈥� at the ISME Colloquium from 11 a.m.-noon Friday, Feb. 7, in 211 Engineering Building.
IIoT, also known as the Industrial Internet, brings together brilliant machines, advanced analytics, and people at work. It鈥檚 the network of a multitude of industrial devices connected by communications technologies that results in systems that can monitor, collect, exchange, analyze, and deliver valuable new insights like never before. These insights can then help drive smarter, faster business decisions for industrial companies.
Bio: Mr. Talreja is the CEO of Viaanix Inc. He started the business in his basement seven years ago and now business has expanded with worldwide employee presence and is headquartered in downtown 成人头条.
He has earned a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Friends University, has Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Texas at Arlington, and an associate degree in Electrical Engineering from the Dayalbagh Educational Institute. He also serves as Vice President of Inventors Association of South-Central Kansas and mentors several very early stage startups. Talreja is a highly dynamic, result-oriented leader. He has built solutions for his clients, which are deployed globally.
Purchase Requisition Training scheduled for Feb. 11
Needing to learn how to create a Purchase Requisition or want a refresher on how to enter a requisition in Banner? Plan to attend Purchase Requisition Training scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Topics will include:
- WSU purchase requisition procedures
- Banner 9 Purchase Requisition forms
- Purchasing and Finance Reporting
Please note that training is required for those who are new to entering purchase requisition. Current requestors are welcome to attend as a refresher session.
To view session details and register, go to myWSU > myTraining.
LaunchPrep applications open!
LaunchPrep provides your early stage startup with access to a select group of 成人头条鈥檚 most successful entrepreneurs. These mentors, along with round table topics brought to you by industry leaders, creates a winning combination for all participants.
Go to for more information.
KPERS 457 retirement counselor will be on campus Feb. 11
Robin Deiter, Retirement Plan Counselor with Empower for KPERS 457, will be on-site from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, for individual retirement counseling appointments in 238 RSC. You can schedule an appointment with Robin .
If you would like more information you may contact our plan representative below:
Robin Deiter. Empower 鈥� Retirement Plan Counselor KPERS 457
(844) 446-8658 x20468 or Robin.deiter@empower-retirement.com
If you prefer to enroll online, you鈥檒l need the following information:
Group ID: 130000-01
Enrollment Code: ilmjnQ6w
First-generation college students take great pride in succeeding and graduating
Attend a brown-bag lunch and learn on 鈥淏ecoming an Individual & Institutional Advocate for First-generation College Students.鈥� Join the First Gen Coordinating Council at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, in 233 RSC for a brown bag lunch webinar and brief Q&A session.
Colleges and universities have an opportunity to shift the paradigm of support for first-generation college students from a deficit approach. First-generation college students take great pride in succeeding and graduating (Gibbons & Woodside, 2014). However, first-generation students 鈥渨ho dropped out of college believed they needed to figure out how to do college on their own鈥� (Lightweis, 2014, p. 466). Instead, when higher education institutions shift this paradigm, they have an opportunity to not only improve retention rates, but also provide a holistic support system for student success.
This live briefing will focus on opportunities for students and academic affairs professionals of all functional areas and levels to become individual and institutional advocates for first-generation student success.
Attendees are invited to bring their lunch and join in. Contact Lydia.Santiago@wichita.edu with any questions.
All call for WSU Graduate Student of the Year judges
The WSU Graduate Student of the Year scholarship competition is a competitive and prestigious opportunity for graduate students who have proven exemplary leadership, involvement, and service both to the WSU and 成人头条 communities. Applications and nominations are now open for students who wish to participate. We are calling for judges to serve throughout the selection process. The dates and details for each round are below. We are looking for two different sets of judges, so upon indicating interest, please include which round you would be most interested in serving.
Round 1: Application Review 鈥� Completed by Thursday, Feb. 20
- This process would be going through the qualified applicants and meeting to decide on which students move onto the next round.
Round 2: Interviews/Presentations 鈥� Friday, Feb. 28
- Our judges panel will sit through a series of interviews which include a presentation of those selected to move on from the application round. Deliberation and decision on the final court of 5 students will follow the interviews.
Please send which round you would like to serve, or any questions to Kennedy Rogers at kennedy.rogers@wichita.edu or 978-7402.
Professional studio portraits available starting Monday, Feb. 3
In conjunction with WSU鈥檚 new website profiles, Strategic Communications will resume taking appointments for scheduled portraits on Monday, Feb. 3. Photos will now take place in the Office of Strategic Communications, 102 Morrison Hall.
To learn more, and to book your 10-minute appointment, go to .
You are invited to the 17th annual POWER Conference
You are invited to the 17th annual POWER Conference at 成人头条. We are excited to invite people from all disciplines to attend this event. Register for the POWER Conference here.
This year鈥檚 theme centers on the 12 Grand Challenges of Social Work 鈥� a national initiative that serves as a call to action for social workers and other helping professionals to harness our science and knowledge base, collaborate with people from all fields and disciplines, and to work together to tackle some of our toughest social problems. Our world faces serious, interrelated, and large-scale challenges, and it takes all of us working together to craft solutions.
The Grand Challenges include these areas of focus:
- Ensure healthy development for all youth
- Close the health gap
- Stop family violence
- Advance long and productive lives
- Eradicate social isolation
- End homelessness
- Create social responses to a changing environment
- Harness technology for social good
- Promote smart decarceration
- Reduce extreme economic inequality
- Build financial capability for all
- Achieve equal opportunity and justice
Attendees have the opportunity to engage in up to six hours of pre-conference sessions, focused on safety, eating disorders / diagnosis and ethics, as well as the full main conference day.
POWER gives us the opportunity to connect together, grow together, and change the world together 鈥� this conference can help us be inspired by the innovation of others, rejuvenated as practitioners, invigorated by new knowledge, and challenged with fresh perspectives.
You can help prevent suicide
Learn how you can support your community with the #WSUWeSupportU Preventing Suicide Training. Each training lasts an hour-and-a-half, and gives you the tools you need to assist someone in need through the Share, Ask, Support method.
To sign up, visit the myTrainings tab on your myWSU, or go to wichita.edu/SuicidePrevention.
Women of WSU luncheon Feb. 19 featuring female WSU Deans panel
The Women of WSU luncheon is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Marcus Welcome Center. We will have a panel of WSU female deans and a BBQ cookout.
The luncheon will include smoked pulled chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, condiments, and peach cobbler for only $13.
Please join us. RSVPs are due Friday, Feb. 14.
Register now for Wu's Big Event XII
Join us from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 to make a HUGE impact in the 成人头条 community. Individuals, groups, organizations, faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and family are all encouraged to participate in Wu's Big Event, 成人头条 State's largest volunteer event. Registration is free and includes a light breakfast, lunch, a t-shirt and transportation to and from service sites. For questions, email CSB@wichita.edu or call 978-3022.
VolunteerICT provides WSU students, faculty and staff access to volunteer opportunities across 成人头条
Are you looking for a way to get involved this semester?
Have you thought about volunteering? VolunteerICT has hundreds of volunteer opportunities from local nonprofits throughout 成人头条 looking for volunteers.
All students, faculty and staff have an account through myWSU, set-up and simple and easy by visiting our website at 成人头条.edu/volunteerICT.
For questions email volunteerICT@wichita.edu or call 978-3022.