It seems, as of late, we have seamlessly adopted an entirely new pandemic vocabulary. You can’t watch the news or read the headlines without hearing and seeing words like “unprecedented” and “uncertain.” Terms like “social distancing” and “self-quarantine” and “flatten the curve” have become mandated action items. Social media feeds are filled with hashtags like #covid19 and #stayhome.
The world feels different – it is different.
The same is true for our Wichita State campus and community. This is usually one of the liveliest times of the academic year, these weeks after Spring Break, as students, faculty and staff make that final push to accomplish all the things before summer. But this year, not only have we been expected to rise to the occasion, we have been called to do so in a new reality.
I remain inspired by the spirit of those in our campus community and continue to witness examples of Shocker Nation’s resilience, creativity and kindness as we navigate these changes. We have asked much of you during these past few weeks without being able to provide concrete answers for the future, and time and again, you have responded with a willingness to adapt, even if it meant individual sacrifice.
For that, I thank you. I wish I could tell you that we were done with change for a while, but I can’t promise that. What I can promise you is that we will continue to do what is best for the health, safety and well-being of our entire campus community.
Today I want to share with you some of our recent (virtual) events and initiatives and some thoughts for the future.
- Online and/or Remote Instruction. Our faculty did an incredible job in making a quick pivot to online and remote instruction. I am proud to say that our first week of learning went smoothly, with few issues. A thank you also goes to our team in Academic Affairs, which includes folks in their offices of Instructional Design and Access, Media Resources Center, Strategic Enrollment Management, and Information Technology Services, each of whom was integral to this success.
- Ongoing Operations. Although we have greatly reduced our on-campus presence to assist in stopping the spread of this virus, our staff are still caring each and every day for our students and employees. Many of our units continue to operate, both on campus and remotely.
- Our staff in Facilities Services are critical in keeping our campus buildings operational and clean (and they have quite the green thumb – the tulips are blooming!).
- University Police officers continue their careful watch to keep our campus safe.
- Our health care providers in the Student Wellness Center – Student Health Services and Counseling and Prevention Services – continue to work tirelessly to care for and ensure the physical and mental health and well-being of our students.
- Staff in Housing and Residential Life continue to offer support to our students who remain in our dorms during this time of uncertainty.
These areas represent just a sample of our amazing employees. There are countless others who are working behind the scenes to make sure that our university operates as close to normal as possible. I will continue to share their hard work and dedication in future newsletters. For now, please know that I appreciate you all.
- Virtual Town Hall. Last week I held my first virtual town hall, sponsored by the Student Government Association. Myself, along with Provost Dr. Rick Muma, Dean of Students Dr. Aaron Austin and Manager of Instructional Design and Access Dr. Carolyn Speer, were on a panel led by SGA President Kitrina Miller to answer questions submitted by students. We discussed lots of issues, including online learning, refunds, financial assistance and grading systems. I, along with others, will continue to participate in these town halls throughout the remainder of the semester.
- Summer School. Registration for summer school began yesterday, April 6, and our first pre-session starts in just over a month. Because of the uncertainty as to when it will be safe to hold in-person instruction, we have decided to offer summer session only online and/or remote. We are hopeful that making this decision now will allow our faculty plenty of time to prepare for delivery development and offer some certainty to our students.
- Commencement. We are happy to announce that a Virtual Celebration will be held in honor of our graduating students on Saturday, May 16. At that time and after, students will be able to visit www.wichita.edu/commencement and click on the virtual celebration link. This online option will allow us to acknowledge our students’ achievements safely during this time of social distancing.
We also recognize the importance to our graduates of celebrating this memorable moment in-person. To accommodate those wishes, there will also be a traditional in-person Commencement Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in WSU’s Koch Arena. Graduates may participate in either the virtual or in-person commencement or both; the choice is yours! More details on how to RSVP for this event will be provided to graduates as soon as they are available.
If a student is unable to participate in either the virtual celebration in May and/or the in-person Commencement Ceremony in October, they can email us at
commencement@wichita.edu and request to walk in the fall 2020 ceremony to be held at Koch Arena on Dec. 13.
- Community Efforts. As a campus, we have shown our heart, passion and compassion for our greater Wichita and Sedgwick County community by partnering with community partners and distributing thousands of pieces of much needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and donating meals to health care providers and first responders. Our staff are continuing to develop and produce additional PPE, including much-needed face shields, and our incredible researchers continue their work to find solutions and interventions for and understand the implications of this pandemic.
These efforts have been nothing short of tremendous and are truly wonderful. I am incredibly proud of our entire campus community.
While we continue to respond to these immediate needs, I also want to share with you important updates on some of the challenges we will be facing as this pandemic continues to unfold and the implications for our future.
In times of great societal stress, we know higher education inevitably suffers. COVID-19 and its aftermath will undoubtedly have an impact on universities all across the country, including Wichita State. We will be forced to critically examine our finances, methods of instruction, enrollment and countless other issues in the coming months. As the pandemic plays out, I want to update you on actions we have taken and those that we will need to consider moving forward.
- Credits/Refunds. Given our limited on-campus presence, we made the decision to provide credits/refunds for student housing, meal plans and student parking. Students should begin to see these credits and/or refunds in their student accounts shortly.
- Financial Assistance. Our WSU Foundation has established the Shockers Up COVID-19 Emergency Fund to respond to the most urgent needs of our students, many of whom need assistance with everyday necessities as well as upgraded technology in order to participate in online learning. The community response has been humbling: To date, the foundation has raised over $50,000 to help our students make it through this time. I encourage you to visit the foundation’s website to learn how you can help.
- Employment. Our faculty and staff are the very foundation of university operations and I know job security has been a great concern. The university has made the commitment to continue to pay employees through the end of the fiscal year and I am hopeful this has provided some peace of mind.
For our next fiscal year, beginning July 1, there is less certainty in regard to the financial impact of the pandemic. State revenues will likely be significantly reduced by the loss of business activity. While our enrollment projections for academic year 2020-2021 were showing an increase in overall enrollment, we now anticipate an adverse impact. We especially worry for and about our international student population, many of whom have returned to their home countries and may not be able to return to the United States by the fall semester, as well as prospective international students who can’t get a visa to travel to the United States.
Our administration and our university budget advisory committee, comprised of 31 faculty, staff and student representatives from across campus, are exploring scenarios and management approaches to minimize adverse impacts to our campus community.
As we look for ways to reduce the future financial impact, we must evaluate our current spending.
Therefore, WSU is implementing two temporary cost-saving measures: a hiring freeze and restrictions on discretionary spending including travel and non-essential purchases. More detailed information about these actions and their implications, including the process for waiver requests, will be coming soon.
I do not tell you these things to be alarming, but rather to be honest and transparent about the challenging realities higher education institutions – including our own – are facing. I am confident that, with strategic and thoughtful planning, Wichita State will emerge even stronger than we were before.
I know these are not easy times and I am grateful for your continued patience and grace. Please continue to take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Stay connected, but remain vigilant in practicing social distancing. Know that we are here for you and we will walk through this together, as one Shocker Nation.
