Wichita State University

Wichita State University Summary

Coordinates: 37°43′09″N, 97°17′35″W Wichita State University (WSU) is an American state-supported university located in the city of Wichita, Kansas. Wichita State University offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in six undergraduate colleges: W. Frank Barton School of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of Health Professions, and Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. With an enrollment of more than 15,000, the University’s students come from almost every state in the United States and 110 foreign countries. Wichita State University was instituted as Fairmount College, a private Congregational school, in 1886 by the Rev. In 1926, by a vote of the citizens of Wichita the college became a public non-denominational institution named the Municipal University of Wichita; After 38 years as a municipal university, WSU again changed its status on July 1, 1964, when it officially entered the state system of higher education. Now, Wichita State University is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. Hail, thee, Grand and True, Long wave the Yellow and Black, O Wichita, Here’s to you! Hail, thee Grand and True, Long wave the Yellow and the Black, O Wichita, Here’s to you! Hail, thee Grand and True, Long wave the Yellow and the Black, O Wichita, Here’s to you! The name reflects the University’s heritage: Early students earned money by shocking, or harvesting, wheat in nearby fields. Although the Wheatshockers name was never officially adopted by the university, it caught on and survived until it was later shortened to Shockers. Until 1948, the university used a nameless shock of wheat as its symbol. Once Elsea’s mascot was adopted by the university, which by that time was known as the Municipal University of Wichita, all that was needed was a name. On October 2, 1970, the first, or “gold” plane (the twin plane to the second, or black, plane) took off from a Colorado airport after refueling, bound for Logan, Utah for a game against Utah State University. President Richard Nixon sent the president of the university a note which read, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to you in this time of sorrow.”

Summary content courtesy of Wikipedia.

Wichita State University History

Wichita State University is located in Wichita, Kansas. It is an urban university. Wichita State University was founded in 1895 as a Congregational college and received university status in 1926. The University now awards associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Wichita State University defines its mission in part: “through teaching, scholarship, and public service, the University seeks to equip both students and the larger community with the educational and cultural tools they need to thrive in a complex world, and to achieve both individual responsibility in their own lives and effective citizenship in the local, national, and global community.”

Wichita State was founded from the previous Fairmount College, which had been established a decade earlier by Rev. Joseph Homer Parker. The University’s mascot, the “Wheatshocker,” traces its origins as far back as 1905. Wichita State managed to emerge from difficult times in the Depression, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

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Wichita State University Academics

The University is composed of a number of different schools and colleges: the Barton School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Education, the College of Fine Arts, the College of Health Professions, and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Bachelor’s degrees are awarded in a number of different disciplines, including accounting, aerospace engineering, English, geology, mathematics, physics, women’s studies, mathematics, microbiology, engineering, education, business administration, nursing, fine arts, biology, communication, and dental hygiene, among others. The liberal arts and sciences are well represented.

Master’s degrees are awarded in more than 50 fields, including accounting, anthropology, business administration (MBA), counseling, creative writing, education, liberal studies, music, nursing (MSN), public administration (MPA), social work (MSW), special education, and studio art. The educational specialist degree (Ed.S.) is awarded in school psychology.

The school awards nine doctoral degrees, in aerospace space engineering, audiology, educational leadership, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physical therapy, and psychology.

Academics are housed in the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Health Professions, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. Since the late 80s Wichita State has significantly increased its instructional space in the areas of engineering, health sciences, music and dance, and the liberal arts. Wichita State employs 479 full-time faculty, 73 percent of which have earned the terminal degree in their field.

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Wichita State University Unique Programs

There are graduate certificate programs in a few fields in the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the College of Health Professions, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Wichita State offers majors in such unique areas as communication disorders and sciences, dental hygiene, decision sciences, and social work. The area of Intensive English prepares graduates to teach English as a second language (ESL) classes.

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Wichita State University Financial Aid

In-state tuition and fees for undergraduate students were $125.50 per credit hour in 2004-2005. Students applying from out of state and graduate students will have different costs.

Financial aid is available with a combination of grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs.

Nearly half the Wichita State student body receives some sort of scholarship or financial aid, which totals approximately $48 million annually. The Office of Financial Aid website offers online services, including a direct link to the FAFSA website. The colleges alone offer $1 million in scholarships annually for their respective students, and Wichita State freshmen are highly encouraged to inquire about such scholarships.

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Wichita State University Students

Wichita State University has a public observatory, a museum of anthropology, and an art museum. There are a number of institutions and centers as part of the University, including the National Institute for Aviation Research and the Kansas Small Business Development Center.

The Wichita State University Library offers electronic catalogs and on-line databases, in additional to physical volumes stored on site or available through inter-library loan. There are special libraries for music and chemistry. The special collections include maps, rare books, local history, government documents, and the University archives.

Wichita State is home to over 15,000 students, including students from nearly ever state in the country and over 100 countries. The 330-acre campus is located in an urban setting and decorated by dozens of sculptures by world-renowned artists. There are over 120 student organizations, eleven fraternities, and nine sororities on the Wichita State campus.

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Wichita State University Local Community

The city of Wichita has museums, gardens, a zoo, and a convention center. It is located in southern central Kansas and has a population of approximately 344,000.

Wichita is Kansas’ largest city and home to the Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center, one of Wichita State’s leading industry partners that makes the University such a boon to the community. Local attractions include an annual jazz festival, barefoot water skiing, and some of the best art and children’s museums in the country.

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