New email reminders for Pcard and travel items in Chrome River!
Starting Monday October 21, 2019 Chrome River users will begin receiving system generated email notifications for aged or outstanding transactions.
The notifications will be sent according to the following schedule:
Monday mornings:
Pre-Approval and Expense Approval reminders - The system will resend the approval email for any pre-approval and/or expense reports that have been in your approval queue longer than three days. Approvers must take action either by using the approval email or by logging into the Chrome River system to complete the approval process.
Wednesday mornings:
Unused Pcard Transactions 鈥� The system will send a listing of unreconciled Pcard charges that have been pending in excess of 30 days. Users must take action to reconcile the Pcard charges on either a Travel Expense Report or a Pcard Reconciliation (Non Travel) Report in Chrome River.
Unapproved Expense Items 鈥� The system will send a summary list of any items which have been pending your approval for longer than six days. Approvers must take action either by locating and using the approval email, or by logging into the Chrome River system to complete the approval process.
Employees reaching service milestones will be honored at invitation-only events in November
Employees who reach a service milestone between the dates of Sept. 2, 2018 and Sept. 1, 2019, will be honored at invitation-only events hosted by the university in November. Events will honor those with service of five to 50 years, those achieving the Bender of Twigs distinction, and those having retired from the university.
Each department is strongly encouraged to celebrate their colleagues in a way that would be meaningful for the honoree. To view a list of employees reaching a service milestone, visit .
How are we assessing student learning at the classroom level?
The University Assessment Committee will host a Fall Symposia, 鈥淐reating Assessments for College Courses," with a brief Q&A session with Jason Herron, from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, in 262 RSC.
Please register on the assessment symposia page with your attendance plans.
2020 benefits Open Enrollment events
All benefits-eligible state employees must participate in Open Enrollment! Log in to the Member Administration Portal at to make your elections.
Events occurring next week:
Monday, Oct. 21: HR Total Rewards Open Enrollment presentation at 9 a.m. in 233 RSC. Your HR Total Rewards team will be here to present your 2020 open enrollment benefits and changes.
Tuesday, Oct. 22: HR Total Rewards Open Enrollment presentation at 2 p.m. in 142 RSC. Your HR Total Rewards team will be here to present your 2020 open enrollment benefits and changes.
Wednesday, Oct. 23: Open Enrollment Open Lab 2:30-4:30 p.m. in 122 Jabara Hall
Employees can drop in anytime during the open enrollment lab for assistance registering and entering enrollment elections. You can RSVP at . Open Enrollment Labs do not include a presentation of plans or changes.
Due to the high volume of work during the open enrollment period, the HR Total Rewards Team will not be available for walk-in traffic or to make individual appointments regarding open enrollment. Please take advantage of the scheduled presentations, on-demand webinar and open lab sessions. For a full listing of Open Enrollment events, visit the . Any questions should be directed to TotalRewards@wichita.edu.
Faculty-produced documentary to premiere at local film festival
The documentary 鈥淐ocin(ando) Wichita,鈥� will premiere at the upcoming Tallgrass Film Festival at 12:15 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, during the event The State of Kansas: Past, Present, and Future at the Wilke Family Center. Tickets are $10, and are available on the festival麓s website. The documentary is in Spanish with English / Spanish subtitles.
鈥淐ocin(ando) Wichita,鈥� is a 19-minute narrative about immigration and food in Wichita鈥檚 Hispanic community. The documentary acknowledges the value of people who have kept their culinary traditions, and how that has shaped their culture and their communities. This project was made possible by a grant awarded by Kansas Humanities.
The documentary was produced and directed by Rocio del Aguila, assistant professor of Spanish. Enrique Navarro, assistant professor of Spanish, served as the co-producer and creative director. Carolyn Speer, manager of 萝莉社鈥檚 instructional design and technology, served as the Kansas Humanities consultant, and Jay Price, professor of history, provided his insights about Kansas.
Jenny Masias and Margi Ault-Duell, both graduate students in Spanish, collaborated in the screenplay and captions. Elizabeth Harp, undergraduate, Spanish and elementary education, served as the project assistant.
Shocktoberfest events begin Saturday, Oct. 19!
Kick off Shocktoberfest by running, walking, and cheering on participants at the annual Pumpkin Run. If that鈥檚 too early in the day, visit the family friendly Trunk or Treat at Braeburn Square. This is all day one, for details and a full list of events and activities, visit .
Shocktoberfest is sponsored by the 萝莉社 Campus Traditions Committee.
News from the Weekly Briefing
At Thursday鈥檚 Weekly Briefing, the university update included news about a Wichita State / 萝莉社 Tech grant, FAFSA period opens, Kansas Board of Regents, and Shocktoberfest.
萝莉社/萝莉社 Tech grant
In May, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing awarded funding for Automation Manufacturing 鈥� Technicians for the Future.
Automation Manufacturing 鈥� Technicians for the Future is focused on the creation of short-term, for-credit, modularized certificates to help increase the pipeline of a skilled workforce in developing and maintaining automated advanced manufacturing systems.
The resulting certificates will be stackable into an associates degree from 萝莉社 Tech and transferrable into bachelor鈥檚 degree programs through 萝莉社 University. The project will combine Robotics Technology, Maintenance and Reliability, and Industrial Automation Machine Maintenance courses to provide employers with options to upskill employees.
Over the summer, 萝莉社 and 萝莉社 Tech created an industry-approved educational model and developed a student pipeline with outside manufacturing.
Meetings with companies showed a common set of targeted entry-level skills needed to be successful in this field are in demand. Companies are looking for entry-level talent who they defined as, 鈥渇armhands.鈥� In particular, those who grew up working with machinery and had the dexterity to move into the field.
FAFSA period opens
Applications for federal student aid for 2020-21 began on Oct. 1.
Based on the information you provide on the FAFSA, 萝莉社 will create an award package that may include federal grants, loans, work study and/or 萝莉社 scholarships.
December 1 is 萝莉社鈥檚 priority date to maximize your federal financial aid assistance.
Nearly 60 percent of 萝莉社 students receive some sort of financial aid, totaling around $105 million.
Kansas Board of Regents
Members of the Kansas Board of Regents visited 萝莉社 on Wednesday and Thursday this week. On Wednesday, members of the board met with applied learning students to learn about their experiences with Airbus, Ennovar, NetApp, Textron Aviation, the Wichita Thunder hockey club, the City of Wichita and others.
Shocktoberfest
Shocktoberfest begins Saturday and runs through Oct. 26. Athletic events and activities, competitions, service, philanthropies, a birthday celebration for WuShock and a lip sync competition.
The Pumpkin Run winds through campus on Saturday. The 5-kilometer race begins at 9 a.m. The Little Pumpkin Run (1-kilometer) begins at 10:19 a.m. The run begins and ends in the Shocker Hall courtyard.
Trunk or Treat runs from 1-4 pm Saturday at Braeburn Square.
How to Prepare a Budget for SBIR/STTR Proposals Webinar
This webinar from 10-11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, will walk through the development of a project budget. Items covered will include what costs need to be included, how to write a budget justification, can the company afford to pursue this project, what indirect rate should be used and more. There is no cost, but registration is required.
Space heater policy warning
Cooler temperatures are arriving and 萝莉社Environmental Health and Safety reminds you that space heater are prohibited on campus. Please refer to University policies 11.20 Space Heaters and 11.27 HVAC System Standards for more information.
Grace Wilkie Annex restroom remodel underway
The Offices of Grace Wilkie Annex (TRIO- McNair Scholars, TRIO - DSS, ROTC and the Office of Adult Learning) will be without restrooms while the current facilities are being remodeled. These offices will remain open during the remodel. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We will let you know when the remodel is complete.
Professional studio portraits now in 021J Morrison Hall
In conjunction with 萝莉社鈥檚 new website profiles, Strategic Communications is now taking appointments for portraits. Photos will now take place in 021J Morrison Hall, near the Print Shop. Easiest access to this room is via the north staircase.
To learn more, and to book your 10-minute appointment, go to .
Campus roads closed for tomorrow's (Saturday, Oct. 19) Pumpkin Run
Portions of Perimeter Road, Alumni Drive, Yale, Mid-Campus Drive, Mike Oatman Drive, 19th Street, and Innovation Blvd will be closed for the Pumpkin Run from 8:45-10:30 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 19). Most of the roads on the southern part of campus will remain open. Please make arrangements accordingly.
Nominate a student to Graduate Student Council
Professors/ Graduate Coordinators / Faculty,
The current executive board of the Graduate Student Council is an organization that aims to increase and facilitate the interaction between graduate students and bridge the gap between administration and the graduate student body. We are looking for students who can commit between two-to-five hours per month to representing their graduate program and the graduate student community. You may choose to nominate any student who is part of a degree bound graduate program. Any student nominated will be given the opportunity to accept or reject their nomination.
This nomination form is where you can nominate a student that you think will be a good addition to the Graduate Student Council. We have included more information below. Please direct any questions to gsc.president@wichita.edu
What: The 萝莉社Graduate Student Council (GSC) is a newly constituted graduate student governing organization led currently by the members of the Graduate Student Association.
Why: GSC seeks to engage graduate students with social and collaborative events, let voices be heard from graduate students in all departments, and open channels of communication between graduate students, faculty, and administration.
How: After the election we will have two meetings of the full council per month, as well as once monthly committee meetings. Councilors will serve until the completion of the spring 2020 semester.
When: The nomination period for the election is Oct. 7-18. Election week is Oct. 28-30. The council currently meets at 4:30 p.m. every Thursday.
What students can do: Nominate a peer or yourself as a representative of your department!
Host a trunk at Trunk or Treat!
Trunk or Treat is a family-orientated event welcoming Shockers of all ages to campus for a safe alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. Student Activities Council wants your department or student organization to host a trunk!
Register your department to host a festively decorated trunk at the event and provide candy and/or interactive activities for the families of 萝莉社 students, faculty, and staff, as well as kids from the local USD 259 school system. Register your trunk here! Registration closes today (Friday, Oct. 18).
Contact Randi Beggs at randi.beggs@wichita.edu with any questions about the event.
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萝莉社 F1RST-Gen forerunners and supporters
Are you a first-generation college faculty or staff member, and / or an advocate and ally of first-generation students?
Be recognized for your unique accomplishment as an academic doer and let our first-generation college students know that they are not alone here at 萝莉社 University.
The F1RST-Gen Coordinating Council would love to include you in the 萝莉社 F1RST-Gen forerunners and supporters list designed to heighten visibility and awareness of the presence of F1RST-Gen Shockers within the 萝莉社 community.
A list of 萝莉社-F1RST Gen forerunners and supporters will be shared in time to celebrate First-Gen Week that begins Monday, Nov. 4.
F1RST-Gen forerunners and supporters
'My Fellow Kansans' Season 2 out now
The second season of "My Fellow Kansans" begins today (Friday, Oct. 18) and runs through Nov. 22. This season we鈥檙e turning to rural Kansas, because it too has a storied past. But as once-thriving towns continue to shrink, does it have a future? That, fellow Kansans, depends on whom you ask. The future of rural Kansas is our topic in season two of "My Fellow Kansans," a podcast from the Kansas News Service.
Find it wherever you get your podcasts, or at .
Learn about copyright concepts during the Entrepreneurship Research Series
Join University Libraries for the next Entrepreneurship Research Series workshop at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, in 217 Ablah Library.
Learn about basic copyright concepts such as what kind of creative works can be protected by copyright, how to register a copyrighted work, best practices for using others' copyrighted work, and those that are relevant to artists and musicians, such as the Music Modernization Act, compulsory licensing fees, and transformative use.
For more information, call Sara Butts at 978-5017.
Learn how to become more assertive through assertive leadership techniques
Attend the Assertive Leadership Technique workshop will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday Oct. 31. The cost is $399, but there is a 40% discount for 萝莉社 faculty, staff, and students. The workshop teaches communication style, constructive confrontations and compliments, critique and rejection.
Assertiveness is one of the most valuable skill sets leaders and managers can possess. It ensures that you are clear, consistent and understood by those you lead. Assertiveness helps eliminate the confusing and inconsistent messages many of us often convey unintentionally to our employees and coworkers.
Two 鈥楲ab Girl鈥� Big Read events at 萝莉社 on Saturday, Oct. 26
The 7th annual Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) event at 萝莉社 invites middle school girls from the surrounding area to attend the workshops on Saturday, Oct. 26.
This year, EYH, an event promoting career exploration in fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for young women, is also tied to Wichita鈥檚 Big Read, and will also feature a parallel 鈥淟ab Crawl鈥� for any other individuals interested in exploring STEM labs.
EYH registration is limited to 200 participants to maximize interaction at workshops, and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis through Tuesday, Oct. 22. The registration fee of $15 includes lunch at Shocker Hall, a T-shirt and bag for the student attending. EYH students will be able to register for a variety of STEM workshops ranging from a hexapod scavenger hunt to an energy-efficiency break-out room.
Lab Crawl participants can attend the opening ceremonies for EYH and then join behind-the-scenes tours of research labs at facilities at 萝莉社 on their own. See scientists in action, ask questions and try out some of the tools of the trade. Registration is also requested, but there is no fee for the 鈥淟ab Crawl.鈥�
Shocker Volleyball looks to Jam the Gym!
Get ready to Jam the Gym at 7 p.m. today (Friday, Oct. 18) as the Shockers take on UCF. Remember to wear black to the game, as we blackout the Roundhouse! Tickets are only $3, and student tickets are free!
Attend the Halloween ComicFest hosted by the University Library
Come celebrate Halloween with University Libraries at our Halloween ComicFest on Saturday, Oct. 26. We will have a variety of events happening throughout the day, including a a costume contest, a green screen photo booth, appearances by the 501st Legion, 3-D Printing Demonstrations, a screening of "House on Haunted Hill," a kids craft table, free comic books, and more.
This event is free and open to the public.
Team up for Big Pink Volleyball
We are one week away! Get your team together for a national fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research and win points for Shocktoberfest at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in the Heskett Center! This event is a blast and it funds a great cause, Victory in the Valley. Sign up today at .
Costume Casino planned for Oct. 30
Come join SAC for some casino games, costumes, and prizes at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, on the RSC first floor. Come in your best costume and test your luck!