Wichita State’s NetApp location officially opened today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, following speeches by key figures.

NetApp Vice President of Core Software & Data Management Robin Huber said there were a few different reasons why they chose WSU to house the new location.

“It’s a cool place, the atmosphere, the people . . . this is what we’re looking for,” Huber said. “That’s reason number one. Reason number two (is) community. NetApp for a long time has recognized that it’s very important to give back to the community.”

Huber said the third reason was because of the partnership with WSU.

“I’ll tell you that this partnership has been phenomenal, and, like I said, we’re already in discussions with Wichita State about curriculums and more that we can do to bring more students and faculty here,” Huber said.

Although NetApp only recently opened, Executive Vice President and Provost Shirley Lefever said that WSU has partnered with the company for over 30 years.
“Today, Wichita State students have already benefited from hundreds of applied learning opportunities through NetApp,” Lefever said. “These positions are paid student employment opportunities that can help ease the financial burden of higher education.”

Mayor of Wichita Brandon Whipple said that the opening of NetApp and other innovative buildings on campus will inspire more people to attend WSU and make Wichita a place to plant and maintain roots.

“We are the air capital of the world,” Whipple said. “We still call ourselves the air capital of the world because that’s a throwback to our culture, but the reality is that we’re the opportunity capital of the world because Wichitans are the ones that get to work.”