Key Wichita State speakers and President Richard Muma kicked off the 2022 Faculty and Staff Fall Address inside the recently completed Woolsey Hall building – the new home to the university’s business school.

The address was held to discuss priorities for the 2022-2023 school year. 

“Here’s our priorities: making education affordable and accessible for Kansas families, supporting Kansas businesses with the talent pipeline that meets employer’s needs, and increasing the overall economic prosperity with higher education that benefits the Kansas economy,” Muma said.

Some of the steps taken to meet these priorities have been the university’s partnership with different businesses to create a talent pipeline and applied learning opportunities. Some of these partnerships include The Smart Factory and NetApp – two of the newest additions to the Innovation Campus. 

The National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation and a Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence are also works in progress for the Innovation Campus. 

“As the Innovation Campus reaches capacity, it’s important that we consider all of Wichita as a campus – maybe even all of Kansas,” Muma said.

Another item mentioned by Muma was the National Institute for Culinary and Hospitality Education (NICHE). This building is located in downtown Wichita and will host a variety of items when it opens in the fall such as a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, classrooms, demonstration kitchen, an open-to-the-public food hall, student-ran café and rooftop event center.

Muma said a priority for this year will be reaching a decision about what to do with Cessna Stadium, the former football stadium that opened in 1946 and now holds track and field and cross country meets/practices. The Kansas Board of Regents approved the demolishment of the building in 2020; however, this has not been scheduled yet. 

“This past year I have tasked athletics and other members of the executive team to find a solution for this facility,” Muma said. “There are lots of ideas on the tables and we will be seeking input from groups affected by this decision the most.”