Wichita State to close in honor of Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9

Allison Campbell, Editor-in-Chief • January 3, 2025

A student walks to the Rhatigan Student Center on Wichita State’s campus in November.

Following the death of former President Jimmy Carter, Wichita State will suspend its operations on Thursday, Jan. 9, in observance of the National Day of Mourning for the former president.

Pre-session classes will be canceled, and WSU employees will receive paid time off.

Carter, who died at age 100 on Sunday, Dec. 29, was the longest-lived president in United States history. The Democratic Party member served from 1977 to 1981 as the United State’s 39th president.

The former president remained politically and socially active in the years leading up to his death.

After Carter’s death, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation marking Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning. On Dec. 31, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed an executive order which created a coinciding Day of Mourning for Carter in Kansas.

Previously, Wichita State has observed other legally designated days of mourning including for former President Ronald Reagan in 2004, Gerald Ford in 2007 and George H.W. Bush in 2018.

Who was Jimmy Carter?

During his presidency, James “Jimmy” Earl Carter Jr. brokered the Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel and signed a peace treaty between the United States and Panama to return control of the Panama Canal to the Central American country.

After his lost presidential bid to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, Carter began a number of philanthropic organizations, like The Carter Center, and became heavily involved with Habitat for Humanity, eventually launching the annual Carter Work Project.

Carter was later awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the 1990s. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development,” according to the Associated Press.

About the Contributors

Allison Campbell, Editor-in-Chief

Allison Campbell is the editor-in-chief of The Sunflower. Campbell is a senior pursuing a journalism and media production degree with a minor in English. She served as one of the news editors during the 2023-2024 year. Campbell hopes to pursue a career in writing or editing after graduation. They use any pronouns.

Ainsley Smyth, News Editor

Ainsley Smyth is the news editor of The Sunflower. Smyth previously worked as a reporter. She is a junior pursuing a bachelor's in communications with an emphasis in journalism and media production.