The College of Applied Studies is pending approval of a name update to become the College of Education, according to an announcement during Wichita State University’s 2025 Fall Address.
The previous name came in June 2018 in order to better describe the college’s focus, which went further than just education programs.
“‘College of Education’ is a name that reflects who we are; a community committed to education, learning and leadership in every setting,” said Jennifer Friend, the dean of the College of Applied Studies.
The name is still in the approval process within the university and the Kansas Board of Regents, the governing body that oversees state higher education.
University President Rick Muma said WSU will renovate the market-based compensation program the university has been using since 2021.
“While everyone may not agree with market-based compensation, I want you to know we’ve made significant progress helping ensure our faculty and staff are recognized and rewarded for their talent and dedication,” Muma said at the address.
Market-based compensation is the process of adjusting salaries in comparison to similar jobs within a specific job’s market.
In the Frequently Asked Questions on market-based compensation section of the WSU website, some responses admit to hearing complaints of compensation being too low in the past. This new plan is in place to make salaries and wages for faculty and staff more competitive compared to similar jobs in their field.
Also mentioned in the Fall Address was the new biomedical campus downtown and the research looking into the addition of a dental school.
The first phase of the 350,000-square-foot biomedical campus began last year in May. The $222 million project has a planned opening in the summer of 2027 in partnership with the University of Kansas.
Earlier this month, the WSU Board of Trustees approved a study into the feasibility of a dental school at WSU. Muma said in the address that WSU expects to have a clearer picture of what a dental school would look like by the end of 2026.
