Wichita State’s Corbin Education Center has reopened for the Fall 2025 semester, nearly a year and a half after a chilled water line break flooded its basement mechanical room and forced the building’s immediate closure. 

The center initially closed in March 2024 and is one of only two Frank Lloyd Wright designs in Kansas, standing as both an architectural landmark and tribute to former WSU President Harry F. Corbin Jr. The building on the north side of WSU’s campus is home to the College of Applied Studies.    

WSU first expected the building to reopen within days, but that plan quickly changed as damage to critical systems – including power, HVAC and IT – was found to be more extensive than expected. University officials later announced repairs would take months, pushing the reopening past the Fall 2024 semester. Ultimately, officials pushed back the building’s reopening until this semester. 

The March 2024 flood damage displaced the College of Applied Studies classes for more than a year. Students attended class in temporary locations across campus while faculty and advisers worked from other offices. 

Faculty and staff from the College of Applied Studies moved back into the building on Aug. 25, restoring the college to its longtime home. Esports and advising offices, which were housed in the building, have also returned.