Inclusion in ³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰ Institute offers Wichita State opportunity to enhance its research capabilities

ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ is participating in the ³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰ Institute as part of a project to build research capabilities and expand STEM initiatives for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. 

³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰ Institute participants, chosen from an application process, will engage in a series of activities designed to enhance skills and boost the ability to compete for funding while elevating the research enterprise.  

β€œWe are grateful to have been chosen by the to participate in the first cohort of theβ€―³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰β€―Institute,” said Coleen Pugh, dean of the Graduate School. β€œWe consider this an important step to attaining our HSI goals, while also contributing ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½β€™s expertise to the program.”  

Pugh will join Rhonda Lewis, professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Psychology, and Sara Mata, executive director of Hispanic Serving Initiatives, to participate in a virtual program beginning Sept. 20. The program continues, with both virtual and in-person meetings, until July 2025. 

The virtual and in-person events are designed to help universities: 

  • develop and implement a systematic research enterprise framework.
  • form and strengthen regional consortia to share resources and expertise.
  • pilot new strategies for research enterprise sustainability and growth.

The ³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰ Institute β€” β€œVisioning, Organizing, Leading, and Advancing the Research Enterprise at HSIs” β€” is made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation.  

Wichita State is an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution, with 17 percent of its students identifying as Hispanic as of 2023-24. Participation in the ³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰ Institute will enhance ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½β€™s research goals, including achieving . 

β€œWe hope the exchange of ideas with theβ€―³Υ°Ώ³’΄‘ΈιΓ‰ Cohort I will help us make institutional changes to create more equitable and collaborative work and educational environmentsβ€―that are conducive to retaining and empowering our faculty researchers,” Pugh said.


About ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ 

ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven. 

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. 

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations. 

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