9.23.24

Wichita State shares an aspirational plan for its main university campus

Shocker Nation has consistently shown its ability to achieve remarkable feats. A prime example is the transformation of what was a golf course into the Innovation Campus. In less than 10 years, this area has become a hub of innovation, providing career and research opportunities, both locally and globally.

As we look ahead, it’s essential to plan for Wichita State’s future. The Kansas Board of Regents mandates that its institutions develop a master plan every 10 years. This process helps us understand how to better serve our students and wider communities.

Last year, we partnered with the architecture, design and planning firm Gensler – the same firm that designed Woolsey Hall, the new home for the W. Frank Barton School of Business – to build out our 2024 master plan. Gensler engaged with our campus community through six visits, surveys involving some 1,000 participants and interviews with hundreds of students and other WSU stakeholders.

Earlier this year, the plan was shared through virtual and in-person presentations, generating significant interest. Here are some key points from the plan:

• The development of the Innovation Campus with its many newer buildings, including Woolsey Hall, has shifted the center of campus eastward. This shift has opened up new possibilities to physically connect the eastern campus quadrant with our historic core and, at the same time, enhance ties to the Fairmount Neighborhood.
• For athletics, the plan proposes new indoor track and tennis facilities on the northwest corner of campus and an addition to Charles Koch Arena to include an extra practice court.
• For academics, the plan suggests construction of an interdisciplinary teaching, research and lab building near the Media Resources Center. This would allow for the removal of outdated buildings with high maintenance costs. Other possible construction projects include a new entrance at the north end of Ablah Library and an academic arts hall with rehearsal and performance spaces.
• Among other ideas of note in the plan are these: relocating and expanding the Child Development Center to create a facility that would increase interfaces with K-12 students and professionals, and replacing the Heskett Center, built in 1983, with a new recreation center near the Steve Clark YMCA.

The plan is aspirational and flexible. Like every master plan before it, it will evolve over time. I’m looking forward to seeing how we build a brighter future for Shocker Nation — together.

Go Shockers!

Rick Muma

Learn more about the 2024 master plan: https://www.wichita.edu/about/masterplan/index.php