New Wichita State President Richard Muma is focused on the future | Commentary
As Dr. Richard Muma prepares to be inaugurated Oct. 29 as the 15th president of Wichita State University, a renewed sense of optimism and confidence about the university’s future has emerged.
It is an outlook we have observed in our respective positions with the WSU Foundation and WSU Tech, and one we believe is shared by multiple stakeholders — students, faculty, alumni, corporate partners, community leaders and many proud members of Shocker Nation.
What is generating this goodwill and trust? Just look at five priorities guiding President Muma’s administration, as well as his inauguration theme: “Inspired by the past, focused on the future.”
Our most important constituency — the students of WSU — see a president who has pledged to work aggressively to make college more affordable and accessible to all who dream of attending Wichita State. One way is to increase private funding for scholarships based on financial need, a priority for President Muma.
Another student-centric priority is the creation of the new Shocker Success Center, a centralized home on campus for 15 different student services now scattered in locations across campus. President Muma recognizes that a supportive learning environment is essential to help students stay on track to graduation. This center is the president’s highest capital-fundraising priority.
The businesses and industries so vital to our region’s growth see in President Muma an ally working with them to prepare graduates ready to enter the workforce — graduates from both WSU and WSU Tech. Key to this priority is making sure students have abundant applied learning opportunities, working side by side with experienced professionals through internships, research projects, community service and work-based learning.
Community leaders view President Muma as a partner dedicated to helping increase economic prosperity in our region. This goal emphasizes high-impact research, innovations in digital technologies, new curriculum for our evolving times, a commitment to diversity and inclusion so important to talent acquisition — and much more. It also embraces an ongoing commitment to develop the Innovation Campus, now home to more than 25 partner-businesses.
To all who believe in the importance of freedom of expression in our society and on our college campuses, President Muma has made it a priority to champion a robust exchange of ideas, rigorous debate on difficult topics and support for diverse opinions and experiences.
Along with these priorities for his administration, President Muma also brings an aura of stability and reliability to Wichita State many will find reassuring after a period of tumult. His credentials to lead are undeniable: a 25-year record of service to Wichita State, starting as a professor in the College of Health Professions and rising to department chair, then to associate vice president of academic affairs, provost, interim president and now president. A longtime Wichitan with many connections in our community, he is regarded as approachable, ready to listen to diverse constituencies and an individual familiar with the challenges our region faces.
In the many conversations President Muma has had with campus and community members over the past few months, he has repeatedly driven home the message that the fate of Wichita State does not rest on the shoulders of one person. It is the collective will and determination of Shocker Nation that will ensure our future is as rich and bounteous as our first 126 years. We invite all to join us on this journey.