Child Development Center

The WSU Child Development Center is located at 3026 East 21st Street North, at the NW corner of Hillside and 21st Street. It is a licensed childcare center for children of WSU students, faculty, staff and alumni. A diverse staff of qualified lead teachers and WSU student assistants facilitates developmentally appropriate activities — art, language, science, math, music and literature — in a hands-on learning environment. The childcare center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for children 6 weeks to 6 years old.

Enrollment is limited so it is recommended to get on the waiting list as soon as possible. There is an $80, nonrefundable fee to be added to the waitlist.

Students taking 6 credit hours or more receive a $40 discount. Students who receive financial aid and have an EFC of 0 receive a $80 discount.

For more information, call 316-978-3109, or visit the Child Development Center website.1

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Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex

The Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, located at 29th Street North and Oliver, is considered part of the main campus. Named for WSU’s 11th president, Eugene Hughes, the 27-acre site has many amenities, including an initial building containing the 1,750-seat Roger Lowe Auditorium, the 145-seat Frederick Sudermann Commons, and the Richard Welsbacher Experimental Theater, a black-box theater. This facility offers meeting rooms that are available for rent and can accommodate groups from 10 people to 250 people. In addition, it houses the Office for Workforce, Professional and Community Education which offers community education classes for the public, the Small Business Development Center, the Educational Opportunity Center, and the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic offering special services in these respective fields. The complex also has playing fields for intramural sports and the Advanced Education in General Dentistry building, providing advanced education to dental school graduates as well as needed oral health care to the general public.

Fine Arts Facilities

Wiedemann Hall houses the first pipe organ built in North America by the world-renowned firm of Marcussen and Son, Denmark. The 400-seat music venue, dedicated in 1986, is the ideal acoustical setting for the organ. The building is named for music-lover and philanthropist Gladys H.G. Wiedemann.

Duerksen Fine Arts Center, opened in 1956, hosts university, community and professional music and dance performances. Named for alumnus and long-time dean of the college, Walter Duerksen, the fine arts center houses the School of Music, including the 500-seat Miller Concert Hall, classrooms and practice studios.

Wilner Auditorium, built in 1938 with federal funds provided through the Public Works Administration, is named to honor speech and theater professor George Wilner. Although other stages are now available, the 550-seat Wilner Auditorium still serves as the main stage for theater activities.

Grace Memorial Chapel

Harvey D. Grace Memorial Chapel, located in the heart of the campus near Morrison Hall and the Rhatigan Student Center, was built in 1963 and dedicated to serve all creeds and races. The chapel is available to students for group or individual worship and meditation, and is a frequent location for weddings.

National Institute for Aviation Research

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University is the largest university-based aviation research and development institution in the United States with two million square feet of laboratory space. Established in 1985, NIAR offers research, development, testing, certification and training services in the areas of Additive/Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings, Aerodynamics, Ballistic and Impact Dynamics, CAD/CAM, Composites/Advanced Materials, Crash Dynamics, Digital Twin, Environmental and Electromagnetic Test, Full-Scale Structural Test, Mechanical Test, MRO, Nondestructive Test, Machining/Prototyping, Reverse Engineering, Robotics and Automation, Sustainment, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Virtual Engineering and eXtended Reality.

NIAR is home to the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance, National Defense Prototyping Center and the FAA’s Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials. It is also a member of the FAA's ASSURE Center of Excellence for UAS Research and NASA's Advanced Composites Consortium.

NIAR headquarters is located on WSU’s main campus. Additional NIAR locations include the 3DEXPERIENCE Center inside John Bardo Center; the Jerry Moran Center for Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing; laboratories within the National Center for Aviation Training; NIAR WERX and ATLAS near Spirit AeroSystems; and the Aircraft Structural Test and Evaluation Center in Park City.

Find out more at the NIAR website1, or by calling 316-978-6427, or 800-NIAR-WSU.

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Plaza of Heroines

Surrounded by Ablah Library, Jabara Hall, Grace Memorial Chapel and Clinton Hall, the Plaza of Heroines is a beautiful and welcome gathering place. Danseuse Espagnole (Spanish Dancer), by artist Sophia Vari, is a striking addition to WSU’s highly regarded outdoor sculpture collection and the centerpiece of the plaza. Landscaping and benches surround the sculpture enhancing the circular plaza, constructed of bricks and granite pavers engraved with the names of honored women. Proceeds from the plaza project benefit the Center for Women’s Studies scholarship fund.

Ulrich Museum of Art

Most recognized for the iconic Joan Miró mosaic mural Personnages Oiseaux, the Ulrich Museum of Art is located in the southwest section of campus. The museum and the 86-piece Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection are unique and essential parts of campus life at WSU. The museum features changing exhibitions, installations, programs and performances that examine the art and issues of modern and contemporary culture. The museum is also home to the Kouri Collection Study Center, a space that allows anyone to request works from the Ulrich collection for teaching, learning, research or pleasure.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to use the museum as a learning space, a place to discover the world through a broad range of disciplines, and a haven for just hanging out and meeting new people. The museum also has a paid internship program and offers part-time employment for WSU students.

Make your next visit to the Ulrich or day on campus more rewarding by downloading the free Smartify app, available on the App Store or Google Play. Using the app, point at and scan any of the sculptures in the Outdoor Sculpture Collection to get additional information about these works. The Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection has been named one of the Top 10 outdoor sculpture collections on a college/university campus in the United States (2006 Public Art Review).

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays and major/university holidays.

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