Wichita State University began as Fairmount College, a Congregational Church institution, in 1895. In 1926, by a vote of the citizens of Wichita, the college became the Municipal University of Wichita, the first municipal university west of the Mississippi. Tax support of the University during this period came from a mill levy on property in the City of Wichita. In 1964, by action of the Kansas Legislature, the University entered into the state system of higher education and became one of six state universities, and one of only three research universities, governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. At this same time Wichita voters approved continuation of a 1.5 mill levy for ongoing support of the University. In 1987, the mill levy was expanded county-wide to include all of Sedgwick County.

Dr. Hugo Wall: Exemplary Citizen, Activist Professor
by H. Edward Flentje and George M. Platt
from Selected Solely Upon the Basis of Administrative Ability. Edited by H. Edward Flentje. Wichita, Kansas: Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, Wichita State University, 1993, pp. 53- 67.

Dr. Hugo Wall [1] was one of a group of pioneering educators in the central United States who championed professionalism in public administration. Colleges and universities, he felt, should and could educate young people to become better citizens, train people to be qualified public servants, and have a direct impact on the quality of life in communities by working closely with local governments. Hugo, along with others like professors Anderson and Short of Minnesota, Redford of Texas, Farber of South Dakota, Allen and Stene of Kansas, added a community orientation to the emerging field of public administration with their "centers," "bureaus," and "institutes" aimed at providing services directly to state and local governments.