From the Kitchen Table to 358 N. Main

Originally named the Self-Help Network (SHN), WSU’s Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) was founded in 1983 by social worker Evelyn Middlestat. At the time, CCSR was focused on providing referrals to self-help support groups and operated from a simple table in Evelyn’s own kitchen. Eventually, Evelyn was joined by Wichita State University professor Dr. Greg Meissen, and in 1985 CCSR moved into the Psychology Department at WSU.

Over the next twenty-five years, CCSR grew, and expanded its mission beyond providing assistance to self-help groups and adapted its skills and techniques to assist non-profit organizations, community coalitions, faith-based initiatives, and government entities. In order to better serve the greater community of Kansas, CCSR relocated to the heart of downtown Wichita at 358 N. Main.

Today, in addition to serving the state as a whole, CCSR operates as the pinnacle of the WSU’s urban-serving mission, under the Office of Research Administration.