ROAR
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
Vol. 5 Issue 1 Fall/Winter 2020
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ROAR MAGAZINE | VOL. 5 NO. 1 | FALL/WINTER 2020
02 FROM THE PRESIDENT 03 CAMPUS NEWS
06 CONVERT, DON’T CANCEL
18 20
10 ALUMNI NEWS
16 TIGER ATHLETICS 18 MAXIMIZING LIVES
Tiger alum called to a life of service
20 4 QUESTIONS WITH JILL ARENSDORF, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
22 26
22 AN ALLY AND A FRIEND An advocate and champion for refugees in southwest Kansas
26 TIME CAPSULES 34
MOVING THE NEEDLE
FHSU alum building a sustainable and socially responsible fashion empire
38 ON THE HUNT
34 38
Tips for job searching in uncertain times from FHSU Director of Career Services
40 HEROES WORK HERE
On the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Kansas
44 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SPOTLIGHT Dr. Daley, a life of
academic rigor, generosity, and truth
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46 TIGER NOTES
FROM THE PRESIDENT INTRODUCTIONS Editor in Chief Scott Cason Creative Director/Designer Meghan Oliver Managing Editor Kelsey Stremel Senior Editor Diane Gasper-O’Brien Writers Scott Cason Diane Gasper-O’Brien Brian Gribben Kelsey Stremel Photographers Trever Rohn Kelsey Stremel Contributors FHSU Alumni Association FHSU Athletics FHSU Foundation Anna Patrice Photography
CONNECT Fort Hays State University @FortHaysState @FortHaysState FortHaysState ROAR Magazine is published twice a year (fall and spring) by Fort Hays State University’s Office of University Relations and Marketing. Subscriptions are by paid membership in the Alumni Association.
Dear Friends, This year has seen some of the most turbulent times in our nation’s recent history. The first impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on our university community started on our campuses in China in January. By March, it reached Kansas and led to our move to remote operations. What followed over the spring and summer months was an intensive effort to convert experiences to new and more technology-driven formats – instead of canceling them. Through it all, the great people of this university demonstrated the innovative spirit, persistence and an ethic of care for one another that makes the Tiger Nation so strong. In the pages of this edition of ROAR Magazine, you will meet people and read stories of a university community rising to the challenge of a generation and never wavering on our shared commitment to transforming lives. Over the past several months, we have moved two of our China campuses from traditional in-person courses to an entirely online format optimized for moblie phone delivery. We also expanded faculty training in advanced learning technologies to the point where nearly any professor in any classroom on campus can teach in-person and online simultaneously. When COVID-19 led to the cancellation of our spring commencement ceremony in May, we still found a way for our spring and summer graduates to celebrate with their families and share those celebrations with all of us. From Day One of this pandemic, the remarkable people of FHSU approached the daunting challenge of this global pandemic as a great opportunity to evolve and grow in our ability to deliver a comprehensive and life-changing college experience. I consider it a great honor to work with the people who make this university special. Thank you for your passionate and enduring support of Fort Hays State University. Kind regards,
Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE President
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the FHSU Alumni Association, One Tiger Place, Hays, KS 67601-3767 ROAR
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CAMPUS NEWS Kansas National Guard, FHSU create new path to complete Officer Candidate training Fort Hays State University and the Kansas Army National Guard have embarked on a partnership to help new and current service members become commissioned officers. The partnership, the only one of its kind in the state of Kansas, started in the fall 2020. To participate in this Officer Candidate School (OCS) program, service members attending FHSU will take two classes, one in the fall and one in the spring of their senior year. To enroll, students must be current National Guard members who have completed basic training and OCS Phase 1. They must also have completed 90 credit hours of college course work. Upon graduating from FHSU, they will be commissioned and report to Fort Lewis, Wash., to complete Phase 3 of the OCS program and be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Kansas Army National Guard. The four courses offered as part of FHSU’s OCS curriculum are open to all students and are designed to allow students to explore military life and the idea of becoming a U.S. Army officer. They will also build community among FHSU students by giving them the opportunity to participate in the OCS process earlier than their senior year. The OCS courses are also part of a future military leadership minor program that will be available at FHSU. “This program is just one of several examples of FHSU pursuing new and innovative ways to engage the military and better serve current and former members of our nation’s armed forces,” said Dr. Seth Kastle, assistant professor of Leadership Studies, the director of military program innovation at FHSU, and the co-creator of the program.
Prestigious grant to Kelly Center provides additional services for FHSU students A prestigious national grant is allowing the Kelly Center at Fort Hays State University meet the mental health needs of more students. The Pathway to Help, Hope and Success initiative was awarded the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association. The university is scheduled to receive $264,561 over a three-year period and Fort Hays State will match those funds. These funds helped the Kelly Center hire a case manager to provide personal counseling services, attend mental health-related trainings and create and implement programming that raises awareness of suicide on college campuses. The Kelly Center provided a recordbreaking 4,084 personal counseling sessions last year and services in the following areas: alcohol and drug counseling, student accessibility issues through learning disability testing and accommodations, academic counseling and peer tutoring. The grant helps the center reach students enrolled in FHSU online classes as well, via Zoom sessions
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online. Gina Smith, director of the Kelly Center, said the grant came at a critical time, with students facing issues never experienced before because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Now is a time when it’s more important than ever to offer programs that support students in as many ways as we can,” Smith said. Smith said the grant program allows the Kelly Center to address mental health needs in a lot of different ways. The grant will help develop a collaborative, evidence-based approach to enhance mental health services for all college students, especially for traditionally underserved populations. “This will positively impact our students’ mental health and therefore increase our students’ retention, persistence and success during their university career and beyond,” Smith said. Joining Smith in co-authoring the grant were Dr. Leo Herrman, associate professor of psychology; Dr. Kenton Olliff, associate professor of advanced educational programs; Robert Duffy, coordinator of the Drug and Alcohol Wellness Network; and Lynn Adams, director of Student Health.
CAMPUS NEWS FHSU launches Transfer & Military Center The often challenging process of transitioning to college just got a lot easier for transfer and militaryconnected students at Fort Hays State University. As part of an initiative funded through the university’s Strategic Enrollment Planning (SEP) process, a new Transfer & Military Center opened this summer in time for the fall 2020 semester. Led by director Erica Fisher, the work of the center’s staff focuses on serving transfer and military students even before they apply via a quicker and more personalized experience. “The Transfer & Military Center provides prospective students with a seamless transition to FHSU,” Fisher said. “We are dedicated to creating innovative pathways and partnerships to enhance the success of our transfer and military-connected students.” Assistant Director and Navy veteran Kelsi Broadway, formerly the military student success specialist for FHSU Online, will assist military connected students by evaluating their transfer credits and military experience to determine how it can apply as credits toward FHSU majors and programs of study. Dr. Seth Kastle, assistant professor of Leadership Studies, who also serves as the university’s director of military program innovation, was instrumental in the creation of the center. “Non-traditional students tend to approach selecting a college very differently than traditional students. They are often at a point in their lives where the need to balance work and family commitments plays a major role in their decision-making process,” Kastle said. “I think our students will really benefit from the support network our new center provides.”
FHSU’s Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success powered by philanthropy A new Center for Student Success is coming to life on the campus of Fort Hays State University, thanks in part to the support of generous alumni and donors. Powered by philanthropy, the new facility would not have been possible without the generous support of alumni and donors. The building is named in honor of Richard Fischli and Dolores Wills-Fischli, whose journey with Fort Hays State began when the two young kids from rural Kansass went off to college. Richard and Dolores both earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FHSU in the 1950s, then moved to southern California. Upon retiring from their careers in education with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Fischlis moved back home to Logan, a small community in Phillips County. “Some of the most exciting things we can do as supporters of Fort Hays State University is to help students to be healthy and successful and graduate on time,” said Dr. Joey Linn, FHSU ROAR
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vice president for Student Affairs. “Fort Hays State University has long been known as an innovator in student success. Our students need a center like this - it’s a further commitment we are making because we want to see them cross the stage at commencement.” Donors have the unique opportunity to join Fort Hays State in empowering each student to attain their degree. A wide variety of naming options are available throughout the facility on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit foundation.fhsu.edu/impact/campusupdates or contact Mary Hammond with the FHSU Foundation at 785628-5620 or mshammond2@fhsu.edu. All gifts to FHSU, including those to name a space in the center, contribute to FHSU’s current Journey campaign. We hope others will become a part of the journey and consider contributing to this unique facility. Other alumni and donors who have already named a space within FHSU’s new Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success include: Robert Kurr; the Olliff Family; Preston and Judy Caprez; Jill and Mike Arensdorf; Griffin Family (Kellen and Quillen
Griffin, Stan and Neva Griffin, Thayne and Kristen Griffin, Mark and Patricia Griffin); Dennis and Melanie King; and Taylor and Luke Kriley.
New Advanced Educational Programs focuses on digital leadership Beginning in the Spring of 2021, Fort Hays State University’s Department of Advanced Educational Programs will welcome its first class of rising educators and education administrators in the new Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) postgraduate program with a concentration in digital leadership. “Now, more than ever, teachers, trainers and leaders at all levels of education need to take advantage of emerging technologies and digital best practices that can bridge the time and distance challenges created by the global pandemic,” said Dr. Kim Chappell, who led the development of the program in FHSU’s College of Education. Education and academic technology administrators, as well as school principals and superintendents, can
all benefit from this fully online, interdisciplinary program. Key areas of program focus include teaching, instructional design, informatics and learning technologies. The program will be primarily offered via a series of flexible 4-week, one credit hour courses in the fall, spring and summer. Practicum and research courses are offered in 16-week sessions. The new Specialist in Education with a concentration in digital leadership program represents yet another expansion in the university’s commitment to offering challenging and affordable programs that keep FHSU-trained education professionals on the cutting edge of innovation in teaching and leadership.
Sternberg Museum Receives Overwhelmingly Positive Responses to Virtual Camps COVID-19 forced the cancellation of all summer camps at Fort Hays State University in 2020. But David Levering, the Sternberg Museum camps director, and his staff devised a way to still convert and not cancel the slate of camps by moving them to an online format.
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“A lot of the credit goes to our instructional staff,” Levering said. “They were able and willing to make a quick transition to online camps. They were so positive about tackling this challenge.” Switching to an online format not only kept alive the summer camp experience for a seventh consecutive year, but it also gave elementary school children from other parts of the country the chance to participate. This year, the list of campers included elementary students from coast to coast. While there are normally overnight camp opportunities for high school and middle school students, all the elementary school camps were local day camps. An overwhelmingly positive response resulted in a record 92 students signing up for 113 different slots for elementary through high school age students. Fifty-one high school students were joined by 33 middle schoolers and 29 elementary school students in the inaugural online camps. A total of 23 states and three foreign countries were represented. Levering expects a lot more returnees for the 2021 camps, for which plans are well under way.
CAMPUS NEWS
CONVERT,
Don’t Cancel Fort Hays State University’s 2020 mantra by SCOTT CASON
O
n New Year’s Eve 2019, the Municipal Health Commission in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, reported a cluster of pneumonia cases to the World Health Organization (WHO). Five days later, a WHO press release announced to the world the identification of a novel coronavirus. A five-hour drive north of Wuhan lies the city of Zhengzhou, the home of Sias University, Fort Hays State University’s partner in global education. Sias University would be ground zero for the university’s initial response to COVID-19. Close to 4,500 Chinese students at Sias University enroll each year in oncampus FHSU degree programs. The spring semester at Sias was slated to begin on Feb. 24, but by late January, university officials at Sias decided to postpone indefinitely the start of the term due to the rapid spread of the virus in China. Online education, so much a part of the higher education landscape in the United States,
photography by KELSEY STREMEL & TREVER ROHN was nearly non-existent in China. But a seismic change was coming, and FHSU faculty and learning technologists would be key agents in that change. Before the rise of the COVID pandemic, the Chinese government’s practice was to limit students access to information and digital communications. Forced to move home due to the pandemic, many of FHSU’s students in China didn’t have access to computers or the internet at home, but most had cell phones. To add to the complexity of the issue, most Chinese students had no experience in online education. Dr. Andrew Feldstein and his Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) team knew that the only way to save the spring term in China was to convert 29 on-campus Sias courses to a mobile-friendly, online format – and he and his team only had three weeks to get it done. “We looked on this seemingly immense challenge and sense of ROAR
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urgency as an opportunity to greatly expand the teaching and learning tools available to our faculty involved in our partnership programs in China,” Feldstein said. The spring term began at Sias on Feb. 24. Using what the team learned or developed in transitioning Sias courses to online delivery, the TILT team was able to do the same for students at FHSU’s other major global partner, Shenyang Normal University, in time for its spring term to start on March 30. “Convert, don’t cancel,” a term first coined by FHSU President Tisa Mason that has guided the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic since the early spring, was born out of this effort to save the spring semester on our partner campuses in China. On March 16, with the COVID-19 pandemic now beginning to spread across the United States, President Mason announced FHSU’s plan to transition the university to remote operations. The majority of students
living in the residence halls departed for home on March 17. Over the course of the university’s annual spring break, TILT worked with faculty to transition more than 800 on-campus course sections to an online format. Spring semester courses resumed on March 30 and continued through the end of the term. The next looming challenge the university faced was what to do with the annual spring commencement celebration. President Mason and Jill Arensdorf, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, shared the view that commencement is a premier lifechanging event for our students and their families, one they have worked for, saved for and made sacrifices to
make possible. So what could the university do for those slated to graduate in May? President Mason suggested that if we couldn’t bring graduates and their families to campus for commencement, we could still give them what they needed to create their own family commencement celebration. The idea of creating a “regalia kit” for every graduate was born out of President Mason’s challenge. In a massive effort led by the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs teams, contents for each regalia kit were gathered. The contents of each kit was extensive and included a mortarboard cap, a gown, a tassel, a hood for master’s degree graduates,
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a commencement program, a small horn, confetti, a Tiger decal, a lapel pin, a personal note from President Mason and the most important of all – an official FHSU diploma for each student. In late May, more than 80 volunteers gathered in Gross Memorial Coliseum to assemble and ship approximately 1,800 kits to spring and summer 2020 graduates. “The collaboration on the regalia kit project within such a short time frame showcased the true spirit of FHSU – grit and determination,” Arensdorf said. “ These kits were a unique way for us to come together to celebrate our students’ reaching that important milestone in their lives – graduating with a college degree.” The challenge remained how – or if – to replace the long-standing tradition of holding commencement in GMC. Several ideas were considered, including producing a live-streamed graduation event. But President Mason has always seen commencement as a singular and special event for graduates, their families and for the campus community, and she remained firm in her belief that there is simply no substitute for a full FHSU commencement ceremony.
CAMPUS NEWS As the search for a future date for graduation celebration was launched, the Office of University Relations and Marketing began planning an alternative to the now postponed spring commencement celebration on campus. A virtual commencement event celebration was held on June 19, giving graduates an opportunity to share their family graduation celebrations and show off their regalia and well-earned FHSU diplomas across several social media channels. The university’s Facebook page served as the hub for an event that featured pre-recorded video and personal messages of congratulations from members of the university community in honor of our newest Tiger alumni. The online event drew more than 750,000 social media viewers. As the summer continued, planning for an anticipated return to an on-campus fall semester intensified. The TILT team played an instrumental role in the conversion of traditional on-campus courses to new delivery methods designed to balance COVID-19 health and safety precautions while maintaining studentprofessor connectedness and academic excellence. Working in close collaboration with the TILT team, university faculty converted more than 800 courses to a hybrid-delivery platform. TILT also provided faculty – many who were new to technology-enhanced teaching and learning – with new strategies for course design, software platforms for course delivery and personalized direct support for any faculty who requested the assistance. In her video welcome back message to students on the Friday before the start of the fall term, President Mason said that the last five months felt like the longest spring break ever. For the faculty and staff at FHSU, there was
no break. There was detailed and vital work to be done and very little time on the calendar to be ready to deliver a very different, but still great, FHSU experience this fall. The innovative spirit and extraordinary persistence of our university community rising to a challenge were on full display throughout the spring and summer of 2020. The traditional opening of campus for each fall semester begins with move-in days. Student life leaders knew that in the midst of a pandemic, they would have to bring order to what is typically a chaotic Saturday and Sunday prior to the start of classes. To maintain the health and safety protocols established in the university’s ROAR
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reopening plan, two move-in days would need to become a move-in week. In an effort to further limit the chance of coronavirus spread, this year’s move-in activities would not include the scores of campus volunteers who traditionally join in the effort. This year, it would be up to residence life staff to manage every student move-in. Each student signed up for a movein day and time in advance, and on a hot August morning, a caravan of cars, trucks and minivans began cueing up in long lines that snaked along the
approaches to the residential living areas of campus. In a remarkable feat of logistical mastery, more than 1,300 students were welcomed or welcomed back to their home away from home. While the coronavirus drove the change, the modified move-in process also produced unpredicted benefits. The new approach allowed residence hall staff to individually meet and greet each student, parent and family member. For new and returning students, this personalized approach created opportunities to begin or renew
relationships and discuss the health and safety-related changes to the student life experience this academic year. A very different fall semester began on Aug. 17. Approximately six-in-ten of the courses that were originally scheduled as traditional in-person offerings were offered as hybrid courses. Under this model, students were offered a blend of in-person and online learning activities designed to balance health and safety precautions without losing the essential personal
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engagement that is fundamental to the FHSU student experience. In an additional effort to ensure the best possible learning environment was maintained, laboratory or studio-based courses that could not be converted to hybrid or online delivery were offered as accelerated eight-week courses. This “convert, don’t cancel� innovation allowed faculty and students in these programs to minimize potentially hazardous in-class contact time with no drop in the quality of the in-person learning experience. Over the course of the past eight months, a global pandemic forced our university community to innovate, adapt and persevere. Thankfully, turning challenges into opportunities is what Tiger Nation does best. At the point when this article was finished, we still do not know what direction the COVID-19 pandemic will take us. But what is clear is that the remarkable ethic of care that is perhaps the most compelling feature of this great university community will keep us focused on our core mission of developing the next generation of engaged citizen-leaders.
ALUMNI NEWS
Prideaux retires after 23 years of service If there is one word to best describe DeBra Prideaux ’86, ‘92, it would be “determination.” Prideaux, who retired in June after 23 years of service as the university’s executive director of alumni and governmental relations, began her Fort Hays State journey as a single mom, working hard to juggle school, parenting and her on-campus job. After completing her degree in political science, she became among the first to serve as an FHSU admissions counselor. Two years later, she began her work in alumni relations as the assistant director of the Alumni Association, all while finishing a master’s degree in counseling and guidance. An opportunity to become the executive director of the Kansas Bar Association took her to Topeka for a few years. Still, it gave her legislative and leadership experience that she could later draw upon in service to her alma mater. This culminated in her August 1997 appointment in the dual role of leading the FHSU Alumni Association and the university’s work in governmental affairs. Because of the job demands,
she became a true road warrior, making multiple trips to Topeka each spring to meet with legislators and then spending the rest of the year facilitating alumni activities. DeBra worked tirelessly to advance Fort Hays State. She built lasting relationships with the university’s alumni and friends and served as FHSU’s fiercest advocate in Topeka and beyond. Through it all, DeBra was determined to give back to the university that she loves and feels she owes so much. Fort Hays State University is better because of her dedication to her alma mater.
Alumni Association welcomes interim director The Fort Hays State University Alumni Association announced the selection of third-generation alum Tammy Wellbrock, who is also a university instructor and a current member of the FHSU Foundation Board of Trustees, as its interim alumni association director. Wellbrock assumed her duties on June 8. The former president of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, ROAR
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Wellbrock’s leadership garnered the Hays Chamber national recognition as one of three finalists for the National Chamber-of-the-Year award from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. After leaving her post as chamber president, she started her own professional training and coaching business, Girl Twin Solutions, LLC, and last fall she was elected to the USD 489 Board of Education for a four-year term. Wellbrock holds two communications degrees from FHSU, a B.A. in 1994 and an M.S. in 2002. In 1994, she received the university’s Torch Award as the outstanding graduating senior, an award sponsored by the Alumni Association. She served as the assistant alumni director at FHSU from 1997 to 2001. Since 2008, Wellbrock has served as an adjunct instructor, teaching both on-campus and online classes. She also serves on the provost’s Adjunct Faculty Advisory Committee. Wellbrock’s husband, Gerard Wellbrock, is also an FHSU alum (B.A., 1990). He currently serves as the “Voice of the Tigers,” calling FHSU games on the radio. Their son, Garrett, is a junior at Hays High School.
Alumni Association names new Board of Directors members At its first-ever virtual board meeting eight new board members were introduced to the FHSU Board of Directors. The new members include: Jimmy Brough, Topeka; Elizabeth Gerber, Scott City; Dr. Ryan Ruda, Garden City; Dr. Tamera Schlegel, Centennial, Colo.; Tomi Schwandt, Wichita; Derrick Tice, St. Francis; Tara Vance, Norton; and Tina Wick, Wamego. Each begins a two-year term. “We are pleased to welcome eight new directors to the FHSU Alumni Board of Directors,” said Tammy Wellbrock, interim director of the Alumni Association. “They represent alumni from all parts of the state of Kansas, as well as a representative from Colorado. All bring valuable insight and energy to the association as we continue our commitment to strengthen Fort Hays State University.” The 2020-21 Executive Council is comprised of Mike Slattery, Ed.D., Hays; Chelsey Ladd, Hays; Dr. Kendall Krug, Hays; Betty Johnson, CFRE, Lawrence; Brooke Oleen Tieperman, Denver, Colo; Mari Tucker, Topeka; and Doug Wright, Humboldt. Other members of the board include Larry Daugherty, Dean Lavielle and Eric Norris. Retiring board members Jennifer Brantley, Wichita; Mike Koerner, Hays; Leo Lake, Manhattan; Rob Schocke, Castle Rock, Colo.; and Lance Tilton, Chapman, were recognized for a combined 24 years of service. For a complete listing and photos of the FHSU Alumni Board of Directors, visit goforthaysstate.com/ abod.
FHSU celebrates the first-ever virtual Homecoming Earlier this spring, no one imagined a global pandemic would linger into the fall and continue disrupting normal activities well into the semester. Homecoming 2020 would not be immune, with ever-changing details throughout the entire planning process. Plans were delayed until more was known on a possible push-back date for our football season. Then, when the football season was canceled in its entirety, the campus was left stunned, wondering what would become of this traditional weekend. University leaders quickly understood the need and importance of celebrating homecoming regardless of the format. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that we Tigers persevere! What had always been deemed an on-campus and in-person gathering turned into an online opportunity to engage a far wider audience of FHSU alumni and friends. Dubbed Homecoming@Home, the desire was to bring the Tigerland spirit to all, regardless of location. Throughout the entire week of Homecoming, the Alumni Association shared interviews with all seven Alumni Award recipients through Zoom technology, allowing current
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students and alumni to interact with these accomplished individuals. These same seven were then honored more formally during a ceremony highlighting their accolades during a broadcast over Facebook Live. The Virtual 5K Tiger Run/Walk nearly tripled in size with participants from all over the nation. The 50year honored class of 1970 and other alumni met on our virtual “Quad” in an 80’s-video-game-inspired platform, providing additional networking with others from all educational majors and graduate years. Just like all spirited Homecoming traditions, the week concluded with a football game, in this case a rebroadcast of the 2017 FHSU Tigers’ game versus the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. Head Football Coach Chris Brown and radio “Voice of the Tigers” Gerard Wellbrock discussed the big plays that helped clinch our first MIAA conference title and create a new stellar foundation for our current football program. Whether you were able to join us for the online festivities or not, please know all of us at the Alumni Association are constantly exploring new ways for you to stay connected to your alma mater.
GOFORTHAYSSTATE.COM
ALUMNI NEWS
FHSU Alumni Association announces honorees for Homecoming 2020 Seven alumni and friends of Fort Hays State University were honored at the Alumni Awards and Recognition Celebration virtually during the week of Homecoming 2020. Five alumni were honored with the Alumni Achievement Award, the association’s highest honor. The Alumni Achievement Award was established in 1959 to recognize graduates who have made outstanding contributions in service to their community, state or nation as public citizens, professionals or through philanthropic work. The Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni, early in their careers after college, who have made an impact in their professions and in their communities through outstanding
professional and educational achievements, community service and by earning significant honors and awards. Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from FHSU, be members of the 10-15 reunion classes and be under age 40 as of Jan. 1 of the year the awards are presented. The Nita M. Landrum Award recognizes a graduate or friend of the university who has demonstrated a continuing concern for humanity on a universal, national, state or community level, who supports spiritual, cultural and educational objectives and who endorses and exemplifies the highest standards of character and personal attributes.
Alumni Achievement Award
Dr. R. Douglas Hurt The author of 22 books and 21 book chapters, three digital publications, and more than 100 articles related to U.S. History and American agriculture in the rural, west, midwest, and south. Dr. R. Douglas Hart drew on his B.A. and M.A. in history from Fort Hays State and his Ph.D. in American history from Kansas State University to record a lifetime of achievements. Dr. Hurt began his career as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the History of Science and Technology at the National Museum of Science and Technology at the Smithsonian Institution, now known as the Museum of American History. His career then took him to several destinations, including Texas Tech University, the Ohio Historical Society, the State Historical Society of Missouri, Iowa State University and currently the ROAR
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Department of History at Purdue University. Dr. Hurt served as the head of the Department of History at Purdue University for 15 years. During that time, he worked to increase the department from 27 to 37 faculty. Proudly, he has increased the number of women faculty to more than 50 percent and increased the number of minority faculty in the department. Besides his career as a professor and writer, Dr. Hurt has served in several other roles, including membership on several advisory boards, consultant and advisor and as the United Way campaign chair in 2005, 2006 and 2012. In 1979, Dr. Hurt received the Young Alumni Award from Fort Hays State University and has continued to show his support to the university by delivering lectures to the agricultural history class taught by Professor Brittany Howell and public presentations sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and Department of History. FALL/WINTER 2020
Alumni Achievement Award
Lynda “Lyn” (Beck) Fenwick Since graduating in 1966 with her B.S. in education, Lyn Fenwick’s career has been diverse. She first taught sixthgrade and while her husband Larry served as an Air Force officer, she taught high school English in New York and
Massachusetts. The Fenwicks view their opportunities to live and travel throughout America, meeting people from across our nation, as a continuation of their FHSU educations. When they moved to Texas, Lyn earned her law degree from Baylor University. She was a partner in law firms in Waco and Dallas, an adjunct professor at Baylor and she appeared before the United States Supreme Court. Like many professional couples, they pivoted in their careers for one another. When Larry’s career took them to Georgia and North Carolina, Lyn was licensed to practice law but chose to begin writing and continuing to develop theartistic abilities she first tested in art classes at FHSU.
Lyn also became a very successful author. Baylor University Press published “Should the Children Pray?” for which she was selected Georgia Nonfiction Author of the Year, and Dutton published “Private Choices, Public Consequences.” In Atlanta, she served on the boards of the Pastel Society and the Portrait Society. Wherever they have lived, Lyn has served her community by volunteering in various ways. She and Larry have chosen to retire in Kansas and live in her fourth-generation family home. Her most recent book, published by the University Press of Kansas, is “Prairie Bachelor,” about a Kansas homesteader and the Populist Movement. Larry and Lyn believe in the importance of giving back to their community. Because of Lyn’s love of books, they contributed to the planned renovation of Forsyth Library, gifted their Oz Collection to FHSU, and supported the biennial College of Education’s Fall Young Readers’ Conference by sponsoring an appearance by a respected children’s book illustrator.
Alumni Achievement Award
Charlie Riedel
Communications (journalism) to work as a photo editor for The Hays Daily News, where he documented life in smalltown Kansas for 17 years. While at the Hays Daily, he was named the National Press Photographers Association Region 7 Photographer of the year three times and won numerous state and regional photojournalism awards. Riedel’s photos have appeared in prominent news media across the nation, including Time Magazine for his photo coverage of the Deepwater Horizon spill. His photos have also appeared in multiple “Top Photos of the Year” compilations. He gives back to the community through speaking engagements on several university campuses and high schools and by serving as a judge at the Five State Photo Competition, numerous regional photo competitions and a national Photo-of-the-Year Competition. Riedel also donated his collection of the Fort Hays State University photographs to the university archive.
Charlie Riedel celebrated his 20th anniversary as a staff photographer for The Associated Press in Kansas City this October. While in this position, he has primarily covered news and sporting events in Kansas and Missouri, but he has also been involved in numerous national stories, including Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, the 2004 Presidential election, wildfires in the western United States and post 9/11 activities at the World Trade Center in New York. In addition to notable news events, Riedel has also frequently covered major sporting events including: the Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, golf tournaments, the Major League Baseball playoffs, World Series and six Olympics. Prior to his current career, Riedel put his B.S. in FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
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ALUMNI NEWS Alumni Achievement Award
Marla (Schmidt) Staab She worked closely with a colleague to complete a literature review and the design of the Clinical Competency Rating Scale (CCRS), which was presented as a poster session at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) National Conference in 2006. Her professional and personal contributions did not stop at the university level. Staab collaborated with various agencies to support and improve services available to children and families in Ellis and Rush counties. A few of her community contributions include service as a charter member of the Hays Area Interagency Coordinating Council representing the Herndon Clinic, the State of Kansas Early Intervention Task Force on Newborn Hearing Screening and the Kansas Early Head Start Outcomes Committee. Staab earned many achievements throughout her years of service to Fort Hays State and the community, but the highlight of her career came in 2006 when she was designated as a Fellow of the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association, which is one of the highest honors the Association bestows.
A long-serving faculty member and friend of FHSU, Marla Staab earned her B.A. in 1973 and her M.S. in 1974 in speech-language pathology. She began her professional career in 1977 as a part-time clinical instructor in the FHSU SpeechLanguage Pathology program. In 1994, Staab was chosen as the first full-time clinical coordinator for the Herndon Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic on campus. She was responsible for administration, clinical teaching and supporting the clinical instructors in the development of essential supervisory skills. In conjunction with other clinical instructors, she designed and compiled supervisor and student clinic handbooks that included resources for clinic instructions, expectations/guidelines for students, as well as performance standards and competencies for both instructors and students. The resources she created are still used today in an digital format.
Alumni Achievement Award
Dan Weller
performed in front of an audience of nearly 500,000, the largest he has appeared before to date. He has also been featured on, television shows, including Ellen, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Voice and Good Morning America. While touring, Weller acted as a community service liaison, connecting both Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line with Kansas City-based St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Weller also partnered with TOMS Shoes and Save The Children. He is an active volunteer leader with Troup 181 of the Boy Scouts of America and continues to mentor musicians and artists in both Kansas City and Nashville. Weller also helps up-and-coming talent connect with professional opportunities by pairing them with established producers and artists.
A multi-instrumentalist, Dan Weller earned his B.A. in music at Fort Hays State and went on to work as a professional studio and touring musician. Weller lives in Kansas City and Nashville and has shared the stage with some of the top touring artists in America, including Florida Georgia Line, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Back Street Boys, Nelly and many more. Weller has toured extensively in North America, Europe and Australia, appearing in venues that range from small local clubs to sold-out shows in Madison Square Garden, Major League Baseball parks and NFL stadiums. One Fourth of July show on the National Mall in D.C. was
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Young Alumni Award
Aaron Bernasconi Aaron Bernasconi’s distinguished service as the Senior Advisor to Deputy United States Trade Representative, Ambassador C.J. Mahoney, for the past two years is but one of the many accomplishments that have made this young alum deserving of this honor. The pinnacle achievement of his career is the successful renegotiation and modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement, now known as the United StatesMexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). On Jan. 29 of this year, Bernasconi had the honor of joining President Donald Trump as he signed the USMCA into law, securing economic benefits and solidifying the future of America’s farmers, ranchers, workers and entrepreneurs. In addition to his career endeavors, Bernasconi – who earned his B.A. in political science – has volunteered as a youth leader at Sync Student Ministries, where he served as a leader, mentor and counselor to a group of students,
helping them navigate the ups and downs of teenage life in a safe and shame-free environment. Bernasconi takes pride in his efforts to help hundreds of students find their passions, realize their potential, repair damaged relationships, overcome immense hardships and unlock their potential. Serving as a Youth Education Volunteer at Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE), Bernasconi had the opportunity to empower high school refugees and immigrant students, connecting them to services that help mitigate the effects of interrupted education, and overcome cultural and language barriers to learning. Bernasconi assisted in academic tutoring on all subjects, worked to strengthen students’ literacy proficiency and aided them in the transition to a new life in America. Bernasconi was recognized by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., at a national level for outstanding service as a Doorkeeper to the U.S. Senate’s Sergeant at Arms. He also accompanied the senator as his personal guest to a Joint Session of Congress attended by French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Nita M. Landrum Award
Ashley Adorante
This Sigma Sigma Sigma (Alpha Gamma) alum is an active volunteer with FHSU, the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Kan., the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and several other community groups and organizations. Her extensive record of leadership and service in so many areas make Ashley Adorante an obvious choice as this year’s Nita M. Landrum Award winner. Adorante serves on leadership boards, steering committees and planning committees in the Kansas City area. She stands out in so many settings because she is routinely the first to identify ways to pursue better, faster, more economical ways of conducting business. She has amassed a tremendous record of achievement as a planner, a leader and an organizer of diverse events, large and small. She works tirelessly as an advocate for volunteerism, FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
inspiring others to attend and participate as well. Adorante received a B.S. in 2001 in physical education (health and wellness) and often returns to FHSU to volunteer at alumni events and Tri Sigma activities. She eagerly supports and attends FHSU sporting events and other alumni events around the Kansas City area wearing her Tiger Gold and, at times, suiting up as Victor E. Tiger at local events in Kansas City. When she is not volunteering, she is works as the Outreach Coordinator for the Masonic Cancer Alliance at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, an organization that brings together patient care, research and support professionals throughout Kansas and western Missouri. Adorante is specifically responsible for helping to develop and implement statewide cancer outreach and education programs with a focus on promoting community awareness of cancer prevention and early detection, and sun safety. She does it all with a focus on assuring the inclusion of people in underserved communities. | 15 |
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TIGER ATHLETICS
FHSU gets with the (weight-lifting) program Doug Boucher and Nate Hepner are probably not well-known names to the average Fort Hays State University sports fan. But they are among the most wellknown and respected staff in the eyes of most student-athletes. Boucher, FHSU’s strength and conditioning coach, normally begins work before sunrise on summer mornings, moving athletes through workouts in the weight room in the Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training Facility. Hepner, athletic trainer, is usually busy every summer completing paperwork, scheduling physicals and inventorying equipment in preparation for the return of the school year when 450 Tiger athletes come home to Hays. But this year was different. Doug and Nate chuckle while talking about 2020. One word, they agreed, that definitely describes this year is different. Another, they learned, is flexibility. After students were sent home from campus during the spring semester because of COVID-19, Boucher and Hepner spent the next couple of
months getting ready for their return to campus and the start of summer workouts on June 1. Collaborating with Dr. Wally Walstrom, the team physician, and Jason Kennedy, the Ellis County Health Director, Boucher and Hepner devised a three-phase plan for safely returning athletes to essential preseason weight room routines in the Tiger Indoor Facility. “The most important thing is the health of our athletes, really the health of all our students,” Boucher said. “If we can keep them healthy, we’re doing the right thing by our entire campus community.” The change in routines and schedules was an adjustment for athletes who participated in the summer program in years past. Boucher calls the program a success, with no one developing any symptoms of COVID-19 all summer long. Although the MIAA suspended fall sports competitions, the Tigers were still able to continue their weight workout programs this fall. “The key is to keep them engaged and a part of something,” Hepner said. ROAR
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“With a group of athletes, you have a lot of dominant Type A personalities who thrive on planning and structure.” Boucher continues to use the experience as a chance to take advantage of teachable moments. “We teach athletes that they are going to face adversity in life,” he said, “and this is one of those things we simply have to face together. The one thing about adversity is that if you step up and accept the challenge, you will become a better person from the experience.” Like any team sport, the success of the summer program took the efforts and commitment of many. “We had no past playbook to work from, no experience how to handle this situation,” Boucher said. “We were successful because we got a tremendous level of support from our administration – President Tisa Mason, Vice President for Administration and Finance Mike Barnett and Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke. They took a chance on us doing it right. I know it was not an easy decision for them, but they put their trust in us.”
by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN Stanley also stands out academically earning USTFCCCA All-Academic honors with a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in management. Both men’s and women’s track and field programs earned the AllAcademic Team award for the fourth year in a row.
Tiger basketball enjoys success
4 Tigers earn All-America honors Fort Hays State University athletes qualified for their national meets this past winter but never got to compete in the NCAA Division II Championships after the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of those post-season events. Nonetheless, four Tigers were awarded All-America honors. Governing bodies for each sport modified certain criteria for the honors. Great Bend senior Brandon Ball earned the third All-America honor of his decorated wrestling career. He won all but one of his 17 matches this season heading into nationals, where he was ranked second at 141 pounds in NCAA-II. Ball wrapped up his FHSU career as the program’s leader in all-time win percentage, posting a staggering 130-22 overall record (.855) and was a finalist this year for the MIAA’s Winter Student-Athlete of the Year. He was also successful in the
classroom, earning several academic honors in his career including a firstteam selection the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team for At-Large Sports. Ball, a technology studies major who carried a 3.81 cumulative GPA into the spring semester, was one of 17 first-team picks and just one of three wrestlers named to the first team. Also picked as an All-American in wrestling was Mason Turner, a redshirt freshman from Kansas City, Kan., in the 125-pound class. Turner beat a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers en route to finishing second at regionals and qualifying for nationals. Ryan Stanley, a sophomore from Bennington, is now a two-time AllAmerican after earning that honor in pole vault in track and field. He qualified for the NCAA-II National Indoor Track and Field Championships with a height of 16 feet, 10.5 inches. Summer Kragel, a junior from Olathe, also qualified for nationals – and earned All-America recognition – with a height of 5 feet, 7.25 inches in women’s high jump.
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The 2019-20 Tiger basketball teams both closed out their seasons on high notes. The women’s team had hopes of advancing deep into the Central Region Tournament in Warrensburg, Mo., but the Tigers learned soon after they arrived that all national tournaments for NCAA Division II winter sports had been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. The team finished 26-7, sending off this senior class with the second-most victories (103) in school history. FHSU’s men’s team rebounded from a midseason slump just after the new year and went 7-3 over its last 10 games to finish at .500. As usual, Tiger fans help contribute to the success of FHSU basketball. The women ranked second in NCAA-II in average attendance for the sixth consecutive season, and the men’s team ranked third nationally. The MIAA led the nation in attendance for both the men’s and women’s programs. In addition to representing the Tiger men on the all-MIAA team, Hays senior Jared Vitztum, a finance major, also was named an MIAA Scholar Athlete with his 3.91 GPA. Also named Scholar Athletes and earning all-conference recognition in the MIAA for their play on the court were seniors Belle Barbierei and Kacey Kennett for the women’s team – Barbieri with a 3.91 GPA in nursing and Kennett, 3.67 in sport and exercise science.
FHSUATHLETICS.COM
FEATURE STORIES
Tiger alum called to a life of service by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
M
entoring young 18- to 24-year-olds is all in a day’s work for Isaiah Maxi, and he credits his time at Fort Hays State University as helping clear a path to a career of service. A 2017 graduate of FHSU, Maxi is chasing his dream of establishing a non-profit organization of his own someday. He plans to call his organization Maximizing Lives. In the meantime, he remains busy doing just that as a field supervisor for AmeriCorps, a federally sponsored residential program for young adults who want to serve full time. The foundation of servant leadership for Maxi began at a young age while growing up in a rough part of Kansas City, Mo. He watched his father, who was born and raised in Haiti – the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere – send clothes and supplies to family in his native country. Maxi’s mother died of a heart attack when he was 6 years old, and his dad faced the challenge of raising three young boys (his older brothers were 13 and 9) as a single parent. Fortunately, Maxi’s father could rely on help from others in his family and in his community. Maxi took note of the impact that mentors and volunteers had on him, ranging from adult leaders in Boy Scouts to coaches in a variety of sports in which he participated. As a busy high school student-
photography by TIM McCARLEY
athlete, both athletics and volunteering were huge parts of Isaiah’s life. So he didn’t think much farther than the next day’s event – until he left home for college. “Coming to Fort Hays State was the best decision I ever made,” Maxi said. “It changed my life.” Maxi’s favorite sport growing up was basketball, but he received more attention from college recruiters for his skills as a wide receiver in football. He had offers from several MIAA schools as well as Fort Hays State. He was drawn to FHSU and in particular, Coach Chris Brown, who was on a mission to rebuild a struggling program. One of Maxi’s high school coaches, Bryan DeLong, played football at FHSU in the mid-1990s, and he brought Maxi to Hays for a campus visit. Maxi had never been to a rural area before and was intrigued by what he called a “family environment” at FHSU. The offer of a football scholarship to play for the Tigers sealed the deal for him. “The coaches weren’t afraid to hold players accountable, and I liked that,” he said. “Young people won’t say it, but they want structure. I was looking forward to being part of helping build something special at Fort Hays State.” Maxi was part of a rebuilding project for the football program that saw FHSU claim its first postseason victory in more than 20 years during his senior campaign. He helped build a foundation ROAR
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that saw the Tigers win MIAA titles the next two years after he graduated. But Maxi left a significant mark off the field through his service as a role model. In addition to several leadership projects that centered on his major, Leadership Studies, he was active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County and worked as an assistant teacher for Tiger Tots, FHSU’s preschool center. Maxi met the preschool director in an elevator on campus one spring afternoon and they started chatting about the need for male role models for the 3- and 4-year-olds. Maxi offered to volunteer at the preschool, and he was an instant hit with the kids. “He made an impression from the first time he walked into the classroom,” said Sara Stroup, the preschool director. “He was a magnet in the classroom and had a very special connection with the children.”
“Even this pandemic is an opportunity for those called to serve, to adapt and to face great personal risk.” ISAIAH MA XI FHSU Alum
Stroup hired Maxi as an assistant teacher the next year. All the while, he was busy honing his skills as a servant leader. He organized book distributions for children and brought together youngsters to wrap gifts for Operation Christmas Child. Proceeds from youth football camps that he organized went to supplies for local elementary schools. When fellow students and adult leaders in community organizations needed someone to coordinate a service project, they knew where to look. “People saw qualities in me,” Maxi said, “that I didn’t even know I had.” Now, Maxi is making his way across the country working with service organizations, gaining invaluable real-world experience while living out his passion for serving others. The tall, lanky Maxi is comfortable sleeping on a cot on a gym floor or on a college dorm mattress after a long day’s work. Sometimes labor-intensive
projects can include rebuilding fences in a national park after a forest fire or renovating a home with Habitat for Humanity. “On those days, all a guy needs is a pillow and a blanket to get a good night’s rest and to get ready to do it all over again the next day,” Maxi said. “Finding ways to form very different people into a cohesive group and get something accomplished is such a great feeling,” he said. “And being part of the journey for so many people is really rewarding.” Maxi graduated from FHSU with a degree in organizational leadership. He then followed in the footsteps of his older brother and landed a position with AmeriCorps. “This has been a journey, one of immense growth for me,” he said. “Even this pandemic is an opportunity for those called to serve, to adapt and to face great personal risk.” Service work has taken Maxi to 20 different states. In South Dakota, he rebuilt stables and fencing. He renovated houses in Michigan and
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Indiana. In Vermont, he spent two months leading a day program at an elementary school, and he helped prepare for the opening of a new state park. He worked at a food bank called Harvesters, in Kansas City, Mo., then found a full-time job in California with Feeding San Diego. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Maxi witnessed things he had never encountered before. Once Maxi watched a man driving a Porsche, who had lost his job, come to the food bank for a meal. “This was something he had never experienced before,” Maxi said. “It made me see that we have to understand where people’s minds and hearts might be at this time. We have to realize that this time is difficult for everyone – and try to make it easier for everyone.” Maxi knows he has to be patient while working toward his dream of creating his own non-profit service organization. Education awards earned from serving in AmeriCorps are helping him fund his pursuit of a second bachelor’s degree – in sociology. Maxi is now in his third term of service with AmeriCorps, this time in the Southern Region of the National Civilian Community Corps in Mississippi. The first two months of his term will focus on rebuilding old structures to create new housing for the poor. He knows some days will be long and tiring, but that’s OK. It’s all part of his calling for Maximizing Lives.
QUESTIONS with
ARENSDORF
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs ROAR
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interviewed by SCOTT CASON, Chief Communications Officer
1.
2.
Dr. Jill Arensdorf: This first 15 months of serving as the provost/vice president for Academic Affairs has been full of learning – about the university, the role and myself. I have learned a great deal about the many programs at our university. Last fall and spring, I visited every academic unit. What unique programs and outstanding people we have at FHSU! I have always known that, but I became more keenly aware of the “diamonds” that we have to offer students. This is a special place. I have learned so much about Academic Council and the great people on this Academic Affairs team. I commented to someone recently that the pandemic has brought this team closer and made us more communicative and creative. The role of provost is complex, and no day is alike, but I have learned so much from my peers through the Becoming a Provost Academy sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the American Academic Leadership Institute. Through that program, I have connected with current and past provosts around the country. We have been able to walk the first-year journey as provosts together, and while no university is exactly alike, it was so helpful to learn from colleagues how they are solving problems and processes that they have implemented at their university. Another area in which I am still learning is to “get on the balcony” more and see things from a different perspective/vantage point. This is really hard for me to do, but I am a work in progress on this. I am committed to approaching whatever I do with a humble, learning mindset.
JA: I am so proud of the university for its response throughout the pandemic. You know, we are not going to get it perfect, but we have sure tried to create options and keep the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and community first and foremost. Last spring, student teachers out in the field assisted school districts in putting their courses online during the initial school shutdown. FHSU students had experience with online learning, so they were a valuable part of the conversion that happened in school districts across the world (including a student teacher in China) last spring. Other examples include putting science labs online, converting the Fall Professional Development Day to a virtual event, converting the Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Day to an online poster event and using unique simulators in nursing courses.
Q: You’ve been the provost and vice president for academic affairs for a little more than a year. What have you learned?
Q: The university’s theme since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has been “convert, don’t cancel.” How has your team responded to this challenge?
3.
Q: You and Dr. Brett Zollinger are leading the university’s strategic planning initiative. What are the most notable outcomes from our first year of plan implementation? JA: Co-facilitating this process with Dr. Zollinger has been another unique learning opportunity for me. We’ve made progress on all five goals in our Strategic Plan this last year, and it can be viewed on the FHSU website. The tremendous strides that we have made in the last year on program learning assessment are something that I am extremely proud of. Our academic departments are aligning curriculum with program learning outcomes and
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measuring those outcomes so that program improvements and additions can be made with good data. We have also made great progress in our Strategic Enrollment Plan process where we are investing in program expansion and the development of new programs to attract students. The strategies supporting all goals are pointed toward the mission of FHSU – delivering accessible quality education to Kansas students, the nation and the world through an innovative community of teacher-scholars and professionals to develop engaged global citizen-leaders.
4.
Q: You grew up in rural Kansas and began your academic career in agricultural economics. You went on to become a professor of leadership studies and now you are the university’s provost. If you hadn’t followed this career path, what other route might you have taken in your professional life? JA: When I was in third grade, I desperately wanted to be an Air Force pilot and eventually a NASA astronaut. I was fascinated by outer space and wanted to explore that space and thought a path to exploration would be learning to fly, joining the Air Force and becoming an astronaut. My curiosity drove me to conduct science fair and other school projects about the planets and stars, yearning to travel to places and explore. I would call myself an explorer still, but my interests simply changed as I entered my middle and high school years and became more involved in organizations that focused on agriculture and leadership – 4-H and FFA. These two organizations were a springboard for the remainder of my schooling and career choices. I still get to explore, but in very different ways than a pilot or astronaut.
FHSU’s Kendal Carswell is an advocate and champion for refugees in southwest Kansas.
T
hump. Thump. Thump. The sound of a fist pounding on the door echoed through the
house. Thump! Thump! The sound intensified as a muffled voice called for help. Kendal Carswell pulled open the door and a sharp blast of frigid wind, snow and ice blew into the house. A slender young man wearing his stocking cap pulled low and a tattered coat – a size too small – blew in through the door, too. “Help! My sister needs your help,” he uttered in a heavy accent. “She’s in the car.” Months earlier, Carswell had gone to the woman’s tiny apartment to help connect her with social resources after her husband unexpectedly died, leaving behind a toddler and another child on the way. Her brother and friends now gathered to help interpret because she spoke little English, and Carswell worked to connect her with
social security benefits, income-based housing, and other social resources. Her brother ventured out in the wicked Kansas blizzard because the young woman had gone into labor during what she thought was weeks before her due date. Scared and not knowing where to turn, they called on a valued advocate in the community – Carswell, an FHSU assistant professor of social work and then the Kearny County Hospital’s Pioneer Care Advocacy Team Coordinator. With his support, they could make the right connections to see a new child welcomed into the world safely and connect them with the resources they needed to start anew. “They see me as an ally and a friend,” Carswell said. The young woman was a Somali refugee living in Garden City. Carswell’s relationship with her and her family – and the entire community – would help fuel the region’s expansion of social services for underROAR
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served populations. “There is a staggering need for social workers in Kansas, as less than five percent of the state’s licensed master’s social workers, specialist clinical social workers and psychologists work in western Kansas,” Carswell said. “If we can educate people at home, there is a higher likelihood they will stay at home to practice and fill the service gaps that exist in rural areas.” Fort Hays State is one of only a handful of universities in the United States – and the only one in Kansas – to offer the Bachelor of Social Work and Masters of Social Work online. Carswell is the field practicum director, helping connect aspiring social workers to secure practicum opportunities in the community of their choosing and working with the populations they have a passion for working with. The practicum provides an essential learning experience where students get the training to apply
story by KELSEY STREMEL photography by KELSEY STREMEL & KENDAL CARSWELL
the information and knowledge they learn in course content with actual clients in the agencies and offices, including substance abuse treatment facilities, mental health facilities, medical clinics and hospitals, schools, family preservation offices, foster care services, as well as probation and parole offices. In 2015, Carswell accepted a position at Kearny County Hospital in Lakin, leading the newly created Pioneer Care and Advocacy Team (PCAT) in addressing social determinants of health – a range of factors that influence people and communities’ health status. While his work wasn’t initially focused on serving immigrant populations, he quickly found that his experience and skills were needed to connect with Garden City’s diverse population. Garden City is the most diverse community in Kansas, with only about 40 percent of the population identifying as white, non-Hispanic,
and more than 27 different languages are spoken in the school district. It’s a vibrant community that has bucked the trend of declining rural populations by embracing a pro-immigrant ethos that embraces the “tired, poor and those yearning to breathe free” to build a thriving oasis in western Kansas. “Garden City does an incredible job celebrating diversity,” Carswell said. Home to Tyson Foods, Inc., the world’s largest beef processing plant, the region thrives on the agriculture industry and depends on immigrant labor to produce food and products distributed worldwide. The diverse workforce in southwest Kansas earns a stable living wage in the agriculture sector and generates demand for additional services, stores and ethnic restaurants, creating the building blocks of a culturally rich community. Through Carswell’s work with the hospital and local employers, a $100,000 Tyson grant was secured in 2018 to place case managers with
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Tyson meat processing plants, which employ a high number of immigrant workers. These caseworkers were able to meet with employees in the community and work closely with nurses and physician assistants to take blood pressure and monitor for at-risk health conditions such as high cholesterol and diabetes. Eventually, a liaison who worked for both Tyson Foods, Inc. and the Kearny County Hospital was added to provide a worker in the plant a few days a week who could connect employees with case managers when needed. This initiative was a precursor to the expanded health clinics Tyson Foods has announced it will be opening at several U.S. plants this year. As a vital part of the immigrant community in Garden City, Carswell has grown to be a champion of diversity and human rights in southwest Kansas. He started identifying other needs in the community, for instance the
barrier to getting a driver’s license. Without a license, people are reliant on those who do have a license to get to work, shop for food, pick up children from school, get to medical appointments and other essential and basic tasks. “We saw this as a social determinant that affected the overall health of the refugee and immigrant populations,” Carswell said, “and there simply weren’t enough translators to help people who only speak some English take their test.” Carswell helped create a volunteer network to aid immigrants in obtaining a driver’s licenses in 2017. The program helps pair test takers with vetted volunteer translators to support 15 different languages: Somali, Arabic, Sudanese, Burmese (Karen dialect), Swahili, Filipino (Tagalog dialect), Amharic and Oromo. Over the years, Carswell stepped away from his role as the coordinator of the PCAT, but he has continued to manage a grant for Kearny County Hospital called the Integrated Voter Engagement grant funded by the Kansas Health Foundation. The goal of the project is to increase voter registration and turnout in local, state and national elections, create more engagement and dialog between elections and improve the overall health of the community. Those outcomes will then help to shape public policy that benefits everyone – especially at-risk populations such as immigrants and refugees. Curriculum for the project was provided by the Wichita Civic Engagement Academy. Carswell has worked to track the number of people participating in the civic engagement opportunity, and the information will be used to create more translated materials that can then be shared with young adults and high school students to generate more conversation and
dialog regarding civic engagement. Often, refugees have fled their homeland to escape corrupt political systems and have never had the opportnity to practice democracy. One of the challenges in teaching refugees about the United States political system is communicating the different roles and levels of government and the differences between political approval and political funding. “There are not many things as rewarding as seeing an individual who is elated because they were able to vote for the first time in their life,” Carswell said. “People tell me regularly that they are excited not only to vote for the first time, but because they are experiencing what it means to participate in a democracy.” The Department of Homeland Security reports that refugees and asylum-seekers like those in Garden City have a naturalization rate of 70 percent during their first decade in the United States. Refugees can apply for citizenship after five years as permanent residents and then register to vote. In 2019, Carswell hosted a series of nonpartisan presentations to help underserved populations understand how American democracy works in the ROAR
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African Shop, just a few blocks from his home. Behind the shelves of canned mangos, lentils, basmati rice, fava beans, teff flour and tea, people gathered to learn about the political process and to share their concerns and questions. He was even able to coordinate a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall. “I have more plans for other opportunities – panel discussions, educational events and more opportunities for civic engagement,” Carswell said. In these stories, Carswell isn’t acting in an official professional
capacity, but as a friend, advocate and champion for refugees while offering advice and helping them connect with critical resources. Another case where his compassion helped was when he received a call from a Somali truck driver. The man’s parents had recently moved to the area. They spoke no English, and his father was disabled, having lost a leg due to a violent attack by individuals wielding machetes in his home village
in Somalia. He is currently working through the process that allows refugees to become U.S. citizens. “Many of these immigrants have horrific trauma in their life,” Carswell said. “They just want to live here peacefully, raise their family and to feel like they are a welcome member of the community.” Carswell was able to help the man and his parents make important community connections by inviting the man to the African Shop. There he was met with open arms by people who shared his native language and similar life experiences. These relationships and connections made all the difference in his ability to navigate services. Carswell’s commitment to finding new ways to advocate for the immigrant community in western Kansas was put to the test again this year as the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Heartland. Carswell quickly took action to help protect his community, family and friends in Garden City. “While the state government was working to provide materials translated in Spanish, there are many different languages spoken in Garden City,” Carswell explained. “We needed to
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translate pandemic information, health recommendations and guidelines to ensure that Somali, Burmese and other immigrants and refugees have the same access to the latest health guidance.” At the same time, Carswell, along with many other advocates in the community, have continued to work on improving city services. Their goals include securing a lighted crosswalk near refugee housing and property to construct a mosque, and identifying youth to become future leaders and advocates in their community. “There are high school and collegeage youth in the community who will be great leaders someday. They are counted on early in life because they are bilingual and educated,” Carswell said. “Our goal is to set them up for leadership training and higher education so they can continue to support their community.” As Fort Hays State’s social work programs have continued to expand to meet the demands for trained professionals throughout Kansas, the Garden City community may soon see its first refugee student graduate and start a career in the community. That prospect would not have been possible without FHSU’s online learning flexibility, empowering students with limited finances to honor their culture and continue to support their family while pursuing a degree – and without the dedication and devotion of Carswell.
We are resilient.
WE ARE TIGERS. A time capsule of FHSU Tiger resilience and optimism in 2020 stories by CYNDI LANDIS,
KELSEY STREMEL, & DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover from difficulties and problems quickly. It’s the ability to bend instead of break when challenges arise and to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy and stress. For the better part of this year, the pandemic’s negative-consequences weighed heavily on the hearts of students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and supporters. No one is immune to the pain, anxiety, stress and fear wreaked by the novel coronavirus. Over the past year, though, FHSU Tigers have confronted misfortune and obstacles unlike any known before and risen to meet those challenges head on. Stories of altruism, fellowship and growth among families, friends and our community have been ROAR
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evident throughout the pandemic. The disruption of life as we knew it has shown us just how much we can achieve together and inspired new ways of living, learning, doing business and redefined community as we stay connected while apart. In the next few pages, you will find stories from our Tiger community of how individuals, families and teams focused on finding the strength and resilience to work around and overcome. We’re all in this pandemic together, and sharing the stories of our struggles, vulnerabilities, hopes and aspirations can only help to bring us more closely together, as we demonstrate the resilience that is a enduring hallmark of the FHSU Tiger legacy.
Thriving Online
Forsyth Library staff shine during pandemic
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arly last spring, Deborah Ludwig was looking forward to phased retirement and the end of a distinguished career in library and technology leadership. Then came the COVID-19 global pandemic and the urgent need to transition campus services and classes to online formats. The dean of Fort Hays State University’s Forsyth Library knew she couldn’t step away at such a crucial time, so she changed her retirement plans. She agreed to continue to lead the library’s efforts to execute on the university’s commitment to convert and not cancel programs and services in the face of the pandemic. As challenging as this sounds, the essential groundwork for the library’s rapid transition to virtual services actually began in 2014 with the arrival of Ludwig at Fort Hays State. Over the past six years, she led an extensive transformation of library services, which made it possible to quickly convert to a new reality of socially distanced online services that we now know all too well. When the pandemic struck, there was no need to scramble to a hasty online conversion. The Forsyth team was ready with a full suite of library services available anytime, anywhere to serve on-campus, online and
international populations. The abrupt need to close the building and halt in-person services presented an opportunity for Forsyth Library to showcase the comprehensive suite of online services that staff had been developing under the library’s strategic plan and delivering through an integrated web presence. Online journals, e-books, newspapers and media have dramatically expanded in number and use. An estimated 60 percent of the library’s research resources are now online and the use of e-Books alone grew by over 40 percent between spring 2019 and 2020. Live chat, email, phone, text and ZOOM replaced the traditional reference desk to reach beyond library walls to provide one-on-one research assistance at any distance, any day of the week, including evenings and weekends. Even as the pandemic set in and the campus closed, librarians experienced a 20 percent jump in the number of research questions compared to the previous spring. Online instruction in information literacy remains crucial to student success. As faculty moved many courses online, librarians continued to provide information literacy instruction in real-time or through recorded lectures, tutorials and guides. Many unique assets from the university archives and special collections are digitized and also available online. Familiar collections include the Reveille yearbooks, the University Leader and historical photographs and documents.
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New collections include alumni “Tiger Tales” video interviews and a new project capturing COVID-19 stories from the FHSU and the Ellis County community for future generations of researchers. To participate go to fhsu.edu/archives or email forsythsc@fhsu.edu., to submit text, photographs, journal and diary entries and other digital evidence that demonstrates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As fall 2020 brought some students and faculty back to campus under a hybrid teaching model, Forsyth Library reopened its doors in a limited capacity to ensure the health and safety of staff and patrons remained the number one priority. Requests for physical materials are accessible via online request for “library takeout” and limited individual study space is available. The south end of the library was repurposed to serve as much-needed classroom space. Even though online library services met the most urgent needs of the community during the pandemic, Forsyth Library remained a prime destination and inspiring hub of knowledge for students and scholars to research, study and access technology. In a world that is heavily dependent on online resources and information, the physical library has an important role to play and Forsyth Library is well-positioned to support the academic research of university students, faculty, staff and community members now and in the future.
The Strength to Overcome
Building the strength to overcome adversity Sitting at a wooden table in Breathe Coffee House in Hays, one can feel the peace and calm. It isn’t just the comforting aroma of coffee and savory crepes on the griddle or the cheerful sound of friends chatting over a quiet hiss of steaming crème, though. It’s a feeling of gratitude present in the warmth and compassion with which Patrick McGinnis greets every person who walks through the door. McGinnis, a two-time Fort Hays State University graduate, is the owner of the popular coffee house. McGinnis, who has bachelor’s degrees in sociology and social work and is currently pursuing a master’s of social work, is passionate about the importance of human connection. This year, he faced the unimaginable stress of keeping his business open during a pandemic and temporarily switching to pick-up-and-delivery operations. Patrick lost his father due to injuries from a vehicle accident this year and moved his mother to his home as well. McGinnis and his family also welcomed the birth of their second grandchild giving them hope in what has been a challenging year. His dream is to someday open a collaborative counseling center in or near the coffee shop, where people can feel welcome to join in a conversation and, if needed, connect with a professional counselor. “The hardest part was that delivery and drive-through is so antitheoretical to my entire business,” McGinnis said. “I had to shift to a business model that I
didn’t want and sales fell by 75 percent.” When FHSU was forced to shift to remote operations in March, McGinnis’ longtime staff – mostly current oncampus students – moved home, and he had to switch to the pick-up-anddelivery business service quickly. The stabilizing factor that sustained the business through the pandemic was McGinnis’ nonprofit, Dialogue Ministries, Inc., and the outpouring of support from the local community. For a donation, civic groups, students and community members can leave their cup – handmade by local artists – at Breathe and receive coupons for coffee. Though donations declined during the early days of the pandemic, they remained stable enough to see the business through the toughest times. Business picked back up after a community mask mandate this fall allowed the coffee house to reopen its doors provided they adhered to specific safety protocols. “The community support was amazing,” McGinnis said. “You don’t make a lot of money on each cup of coffee, but then the community banded together to buy gift cards and place large orders for an entire neighborhood and that helped us get through.” Before the pandemic forced the temporary closure of businesses in Kansas, McGinnis collaborated with the FHSU Kelly Center and High Plains Mental Health to continue building a volunteer-based program called “Can We Just Talk?”. The program has evolved each year as ROAR
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McGinnis works closely with FHSU’s Leadership 310 teams to identify what’s working and how they can continue to reach more people and encourage people from all walks of life to share their thoughts and feelings. “The in-person experience is critical to what we do here,” McGinnis said. “I never intended to sell coffee forever. I chose coffee because it’s comfortable. It builds rapport between people so that no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or emotional state, they can feel comfortable, and we can start a dialogue.” The pandemic driven stress and negative outcomes have touched everyone and intensified the importance of building resilience through dialogue. It’s this intense focus on building resilience and sharing the very human condition of life’s ups and downs that keeps McGinnis focused on making a difference and helping others. “Life is not meant to be easy and it hasn’t been on any generation. We’ve all dealt with things that aren’t fixable,” McGinnis said. “Counseling is about building that resilience to overcome those hard things. We can’t fix the problem, but we can help find the strength to work around and overcome.”
More Than a Degree
Recent grad says personal challenges shaped her future
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eja Brewer came to Fort Hays State University four years ago chasing a dream of becoming the first in her family to earn that coveted college degree. She took home so much more. A 2020 spring graduate, Brewer credits her experiences surviving a family tragedy and celebrating triumphs at FHSU for helping her overcome challenges during college – and now, in these uncertain times. Her plan after graduation was to attend culinary school – cooking has been a long-time passion of Brewer’s – but in a cautionary move because of COVID-19, she put that dream on hold. So she improvised, something she learned a lot about at Fort Hays State. Brewer found a job as a school photographer which she plans to keep until she has a chance to pursue her passion for the culinary arts. Culinary school was not on Brewer’s radar when she first came to FHSU. She started out as a social work major and then switched to elementary education because people told her she would be a good teacher. After a while, she realized she wasn’t following her heart and turned to her advisor, Dr. Beth Walizer, for advice.
Walizer helped Brewer search for other options and together they decided a general studies program was her best route. It was a good fit for Brewer, who said that within the flexible general studies curriculum, she was able to explore a variety of subjects, naming photography, computer software and interior design as some of her favorites. “That’s a great example of how helpful FHSU faculty are,” Brewer said. “They want to do what’s best for the students.” That was just one instance where Brewer experienced the caring spirit of FHSU. Another example was life changing for Brewer. Her younger sister, Laia, died in 2018 after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis. Brewer left campus immediately when she got the call about her sister’s failing condition and contacted her professors by email. She was deeply touched by their responses. “That was a really tough time for me, and my professors and people at my on-campus job in the Department of Geosciences were so understanding. They told me not to worry about my classes, to focus on my family,” Brewer said. “People at Fort Hays State really do care for you as a person. When I came back to campus, I had the confidence that I could finish strong.” Armed with a newfound determination, Brewer offered to take over the position of president of the Black Student Union, an organization that was then without a strong presence on campus.
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Under Brewer’s leadership, the BSU tripled its membership and was chosen by the Center for Student Involvement and the Office of Student Affairs as the most improved student organization on campus for 2019-20. Brewer said she decided to get out of her comfort zone to recruit more BSU members and have them actively participate in more campus activities. In the process, she gained more confidence herself as she began networking with other student organizations. “I knew the importance of collaborating with fellow organizations; that we could accomplish a lot more together than on our own,” she said. “I went out and tried to make a lot of connections because I wanted our organization to create a stronger presence on campus.” She helped organize events that ranged from tailgating at a Tiger football game and bowling nights and potlucks, to social mixers and even a spring semiformal dance. In between, the BSU participated in community service projects, several involving children. Now as she ponders her next move, Brewer said she will always remember how much the people of FHSU helped shape her future. “Fort Hays State helped me learn how to make my own decisions,” Brewer said. “Even if I failed at something, I developed the confidence to try again. I’ll take that with me the rest of my life.”
Leading the Way
Scheve leading Wilson Elementary School through challenging times
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t’s been said that an organization tends to take on the personality of its leader. Never was that more evident than this year at Wilson Elementary School in Hays. With Principal Anita Scheve leading the way, staff at Wilson adapted to the challenge of COVID-19 and used the summer to create innovative solutions aimed at keeping learning on track while mitigating the threat of the virus. Scheve, in her 25th year in education, knows life as an elementary school principal will never be the same. But, she stressed, the reasons for coming to school every morning won’t change. “We all know we’re still here for the same reasons,” she said. “We love kids and we want to guide them in their learning. How we do that has changed, but why we do it hasn’t. If we focus on that, working through the details becomes a little easier.” When the threat of a pandemic became reality in March, Scheve and the Wilson staff quickly began creating ways to continue educating students through the end of the semester. “I used the analogy ‘How do you eat an elephant?’ ” she said. “One bite at a time. We went at it one piece at a time.” Small steps turned into larger accomplishments for Scheve as she helped lead her staff and others in Hays USD 489 through challenges they had never before encountered. USD 489 established the ability to
apply innovative technologies to teaching and learning- technologies that began 10 years ago. “At least the technology part of the equation was done for us,” Scheve said. “We could send laptops home with the students and they already knew the programs on them, so it made the parents’ job a lot easier.” Scheve worked with peers in the district and across Kansas, forming a network to learn and share what was working for others. Kansas was the first state to call off school for the rest of the school year in the spring. Then the state came up with a continuous learning plan that each district could modify accordingly for their schools. Scheve was pleased with how her staff made a significant shift from faceto-face instruction to online while still keeping the students engaged. “That speaks to the work ethic of the teachers,” she said. “They were so resilient in still working with kids and changing the way they provided instruction.” That was easier to accomplish because of Scheve’s leadership. “Mrs. Scheve is so even-keeled and took everything in stride last spring,” said Candace Sage, now in her 30th year of teaching at Wilson. “That just made us all feel so much more comfortable. She empowered us to do what we needed to with our students.” Committed to learning as much as possible about remote learning, Scheve enrolled in a summer class at ROAR
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Fort Hays State, one which focused on instructional technology at the district level. She and district administrators used what they learned from their experience during the spring semester to establish new protocols for the 202021 school year. “The most important thing to remember is that we can’t lose sight of what our focus is, educating our children in a safe environment,” said Scheve, who has a master’s in educational administration from FHSU. “Our primary goal is to prepare students for the world in which they will be living and working and technology is a huge piece of that. If they are going to become skilled workers, they have to have the right tools.” Even while uncertainties still surrounded the start of the school year, Sage was confident Wilson Elementary would enjoy another successful year with Scheve as its leader, no matter what may lie ahead. “Again, we will just follow Mrs. Scheve’s lead,” Sage said. “Just give us the parameters and the guidelines and we’ll make it work.”
Creating Connection
How one student is building community in a virtual and hybrid year
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ll hours of the day and night, you can see the glow from the Schmidt Family Foundation Center for Art and Design on the campus of Fort Hays State University. Students and staff are bustling about inside, bringing life to the modern, elegant structure while sharing their passion for art and Fort Hays State. “I never wanted to go anywhere else,” said Sean Engler, a junior graphic design major from Wichita. “My high school art teacher told me that FHSU was the best school for graphic design in Kansas, so I took a tour and that was it. I knew I belonged here.” While the move to remote learning last spring was difficult for students and faculty alike, they have met the challenge during the fall semester with incredible resilience and innovation. Most of Engler’s classes are hybrid, a blend of face-to-face instruction and online learning that allows for smaller class sizes and a flexible class structure. “I’ve enjoyed the virtual aspect of my classes and flexibility to learn when and where it’s right for me,” Engler said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s fun, and I enjoy working and problem-solving. There are a lot of benefits to the hybrid approach.”
Some of those benefits include the empathy, support and grace that faculty, students and staff have shown as a community this fall. “I feel like faculty understand what we are going through as students, because they are going through this as well,” Engler said. “It’s hard for them to adapt to hybrid and online learning, too, and that shared vulnerability has brought our entire Tiger family closer together. Even though we are sometimes online, it’s a very real and human connection.” Engler hasn’t let the pandemic interfere with his academic or college experience and he’s continually working to ensure his peers are connected and have the opportunity to share in an immersive college experience. He is president of FHSU’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon social fraternity. He is also a member of the leadership team for the student religious ministry, Christian Challenge, and he works as a student graphic designer for the Office of Student Engagement. This fall, Engler and the student engagement team have overcome the challenges of COVID-19 to provide outdoor events and socially distanced virtual student life programs, doing all they can to give students as normal a college experience as possible. They hosted new programs on the Quad and moved smaller events to larger spaces, requiring masks and extra sanitization to ensure the safety of the participants. They also worked to provide virtual game nights and
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take-home projects that students could then complete together on Zoom. “It’s been difficult, but a really great challenge,” Engler said of the changes to work, education and student life due to the pandemic. “The university has done a great job providing us with the specific guidance we should follow as student organizations for events to ensure everyone’s safety.” Engler said he finds the sense of community in multiple places at Fort Hays State. “I’ve gone through the graphics program with the same core group of people, and we trust each other, and I know I can trust them and ask for help if I need it,” he said. “I have my fraternity community and that brotherhood sticks together through all the ups and downs. I’ve also learned so much through Christian Challenge and really grown as a person.” Engler will graduate in May, but he has no plans of leaving FHSU just yet. Despite the ups and downs of the pandemic and shifts from on campus, to online, to hybrid class delivery, he’s found his passion. “I want to learn new things, and I want to go out and become a collegiate level instructor,” Engler said. “My teachers have had such an impact on me that I want to be that teacher and mentor for someone else. I enjoy teaching and helping.”
FORT HAYS STATE COULD USE A REALLY BIG WIN RIGHT NOW JOURNEY CAMPAIGN GOAL
To raise $100 million in support of FHSU by Homecoming 2021 Number of lives changed? The possibilities are endless!
Scholarships $45,000,000 Academics $39,000,000 Athletics $8,000,000 Student Life $8,000,000 Academic Colleges Sternberg Museum Alumni Association Forsyth Library Study Abroad Student Organizations Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success
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JOURNEY
A Campaign for Fort Hays State University
We are grateful and humbled to have had such gracious alumni and friends step forward throughout our Journey campaign. More than 23,000 donors have made a gift in support of Fort Hays State University. Over 65,000 gifts made to the campaign have been under $100. Together, we’re making an incredible impact. EVERY. GIFT. MATTERS.
As we enter the capstone year of our Journey campaign, let’s come together as Tigers and not only reach the finish line — let’s run through the tape!
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY | 33 | FHSU.EDU/roar 785.628.5620 https://foundation.fhsu.edu foundation@fhsu.edu
e h t g n i v o M e l d e e N FHSU alum building a sustainable and socially responsible fashion empire story by Carmen Fanning photography by RIGHTFULLY SEWN
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oday, when you hear Kansas City, you usually think Chiefs football, Royals baseball and a distinctively sweet and tangy barbeque style. If Jennifer Lapka has her way, you will also have to add fashion to the mix. Lapka, a 2003 Fort Hays State University graduate, was born and raised in Gorham, Kan. As a child, she dreamed of being a teacher or maybe a veterinarian. Inspired by her artistic, community-minded mother and an exceptional high school art teacher, Lapka’s interests and creative energy shifted to art. When the time came to think about college, she found herself drawn to Fort Hays State University, just 20 minutes west of her hometown, and its excellent art history and graphic design programs. “I am so proud and happy I chose Fort Hays State University. You aren’t lost in a sea of students here. Instead, it’s possible to have meaningful relationships with your teachers, administrators and other students – and those relationships continue with you throughout your life,” Lapka said.
“President Tisa Mason and FHSU Foundation staff have all been incredibly supportive of my work, for which I am grateful, and I am blown away by the new Schmidt Foundation Center for Art and Design on campus.” Following graduation, Lapka continued her studies, seizing an opportunity to take her passion for art overseas in England at Newcastle University. “The experience was incredible,” Lapka said. “I decided at that point I would work at an art museum and be a director by the time I was 30.” In pursuit of that dream, she started on a pathway of self-discovery and found her true calling. Lapka went on to work at the Victoria and Albert Museum, an institution widely regarded as the “world’s largest museum of art, design and performance” – a museum also renowned for its extensive fashion collection.
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“It made me realize fashion is art and the perfect marriage of my skill sets,” Lapka said. “I love creativity and artistry, but I am also very businessminded. And that’s how I landed in fashion.” Upon her return to the United States, Lapka worked for some of Kansas City’s most venerable cultural institutions, including the NelsonAtkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation. It was these experiences that helped her learn the
true meaning of giving back. “Henry Bloch’s philanthropic mindset was inspiring to me,” Lapka said. “One of the most important things I learned while working for him was something he was taught as a child: ‘As soon as you have three meals a day, it’s time to help the next person’.” During her time at his foundation, she worked with social service agencies that provide assistance to individuals who are without homes, suffer from addiction or abuse or have come to this country as refugees. Around the country, these agencies were focused on offering or seeking work training opportunities as an expansion of basic services. Lapka embraced this new model of not only giving to help others, but teaching them skills to ultimately lift them out of negative systemic situations. She would use the business of fashion – and specifically the skill of
sewing – to do so. In the beginning, the organization was called, “The Fashion Accelerator of KC,” but she soon discovered other organizations were already using some variation of that name. Upon reflection, she also thought that name just felt cold. Lapka eventually settled on Rightfully Sewn as the name – a mix of her vision and her love for wordplay. Lapka built Rightfully Sewn upon the core principles of equity, diversity, accessibility, acclivity, positivity and efficacy. These principles were inspired by Lapka’s maternal grandmother, who taught her how to sew and instilled in her the value of serving others.
“Our tagline of ‘keep moving the needle’ implies we will continually and positively impact the lives of people and the local economy by keeping the sewing trade alive.” JENNIFER L APK A
Founder of Rightfully Sewn ROAR
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Rightfully Sewn’s tagline is “keep moving the needle,” a powerful message that perfectly captures Lapka’s love of fashion and her commitment to advancing humanity. The non-profit organization she created provides seamstress training for individuals who face obstacles to employment, as well as programming and small batch production services for fashion designers. “If it’s from us, it’s sewn well. At Rightfully Sewn, we believe all individuals deserve to be safe and hold a job that provides a living wage,” Lapka said. “Our tagline of keep moving the needle implies we will continually and positively impact the lives of people and the local economy by keeping the sewing trade alive.”
Lapka is building an innovative organization that is fueling the rebirth of Kansas City’s once-thriving fashion industry by supporting designers and developing the workforce that can meet the burgeoning global demand for highquality, American-produced garments. Rightfully Sewn and its founder are also champions for a cleaner and healthier environment. Lapka points out that fashion is now the second most pollutant-producing industry on the planet. And she intends to change this. “We’ve thought a lot about the negative impact of industry on the environment and how it has also harmed human capital,” Lapka said. “Companies all over the world are taking advantage of some of the most vulnerable people on the planet to make a profit. The people doing the work are paid little and are often forced to work under terrible conditions. These are issues Rightfully Sewn is addressing. “ When she learned about a widespread shortage of personal protective equipment as it related to COVID-19, she and the Rightfully Sewn team were able to pivot quickly. “We had the luxury of time to prepare for a huge increase in cases that people on the East and West Coasts
did not have,” Lapka said. “We flipped a switch on March 24 and changed to face mask production.” After raising approximately $200,000 in the middle of a pandemicdriven economic meltdown, Lapka used the infusion of cash to retain her employees and ultimately produce and donate over 40,000 face masks to local area hospitals and non-profits. “Because we are nimble, because we listened and wanted to help, and already had the skills and equipment, we were able to turn on a dime and become part of the solution,” Lapka said. Rightfully Sewn released fashion masks for sale to the public in April. The outer layer of their fashion mask is made from recycled bottles and organic cotton and has two international certifications. Despite the pandemic’s interruption, Lapka does not take her foot off the gas for her plans for 2020. Lapka and her team have also created dresses that coordinate with their masks, producing the perfect blend of fashion and function. Her advice to others who want to pursue a socially conscious entrepreneur’s life is to be careful what you say “yes” to because once you do, you need to be able to put everything you have into the commitment. Instead of doing a hundred things well, she says it’s critical to focus on a few things and do them extraordinarily well. Looking back on an already rich professional life, Lapka tends to think first about the teachers who were always there for her. Her grandmother, mother and Henry Bloch all shaped the person and professional she is today. “Your teachers are some of the most important and amazing people in your life,” Lapka said, “so treat them with respect, communicate with them and stay in touch.”
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MEET CARMEN FANNING Student Writer at University Relations and Marketing
Carmen, a 22-year old from Lee’s Summit, Mo, has spent her college career studying biology and ultrasound technology at FHSU. She will graduate next year and start her professional career in healthcare. Although her major is science, she’s passionate about writing as an outlet for emotions and sharing information. “I’m not a loud person, so it’s nice to put my thoughts into the world through writing,” Fanning said. She has been a defender for the FHSU women’s soccer team and recognized on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and as part of the 2019-2020 United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award. Fanning’s other hobbies include roller skating, cooking, thrifting, reading and she has a passion for sustainable fashion. She plans to enter the healthcare field as an ultrasound technician after graduation and she also plans to continue writing. Fanning’s interest and expertise in writing landed her a job with the URM office, where she was able to connect with many different professionals. Her success as a writer led to many different opportunities, including the chance to contribute to ROAR Magazine.
HUNT
ON THE
Tips for job searching in uncertain times from FHSU Director of Career Services story by KAREN McCULLOUGH & KELSEY STREMEL photography by KELSEY STREMEL
K
An extensive offering of resources is available on our website at FHSU.edu/career. We are always available through email at careers@fhsu.edu; by phone, 785-628-4260; or through Zoom. Please reach out and let us know how we can assist you!
aren McCullough stepped into the role of Director of Career Services at Fort Hays State University in 2017. Her passion, energy and devotion to the Tiger family can be seen in the department’s resultsdriven success. Fort Hays State boasts a 96 percent success rate for job or advanced education placement of graduating seniors and the staff of Career Services are there to help every step of the way, connecting students with internships, interviews and networking connections. “It’s been exciting to come in and reimagine Career Services and reintroduce us to campus and the Hays community,” McCullough said. “Dan Rice brought many years of experience to the campus and set an amazing foundation. I was able to come in and refresh how we do business here, bringing in new technology and connections with employers.” ROAR
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The job search process changed drastically from when McCullough first started with Career Services as an information analyst in 2002. There have been dramatic shifts in the use of social media and distance interviews conducted via Zoom and other internet video platforms. Last year, Career Services held eight career fairs, both on-campus and online, introducing 284 employers to FHSU students and alumni. They also helped more than 900 students polish their interview skills, either online or through face-to-face mock interviews. “Career Services is unique because we touch everyone,” McCullough said. “We connect with students and develop their professional skills while we’re also reaching out to faculty and building cross-campus partnerships. We’re also in the community and our region meeting with employers and making connections with internships and jobs.” We asked McCullough for some guidance for today’s job hunters, how they can embrace uncertain times and find the patience and resilience to continue pursuing their dreams by taking the next step in their professional careers.
What advice do you have for new graduates and alumni searching for a job or promotion in today’s uncertain economy? Facing the uncertainty of a down economy can shake the most seasoned job hunter. In times of slowing employment, focusing on a job search’s foundational aspects can help you land the right position. It’s important to remember to target your job search on an industry that is hiring. Many industries are still hiring including healthcare, computer and IT, customer service, education and the accounting and finance fields. Stay up to date with new jobs posted in these fields by customizing searches on online job boards and remember to network with family and friends who hold positions in these industries. Take advantage of this time to sharpen or refresh your job skills. Ensure your resume is up to date, with your most recent job achievements, educational credentials, training and transferable skills. Strive for these documents to be well-written and customized for each job which you are applying. Spending time customizing
your job search documents for each position takes time, but aligning yourself to the job description will help you stand out in a crowd of applicants. As businesses shift to online hiring, ensure you are presenting yourself professionally online. Consider your available technology, professional background and attire when meeting others online. Work to minimize distractions from your environment. Practicing the interviewing process online is a must to ensure a seamless experience for you and those with whom you are interviewing. Now is a great time to continue learning! Analyze job descriptions for positions of interest and learn what skills employers are looking for in candidates. Build these skills through volunteer work, watching online videos or taking a refresher course. Many professional organizations are currently offering free or reducedcost trainings. It’s an ideal time to add value and skills to your resume. It is
A Tiger Family When not advocating for student internships and careers, you’ll find Karen McCullough and her family championing Fort Hays State athletics. “The opportunities to get involved at FHSU were perfect and that’s what I needed to get the confidence to be successful,” McCullough said. Karen was a standout on the Tiger Debs dance team and she found herself building connections working as a student employee that would last a lifetime. She met her husband, Jason McCullough, at FHSU when he was a graduate student in sports information and she was a member of the Tiger FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
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FHSU.EDU/roar
necessary that job seekers are able to talk to potential employers about how they excel at working remotely, too. Staying positive and hopeful in the midst of uncertainty is vital. Companies are beginning to hire and it is essential to only focus on what is in your control. Remember, the Career Services Office is here to assist both current students and alumni with job search needs. Career Services offers access to Handshake, a nationwide job search portal, which allows job seekers to create an online profile and showcase their skills to employers. Currently, nearly 4,000 jobs and internships are posted in Handshake. Many jobs are for entry-level positions, but there are also positions listed for more seasoned professionals. Career Services offers resources for interviewing both online and in-person, creating professional social media profiles, networking, dressing professionally and many more services.
Debs. They both worked at all of the home sporting events and soon became inseparable, supporting one another and cheering on FHSU athletics. Jason was initially recruited to wrestle at FHSU but later walked on to the track and field team. He went on to earn All-America honors in cross country and later became an FHSU instructor and head track and cross country coach for the Tigers. “There’s something special about Fort Hays State,” Karen said. “You fall in love and don’t ever want to leave. You want your children to experience the hometown values, community support and mentoring that you enjoy as part of the Tiger family.”
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HEROES WORK HERE On the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Kansas story and photography by KELSEY STREMEL
T
he words “Heroes Work Here” stood defiant in the crisp October air outside Salina Regional Hospital. It’s a silent reminder to passersby of the selfsacrifice of the doctors, nurses and staff serving and protecting their community and state from the novel coronavirus. Just through the doors, visitors checked in, one at a time, as each one was screened for high temperatures, flu-like symptoms and their recent travel history – all extra steps of care and precaution that would have been unimaginable a year ago. Waiting patiently in the strikingly empty lobby was Dr. Jeremiah Ostmeyer, one of the homegrown heroes fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Kansas. Despite the burden of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and distancing protocols, it was easy to feel the warmth and compassion with which Ostmeyer greeted everyone in the hallway on his way to the Emergency Care Division – “Ground
Zero” in the effort to halt the spread of the virus in central Kansas. “We get to be the first 15 minutes of every specialty,” Ostmeyer said, with excitement in his eyes. “We get to touch each person first and we have to know a little about everything. It’s that action and uncertainty that I love about emergency medicine.” As an emergency medicine provider, Ostmeyer faces a unique challenge. Unlike a primary care physician, he doesn’t have the context and understanding of a patient’s relationships, stressors, history and health. Often rural primary care providers get to know a patient for decades and sometimes treat multiple generations in the same family. Ostmeyer and his team have mere minutes to assess a patient’s status and make the best decisions possible for his or her emergency care. This year, the challenge was made even more remarkable by the unknown and sometimes utterly invisible presence of COVID-19.
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FHSU.EDU/roar
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kansas has 105 rural hospitals that serve more than 900,000 residents. These critical healthcare systems are connected to supporting hospitals, including Salina Regional Health Center, through the State Designated Rural Health Network Systems. These hospitals are essential for overall physical, social and mental health, disease prevention, timely diagnosis and treatment of illness, preventable death and overall quality of life in rural communities. Hospitals and healthcare systems in Kansas provide approximately 93,048 wellpaying jobs and support the creation of an additional 84,413 jobs in other businesses and industries, according to the Foundation of Health Care in Kansas 2019 report. While rural hospitals and healthcare facilities are essential to the viability of rural communities, in Kansas and throughout the nation, these organizations have struggled
over the past decade due to declining patient numbers and rising costs. “It’s an unprecedented year in healthcare and there’s a palpable layer of stress in everyone who touches these patients,” Ostmeyer said. “Each patient requires extra time, extra equipment, and there are additional precautions for every exam. This burdens an already taxed healthcare system.” The first case of the novel coronavirus recorded in the U.S. was Jan. 21, 2020, in Washington state, and the virus wouldn’t reach Kansas until March 7 in Johnson County. Hospitals were forced to step back and re-evaluate all facets of public healthcare as they prepared for the uncertainties of a global pandemic. “We’re all interconnected and looking out for each other in many ways and the conversations generated as we worked to face the coronavirus together have been a good thing,” Ostmeyer said. “All the meetings and discussions and prep-work forced us to work with colleagues we normally wouldn’t. It brought about collaboration, and we embraced it for the greater good.” Outside the disinfected and sterile emergency rooms, Ostmeyer demonstrated the extra precautions taken by his team in the ER to protect doctors, nurses, staff and patients from the potential spread of COVID-19. He pulled on additional layers of personal protective equipment (PPE), including an extra gown, N-95 mask, face shield and gloves, applying hand sanitizer between each step. These are just a few of the new health and safety protocols that have proven critical in preventing and minimizing the spread of COVID-19. Each layer of protection does, however, cost priceless minutes for healthcare workers dealing with emergency situations when every second counts. The addition of masks and
gowns also complicates the shared understanding of body language and nonverbal communication often used to reassure patients in stressful situations. Something as simple as a comforting smile is hard to share behind a mask and face shield. Still, Ostmeyer and his team find the courage to step up to each challenge and in those moments of crisis, hold their patient’s hand reassuringly. “I’m proud of how we handle it,” Ostmeyer said. “The fight’s not over, but we continue to prepare and adapt and change. The worldwide pandemic
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set us all back and forced us to reassess everything..” Ostmeyer began his healthcare career working as a CNA in the Gove County Medical Center in Quinter, choosing one of the few available jobs in the small town for youth interested in the sciences. This early healthcare experience led to a job shadowing opportunity and laid the foundation for what would become his passion for emergency medicine. He went on to attend Kansas Wesleyan University to play basketball. Soon, however, he realized that he was
ready to commit his focus to his future in medicine. He transferred to Fort Hays State and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. “Hays is the economic and cultural center of western Kansas,” Ostmeyer said. “I was always drawn to Hays, and it was an easy decision to attend FHSU once I knew I was going to focus on grades and my career.” Ostmeyer credits his experience at FHSU in the “science hall” and Forsyth Library for his readiness to take on medical school at the University of Kansas and a later clinical experience in South Carolina. “I love where I graduated from and encourage students interested in science or pre-med to look at FHSU,” Ostmeyer said. “I’m proud of what we (FHSU Tigers) are doing out there. My degree was as strong as anyone’s and I probably had more personal attention, smaller class sizes and paid less tuition. Some places talk about those benefits, but at Fort Hays State, a quality degree and affordable tuition are just facts.” After completing medical school, residency, and practicing for a while outside of Kansas, Ostmeyer and his wife, Melissa, found their way home to Salina, where he specializes in emergency medicine and serves as the director of Salina Regional’s Stroke program. “We love being in central Kansas,” Ostmeyer said. “Every day, I meet people who have a tie either to my hometown of Quinter or Fort Hays State University, and it’s amazing to be so close to where we grew up. It gives me an automatic connection to patients. Since we share similar backgrounds and life experiences, I can better relate to them and that helps me take care of patients.” Ostmeyer’s humble hometown beginnings are evident in his peaceful and calming presence and the way
“I’m proud of what we (FHSU Tigers) are doing out there. My degree was as strong as anyone’s, and I probably had more personal attention, smaller class sizes, and paid less tuition. Some places talk about those benefits, but at Fort Hays State, a quality degree and affordable tuition are just facts.” DR. JEREMIAH OSTMEYER Emergency Medicine
he embraces the challenging work, long hours, and 24-7 shift demands in emergency medicine – all while juggling a busy home life with his wife and their children. He affectionately calls them the “Three Gs” – Grace, Grant, and Gabby. “I think this is my calling,” Ostmeyer said. “I picked a specialty I love after working and experiencing the different specialty options, and that’s what I’ll do forever – thankfully.” The halls of many hospitals and healthcare facilities in Kansas are filled with FHSU graduates like Ostmeyer, working in nursing, radiological technology, ultrasound, pharmacy, mental health and social services. Strong ties to hometown communities are one quality that administrators prize as they look for the right healthcare workers. They want professionals who bring skill and passion to their craft and a devotion to serving in rural America that builds vibrant communities and a great quality of life to the plains of Kansas. “On a daily basis, you’re reminded of where you’re from,” Ostmeyer said. “Many people drive hundreds of miles to see us. Salina’s a bigger town, but it has that small-town feel. The lessons you learn growing up in western Kansas stick with you and it’s prepared me and really all of us who choose to work in western Kansas for the journey in healthcare and life in general. I wouldn’t trade it.”
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FHSU.EDU/roar
It’s impossible to know what will come next as the COVID-19 pandemic seems to move back and forth in waves across the country. While it’s created unimaginable challenges in healthcare, the economy and mental health, it’s essential to look for the silver lining as well. “The level of PPE may never go away and the increased use of masks and other safety measures,” Ostmeyer said. “But this pandemic has shed light on the importance of public health. It has brought it to the forefront and made it a priority, and that’s a positive.” The importance of accessible public healthcare in rural communities is now part of a national discussion as the late summer wave of COVID-19 spread through the Midwest. One in three Kansans live in a rural community, and it’s something that Ostmeyer has experienced firsthand, as the first COVID-19 patient he treated had to make the 150-mile journey from Ostmeyer’s hometown. “It was a strange flood of emotions, seeing the reality of COVID-19 on a small town,” Ostmeyer said. “They knew my parents well, and I see the devastation that this virus brings to all regions. It really hit home. I’m proud to take care of people from my own home and proud of the work FHSU is doing to train students who will do the same.”
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Daley A life of academic rigor, generosity and truth by BRIAN GRIBBEN
O
photography by FHSU ARCHIVES
ne of the pleasures of working with Forsyth Library’s Special Collections comes from the discovery (or often rediscovery) of materials that hold mysteries, prompt yet unanswered questions, or, as I have found within the University Archives, reveal notable figures from FHSU’s past who have escaped current memory or whose contributions to the university have been overlooked. I believe there are countless university employees (both past and present) consigned to either category who merit recognition. However, at least in this issue of ROAR, this “Special Collections Spotlight” casts its attention on the late Dr. Billy C. Daley, formerly of the College of Education and its Department of Advanced Education Programs. A deep dive into the University Archives’ collection of Master’s Theses (also available online in the FHSU Scholars Repository) reveals that Daley directed the M.S. theses of more than 230 graduate students during a career that spanned seven decades exclusively at Fort Hays State. The majority of Daley’s advisees came from the Advanced Education Programs Department and AEP’s earlier incarnations, as well as Nursing and Social Work students who benefited
from his knowledge of measurements and statistics. While impressive, the volume of theses completed under Dr. Daley’s direction represents but part of his story, one that began in the hardscrabble countryside of the Tennessee Valley Divide. Born July 14, 1928, in Hardin County, Tenn. to an oft-absent, raconteur father and a mother whose husband’s capriciousness had stymied her ambitions of becoming a nurse, a more talented writer would describe Billy C. Daley as the youthful archetype of the Faulkneresque South. It would be sufficient to observe that the Great Depression compounded a childhood already challenged by his parents’ unconventional relationship. After relocating just over the state line to Waterloo, Ala., the Depression and his parents’ deteriorating relationship soon took its toll on Daley’s family when its patriarch left the home in 1932. The elder Daley would become a sporadic presence in the lives of Billy and his younger brother, Luther, while the boys’ mother found work cooking in the cafeteria of Waterloo’s only school. Now raised in what was effectively a single-parent household, young Billy, upon enrolling in grammar school, supplemented his mother’s income by working as a custodian after school in ROAR
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the same building he attended classes. During the war, a now teenage Daley took a second job stirring puddles of molten aluminum at the Reynolds Metal Company in nearby Sheffield. Decades later, he still recalled the unbearable heat of the smelting facility. With the money saved through toil and thrift and encouraged by a school principal who had become both mentor and father figure to Billy, Daley enrolled at Florence State Teachers College. In one of several coincidences that seemed to foretell the young Daley’s career path, Florence State followed a trajectory similar to that of Fort Hays State. Founded as a normal school, the former would likewise undergo a series of rechristenings before becoming a comprehensive regional state university (the present-day University of Northern Alabama). Graduating in 1951 with a
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Bachelor of Science in chemistry and mathematics and with the Korean War raging, Daley enlisted in the United States Air Force. Assigned to the Medical Corps, he spent the majority of his commitment attached to Fort Sam Houston teaching chemistry to medical personnel at the “Home of Army Medicine.” Unbeknownst to Daley but ostensibly another portent that his future lay at Fort Hays State, his assignment coincided with that of his future dean, the estimable Dr. Charles Leftwich, who was stationed at Fort Sam as an infantryman. As colleagues some 40 years later, they would often reminisce about their time in San Antonio, wryly noting that their paths never crossed in the then-segregated city. Following his discharge from the USAF, Daley enrolled at the University of Texas-Austin on the GI Bill. Earning his M.E. in 1956 after defending his thesis Some Aspects of the Effectiveness of the Teacher Education Institutions in Texas in Preparing Teachers for Public
Secondary Schools, he proceeded to pursue his doctorate at UT-Austin. In 1958, just prior to completing his doctoral program, Fort Hays State hired Daley as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. Shortly thereafter, Daley successfully defended his dissertation, The Development of Public Junior College Financing in Texas (written in only three months to the surprise of his advisor) earning his Ed.D. in 1959. Over the course of the next 54 years, Dr. Daley taught a variety of courses spanning multiple departments; primarily in research statistics, educational psychology, nursing statistics, and other related courses falling largely under the auspice of AEP and its predecessor ACES (Administration, Counseling, & Education). Additionally, Daley served multiple terms on Faculty Senate during his first five decades on campus. Augmenting his service to the university, Daley worked with countless former advisees as well as colleagues pursuing doctorates at other institutions,
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assisting them in formulating their research questions and in the writing of their dissertations. As with his own students, this entailed making himself available at unconventional hours and on weekends. Throughout the 1960s, Daley and Dr. Emerald Dechant were instrumental in expanding the counseling program to include vocational counseling, establishing the embryo from which the university’s future educational counseling programs would emerge. His work with Dechant and the staggering number of theses he directed during his time at FHSU, were arguably Daley’s greatest contribution to the university. Professionally, he belonged to the American Psychological Association and the American Statistical Association. In the fall of 2012, following years of service, Dr. Daley left FHSU. At 6’4” and typically sans overcoat during the Kansas winters (speculatively, a remnant of summers spent working in the Reynolds’ smelting plant), Dr. Daley cut an eccentric figure on campus that concealed a generous spirit and the adamantine principles cultivated during his youth. Though the latter seldom-endeared Daley to some of his colleagues (and several administrations), the decades-worth of attention and guidance Daley provided to student and colleague alike encapsulated his commitment to rigor, his generosity, and yes, his sometimes withering critique. Those who project a complex, contrarian or outlier personality over the course of their lives seldom enjoy a celebrated or universally agreed upon legacy. Rather, it is far easier to write hagiographies of plaster saints. A deeply private man with little use for pomp and circumstance, Dr. Daley would likely have little regard for such niceties. However, his contributions to the university, enshrined in the acknowledgment sections of over 230 theses, merit recognition.
FHSU.EDU/library/archives
TIGER NOTES 1950s
Twila (Coffey) Flowers ’55, Wichita, retired as a forensic nurse after 17 years of service. Harold “Keith” Ritter ’51, ’52, Hoisington, retired from his dental practice after 62 years.
1960s
Virginia Lorbeer ’63, Aurora, Colo., received the Colorado High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Don DesCombes Award.
1970s
Thomas “Tom” Arnhold ’75, Olathe, retired as a judge for the Kansas Workers Compensation Appeals Board after 10 years of service. Alan Deines ’73, Hays, Director of the Robbins Banking Institute and instructor of finance at FHSU, was appointed to the Kansas Development Finance Authority Board of Directors. Brad Dietz ’78, Topeka, announced his retirement as the athletic director of the Seaman School District of Topeka.
Sharon Dreher, ’78, ’81, Hays, retired from Midwest Energy after 39 years.
Donald “Don” Napell ’74, Hays, retired as CEO from The Farmers Credit Union after 30 years.
Pamela “Pam” (Ronen) Gillen ’78, Hays, retired as the stewardship and matching gift coordinator of the FHSU Foundation.
Mary “Mary Jo” (Feaster) Taylor ’75, Stafford, Kansas Senator of District 3, was named 2019 KanCare Expansion Champion.
Jerry Harding ’78, Liberal, retired as a State Farm Insurance Agent.
Errol Wuertz ’77, ’98, Hays, associate broker with Landmark Realty, was elected Chairman of the Kansas Real Estate Commission.
Karen (Myers) Hibbard ’78, Manhattan, vice president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, was appointed to the Council on Travel and Tourism. Sherry (Arnold) Kruse ’76, Pratt, retired as Pratt County Clerk after 39 years with the department. Delwin Massier ’74, Hays, retired as a loan officer after serving more than 32 years from The Farmers Credit Union. David Meter, ’78, ’80, ’90, Great Bend, was named the District 1 Athletics Director of the Year and the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 5A 2020 Athletic Director of the Year.
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1980s
Thomas “Tom” Albers ’88, ’97, Hays, was named the Secondary Principal of the Year for Kansas in Area 5. Albers is the principal at Hays Middle School. David Anderson ’88, WaKeeney, director of clinical programs at High Plains Mental Health Center, was appointed to the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board. Glenda “Susan” (Kersenbrock) Bowles ’88, Hays, speech pathologist and education administrator at Kid Link/ DSNWK, was appointed to the state Coordinating Council on Early Childhood Development Services.
Curtis “Curt” Brungardt ’81, ’84, Council Grove, was selected to serve as a Board of Trustee member for the state of Kansas’ Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) organization. Dean Kranzler ’83, Salina, is a 2020 inductee into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame, both as a solo artist and as drummer for another 2020 Salina-based inductee, Midnight Flyer. Michael “Mike” McCarthy ’89, De Pere, Wis., is now the next head coach of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Eric Muninger ’85, ’93, Salina, retired as Athletic Director from Sacred Heart School after more than 25 years of service. Chris Weller ’80, ’81, Tonganoxie, retired after 39 years teaching industrial arts at Tonganoxie Junior High and Tonganoxie Middle School.
1990s
Kara (Ploger) Keenan ’95, ’02, ’18, Kinsley, was hired as an advanced practice registered nurse at Heart of Kansas Family Health Care in Larned. Steven “Steve” Nordby ’90, ’97, Garden City, was selected Principal of the Year for Southwest Kansas. Brent Rogers ’98, Hoxie, was elected president of the Kansas Corn Growers Association. Michael Toews ’95, Tifton, Ga., was named assistant dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Jonathon Russell ’05, Mount Pleasant, Mich., was hired as the associate dean of the College of Arts and Media at Central Michigan University. Shane Shartz ’02, ’03, Hays, won the 2020 FBD Outstanding Educator Award at the recent Federation of Business Disciplines Conference.
Natalie (Barrett) Wood ’96, ’96, Solomon, was hired as the grant and scholarship coordinator of the Greater Salina Community Foundation.
Shane Smith ’01, Hays, was named as Commerce Bank’s Hays Market President.
2000s
Daren Fankhauser ’95, Hutchinson, was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer and Chief Architect at Data Center, Inc.
Carrie (Istas) Fraser ’05, Concordia, was named to the Independent Community Bankers of America Independent Bankers 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders List.
Stacey (Jones) Green ’96, Stockton, was chosen as the Kansas National Distinguished Principal for 2020.
Crystal Pounds ’05, ’08, Colby, instructor at Colby Community College, received the 2019 Tangeman Award for Teaching Excellence.
Guy Windholz ’95, Hays, was the recipient of the 2019 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service.
Amy Burton ’94, Ellis, was the recipient of the 2020 Mildred Vance City Clerk/Finance Officer-of-theYear award.
David Fitzhugh ’97, Hays, associate professor of Health and Human Performance and director of the athletic training program at FHSU, received the Dr. Denis “Izzy” Isrow Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award from the Mid-America Athletic Trainers Association.
Kimberly “Kim” (West) McMurry ’04, Greensburg, English and drama teacher at Kiowa County High School, received the Secondary Educator of the Year award from the Kansas Speech Communication Association.
Jeremy Capo ’02, ’04, Topeka, joined Mammoth Sports Construction as assistant vice president.
Rusty Grafel, ’07, ’09, Statesboro, Ga, joined the basketball staff at Georgia Southern University as the graduate manager. Joseph “Joe” Jackson ’06, Wichita, was selected as head boys basketball coach at Maize South High School. Michael McGuire ‘06, Holmen, Wis., was named the offensive coordinator for the football team at the University of WisconsinLacrosse.
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Andrew “Andy” Warren ’03, Mission, retired as a professor at Western New Mexico University. Bryce Woodall ’01, Salina, was named the athletic director at Sacred Heart School. Shelby (Fox) Zuniga ’02, Midland, Texas, was hired as the chief financial officer at Sunflower Diversified Services in Great Bend.
2010s
Jonathan Clayton ’17, ’19, Mullinville, joined the Kansas Department of Commerce as the southwest regional project manager. Kaitlyn “Kaiti” Dinges ’15, ’17, Hays, was promoted to executive director of Jana’s Campaign. Kenneth “Ken” Dusenbury ’18, Garden Plain, was named the head football coach at Andover High School for the 2020-21 school year.
GOFORTHAYSSTATE.COM
TIGER NOTES Melanie (Romereim) Emily ’11, ’14, Belpre, joined Heart of Kansas Family Health Care in Great Bend as a family nurse practitioner. Joshua “Josh” Epperson ’14, Henderson, Tenn., was selected the head basketball coach of the Lady Lions at Freed-Hardeman University. Tyler Hallagin ’12, Hays, was appointed to the State of Kansas’ 529 Education Savings Investment advisory board. Courtney Kaba ’16, Longmont, Colo., graduated from the UMKC School of Dentistry and is practicing at Open and Affordable Dental in Colorado. Nuvia Lemus ’15, Garden City, graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry and was selected as a Dean of Students Honor Recipient for Spring 2020. Kacey (Scott) Mayes ’16, Topeka, joined Triplett Woolf Garretson, LLC as an associate attorney. Claire (Bohm) Mullen ’15, Salina, was hired as the executive director of the Salina Area United Way. Angela Perez ’15, Wichita, was named Urban League of Kansas Executive Director. Zackery “Zack” Schaffer ’13, Jetmore, owner of Schaffer Furniture, was named one of the top 25 craftsmen in the United States at the American Craftsman Showcase. Kellee (Mangus) Timbrook ’14, Abilene, was selected as the Abilene Parks and Recreation Director. Shawny Williams ’17, Pleasanton, Calif., was sworn in as the chief of police of the Vallejo Police Department.
Friends of FHSU
Mary (Sprenkel) Hammond, Hays, director of Development for the FHSU Foundation, received the AFLAC Business Woman-of-the-Year Award from the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
Marvin Lloyd Dunlap ’64, Derby, March 14, 2020 Rex W Gaskill ’64, Minneapolis, Minn., April 10, 2020 Mary Margaret (Koriel) Horton ’66 ’89, Salina, June 20, 2020
Deaths 1940s
Elaine E. (Grafel) Bryan ’46, Topeka, formerly of Oberlin, Feb. 18, 2020 Jack Arthur Eades ’40, Charleston, S.C., June 16, 2020 James D. Hamilton ’47, Eckert, Colo., April 4, 2020 Mabel (Gleason) Kugler ’44, ’62, Lawrence, Jan. 1, 2020
1950s
Willis Crabtree ’50, ’55, Brewster, June 26, 2020 Tom N. Cross ’58, Liberal, Jan. 6, 2020 Aaron H. Feist ’58, ’66, Sharon Springs, May 1, 2020 Thomas “Tom” Gilmore ’59, Spring Hill, July 11, 2020. Shirley “Billie” (Johnson) McNutt ’58, Wichita, June 22, 2020 JD Most ’57, ’62, Russell, March 10, 2020 Irvin J. Pfannenstiel ’59, Dodge City, March 2, 2020 Robert Duaine Pokorny ’53, ’53, Hays, June 10, 2020 Judith R. “Judy” (Rouse) Rooney ’56, Satanta, June 18, 2020
1960s
Thomas P. Baalman ’68, Grinnell, Feb. 15, 2020 ROAR
Lela Mae (Lee) Carmichael ’68, Saint George, May 2, 2020
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John August Juenemann ’61, Oberlin, March 21, 2020 Carolyn (McCartney) Kuhn ’66, Topeka, March 15, 2020 Maureen Diane (Hillman) Pastine ’67, Plainville, May 7, 2020 Paula (Degman) Prokop ’69, Garden City, July 2, 2020 Sharon Sue (Henderson) Rowland ’64, Greeley, Colo., May 11, 2020 Gladys Faye (Bale) Wellbrock ’67, Colorado Springs, Colo., March 25, 2020 Helen Louise “Weezie” (Holmes) Wendler ’68, Mustang, Okla., June 2, 2020 Alfred F. Zimmerman ’67, Kansas City, Mo., May 25, 2020
1970s
David L. Ahlvers ’72 ’74, Shawnee, April 27, 2020 Bruce Anspaugh ’71, ’71, ’78, Valley Center, April 6, 2020 Rolland “Rollie” D. Fisher ’71, Aurora, Colo., May 11, 2020 Eddie Eugene George ’72, Syracuse, June 11, 2020 Stephen Hedrick ’72, Pratt, July 21, 2020 James “Jim” Heeler ’75, Smith Center, June 21, 2020
Marriages 2000s
Cynthia Louise Jarmer ’78, Garden City, April 27, 2020
Dale L. Harwood ’95, ’97, ’02, Hays, Jan. 23, 2020
Colleen (Samson) Kopfman ’78, Las Vegas, Nev., July 8, 2020
Mark A. Horyna ’97, Moscow, March 14, 2020
William “Bill” Korinek ’73, Lyons, July 25, 2020
2000s
2010s
Kris S. Fox ’08, ’11, Ellis, Feb. 2, 2020
Thatcher Brown ’18 and Breanna Meier ’19, Feb. 22, 2020
Kayla L. (Osburn) Winder ’01, Great Bend, Feb. 12, 2020
Nathan Deeds and Shayley Miller ’17, ’18, ’19, Jan. 4, 2020
2010s
Anthony Fox ’15, ’19 and Rebecca “Becky” Meagher ’18, Feb. 15, 2020
Amy L. (Pyle) Briggs ’03, Gove, Feb. 13, 2020
Doyle Dawson Miller ’76, Branson, Mo., June 1, 2020 Cora Lee (Schmidt) Pfannenstiel ’73, Hays, May 1, 2020 Joel Michael Robinson ’76, Aurora, Colo., July 4, 2020 Rebecca “Becky” (Hannan) Stonebraker ’71 ’79, Great Bend, June 15, 2020
1980s
Cheryl Jean (Keller) Deines ’80, ’89, WaKeeney, June 10, 2020 Linda S. (Wynn) Hafliger ’82, Ogallah, March 18, 2020 Randall John “Randy” Hawk ’87, Wichita, May 10, 2020 Randy Goodale ’89, Schoenchen, April 30, 2020 Dale L. Pruter ’86, Great Bend, formerly Natoma, Feb. 4, 2020. Donna Jean “DJ” Rhoades ’84, Hays, June 17, 2020. Janet M. (Karnes) Shaw ’80, Hoxie, Jan. 12, 2020. Glen Wood ’83, Trousdale, July 23, 2020
1990s
Meagan Wilson ’15, La Crosse, June 25, 2020 Alexis-Athena S. Wyatt ’19, Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 3, 2020
Births 2000s
Cody and Megan ’08 (Weber) Honas, WaKeeney, a girl, Brynlee Jae, February 17, 2020 Jonathan ’07 and Shannon (Perkins) Kinderknecht, Hays, a girl, Clara Mae, December 31, 2019 Patrick ’09 and Cassandra (Renz) Prediger, Hays, a boy, Ezekiel Joseph, March 31, 2020 Clayton ’06 and Rheta ’07 (Mai) Schmeidler, Hays, a girl, Lydia Marie, March 18, 2020 Benjamin and Toni ’09, ’11 (Nelson) Whitmer, Hays, a boy, Elijah Benjamin, January 8, 2020
2010s
Scott Gene Boomer ’94, Hays, July 7, 2020 Helen M. (Ambrosius) Brown ’94, Hays, Feb. 2, 2020
Leighton ’11 and Jodie ’14 (Jennings) Werth, Hays, a boy, Wyatt Ryker, Feb. 20, 2020
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
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Lance Smith and Courtney Scoby ’01, Jan. 10, 2020 Ronald “Griffin” Bortzfield and Victoria Tibbets ’17, Feb. 29, 2020
Matthew “Matt” Frank ’17 and Anna-Lura “Allie” Frisbie, Aug 1, 2020 Jacob Frazee and Sarah Laredo ’19, Jan. 12, 2020 Cadyn McCoy ’18 and Mackenzie Lewis ’18, June 20, 2020 Cameron Rohleder ’16 and Stephany Gress ’16, May 22, 2020 Christopher “Chris” Shuman ’18 and Cadence Keeten ’18, Feb. 22, 2020 Braiden Werth ’19 and Mindy Gower ’18 ’19, June 27, 2020. Colton Zink ’19 and Peyton Broeker ’18, Jan. 4, 2020
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