Fort Hays State University President Dr. Tisa Mason was up bright and early Monday to head out on a barn-storming type tour of the state, making multiple stops. Her 2021 media tour is underway.
Over the next five days Mason will make 20 stops, in 14 cities, and for the first time the tour will cross state lines. Mason will visit three states.
Dr. Mason’s first stop Monday to begin the tour was at Meridian Media, and KSAL in Salina.
Dr. Mason told KSAL News she believes a college education should be affordable, and at FHSU affordable success is very much a reality. She said Undergraduate tuition and fees are 63% of the Kansas Board of Regents University System average and 56% of the national average. Graduate tuition at Fort Hays State is 2/3 the cost of the KBOR University System average.
Dr Mason also spoke about a new regional tuition effort as well. FHSU is bringing more students home to Hays by offering in-state tuition to 13 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
Dr. Mason also mentioned some local “hometown heroes”, some Salina area residents who have a FHSU connection. They include:
Dr. Jared Ostmeyer, (Salina) is an emergency room physician at Salina Regional Hospital. A hero on the who served on the front lines during the onset of the pandemic, Ostmeyer’s first COVID-19 patient was from his hometown of Quinter in western Kansas. As the pandemic worsened and more patients were brought in from rural areas, he found his small town roots helped him quickly earn the trust of patients who suddenly found themselves sick and often far from home.
Emily Brandt (Salina) served as student body president at FHSU and graduated in 2017. As a senior, she was named a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education. Emily now works as a civil litigation attorney.
Ryan Stanley (Bennington) was the 2021 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Pole Vault Champion, and a four-time All-American. Stanley has also been very active on campus and in the community. He was the male recipient of the Cerv’s FHSU Student-Athlete Distinguished Leadership Award in 2021. Stanley joined three other FHSU students to design “MeHe” a mobile phone app designed to promote positive mental health. The group won the 2020 Kansas Startup competition at FHSU with their presentation. Stanley also served as a senator for the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship for three years. During the 2021-22 academic year, Stanley will serve as the FHSU Student Body Vice President.
Makenna Bartholomew (Gypsum) is a member of the inaugural class of FHSU Schmidt Foundation Scholars. The scholarship includes 30 hours of tuition and fees for fall and spring courses, books, room and board. Recipients can renew their scholarships for up to three additional years by maintaining their academic standing and continuing to meet the scholarship requirements. The selection committee made its selections based on demonstrations of strong academic ability, resilience, and the leadership skills necessary to make significant contributions to the university, the community of Hays, and the state of Kansas.
