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FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
Vol. 6 Issue 1 Fall/Winter 2021
DRIVE WITH TIGER PRIDE Show your Tiger pride on the road by purchasing an official state of Kansas Tiger Tag!
Visit www.GoFortHaysState.com/Drive or contact FHSU’s Alumni Association at 785-628-4430
TABLE OF CONTENTS ROAR MAGAZINE | Vol. 6 Issue 1 | FALL/WINTER 2021
02 FROM THE PRESIDENT 03 CAMPUS NEWS
08 ALUMNI AWARDS
12 TIGER ATHLETICS
16 20
16 FISCHLI-WILLS CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Powered by philanthropy
20 CHEYENNE BOTTOMS
An unexpected jewel in the heart of Kansas
26 PSYCHOLOGY AT FHSU
Answering the call for mental health professionals
30 THE BEST MEDICINE
Quality healthcare alive and well in rural America
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36
MARCHING TO THE TUNE OF VICTORY
Decked out in new uniforms, FHSU band a sight to see - and hear
42 PUTTING THE “HOME” IN HOMECOMING
Alumni fondly remember their time at FHSU
44 ALUMNI NEWS
36 42
46 TIGER NOTES
FROM THE PRESIDENT INTRODUCTIONS
Dear Friends,
Editor in Chief Scott Cason
The story of Fort Hays State University this fall is one of remarkable resilience. This Tiger Nation met the challenges of navigating a global pandemic, and we never lost a step in delivering the best value in higher education anywhere. After countless Zoom meetings and the expansion of innovative learning technology breakthroughs that kept our faculty and students engaged on campus, online, and on our International Partner campuses, we kicked off the fall 2021 semester in August with renewed energy and purpose.
Creative Director/Designer Meghan Oliver Managing Editor Kelsey Stremel Senior Editor Diane Gasper-O’Brien Writers Scott Cason Boyce Durr Diane Gasper-O’Brien Kelsey Stremel Photographers Trever Rohn Kelsey Stremel Zach Woolf Contributors FHSU Alumni Association FHSU Athletics FHSU Foundation Tiger Media Network
CONNECT Fort Hays State University @FortHaysState @FortHaysState
We often don’t appreciate the people, places, and experiences we love until we lose these essential connections. As I’ve made my way around campus this fall, I’ve sensed a boundless energy among our students, faculty, and staff. I feel blessed and honored to serve as the president of this great university. You have no doubt heard the term, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In this issue of ROAR Magazine, you will see a lot of pictures – including ones of the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success, a magnificent new building we opened this fall. For the first time in decades, and thanks to the generous philanthropy of our donors, our marching band has new uniforms, and you can check them out in this magazine. For those who have been on campus this fall, we hope the stories and photographs will help you stay connected to this chapter in the storied history of the university that you helped write. For our friends who haven’t been able to visit Hays and our campus, I hope what you see and read in this issue of ROAR Magazine inspires you to visit – and experience what I see every day. Thank you for your passionate and selfless support of Fort Hays State University. Kind regards,
FortHaysState ROAR Magazine is published twice a year (fall and summer) by Fort Hays State University’s Office of University Relations and Marketing.
Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE President
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the FHSU Alumni Association, One Tiger Place, Hays, KS 67601-3767
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CAMPUS NEWS NASA grant brings Kansas teachers to FHSU With funding from the Kansas NASA Space Grant, Fort Hays State University’s Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SMEI) organized and hosted a four-day summer workshop. Kansas middle school science educators spent the week at FHSU, learning to incorporate engineering activities into their classrooms. Under the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Kansas teachers are expected to incorporate more hands-on learning and engineering into their lessons. One of the main objectives of the NASA grant is to expand opportunities in science and engineering education, which aligns closely with the NGSS. “We have an amazing venue for these teachers to explore and learn,” said Dr. Paul Adams, dean of the College of Education and Anschutz Professor of Education and professor of physics. “The Science and Mathematics Education Institute Makerspace, housed here in the Forsyth Library and mostly funded through alumni donations, offers a space unique to Fort Hays State and is well suited for these activities.” Dr. Adams also recruited exceptional teachers with significant expertise in incorporating STEM learning in the classroom to lead the workshop – high school teachers Andrew Taylor and Matt Peterie. The attending educators experienced what it is like to be students once again at the workshop. An example of a classroom activity they experienced included teams of teachers creating parachutes and protective landing vehicles for eggs that were to be dropped from the top of Tomanek Hall.
Dr. Hendratta Ali named President’s Distinguished Scholar Dr. Hendratta Ali, associate professor of geosciences, was named the 2021 President’s Distinguished Scholar at Fort Hays State University. “She has 15 peer-reviewed publications, over 50 refereed abstracts, and presented both nationally and internationally. Recently, she has secured two National Science Foundation grants that total near $400,000,” said Dr. Jill Arensdorf, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and emcee of ceremonies at the 2021 FHSU fall convocation. The President’s Distinguished Scholar Award was first conferred in 1989. Nominees for this honor are evaluated by analysis of their performance in the categories of research and creative activities, service, and instruction. Superior levels of performance must be demonstrated in service and instruction, with the primary focus of this award on research and creative activities. Several other awards were also presented at the convocation. Dr. April Park, associate professor
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of psychology, was named Faculty Member of the Year. The Faculty Member of the Year is selected from the past year’s recipients of faculty awards for teaching, for research and scholarly activity, and for service. Park, and Dr. Jonathan Sumrall, associate professor of geosciences, were the winners of last year’s awards for research and scholarly activity. The 2020-2021 awards for service were awarded to Dr. Sarah Broman Miller, assistant professor of teacher education, and Jacque Jacobs, program specialist in communication sciences and disorders.
CAMPUS NEWS Last year’s outstanding teaching awards went to Selena Bonomelli, instructor of health and human performance, and Dr. April Terry, associate professor of criminal justice. Brooke Mann, instructor of psychology, was named the John Heinrichs Outstanding Research Mentor. This award recognizes faculty members for their commitment, time, and energy in promoting undergraduate research. The “Closing the Loop” Departmental Assessment Award went to the Department of Leadership Studies. This award recognizes a department that implements improvements in its degree programs. The Department of Computer Science won the Advancing Assessment Award. This award recognizes departments that make advances in their program assessment procedures. For the first time since 2014, Fort Hays State University’s highest honor – the President’s award – was given. President Tisa Mason presented the distinction to the Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) Department for it substantial contributions to the university through professional and personal achievements. “In just three short weeks, TILT helped overhaul the entire China program to deliver online learning when the pandemic shut down the 2020 spring semester,” Dr. Mason said. “They worked tirelessly to create and update the website to provide resources for students and faculty, oversaw a significant transition to the university’s online student learning system, and created a Tiger2Tiger student support program.”
FHSU launches MBA in agribusiness Fort Hays State University is once again addressing the needs of students, the agricultural industry, and the regional workforce with the launch of a new Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree concentration in agribusiness. This innovative new online and oncampus program was developed to prepare students for management and leadership roles in one of the most critical, fast-moving, and high-tech industries in the world – agriculture. “This will prepare students for management and leadership roles in one of the most critical, fast-moving, and high-tech industries in the world – agriculture”, said Dr. Muhammad Chishty, dean of RCOBE. “The new courses in agribusiness were created by faculty from the agriculture department who are specialists in the discipline. Our program is unique in combining the MBA degree with an Agribusiness concentration”. Agriculture is the single largest economic driver in Kansas, contributing nearly $65.7 billion annually to the Kansas economy and generating more than 254,000 jobs through direct, indirect, and inducedeffect careers. “Kansas is a national leader in agriculture and innovation in the food, fiber, energy, education, agribusiness, and animal health sectors, and the diverse industry is driving career growth and investment opportunity here in Kansas and around the world,” said Dr. Brian Sancewich, assistant professor of agriculture. “FHSU’s new MBA in agribusiness concentration prepares students to excel in the highly specialized agriculture industry whether that’s in at a soleproprietorship or a fortune 500 company.” ROAR
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Students can now enroll in Fort Hays State University’s new MBA in agribusiness, online or on campus. The online MBA in agribusiness concentration was designed for working professionals, enabling them to get the degree by taking online classes while still working full-time. The Robbins College of Business’ MBA program courses are offered in five accelerated, eight-week long terms during the calendar year, providing more choice and flexibility, helping students finish the program more quickly, and has dedicated professional advisors to help guide students through the MBA process. The MBA program also has a rolling admission process that allows for multiple start dates throughout the year and does not require the GMAT or GRE. The MBA in agribusiness option provides a seamless pathway for traditional students to complete an MBA – some completing a bachelor’s and MBA in only five years through FHSU’s BBA to MBA program. The accelerated program is designed for high-performing Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) students desiring an MBA in an accelerated timeframe. Qualified students have the opportunity to earn a BBA and an MBA in a 4 + 1-year time frame – saving time and earning valuable credentials. The MBA in Agribusiness is one of 15 career-related concentration areas available allowing students to expand their knowledge in a specific discipline.
FHSU awarded $1.25 million grant The Fort Hays State University Department of Criminal Justice and University Police Department were awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The Community Policing Development Program grant will support the Regional De-escalation Training Center, which was established in August of 2020. The training that is provided inperson and online by Fort Hays State will teach law enforcement officers techniques that can help resolve potentially dangerous confrontations. “This is essential training for today’s law enforcement professionals here in Kansas and across the nation,” FHSU President Tisa Mason said. “We are immensely grateful to Sen. Jerry Moran and the Justice Department for their work in bringing this federal grant to Fort Hays State, and we look forward to expanding the university’s important work and leadership in this emerging field.” The training provided by FHSU places the university at the forefront of this vital law enforcement training initiative. Dr. Tamara Lynn,
department chair and associate professor, serves as president of the NDTC’s Executive Council, responsible for coordinating all regional training centers. “This award will allow the regional training centers to provide advanced de-escalation training to law enforcement across the U.S. at little to no cost,” Dr. Lynn said. “In this region, many agencies employ fewer than ten officers and lack funding for training, making this award even more important.” Lynn and FHSU Police Chief Ed Howell are co-directors of Fort Hays State’s regional training center, and Dr. Morgan Steele, assistant professor, serves as the research coordinator for the center. “In today’s environment of de-funding the police, negative perceptions regarding police legitimacy and civil unrest, it is paramount that police officers apply evidence-based deescalation skills and techniques,” Chief Howell said. “Our regional training center will provide de-escalation training, using the DISC Esoterica© model, to various agencies across Kansas, the contiguous states, and to the Canadian border,” Howell continued. “This grant
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award validates our curriculum and will facilitate the service we provide to our region.”
FHSU among the best in National Financial Planning competition Fort Hays State University’s threeperson financial planning team placed third in the 2021 Financial Planning Challenge, beating out some of the nation’s top schools and improving on last year’s fourth-place finish. Two much larger schools – Texas Tech and Kansas State – placed first and second, respectively, this year. In just her second year as coach of the financial planning team, Dr. Christina Glenn acknowledges the impressive record of FHSU teams and credits the financial planning program for helping prepare these teams for this competition and beyond. “We hold our own against much larger programs in the nation; however, our program has unique benefits students cannot find anywhere else - affordable education, smaller class sizes, and more one-on-one faculty interaction,” said Glenn, assistant professor of economics, finance, and accounting. “FHSU is a great place to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance while gaining the education and knowledge necessary to become a certified financial planner,” she said. FHSU’s team was comprised of Ethan Lang, Seth Thompson, and Kaden Wren – all students in the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The competition includes three phases over the course of several months, including creating a financial plan based on a hypothetical case study, presentation of their plan to a panel of judges, and a “How Do You Know?” challenge. In the final challenge, teams compete in a
areas of the country that likely don’t know Fort Hays State that well, we would need a way to showcase living and learning at FHSU in a way that would create a heightened interest in visiting campus,” said Dr. Dennis King, associate vice president for enrollment management. Visitors to the virtual tour can interact with dynamic videos and location hot spots at more than 45 key campus facilities and event spaces to get an insider’s perspective on the Fort Hays State experience. Videos feature students, faculty, and senior leaders, who share the innovation, determination, and ethic of care that distinguish FHSU. The virtual tour is a resource for prospective on-campus students and families looking to become more familiar with the campus, a way for alumni to see how the campus has evolved throughout the years, and for online students worldwide to engage with their home-away-from-home in Hays. To explore Fort Hays State’s campus via the new virtual tour, go to fhsu.university-tour.com.
Taco Shop increases offering of FHSU student employee scholarships Through the years, the Hays business community has proven its generosity in support of Fort Hays State University and its students. Robert Long, owner and manager of Taco Shop, a popular Hays restaurant, serves as a prime example. Taco Shop previously had three $1,000 annual scholarships available to their FHSU student employees at the restaurant, and Long recently added two additional $1,000 scholarships. “With everything that’s been going on, we had five employees apply for scholarships this year instead of three,” Long said. “I didn’t want to turn anyone down, and I know that every little bit helps.” Long is a former Fort Hays State student himself, coming to campus in 1992 to take courses in accounting, marketing, and management. Although he never graduated, Long remembers his time as a student well. Through his experience, he knows how expensive college can be and wants to help his employees have the best possible chance of success in reaching their dreams. The Taco Shop scholarships
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started out as what Long describes as “a combination of an incentive and a reward.” The aim is to give students the motivation to keep working hard but also to recognize their accomplishments thus far and experience the satisfaction of a team working together. When Long began his business career, he was taught that labor is the biggest cost in running a business. However, as the world is changing, he sees labor as an investment. Doing more for his team members, whether by increasing hourly wages, allowing time off, or providing scholarships, may potentially retain employees. More importantly, it can improve their quality of life. “We’re all trying to get through life,” Long said. “It’s just a philosophical approach of trying to do more to help everyone.” After 28 years working with a multitude of student employees, Long still finds it “exciting to see kids come to college, find real success, and move on. It’s part of the process.”
ALUMNI AWARDS Dylan Bathurst - Young Alumni Award Young Alumni Award honoree and Kansas native from Talmage, Dylan Bathurst earned his bachelor’s in information networking and telecommunications from FHSU in 2009 and has been recognized in the information technology industry for his proficiency in web design and work as a software engineer. Bathurst moved up the ranks at Zappos Family of Companies as a front-end developer building website code to improve user functionality. He went on to co-found a company, Rumgr, an online garage sale application for buying and selling used products. The app earned recognition on CBS and local newspapers and was accepted into the Apple App Store, an achievement allowing wide distribution for iPhone users to download the app for free. While co-managing the new business, ROAR
in an effort to support other budding entrepreneurs, he also became an organizer for Startup Weekend Las Vegas to secure sponsorships, recruit judges, and plan the overall event. In developing Rumgr, Bathurst created web development solutions for businesses and built a premium product that was then acquired by eBay. Bathurst expanded his knowledge in the IT industry as a software engineer with Close5, Upright Metrics and Purse before his current role as Senior Staff Engineer with Blockchain.com in San Francisco, the world’s leading software platform to transact internet commerce. The company deals in trading and processing digital coins and works to accelerate the adoption of crypto currency. As a member of Blockchain staff, Bathurst works to design, build, and maintain systems to securely move digital funds as the company ushers in the future of finance. Mark Bannister, former dean of FHSU’s Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship, affirmed “Dylan is a bright and diligent Informatics graduate from Chapman High School, who has vigorously and creatively put his skills to work as an entrepreneur.” | 08 |
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Regan Ochs Reif - Young Alumni Award Regan Ochs Reif is a 2013 alumna with a bachelor’s in organizational leadership. She has progressed through her career into her current position as Strategic Marketing Manager with The University of Kansas Health System in Great Bend. Reif began her career immediately following graduation from Fort Hays State at Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chtd. in Great Bend as a Human Resources/Marketing Associate and quickly advanced to Marketing/Executive Administrator and then Chief Operations Officer. Described as a visionary leader and mentor to many, she earned the respect of her colleagues by focusing on the firm’s strategic planning and operations. She played a pivotal role in the firm’s recruitment, human resources, and marketing efforts. Reif then worked at Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Inc.
as a Member Services & Key Accounts Manager before moving to her current position. Recognizing her leadership and service to the community, the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce presented her with the 2016 NextGen Leader-of the-Year award. As she did throughout her years as a college student, Reif continues to be active in community organizations and civic leadership. She serves as a member of the FHSU Leadership Studies Advisory Board; a mentor for the Voss Advanced Leadership Undergraduate Experience (VALUE) at Fort Hays State University; an executive board member and volunteer for the United Way of Central Kansas; a current board member and past ambassador for the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce; and volunteer and past chairperson for Barton County Young Professionals, along with being active in other area groups. The words of Dr. Glenn Growe, FHSU assistant professor of accounting, in a 2013 letter of support for Reif ’s Torch Award nomination, accurately predicted her future impact: “Her commitment to achieving excellence and her stellar work ethic will help those she leads to achieve success.”
Josh Dreher – Nita M. Landrum Award The Nita M. Landrum Award winner for 2021, Josh Dreher, Hays, is dedicated to serving the Hays community through volunteerism. Dreher is a 2009 graduate of Fort Hays State University, earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in management while working at Bank of Hays throughout college as a teller, which, upon earning his degree and gaining more experience, developed into his current career as Senior Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer at Bank of Hays. Dreher has continued to serve the university by volunteering for the FHSU Community Campaign fundraising team as both a member of several teams and as a team captain. He served as a coach for the 2018 FHSU Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s annual Kansas Startup weekend. FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
He also has worked closely with the FHSU Small Business Development Center. His community outreach memberships include The United Way of Ellis County, where he served six years on the board, Hays Rotary Club, ARC Park fundraisers, Paint-a-Thon for low-income families in partnership with Tigers in Service, Hays High School technical education advisory committee, Hays Larks board, Big Brothers Big Sisters telethon, Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course advisory committee, Heartland Community Foundation, and Leadership Hays. Dreher demonstrated his commitment to serving as an ambassador for Fort Hays State University and bettering the community of Hays through his many areas of volunteerism. Sandy Jacobs, executive director of the Heartland Foundation, noted that he “clearly understands the importance of quality of life issues…. He is not a ‘resumebuilding’ board member, but one who takes his role seriously and dedicates himself to the betterment of our organization, Fort Hays State University, and his community as a whole.” As Brandon Prough, Bank of Hays senior vice president, concluded, “Josh has a heart for giving back.” | 09 |
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Mary Schreiber Porterfield – Distinguished Service Award The Distinguished Service Award winner is Mary Schreiber Porterfield ’68, ’68, ’77. Her primary passion has always been to bring the world closer to Kansas. Throughout her career as a Spanish teacher for 46 years in the Goodland school district, Porterfield was also a volunteer for AFS Intercultural Programs. For more than 40 years, she welcomed many students to her home for short and year-long visits. From her school, 17 students studied abroad, and the school community welcomed over 100 students from various countries around the world. Porterfield taught grades 4-12 not only the language, but also the culture and customs of each country. From 19922014, her classroom was linked to the Peace Corps’ World Wise School Project. In 1998, her classroom was the only
U.S. classroom to participate in a project with the World Bank and the World Links Latin American Initiative. Porterfield received the Kansas Foreign Language Teacher-of-the-Year Award in 1987 and was a finalist for the Kansas Teacher of the Year the same year and again in 1993. In 1995, she attended the Goals 2000 National Teacher Forum in Washington, D.C., as one of two teacher representatives from Kansas. In 1999, she was recognized as one of the seven Kansas Master Teachers of the Year. Porterfield served as the chair of AFS-USA Intercultural Programs Board of Directors and the president of Kansas Paraguay Partners of the Americas. Through her travels, she built many lifetime relationships and opportunities to share her knowledge of other cultures with family, friends, and her community. Protecting survivors of domestic and sexual violence is also a primary concern for Porterfield. She currently serves on the board for Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services and has helped establish safe homes for victims and their families. Once retired, she has also branched out to volunteer at local museums and the county historical society.
Dave Fate – Alumni Achievement Award Dave Fate, a native Kansan from rural Belleville, graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s in finance and went on to a remarkable career in the commercial finance industry. Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer at Stonebriar Commercial Finance, a company he founded in 2015 which has become the largest independent commercial finance and leasing company in the United States. He began his career in 1983 as a credit analyst with CIT in Wichita. ITT Capital Finance soon lured Fate to the Plano, Texas, area where he quickly assumed key leadership roles, first with ITT and then as a co-founder of two commercial finance and leasing companies. Transamerica Equipment Finance grew into a $3.2 billion business before it was sold, after which AIG Commercial Asset Finance
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built a $3.5 billion portfolio. Fate currently leads a team of 47 professionals at Stonebriar, ranked No. 1 by the finance and leasing industry’s leading trade journal in numerous areas. In 2018, Fate was selected for the Monitor’s inaugural MVP award, and Goldman Sachs recognized him as one of 2020’s 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs. Fate has demonstrated the importance of community, education, and helping others. He often mentors and promotes qualified young employees into leadership roles in the industry. One of his favorite projects, First Tee, is an initiative to raise financial support, teach life skills, and provide educational opportunities for at-risk youth through golf. He has been a strong Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) industry advocate during his career through many service roles. He is actively involved in the ELFA’s Emerging Talent and Women’s Counsel initiatives designed to attract, hire, and encourage a diverse pool of current and future leaders with the same opportunities he experienced.
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Dr. John Kim – Alumni Achievement Award Upon graduating from Fort Hays State in 1977 with a master’s in chemistry, John Kim had no idea he would one day build an international company. Through hard work and determination to make a better life, Kim left his poor farming village in South Korea to earn a degree in ceramic engineering rather than enlist in the South Korean army. He traveled to California, where he worked to save enough money to continue his education. Before his visa expired, he found his one opportunity at Fort Hays State University. After his first year as a graduate student, he almost dropped out for financial reasons. But thanks to the support of his advisor, the department chair, and the woman who provided him room and board, he persevered and graduated, then earned his PhD in chemistry at the University of Kansas. Kim went on to have an outstanding
career teaching college-level chemistry before working in the industry and founding Unidex in 1990. Unidex offers a complete line of coilers, formers, wire benders, grinders, and special-purpose machinery for producing springs, wire forms, and metal stampings. The company is a supplier of custom-designed, flexible packaging solutions for pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Unidex has extensive import and export experience, producing on three different continents. Kim won the 1998 U.S. Small Business Administration Award as Illinois Small Business Exporter of the Year. Kim is described as a “pillar” of the Rotary Club of Chicagoland-Korean Northbrook and served as its president from 2015-2016 and as the longtime chair of the scholarship committee. He also was the champion and grants manager for a major project providing vocational training and employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental challenges. Kim is a member of the International Network of Korean Entrepreneurs and holds a U.S. Patent for a flexible packaging in 2005 and magnetic belt issued in 1996.
Col. (Ret.) Jerry Stecklein – Alumni Achievement Award Hays area native Jerry Stecklein graduated in 1965 with a degree in business administration. Following graduation, he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Air Force, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and graduated from the USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training program. Stecklein’s first assignment was as a flight instructor in the Cessna T-37B jet trainer, teaching USAF Academy, College/University USAF ROTC and Officer Training School graduates, and allied student pilots from NATO countries. He also was an academic instructor and spearheaded an awareness campaign of the inhumane conditions captured USAF and Navy airmen endured in Vietnam prison camps. Stecklein was then assigned to Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, in 1971. He flew 173 combat missions over Vietnam and Laos and earned four awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and 14 USAF Air Medals. FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
Upon returning to the United States, Stecklein was tasked with transitioning USAF flight training from traditional aircraft flights to flight simulators. He later served on the front lines of the Cold War as the commander of an aerial reconnaissance squadron in Germany. Stecklein finished his career as a wing commander responsible for training more than 400 Air Force pilots a year and then as the Deputy Director of Operations at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. After retiring, Stecklein worked for a large defense contractor in the late 1990s. While serving as the company’s Director of Engineering Support, he realized a significant need for automated tools to assist flight training managers. Stecklein, together with three partners, started Talon Systems, LLC, to meet that aviation training industry need. Under Stecklein’s leadership, Talon Systems is now the premier cloud-based provider of flight training management, aircraft maintenance management, and safety management systems, serving nearly 100 universities and colleges and commercial flight training academies and schools in the U.S. and many other countries. The widespread use of Talon Systems’ products has improved flight training and pilot quality, resulting in advancements in overall flight safety. | 11 |
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TIGER ATHLETICS
SUPER SEASONS IN THE MAKING An elementary school teacher. An ultrasound technician. A financial trader. The world will be getting some talented professionals when Whitney Randall, Jaden Hobbs, and Jared Vitztum leave Fort Hays State University to embark on their careers. But the real world will have to wait. That trio is gearing up for the final season of their standout careers after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes competing in winter sports last year because of the pandemic.
All three received some type of All-America honors and were leaders for their respective teams during their traditional senior seasons. With an unprecedented fifth season made available, these “super seniors” have one more chance to take their teams to new heights. Whitney Randall, Jaden Hobbs, and Jared Vitztum are looking to make this a super season – one for the ages. Visit fhsuathletics.com for more on winter athletics and schedules.
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hitney Randall and Jaden Hobbs were high school teammates and best friends in Alva, Okla. (population 5,100). The formidable guard tandem led the Goldbugs to three consecutive state championships during their high school careers. Following graduation, Hobbs – one of the most sought-after high school point guards in Oklahoma at the time – took off for Oklahoma State. A year younger than Hobbs, Randall came north to Fort Hays State the next year. Hobbs redshirted her freshman year at OSU because of injury, so she got on the court for the Cowgirls the same
year as Randall did for the Tigers. When Hobbs came to visit her friend in Hays one weekend during her sophomore season, she watched the Tigers play in the Central Region Tournament. The roaring crowd in Gross Memorial Coliseum gave Hobbs goosebumps. She later checked out the medical diagnostic imaging (MDI) major, which was not available at Oklahoma State, and she was impressed with the program. By the next season, the dynamic duo from northern Oklahoma was back together. By the time they had completed their second year together at FHSU, Randall and Hobbs had definitely left their mark, leading the Tigers to their second MIAA championship in three years while garnering records and honors galore. But those personal accomplishments aren’t all that important to Randall ROAR
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and Hobbs. They would like to do something no other FHSU women’s team has done. “We want to get past regionals,” Hobbs said. “Yes,” Randall echoed. “We want to get farther than last year. Of course, we always to win the league title. But the Elite Eight – that’s what we are shooting for this year.” Sometimes, Coach Tony Hobson has to pinch himself to realize the impact of having not one, but two, players of this caliber back for another season. “Everybody is calling this group ‘super seniors,’ and with these two, that description is literal,” he said. “Not only are they great players, but they are very good leaders off the floor, someone for the young players to look up to. They are good at explaining to the younger players what to expect. It’s a real bonus to have a couple of players like this in your program to lead the way.” Randall is student teaching this semester at O’Loughlin Elementary School in Hays and plans to substitute teach in the spring. Hobbs will complete her bachelor’s degree in health and human performance this fall and earn another bachelor’s (in
by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN MDI) next spring, then begin her clinical rotation. While they will look at their Tiger basketball careers with fond memories, they agree that it’s the memories they are making off the court that will linger long after the last game horn has sounded. “They are more my friends than my teammates, and I think that’s really important,” Hobbs said. “These are lifelong friends. We will be in each other’s weddings and stay in touch forever. I’m extremely grateful for everything I’ve experienced here at Fort Hays State.”
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One More Shot
ared Vtztum says he was prepared to give up playing competitive basketball after high school. Then he got a call from FHSU Coach Mark Johnson. Johnson had already secured all his recruits for the 2016-17 season, so there wasn’t a basketball scholarship available for Vitztum. No matter. Vitztum, an honor student from Day 1 in kindergarten, had several academic scholarships to help cover his college expenses. He just wanted to continue playing basketball. So he joined the Tigers. Fast forward five years. After redshirting his freshman year, Vitztum eventually won a basketball scholarship. He strung together a respectable four years on the court, culminating in a senior season that ended with a long list of accomplishments and honors. Now a solid, 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, Vitztum led the team in numerous categories while working on his master’s degree in business-finance. Following that dream season, he was prepared to move on. He had already accepted a position with Adams Brown Wealth Consultants following a successful internship summer with the company.
Then came another visit with Coach Johnson, who asked “How would you like to play one more year for the Tigers?” As much as Vitztum wanted to say “yes” immediately, he had to give it some thought. After all, he had a job awaiting him at the end of his senior season. He still does. Assured of his position as a financial trader in the Overland Park office of Adams Brown, Vitztum opted for playing basketball one more season. That decision certainly pleased his coach. “To have a Jared Vitztum back for another season is huge,” Johnson said. “The young guys definitely respect his talent level, and they really gravitate to him. He has good rapport with his teammates. With his experience and ability, he will play a big part in our success this year.” Vitztum says he plans to take it all in. “There’s nothing like hanging out with the guys in the locker room after
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a big win,” he said. “That’s what I think I will miss the most when I’m done. But I have one more shot at it. These guys will be lifelong friends. It’s nice being in that atmosphere for a couple years.” “Or,” he added with a grin, “for six years.”
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GIVE THE GIFT OF
EDUCATION Year after year we find ourselves struggling to find the perfect presents for our loved ones. This season you can avoid the last-minute gift panic by giving the gift of education. Not only is the gift of education meaningful, quick and simple, but an education never gets old, outgrown or goes out of style. This gift option is thoughtful and can be life-changing for a student at Fort Hays State University. Make a gift of any size online by visiting https://foundation.fhsu.edu/donate, call 785-628-5620 to make your gift over the phone with a credit card or mail your check to FHSU Foundation, PO Box 1060, Hays, KS 67601. Interested in a more significant gift option? Create a scholarship in honor of your loved one for $1,000 annually. You can determine what kind of student(s) you want to support by selecting criteria based on a student’s hometown, academic major, etc. You can also name the scholarship in honor of yourself, a friend, family member, business or in memory of someone who left this world too soon. Don’t hesitate to contact the FHSU Foundation at 785-628-5620 or foundation@fhsu.edu with any questions. We look forward to assisting you with your gifts this holiday season. What a lovely way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas and to spread hope and joy!
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FEATURE STORIES
Powered by philanthropy by KELSEY STREMEL & HAYLEY BIEKER
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photography by TREVER ROHN
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I
n the words of Dr. Joey Linn, “Anybody can put student success on a building, website, or brochure. At FHSU, it’s much more than that. We are creating a culture of care for our students.” This fall, doors opened to the new Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success at Fort Hays State University. It is named after the late Richard and Dolores Fischli, FHSU alumni and philanthropists, whose legacy will live on through the achievements of the students who will find lifelong friends and mentors in the elegant three-story limestone building. The second-floor lobby of the stunning facility was recently filled with a large crowd of students, alumni,
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faculty, staff, and supporters for a ribbon-cutting celebration during FHSU’s 101st Homecoming weekend. Individuals gathered to hear Dr. Linn, President Tisa Mason, and Student Government Association President Mark Faber speak. They shared memories of Richard and Dolores, their gratitude for all those who helped to make this building a reality, and optimism for the potential of this new center to change the lives of current and future Tigers. “What we mean when we talk about student success is that it’s not just a name or a tagline, but it’s all of us coming to work for the right reasons to help our students get where they want to get, so they become accomplished alumni of this place,” said Linn, vice president for Student Affairs. The center’s staff ensures students of wrap-around services and access to everything they need to support their college experiences. “We want to be sure they have the services they need – so that they don’t hit the easy button or the button that says I can’t do this, and I want to go home,” Linn said. “With this space, we are doing everything we can to make sure that we can walk alongside them on their journey to make sure they are
successful and fulfill their dream of a credential and degree. That’s what we’re about here at Fort Hays State University.” The purposeful design of the center has one goal – to expand and encourage students to access the many resources FHSU has available. It is an innovative learning environment for student development. The center nurtures a vibrant educational community, facilitating co-curricular programming and services, creating support bridges for students to achieve academic, personal, and career success. The first floor welcomes new students to campus. Here, students will find academic, career, and tutoring support with the Tiger Welcome Center, Academic and Career Exploration Center, and Office of Career Services. The second floor is intentionally designed to host experiential opportunities that develop engaged global citizen-leaders. It is home to the Division of Student Engagement, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as well as the Student Government Association, civic leadership, fraternity and sorority life, and orientation and engagement. The third floor is home to Health
and Wellness Services, and the space is designed to promote wellness through preventative education and physical and mental health care. It supports students with documented learning, physical, and/or psychological disabilities. This one-stop-shop for student services at the heart of campus ties in seamlessly to the Memorial Union, creating unparalleled opportunities for student engagement and nurturing the culture of care that FHSU is known for. ROAR
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“We talk about the ethic of care and how we care for one another – faculty, staff, and students – how we care enough to pull students through. But we don’t often talk about how the power of philanthropy is the ethic of care of paying it forward, and that’s why we are here today in this building,” President Mason said. “To our philanthropist faculty, staff, and students, thank you – particularly our students, who stepped up to say we will fill in the gap and we will raise our student fees to make sure this building
is constructed and that we continue to have the power of student success as well,” Mason continued. “We are all empowered through philanthropy, success, care, grit, determination, and innovation. That, my friends, is Fort Hays State University.” From the two-story limestone wall featuring the FHSU Tiger Pact to the innovative life-skills learning lab and a second-floor balcony, people were in awe as they toured the beautiful and sunlit center throughout the day. Students, alumni, and friends were all benefitting from the community created in the center, uniting Tigers of all ages. “We need to be grateful,” Linn said. “If we’ve learned anything over the last couple of years, it’s that we need to be thankful for the opportunities and for what we have in front of us. And at Fort Hays State, we have so much to be grateful for.”
About Richard and Dolores Fischli-Wills The Fischlis’ journey with Fort Hays State University began with two rural Kansas kids pursuing a college education. Richard Fischli and Dolores Wills-Fischli both earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FHSU in the 1950s, and 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. As lifelong K-12 educators, Richard and Dolores made an impact on thousands of students throughout their careers. Beyond the classroom, the Fischlis were known for giving what they could and truly understood the impact that every dollar had on student success. Their philanthropy grew from their initial $5 gift in 1981 to $5 million nearly 35 years later, making this stunning new facility a reality. Although the generous couple is no longer with us, their legacy of impacting students will continue to live on. “These students are our family,” Dolores said after a 2017 news conference. “We always knew that our estate would FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
go to Fort Hays State University, and it’s nice to know how they’re going to utilize the money and to see it all come to fruition. We’re just so thankful for the opportunity.” The Fischlis were part of the Wooster Society, a premier group of planned-gift benefactors to Fort Hays State. “Wooster Society members like Richard and Dolores have an everlasting effect on Fort Hays State, and their generosity will be remembered and appreciated,” said Jason Williby, president and CEO of the FHSU Foundation. “This is an incredible gift in support of FHSU’s Journey campaign and one that will go down in the history of Fort Hays State University,” Williby continued. Powered by philanthropy, the beautiful three-story Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success wouldn’t be a reality without the generosity of not only Richard and Dolores but many other devoted FHSU alumni and donors as well.
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Cheyenne
Bottoms An unexpected jewel in the heart of Kansas by BOYCE DURR
photography by TREVER ROHN
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F
or anyone who has never visited the Sunflower State, they might think of Kansas as just a vast grassland prairie. Driving through central and western Kansas, it’s easy to see how the state gets its reputation as generally flat farmland, covered with wheat and the occasional homestead. While this image is accurate for much of the state, it fails to capture some of the most exciting and majestic places in Kansas. As you travel east on Kansas Highway 4 between Hoisington and Claflin, a large hill rises above the farmland fields. At the top is an overlook with a couple of parking spaces and a small observation tower. From here, it’s possible to view one of Kansas’ most unique and nationally vital resources, the Cheyenne Bottoms basin. On a clear day, the entire ridgeline surrounding the roughly 41,000 acres of wetlands – nearly 65 square miles in total – is visible. Cheyenne Bottoms is designated as a wetland of international importance, primarily due to its location as a
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stopover for birds migrating along the Central Flyway. It hosts more than 350 different species of birds throughout the year. Many of these bird species are stopping over temporarily, but some can be found year-round, including many varieties of ducks, geese, egrets, gulls, herons, and pelicans. Yes, there are pelicans in Kansas. The size of Cheyenne Bottoms makes it the largest wetland in the interior of the United States. Located near the center of this area is the Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC), created through a partnership between Fort Hays State University and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Opened to the public in 2009, the KWEC is located in Barton County, at the southeastern corner of the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. The center’s mission is to provide “a better understanding of wetland communities and their importance through interpretive exhibits, educational programming, and research.” The education center makes more
than 27,000 total annual contacts throughout the year, including around 8,000 drop-in contacts within the center itself. Over 16,000 contacts are made through the more than 700 yearly educational programs, about 600 of them through local and regional schools. Many of the education initiatives occur within the center, either in the auditorium, a classroom that includes various live animal exhibits, or the 11,000-square-foot museum. The museum consists of the Koch Wetlands Exhibit, featuring interpretive displays, historical and cultural artifacts, a natural history collection, and various hands-on activities, provided by funding through the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation. An enhancement project paid for by donations from the Dorothy M. Morrison Foundation was completed in 2018 and included 14 new interactive features. These displays include a wetland children’s activity area, shorebird and wetland plant adaptation magnetic boards, build-a-bird and plant station, aquatic invertebrate viewer, a one-of-a-kind
floor projector game, an augmented reality watershed simulator, and much more. The KWEC offers a full range of activities for people of all ages, including free admission, a nature trail, a butterfly garden, a panoramic view of the mitigation marsh, outdoor classrooms, van tours, and a gift store. “The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is your one-stop-shop for every visit to Cheyenne Bottoms,” said Curtis Wolf, KWEC director. In addition to the various activities for drop-in visitors, the KWEC features a large variety of specific programs throughout the year. Activities for children include several spring break projects, summer camps in July, winter programs in February, and Turtle Tots – a monthly program for 3- to 5-year-olds. Recently, the center has offered the popular STEM Drop-In Days, a come-and-go event centered around a theme that includes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities for kids. A STEM event this past summer focused on water quality and conservation. In addition to
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making an edible aquifer, piloting drones, learning about drone use in water conservation, and discovering the earth’s amount of usable water, participants were able to tour the Water on Wheels trailer and work with the 4-H Water Ambassadors from Barton and Ellis counties. While the education center dedicates a significant amount of time and resources to working with children, many activities are not agespecific. For example, the center hosts the Wings & Wetlands Festival, a
two-day birding festival every other year on odd-numbered years. Held virtually in 2021 due to Covid-19, plans are already underway for an inperson 2023 event. The festival generally brings hundreds of bird watchers from all over the United States and many international visitors. “This festival is the event that people are willing to travel a great distance to see,” Wolf said, explaining why it is so popular. The spring migration has the largest concentration of birds in the shortest number of days. Between 150 to 180 species and several hundred thousand birds can be seen at any given time. Most of the birds will come through the wetlands in a period of a few weeks, and that is what people want to see. Also, given that Cheyenne Bottoms is the largest wetland on the interior of the United States and is part of the Central Flyway, this is one of the best places for bird watching anywhere. Other spring events include an Earth Day Festival and the Greater Prairie Chicken Lek Tours in April. Tour participants have the opportunity to observe one of the most unique
rituals of this native North American plains bird. Summer activities at the KWEC include Gifts of the Garden Workshops, which are ongoing throughout the summer. Also, the Perseids Meteor Shower Watch Party takes place every August. A Butterfly Festival in September is the center’s single most popular event with as many as 700 visitors in 2019 – and growing each year. This festival is free, with plenty of activities for young and old alike, including monarch tagging, an insect zoo, milkweed seed bombs, a butterfly photo board, and crafts. Many of the visitors to the Cheyenne Bottoms area are attracted by the variety of recreational activities available. Online reviews applaud the KWEC. One visitor commented about the excellent quality and condition of the exhibits,
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saying, “It was a very neat experience to visit a wildlife refuge that is only one of 24 sites in the United States to be recognized on the international scale.” Others complimented the staff for being courteous, welcoming, and knowledgeable about the history of the wetlands, as well as being patient with children. Bird watch programs, nature trail hiking, and fishing are all significant contributors to the ongoing success of the center. However, none of these activities contribute more to the continued management of the area than hunting. While community fundraising, charitable donations, gift shop sales, and a few paid activities are essential to the KWEC, state maintenance of the wetlands themselves are primarily funded through the sale of hunting permits for game, sales of waterfowl stamps, and revenue raised through taxes on hunting supplies and equipment. Recognizing that Cheyenne Bottoms is a premier location for waterfowl hunting, one activity the Wetlands Education Center provides is the KWEC Hunter Appreciation Breakfast.
Scheduled to coincide with the first day of duck hunting season each fall, and in conjunction with partners like the Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau, hunters are offered an opportunity to have a hot meal and enjoy various other activities. This year’s activities included a silent auction and raffle provided by Ducks Unlimited and a dog retrieving demonstration from the Jayhawk Retriever Club. As outdoor activities slow down during the winter, the KWEC continues its outreach to local community groups and area schools.
Additionally, each December, they hold the annual KWEC Holiday Open House. With seasonal decorations and an invitation to shop small at their gift shop, a “find the hidden goose” contest for a chance to win a gift certificate, and the popular build a gingerbread birdhouse event, the open house event has a little of something for everyone. Partnering with Fort Hays State Universities Department of Biological Sciences, the KWEC offers four Graduate Wetlands Assistantships. Graduate assistants work part-time at the KWEC while working on their degrees. Students are encouraged to develop research projects that incorporate wetlands and take advantage of the KWEC facilities. In addition to the tremendous potential the wetlands have for research, the KWEC offers on-site lab facilities the students can use for their research projects. Always searching for new ways to connect with the community and share information about the KWEC and Cheyenne Bottoms, Mandy Kern, FHSU program specialist, authored the book Ava: A Year of Adventure in
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the Life of an American Avocet this year. Along with the detailed drawings by illustrator Onalee Nicklin, not just of the American Avocet but of 33 different wetland birds, this book offers a fantastic introduction to the importance of wetlands, Cheyenne Bottoms, and the variety of wildlife that depends upon these lands to survive and thrive. The release of this book coincided with a public reading, which included a variety of activities and a free copy of the book that attendees could get signed. The Dorothy M. Morrison Foundation provided funding that allowed copies of the book to be distributed to all K-6 classrooms in Barton County and public and school libraries within 70 miles of the center. The KWEC also provided several educational lesson plans connected with the book that teachers could incorporate into their classrooms. Along with coral reefs and rainforests, wetlands are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. With wetlands disappearing around the world three times faster than forests, conservation of these precious resources is essential to the continued health and survival of many species, including humans. Having such a fantastic location here in the heart of Kansas places a tremendous responsibility on both the people who work directly to ensure its continued survival as well as on the greater
community. The staff at the KWEC have a mission to connect the people of this area with the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands and work tirelessly at this effort. Land ownership in Cheyenne Bottoms is shared among private lands, The Nature Conservancy, and the State of Kansas. Private lands currently include about 13,000 acres of the Bottoms and consist of croplands and fields for grazing cattle. Around 8,000 acres are known as the Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve. This area is owned by The Nature Conservancy, a global nonprofit environmental organization whose mission is to preserve “the lands and waters on which all life depends.”
The Nature Conservancy often partners with other groups to help achieve their goals. In Cheyenne Bottoms, these partnerships include working with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and, which oversees the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. With just under 20,000 acres, the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area is the largest landholder in the Bottoms. According to its website, “the primary management goal of Cheyenne Bottoms is to provide a diverse marsh habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds during the migrational periods.” These groups ensure a place that provides adequate food, water, and nesting grounds that offer the potential
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for population increases, all while managing various human interactions. It is a significant undertaking. The KWEC was created to better manage these tasks and foster a variety of educational opportunities.
The Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and the KWEC are must-see locations for anyone interested in the outdoors. Visitors can find information about upcoming activities at wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.
Psychology AT FHSU Answering the call for mental health professionals by BOYCE DURR
photography by TREVER ROHN
M
ental health professionals are in high demand nationwide. While this is true in almost every state and all types of communities, the smaller rural communities like those in western Kansas are particularly vulnerable to shortages. It has become so difficult to find treatment in many rural communities that professionals have begun referring to some areas as “mental health deserts.” Rural areas have a broad range of needs, including marriage and family therapists, psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and school counselors, to name just a few. The Department of Psychology in Fort Hays State University’s College of Health and Behavioral Sciences is taking steps to meet these needs by graduating students in one of the most popular college majors and connecting them with employment opportunities. This year, the department began an ROAR
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internship program for undergraduates where they can work with various potential future employers. Currently, they have nine partners: the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, Early Childhood Connections, Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas, FHSU’s Health and Wellness Services, KVC, Hays Middle School, Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, Smoky Hill Foundation for Chemical Dependency, and La Crosse High School. While many undergraduate students find it possible to begin working right after graduation, others continue their studies working toward master’s degrees, various certifications, or even PhDs. This issue features three individuals who have received at least one degree from the psychology department at FHSU and are working toward filling vital roles in mental health and related fields.
Allen Zollinger A
sk any child what they want to be when they grow up, and most will have a ready answer. In fact, their responses often fall within a small range of professions, including doctor/veterinarian, teacher, movie star/musician, business owner, professional athlete, and police officer. Allen Zollinger dreamed of one day becoming a veterinarian, and if that didn’t work out, there was always professional golf. It wasn’t until he took a high school psychology course that Allen began considering a future in the field of psychology. “I took a psychology course in high school, and I really liked it,” he said. “My mom is a school psychologist at Hays Middle School, and she may have had a little influence on me.” Allen completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Fort Hays State in the spring of 2021 and is now in the first year of a master’s program at FHSU with the goal of becoming a school psychologist. For Allen, the ideas presented in that initial psychology course weren’t just things to read about in a textbook or memorize for the test but something he believed could be applied in his life.
When he was young, he played several sports, including golf, skateboarding, and basketball. Even before taking that initial psychology class, he knew how important the right mindset was to success, especially under the pressure of competition. “When I played sports in high school, a big part of that for me was not only practicing whatever skill or sport I was working on, but also getting into the right mental space. I found psychology to be a good way to do that,” Allen said. “Knowing that someone could work out, practice the skills, be a great player, but without the right mental attitude, fail to achieve their potential, intrigued me.” These experiences led Allen to the study of psychology as an undergrad, where he continued to find relevance to life outside of the classroom. In his work as a junior golf instructor at Smoky Hill County Club, he helps students work on both the mental and physical aspects of the sport. “With the older kids, you can start working more on the mental side of things. My coach, and any golfer I know, will admit that half of playing golf is mental,” Allen said. “One of the things I work on with the older kids is positive self-talk. You can’t let one bad shot ruin your round. You have to come back with something positive in your head – replacing the negative thought with something positive to
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focus on.” Allen found he also enjoys working with children in settings other than sports. For two years now, he has worked as a para-educator at Hays Middle School. “I work in one of the special ed classrooms there, and instead of group learning, we are either one-on-one or with two students,” he said. “We help them with whatever subject they are working on. It could be reading, math, social studies, any of their classes.” Experiences working with youngsters helped Allen choose a path for his future. “Right now, I’m thinking about getting my EDS and becoming a school psychologist once I finish my master’s degree. I really like working with kids,” he said. “My goal by going into school psychology, and it sounds kind of cliché, is to help make the world a better place. I might not make a lot of money, but I know I will be emotionally rich, knowing I am doing the right thing for the kids.”
Ashley Lockwood L
ike most teenagers, Ashley Lockwood didn’t have a specific plan when she graduated from high school. Currently living in Orlando, Fla., and in her second year of a PhD program in criminal justice, she has made significant strides since graduating from her small-town high school in Hoisington. Ashley began this journey by first taking classes at a nearby community college after graduation. “In high school, I thought I might like to go into law, perhaps become a lawyer, but all that went out the window once I began my college career,” Ashley said. “I actually think that once I took some psychology courses and really enjoyed them, that is when I began considering psychology as a major or career.” Ashley transferred to Fort Hays State during her sophomore year with the goal of pursuing a degree in psychology. “FHSU is only about an hour from home, and I had some friends and family that had gone there and enjoyed it,” she said. “FHSU also had a quality psychology department, something that the faculty I had worked with at the community college had talked to me about, and it fit what I was looking for. It also helped that FHSU was affordable. It just made sense to go there.” When she arrived in Hays, Ashley
searched for jobs related to psychology and began working as a recovery worker in the crisis center at High Plains Mental Health Center. “While this was not part of my degree program, it turned out well because I could observe things we discussed in class while at my job,” she said. “It helped put things into perspective.” One of the things Ashley liked most about Hays was the sense of community and the friendships she made. “Hays is such a close-knit community. It was great to be a part of that while I was in college,” she said. “Many of the people I worked with at the mental health center were psychology or social work students. I was able to see them in class and then again at work. We would even go out after work sometimes. Developing those friendships was important, and I am still in touch with a lot of the people I worked with.” While working on her master’s degree in clinical psychology, Ashley discovered she preferred research over clinical work. She also became interested in the intersection among mental illness, trauma, and the justice system, particularly for juvenile justiceinvolved youth. This led her to seek out programs she was passionate about. She found one at the University of Central Florida, which has a program ROAR
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with a specific track focusing on juvenile justice, and several professors whose research aligned well with her interests. Ashley pointed out how her FHSU education prepared her for her doctorate work. “I had classes, as well as practicum hours, at FHSU. I also became a manager of a research lab that worked with undergraduates where we worked together on various projects and presented at conferences,” she said. “All of this was in addition to my outside work at the mental health center. Learning how to juggle all these things while taking classes helped me with time management. I think having these opportunities before entering my PhD program, learning how to prioritize was really helpful.”
Josh Tanguay E
veryone has impactful moments in their lives, events that shape their future and that they remember for years. No one could have guessed that a summer visit to Fort Hays State would be one of those events for a recent graduate of the psychology program at the University of Maine in Farmington. But that’s what happened to Josh Tanguay. After having a professor recommend FHSU’s graduate program in psychology, Josh decided to visit. He came out to FHSU the summer after completing his undergraduate degree and met with Dr. Leo Herrman, a professor in the psychology department. Josh was impressed that Dr. Herrman took the time to show him around campus despite the tripledigit Kansas heat that day. “I thought it was cool that someone, a professor even, would take the time in the summer to meet personally with me,” Josh said. “That was great.” For Josh, making personal connections has been crucial. As a student, finding mentors able to guide his progress was critical. “The main reason that I am here, in Kansas, and I elected to stay here, is that I developed close relationships
with a couple of mentors, people who have really influenced my life personally and professionally.” Those mentors included Dr. Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, chair of the psychology department, when he was a student, and Michael Hinton, a local clinician. “I am still very close to them today,” Josh said, “and that is really what kept me here – those relationships. I knew that I could learn a lot from them.” Josh completed his master’s in clinical psychology at FHSU in 2012. He began working as an adjunct instructor for the university while continuing his work with children and teens through KVC hospitals. He has since gone on to complete several levels of licensure, serves as a clinical psychologist with services in Hays and Plainville, teaches as a full-time instructor at FHSU, works on the Kansas State Board for LMLP and LCP licensure, and provides numerous trainings, presentations, and workshops throughout the year. As an instructor, Josh now strives to be the type of mentor to his students that others were for him. There is a balance between guiding students and telling them what to do. “I’m big on students ‘finding their own path,’ ” he said. “I work with my advisees, helping them achieve their goals and getting them where they want to go. I talk with a lot of students
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about taking the time to explore and experience everything their courses, professors, and college has to offer.” While helping students find their way, Josh believes that working in Kansas as a mental health professional can be very rewarding. “One of my goals is to try to retain our graduates and keep them in Kansas,” he said. “Kansas is a fantastic place for those who want to work in psychology. There is such a need for mental health professionals that finding a job is not a problem. Picking one job from all the offers is the bigger challenge, as there is just such a need right now. Mental health agencies and organizations are hiring licensed people and holding onto them as much as they can.” Despite a busy professional life, Josh’s personal life is just as full. “I have an amazing spouse and a 1-year-old. I maintain a self-care routine, including meditation, reading for relaxation, and exercise,” he said. “I enjoy what I’m doing, try to take care of myself, and have an incredible family. We are going to be here a long time.”
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THE BEST MEDICINE Quality healthcare alive and well in rural America by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
photography by TREVER ROHN
D
r. Jenny Niblock walks down the hallways of Citizens Medical Center in Colby with a sense of calm, the way a person does in their own home. For Niblock, who began working at her hometown hospital as a certified nurse’s aide when she was just 14 years old, this is home. Thirtytwo years later, Niblock received her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree in 2020 from Fort Hays State University and could have found a job anywhere in the country. However, her home is Colby (population 5,500) in the corner of northwest Kansas, and she prefers the diverse challenges she finds working in rural healthcare. She is the chief clinical officer at Citizens Health, a healthcare organization serving
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
the northwest Kansas region, comprised of a 25-bed critical access hospital, a family healthcare clinic, and a 60-bed long-term care facility. “I love it so much that on any given day, I get to do a lot of different things – emergency, OB (obstetrics), geriatric,” Niblock said. “I get to take care of the people I see in town on a daily basis.” Niblock was part of the third graduating class of the Master of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice program (MSN to DNP) at Fort Hays State, which began in 2016. After graduating with her bachelor’s and master’s degeres erom FHSU in nursing in the 1990s, Niblock returned to rural healthcare because her husband owned businesses in the Colby area. There’s nowhere she would rather be.
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“There’s an increased depth of care here,” she said, “because we are already invested in these people and really care for them.” A self-described lifelong learner, Niblock decided to check out the new MSN to DNP program when it was ready to launch. She said she felt called to the program immediately after attending an orientation meeting for the program, where she met Dr. Michelle Van Der Wege. Van Der Wege, an assistant professor of nursing who was also working on her DNP, made Niblock feel comfortable from the beginning. “I hadn’t been on the Fort Hays State campus in 20 years,” Niblock said. “I got to the orientation early, sat down, and Michelle sat down beside me and visited with me. What a blessing. I think it’s nice when you’re working online to have a good relationship with your students. FHSU does a really good job of that. We students still get that ‘nurses working together’ camaraderie type of feeling.” There are numerous opportunities available for scholarships, loans, and grants for rural health professions, including some federally funded programs. Fort Hays State’s BSN (bachelor’s) to DNP program gives sizable stipends to graduates who will work in rural and underserved areas for at least two years.
“A lot of our students say their heart is in the rural areas,” Van Der Wege said. “They want to go back to their community and help their friends and family. That’s what makes rural medical service special.” “People who are from western Kansas tend to go back there,” she added. “They say. ‘This is home. I want to make things better, safer for our families.’ ” Fort Hays State has long been known for its exceptional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. With the addition of its DNP programs, FHSU is helping find solutions to the shortage of healthcare professionals in rural settings. All but one of the 12 students in the first graduating class from the BSN (bachelor’s) to DNP program in 2020 ROAR
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found jobs in rural areas or settings with limited access to services. “Rural areas are harder to serve because there aren’t as many people, and if a patient required hospitalization hours away, that could be life-ending,” Van Der Wege said. “We are so fortunate that we have
“A lot of our students say their heart is in the rural areas. They want to go back to their community and help their friends and family. That’s what makes rural medical service special.” MICHELLE VAN DER WEGE
really good people who are committed to staying in those rural communities and providing life-saving services.” After earning her MBA online, Niblock liked the self-paced structure of the online format, but she was concerned about making the human connection so critical in healthcare instruction. She needn’t have worried. Graduate-level, online nursing classes are recorded and archived so that students can access lecture material at their convenience. And Niblock was pleasantly surprised with the professors’ availability. “I was thinking, ‘I wish I could
walk down the hall and talk to a professor,’ and I couldn’t have that talk in online classes,” she said. “But Fort Hays State is committed to student success. I found that professors were very easy to get in touch with, whether it be by email, texting, or a phone call.” Niblock was honored to be chosen to present her DNP capstone project, “Increasing Advanced Directive Conversations in the Primary Care Setting,” to Kansas state legislators. She has been asked to present the program across Kansas, and it has been replicated in other facilities. Earlier this year, Fort Hays State’s online nursing programs were ranked
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27th among 173 programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. “The DNP program gives our graduates the opportunity to fill both leadership and provider roles,” said Jenny Manry, professor and chair of FHSU’s Department of Nursing. “Now more than ever before, communities need leadership from their healthcare team. Our graduates are prepared to fill that role.”
Thank You
A Campaign for FHSU
$112,769,457 Throughout the Journey campaign, more than $112 million was raised in support of FHSU and our students
785.628.5620
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https://foundation.fhsu.edu
foundation@fhsu.edu
GRATEFUL AND HUMBLED All good things must come to an end, and Fort Hays State University’s Journey campaign – the largest fundraising campaign in university history – is no exception. The Journey campaign kicked off Homecoming of 2016 with a goal of raising $100 million in support of FHSU and its students over a five-year period. Those years have flown by, and not only was that ambitious goal reached – it was surpassed. Fort Hays State University is thrilled to announce that throughout the Journey campaign a total of $112,769,457 has been raised. To illustrate how the philanthropy of our donors can change the trajectory of a student’s life, we need only look at the story of Luz Gomez. As a first-generation student who had to overcome many financial hurdles to be at FHSU, she knows better than most the true impact that scholarships can have. Gomez expressed her gratitude toward FHSU’s benefactors, saying, “The impact that you are making on the life of a student is more than you can ever know. If it wouldn’t have been for those scholarships and that help, I wouldn’t be at this institution, and quite honestly, I don’t know if I would have been able to go to school. Scholarships are so important and continue to be important. It truly changes your future.” Gomez is just one of the many students at Fort Hays State to have been positively impacted by the Journey campaign. We are incredibly grateful and humbled by the support shown by our Tiger family. Each and every gift has contributed to an education, a bright future, and lives changed.
Number of lives changed? The possibilities are endless! FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
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Decked out in new uniforms, FHSU band a sight to see - and hear
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by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
photography by TREVER ROHN
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here’s a lot of excitement in the air when the university band comes marching into the parking lot at Lewis Field Stadium on Saturdays in the fall. And the fun starts long before the band takes the field for the football games. This year has been especially exciting for the 80 members of the Fort Hays State University Tiger Marching Band as they are sporting new apparel for the first time in decades. Gone are the heavy, wool, militarystyle uniforms that brought out a sweat just putting them on. Now, the students are donning outfits made of lightweight, breathable material. A large black emblem of the school mascot – Victor E. Tiger – covers the front of their gray jackets. The three drum majors wear gold-fronted jackets. Sporting new duds is just one aspect that has the band fired-up in 2021. It didn’t get to play at games last season after the football season was called off because of the pandemic, and students have been looking forward to this season ever since. The new uniforms were funded by the philanthropy of alumni through generous donations to the FHSU Foundation.
“Our alumni feel a devotion to Fort Hays State and what it meant them during the time they spent here,” said Dr. Peter Lillpopp, assistant professor of music and director of bands. “Our graduates are very supportive of our band, and we are very thankful for that.” Students from any academic major can participate in the band, and they are given stipends for their participation. Those who show interest in participating are contacted during the summer and come to campus for a preseason camp the week before the start of classes in the fall. That time is special, especially for first-time members. “Those are the first people you meet when you come to campus, so we become close right away,” said Guadalupe Hernandez, one of the drum majors this year. “We’re all family, and band is my second home.” “I think it’s fascinating to see every year how the band is different with a different collection of students,” Lillpopp said. “The energy of high school and college students is palpable, and guiding that energy is a special thing.”
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In addition to football games, the band performs at various functions around campus. Lillpopp calls the FHSU band a “teaching marching band.” Students learn the software for writing drills and arranging music. The group’s leadership team this year developed a mission statement that allows it to focus on realizing its vision for the band. “Leadership skills are really important in every career now,” Lillpopp said. “As they apply leadership techniques to their section of the band, they are learning concepts they can apply to their own careers someday.” The band practices as a group twice a week, in addition to some sectional practices – and students are encouraged to participate in other campus organizations. “The schedule for the band at a Division I school is pretty intense, but we let our students know that marching band is not
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going to take over their lives here at Fort Hays State,” he said. “Our graduates may have multiple careers in their lifetime, and marching band is probably not going to be one of them.” Nonetheless, Lillpopp expects their best performances. “I try to instill in the students that we are the icon of the university, just like the Tiger logo,” he said. “One thing I really enjoy about Fort Hays State is that we have a great handle on our traditions. It’s a pretty heavy responsibility to carry on this tradition.” It’s a role the band takes seriously. “This helps build school spirit, and
GO TIgERS
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FHSU.EDU/roar
FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
HOMECOMING OCTOBER 6 - 8, 2022
SAVE DATE BEGIN MAKING PLANS TO ATTEND!
PUTTING THE
“Home ”
IN HOMECOMING Alumni fondly remember their time at FHSU
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by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
oy and Carolyn (LeClair) Blackwood were enthusiastic about making it to this year’s Fort Hays State University Homecoming activities, since both the 1970 and 1971 classes were going to be honored. The couple, both graduates of 1970, were looking forward to their 50th class reunion and induction into the university’s Half Century Club last year. Unfortunately, the in-person 2020 Homecoming activities were canceled because of the pandemic. The Blackwoods made the 1,000mile, two-day trip to Hays and took it all in. “We wanted to enjoy all aspects of Homecoming and Octoberfest. We wanted to enjoy Hays as well as the university,” Carolyn said. “We wanted to experience the warmth of old and new friendships.” The Blackwoods grew up in north central Kansas – Roy in Belleville and Carolyn in Mankato. After their FHSU graduation, the couple moved
photography by FHSU ARCHIVES
to Boulder, Colo., before eventually making their home in Hammond, La. While they had not made it back for Homecoming until this year, they made the most of it. “We spent a lot of time reminiscing,” Blackwood said. “Memories would pop up that had been buried over time. We enjoyed sitting on a bench in the quad and visualizing the chapters of our college years.” She said they particularly enjoyed seeing the transformation of so many old buildings, including the amazing expansion of the art department – the new Schmidt Foundation Center for Art and Design was completed in 2019 – and the repurposing of Sheridan Hall to the state-of-the-art Beach/ Schmidt Performing Arts Center. Sheridan was home to Tiger basketball games before Gross Memorial Coliseum was built and opened in 1973. Sheridan, one of the oldest buildings on campus, was ROAR
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completely renovated in 1991. Sherry Chaffin, who has fond memories of cheering on the Tigers in Sheridan’s “snake pit,” said she could talk for hours about her alma mater. “We can’t say enough good things about Fort Hays State,” she said. “We loved being involved then, and we still do.” “It was an amazing place, so many down-to-earth people,” added Chaffin, who was a student employee in the Department of Education. “The professors really cared about their students and wanted them to succeed. And they still do today.” Fort Hays State made such an impact on the Chaffins that they wanted to ensure future students would have a similar experience. That’s a major reason the Chaffins, who live in Hays, decided to increase their giving this year and chose to concentrate on something near and dear to them – athletics. They became Difference Makers, the top echelon of
donors to FHSU Athletics. “Fort Hays State has provided us with so many great opportunities,” Chaffin said. “Fort Hays State – and Hays – has given us a great life.” Lon Pishny from Garden City, a 1971 graduate, agreed. “Fort Hays State is a great university, and it means a lot to our family,” he said. “We’ve been blessed to stay connected with the university since we graduated.” The oldest in a family of four siblings, Pishny came to Fort Hays State from tiny Waterville in northeast Kansas, about 45 miles north of Manhattan – home of Kansas State University. “I thought K-State was too close to home and too big,” Pishny said. “I had an aunt who lived in Hays, and when I came to visit Fort Hays State, I was so impressed with the quad and the limestone buildings.” The rest, as they say, is history. Pishny met his wife, Janyth, at FHSU. Lon graduated in 1971 and Janyth, the following year. Pishny worked as FHSU’s Sports
Information Director and at the FHSU Endowment (now FHSU Foundation) in the ’70s before working in the financial services field for 40plus years. The Pishnys have lived in Garden City since 1981. Nonetheless, they are frequent attendees at many Fort Hays State events. Both their children are FHSU alumni as well, and the Pishnys are diligent about attending Homecoming most years. “We’re in Hays so often that people ask if we have moved to Hays,” Pishny said. “We sure were glad we could attend Homecoming this year. It was great reconnecting with people we hadn’t seen in a very long time.” Although she is one of the last of her class of 1960 who still regularly attends FHSU events, Virginia Johnson makes it a point to attend the Half Century Club luncheon at Homecoming. Johnson, who was inducted into that club 11 years ago, will turn 95 in December but talks about her college days like it was yesterday. Her husband, Arris – a retired professor in
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the Department of Education – was unable to attend Homecoming, so his wife represented them both. Johnson and her husband met at FHSU in 1946 and eventually returned to make their home in Hays. Arris turned 100 in November, and the couple will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary in January 2022. Both music majors, the Johnsons attended many musical productions and athletic events over the years. This year, Virginia Johnson thoroughly enjoyed the ribbon-cutting for the new Fishcli-Wills Center for Student Success, which she called “magnificent.” Chaffin agreed. She said she had been preparing for the weekend for a long time, paging through old yearbooks. Homecoming weekend reinforced her love for her alma mater. “When friends come to town, we like to drive around town, and we love to show them all the improvements on campus,” Chaffin said. “It’s a beautiful campus, it’s a great university, and we’re proud to be Fort Hays State graduates.”
GOFORTHAYSSTATE.COM
ALUMNI NEWS
FHSU’s 101st Homecoming Fort Hays State University’s 101st Homecoming was one to remember! Long-lost classmates from 50 years ago catching up and making note of one another’s contact information on a napkin. Alumni laughing and reminiscing with past instructors and wide-eyed as they toured new buildings throughout campus. Oktoberfest, which brought together longtime FHSU supporters, current students, and families. After the non-traditional celebration of last year, it just felt right to be together once again. In addition to fan favorites such as the annual Homecoming golf tournament and the Tiger bonfire and pep rally, guests enjoyed FHSU’s new and improved Alumni Awards Banquet and a popular new event this year – Breakfast with the President. Those back in town for Homecoming enjoyed campus
walking and bus tours, gatherings for 50- and 60-year alums, and reunions for various groups, including Tiger baseball, the FHSU Tiger Marching Band, the Department of Leadership Studies, and the College of Education. Ideal fall weather set the scene for a memorable ribboncutting ceremony for the university’s stunning new FischliWills Center for Student Success. An epic come-from-behind win at the Homecoming football game against undefeated University of Nebraska-Kearney ended the week in a flourish of Tiger pride and celebration. It was truly a beautiful sight to see the Hays community and FHSU’s campus alive with people and activity again. We cannot wait to host you all again in 2022. Mark your calendars for Thursday, Oct. 6, through Saturday, Oct. 8. We look forward to seeing you at Homecoming 2022.
Dr. Pamela Shaffer ’70 The late Dr. Pamela Shaffer was born in 1948, was a former professor at Fort Hays State University, and a member of the Homecoming reunion class of 1970. She grew up in the nearby Volga-German farm community of Catherine, later excelled in academics at Marian High School, a girls’ Catholic school in Hays, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She went on to earn her master’s and PhD in medieval English and linguistics at the University of Arkansas, where she met and married Warren Shaffer from Philadelphia, Pa. They made the decision to settle in Hays, where she became an instructor and eventual professor at FHSU, teaching linguistics, composition and medieval literature as well as ROAR
serving as the Writing Center director. After 36 years of teaching, she retired in 2013 and began work on a book of letters from her uncle Monsignor Firmin M. Schmidt, to his sister Mary. Her mother had requested that the family preserve the letters, which offer a firsthand account of his experiences as an administrator of a Capuchin mission in Papua New Guinea in the early 1960s. However, Dr. Shaffer wanted to highlight the variety of her uncle’s experiences and make known the notable progress made in the Capuchin mission to a wider audience. She also included three appendices to serve religious, historical, and anthropological interest. Dr. Shaffer accomplished her goal, and her book, titled “Letters to Mary,” was published in 2020, a year prior to her passing. The compilation of letters is available for purchase on Amazon or in local Hays bookstores. | 44 |
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Dr. Stephen Donnelly When one hears of national research projects, the assumption may be that experts involved all reside in “ivory tower” institutions located in coastal metropolitan areas. However, retired FHSU Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Stephen Donnelly, is a definite exception to this perception. During the summer of 2021, he was contacted by a former employer to join participants from NASA, Harvard, Texas A&M, Purdue University, and others, to work on the NASA Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere project (DCOTSS) in Salina, the heart of the country. The purpose of the mission was to study the impact of strong spring and summer thunderstorms overshooting, or
transferring chemical compounds between the lower two layers of the atmosphere, moving them from the troposphere into the stratosphere at about 40,000 feet at mid-latitudes. Using NASA ER-2 high altitude research aircraft to collect air samples for analysis, results of the study will provide data about climate change and human impact on stratospheric ozone chemistry. Donnelly, born and raised in Yukon, Okla., taught at Fort Hays State for 16 years until his retirement in 2019. In retrospect on favorite memories of his time at FHSU, Donnelly stated, “It’s the people: students, faculty, and staff.” He advises students and young alumni to “…find something you are passionate about and dig in. Doing something you really enjoy doing does not feel like work. And be kind to the people around you.” That is down-to-earth advice, not from an ivory tower, but from one who researches the heavens.
Leonard Bunselmeyer Jr. ’71 Leonard Bunselmeyer Jr. remembers campus visits to Fort Hays State University during high school band trips years ago. As a first-generation college student, he chose to attend FHSU after hearing high regards about the university from his older brother, who was o studying chemistry there. After years studying general science in Albertson Hall, Bunselmeyer graduated in 1971. Soon after, he chose to pursue a profession in medical laboratory technology (MLT) and completed training at Medical Technology school in Hutchinson. “I chose medical technology because it combined my love of the sciences and my desire to help people in a meaningful way,” Bunselmeyer said. In 1977, Bunselmeyer began a long career at Barton
Community College in Great Bend, where he dedicated his efforts to developing its Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) Program, serving as its program director, and advancing its online program. For years, he served as a liaison between Barton Community College and FHSU’s online program saying, “It was a joy to serve the University that had served me so well.” Bunselmeyer retired in 2011 as Barton’s executive director of Healthcare and Public Safety Education. While Bunselmeyer was creating a future for MLT students across Kansas, his lifelong learning partnership with FHSU continued as he received his master’s in biology and master’s in education administration. He and his wife, Linda, are proud to say their family has had four generations attend FHSU, including Linda’s mother, their own children and their grandchildren. “Our family continues to have strong connections to FHSU,” he remarked.
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We want to hear from you, whether it’s new employment, honors, appointments, or births. Visit goforthaysstate.com/alumupdate; send your news to FHSU Alumni Association, One Tiger Place, Hays, KS 67601; or email alumni@fhsu.edu.
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TIGER NOTES
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We want to hear from you. Send us your news, updates and information by visiting www.GoFortHaysState.com/alumupdate or emailing alumni@fhsu.edu.
1960s
as members of the 2020 class of Kansas Master Farmers and Master Farm Homemakers and were honored at the 2021 Kansas State Fair.
Donald “Don” Richardson ’67, ’67, ’71, Phoenix, Ariz., celebrated his 50th anniversary of teaching at Phoenix College on Aug. 16.
Jone “Jil” (Courtney) Galloway ’76, Bedford Hills, N.Y., retired from her role as CAO & SVP-HR at Mitsubishi International Corporation after 40 years.
1980s
Sharon (Purvis) Hendricks ’72, Bird City, and her husband, John, were chosen as members of the 2020 class of Kansas Master Farmers and Master Farm Homemakers and were honored at the 2021 Kansas State Fair.
Ronald Haefner ’89, ’91, Columbus, Neb., received the awards for Association of Career and Technical Education of Nebraska (ACTEN) Teacher of the Year and the Trade and Industrial Education Teacher of the Year.
Paul “Ernie” Claudel ’69, ’74, Olathe, was elected to a third term on the KPERS Board of Trustees.
Stephen Tebo ’67, Boulder, Colo., provided both monetary donations and items from his personal collection for the opening of Tebo’s Corner, which features the Graham County Auto and Art Museum.
1970s
Susan (Panter) Amrein ’77, Hays, was awarded the first annual Advanced Practice Provider (APP) of the Year Award at Hays Medical Center in May. D. Max Bruce ’70, Lenexa, retired after 47 years serving families and business owners as a Wealth Coach with DM Bruce Associates in Lawrence. Marsha (Dibble) Doane ’71, Downs, and her husband, Keith, were chosen
Skip Numrich ’77, Scott City, was featured as one of Ingram’s 2021 Top 50 Kansans You Should Know. David O’Toole ’73, Leawood, announced his retirement from CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. after nearly 15 years of service. Randy Willis ’76, Hoisington, was chosen as a member of the Kansas Teachers’ Hall-of-Fame Class of 2021. Leonard Bunselmeyer Jr. ’71, ’83, ’96, Great Bend, was elected president ROAR
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of the Golden Belt Community Foundation Board of Directors for the 2021-22 term.
Janiece “Jan” (Wineland) Burkholder ’80, ’92, Hays, retired from USD 489 in May after 41 years of teaching.
Jana “Kristin” (Adolph) Issinghoff ’84, Lawrence, retired after 24 years of teaching for the Fresno Unified School District in Fresno, Calif. David Taylor ’86, Spring, Texas, retired after 33 years as a public school teacher, coach and principal. Kathleen (Binder) Ward ’86, ’00 Hays, was promoted to professor of nursing at FHSU.
Thomas Wierman ’81, ’83, Wichita, was reappointed to a second term as the Executive Director of The American Legion Boys State of Kansas.
1990s
Micki Armstrong ’98, Hays, retired from the Political Science and Sociology departments at FHSU after 23 years of service. Douglas Bigge ’96, Stockton, was reelected as magistrate judge for Rooks County. Corey Burton ’94, Ellis, was recognized by the University of Kansas School of Education for his 25+ years of service to Kansas students. John Garvert ’94, Plainville, joined Glassman Corporation as the Chief Financial Officer. Jeffrey “Jeff” Munsch ’90, Colorado Springs, Colo., was promoted to BPO Vendor Contract Manager with The Hartford Insurance Co. in June. Lisa (Storer) Renz ’90, ’96, Hays, was named as a semi-finalist for the Kansas Teacher-of-the-Year program. Kent Rohleder ’96, Hays, was promoted to lecturer of physics at FHSU. Gerard Wellbrock ’90, Hays, received first-place honors in the Complete Sportscast and Sports Play-By-Play divisions of the 2021 Kansas Association of Broadcasters’ Excellence in Broadcasting awards. Brian Wilborn ’91, Hoisington, was appointed as Assistant Chief Financial Officer with Peoples Bank and Trust of McPherson.
2000s
Dustin Armbruster ’04, Hays, received second place in the DJ Personality Air Check division of the 2021 Kansas Association of Broadcasters’ Excellence in Broadcasting awards.
Stephanie (Flint) Burkholder ’02, Hays, was appointed as the Regional Director for the North-West Region with the Heartland Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center. Michael “Mike” DeGrosky ’05, Missoula, Mont., retired from his position as the Fire Protection Bureau Chief for the Montana DNRC. Cheri (Strohl) Dorzweiler ’03, ’03, Hays, was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Werth Wealth Management. Charlotte (Southerland) Hinger ’02, ’05, Fort Collins, Colo., is a 2021 Colorado Authors Hall of Fame Inductee. Robert “Bobby” Lloyd ’04, ’05, ’07, Wichita, was awarded tenure at FHSU and was appointed to the role of International Coordinator for Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship. He was also awarded the Outstanding Educator Award from the Southwest Academy of Management. Juan “John” Martinez ’02, Benet Lake, Wis., is the Retreat Coordinator and Host at St. Benedict’s Priory and Retreat Center. Jamie Schwandt ’06, ’08, Southern Pines, N.C., was the featured speaker for the annual Olliff Family Educational Symposium hosted by FHSU’s College of Education in April 2021. Derek Wilson ’02, Kansas City, Mo., was hired as a project manager with Valorem Reply. Brett Whitaker ’06, ’08, Hays, was tenured and promoted to associate professor of Leadership Studies at FHSU.
2010s
Ashley (Weiss) Anderson ’14, ’20, Pretty Prairie, was hired as the superintendent of USD 311 for the 2021-22 academic year. Megan (Sackschewsky) Bayer ’16, Wichita, was named Director of Simulation and Associate Professor at
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the proposed Kansas Health Science Center - Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. David Caudill ’15, Quinter, was named CEO of Russell Regional Hospital. Nicholas “Nick” Costello ’16, Frostburg, Md., graduated with his Juris Doctor degree, summa cum laude, from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Saint Paul, Minn. Darla (Brubaker) Deeds ’18, Bird City, published her new children’s book, “Bruno’s Will to Heal,” in April. Lois “Bailey” (Deutscher) Dinkel ’12, ’12, Ellis, received her nuclear medicine certification from Pitt Community College and sat for the registry exam in nuclear medicine. She was also recognized for her five years of service at Hays Medical Center. Saul Hernandez ’13, ’13, ’21, Dodge City, was named National High School Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. James Kelly ’15, Elkhart, was appointed chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran. Jessica (Porter) Moore ’16, Hays, joined the Hays Young Professionals organization. Scott Outlaw ’15, San Antonio, Texas, was hired as the NJROTC Senior Naval Science Instructor at Smithson Valley High School in February. Kresha Richardson ’15, Lees Summit, Mo., was promoted to Senior Manager of Clinical Consulting with Cerner Corporation. Stephany (Gress) Rohleder ’16, Overland Park, was elected 3L President with the Student Bar Association at the University of Kansas for the 2021-22 academic year. Kylie (Simpson) Sander ’11, Victoria, and her company, Post Rock Pet Boarding LLC, were recognized as the 2021 Emerging Business of the Year by the Kansas Small Business Development Center at FHSU.
GOFORTHAYSSTATE.COM
TIGER NOTES Rod Stallbaumer ’18, Basehor, was chosen as Head Coach of the East team for the 49th Kansas Shrine Bowl in Pittsburg on July 23, 2022. Tyler Thompson ’13, Kansas City, was promoted to Associate Director of Digital Operations with Merck in February.
2020
Morgan Choitz ’20, Hays, was selected as the second-place winner for the Leo Burnett Portfolio ReviewPencil Project and was chosen for the summer internship with Leo Burnett in Chicago. Following the internship, she was hired as an Art Director on the Altria team for Copenhagen. Nicholas Counts ’20, Ely, Nev., is working as a Geologist-Mineral Resource Manager with the Bureau of Land Management. Kaelin Leach ’20, Hays, graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on June 11 and was president of his class.
IN MEMORIAM 1940s
Margaret J. (Breckenridge) Cornwell ’47, Saint John, May 16, 2021 Horace S. Higgins ’49, ’50, Midland, Mich., June 15, 2021 Charmaine M. (Owens) Foraker ’54, Hutchinson, Aug. 19, 2021
1950s
Edward L. Frey ’58, Garden City, Dec. 04, 2020 Joe M. Gillaspie ’59, Elkhart, July 14, 2021 Glenn Ginther ’57, Kansas City, Mo., July 07, 2021 Alfreda C. (Wiesner) Karlin ’55, Brentwood, Tenn., June 05, 2021 Jerry D. Lewallen ’55, Wellington, Jan. 30, 2021
Harry L. North ’57, ’62, Long Beach, Calif., Jan. 24, 2021
Robert Steimel ’68, Concordia, April 23, 2021
Ruby L. (Snavely) Rutledge ’51, Liberal, July 05, 2021
Lucida A. (Walters) Sullivan ’66, Olathe, July 24, 2021
Dennis C. Sidener ’58, Manhattan, Aug. 23, 2021
Carl D. Thieszen ’62, Newton, Dec. 02, 2020
Richard W. Stephenson ’57, ’61, Eureka Springs, Ark., July 12, 2021
Ralph F. Voss ’65, ’67, Birmingham, Ala., July 23, 2021
1960s
Leon H. Wilber ’63, Derby, July 12, 2020
Vernon Burghart ’60, Ellensurg, Wash., July 03, 2021
Edgar “Ed” E. Wright ‘63, ‘68, Concordia, May 17, 2021
George D. Basgall ’60, Boulder, Colo., Aug. 24, 2021
Danny D. Dibble ’60, Banner Elk, N.C., Aug. 12, 2020 Alta B. (Stock) Fahrenbruc ’64, ’69, Norton, Aug. 22, 2021 Berthold “BJ” J. Hirt ’62, Lincoln, Neb., May 21, 2021 William B. Johnston ’60, Meade, July 17, 2021 Lawrence J. LaBarge ’65, Topeka, July 28, 2021 John P. Larzalere ’61, Minneapolis, June 15, 2021 Stephen E. Lindsley ’69, ’69, ’76, Clarkston, Wash., May 25, 2021 John F. Marxen ’60, Basehor, June 06, 2021 Clara (Baumfalk) Oliverius ’62, ’67, Colorado Springs, Colo., Aug. 10, 2021 Dennie A. Reed ’63, San Benito, Texas, Aug. 05, 2021 Dorothy M. (Mosher) Renner ’62, Colby, Aug. 08, 2020 Dennis Shank ’66, Goodland, Nov. 8, 2020.
Carl E. Wiltfong ’60, Ottawa, Aug. 05, 2021
1970s
Keith Ballard ’71, Claremore, Okla., Sept. 28, 2021 Sam L. Beck ’72, Rogers, Ark., June 05, 2020 Charles H. Elliott ’72, Tribune, Aug. 17, 2021 Constance E. (Nelson) Fulkerson ’77, Manhattan, Aug. 20, 2021 Gary R. Keesling ’71, Grove, Okla., Aug. 16, 2021 Larry R. Larson ’70, Junction City, July 19, 2021 Clarice E. (Kelly) Peteete ’72, Hays, Aug. 02, 2021 Beverly A. (Blair) Sasek ’77, Kansas City, Mo., June 05, 2021 Judy R. (Rose) Semrad ’77, San Antonio, Texas, May 23, 2021 Gordon K. Sherman ’73, Hays, June 03, 2021 Ross L. Thornbrugh ’70, Wichita, July 21, 2020
Curtis N. Shipley ’68, El Dorado, June 30, 2021
Wanda J. (Deges) Thummel ’72, Shawnee, July 12, 2021
Robert A. Smith ’62, Lenora, June 02, 2020
1980s
Kathleen P. Spillman ’69, Miami, Okla., July 13, 2021 ROAR
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Terry A. Batt ’89, Thorton, Colo., July 05, 2021
Marilyn K. (Dickman) Caldwell ’80, Cheboygan, Mich., June 21, 2021 Roxanne M. (Jacobs) Dowling ’85, Dodge City, June 17, 2021 Kevin T. Henderson ’81, Aurora, Neb., June 30, 2021
Births 2010s
Tyler Katz ’14 and Stefani, Sept. 16, 2017
Kristopher ’16 and Abigail (Rivera) Bussen, Wallace, a boy, Wyatt James, Jan. 17, 2021 Cory ’07 and Traci ’07, ’07 (Reece) Ehrlich, Hoisington, a boy, Samuel Charles, May 13, 2021
Helen M. (Paugh) Koel ’82, Plainville, June 02, 2021 Mark A. Speier ’86, Kansas City, Mo., July 04, 2021 Teresa (Webb) Terpening ’89, Abilene, Aug. 02, 2021 Karen J. (Flanmagin) Thompson ’82, ’86, Bogue, June 16, 2021 Bill VanSchuyver ’83, Omaha, Neb., June 10, 2021 Keith G. Zerr ’80, Grinnell, July 09, 2021
Dave and Chelsea ’18 (Zimmerman) Hasket, Hays, a boy, Archer Sterling, March 5, 2021 Robert “Bobby” ’04, ’05, ’07 and Paula Lloyd, Wichita, a boy, Hans, Dec. 11, 2020 Zachary ’13 and Bailey ’14 (Zimmerman) Nash, Hays, a boy, Henley Shawn, May 10, 2021 Nolan ’13, ’13 and Joanna ’12 (Loewen) Trapp, Little River, a boy, Jaxson, Feb. 19, 2021
1990s
Lori D. (Nanninga) Cater ’91, Linwood, Feb. 26, 2021 Betsy K. Petersen ’95, ’16, Abilene, Aug. 27, 2021
2020s
Eric ’20 and Jordan Kinney, Overland Park, a girl, Jade, May 10, 2020 Nicholas ’16 and Jera ’16, ’16 (Gales) Hoffmann, Goddard, a boy, Alan, March 30, 2021
Timothy T. Slansky ’93, Pittsburg, Aug. 18, 2021
2000s
Marriages 2000s
James H. Thompson ’03, Wichita, June 06, 2021
Maxwell Jasper and Heather Lefebvre ’05, June 16, 2021
Friends of FHSU Carl D. Sanders, Salina, June 15, 2021
Wilmer Kellogg, Hays, Sept. 24, 2021 Robert J. “Bob” Keener, La Crosse, Sept. 23, 2021 Marillyn C. (Crane) Knowles, Hays, July 20, 2021 Sue K. (Feaster) Hobbs, Lawrence, Jan. 01, 2021 Dolores L. (Lewis) Brandt, Edmond, Okla., May 07, 2020
2010s
Lucas Brull and Megan Gottschalk ’17, April 10, 2021 Kristopher Bussen ’16 and Abigail Rivera, Nov. 10, 2018 Austin Gasper ’19 and Sadie Dinkel, April 24, 2021
Cody Lee and Brianna Casey ’18, June 19, 2021 Drew Needham ’19 and Mercedes Gallagher ‘20, Nov. 12, 2016 Pierce Schippers ’16 and Kathryn Dickinson, June 23, 2018 Sean Shaffer and Lisa Keathley ’17, Sept. 1, 2018 Blaine Wertz ’19, ’21 and Mackenzie Kendall, May 22, 2021 Jimmy Wilson Jr. and Amanda Casey ’15, July 3, 2021
2020s
Marshall Barkow and Kaitlyn Jerke ’20, May 8, 2021 Maurice Bradford and Olivia Hodges ’20, Nov. 14, 2020 Jared Burkholder and Kara Kuhn ’20, June 30, 2018 Andrew Graves ’20 and Morgan Spradlin, June 7, 2020 Michael Hensley and Kayla Langdon ’20, June 10, 2017 Eric Kinney ’20 and Jordan, June 30, 2018 Matt Marez and Kaitlin Smith ’20, April 4, 2021 Matthew McClure ‘20 and Suzi Le ’19, Feb. 14, 2020 Harris Smith and Mikaela Stevenson ’20, Jan. 18, 2019 Michael Stefan and Emily Prine ’20, April 24, 2021 Casey Thyer and Lindsey Palmer ’20, April 29, 2017
Luke Hampton and Rachel Pfannenstiel ’14, June 5, 2021 Chris Jordan and Emily Stallbaumer ’10, April 10, 2021
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