FISCHLI-WILLS CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

Powered by philanthropy

In 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, 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.

“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 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.