1. Rebranding
This past summer, we completed a comprehensive rebranding effort that transitioned North Central and Northwest Kansas Technical Colleges to their new identities as Fort Hays Tech institutions. North Central Trailblazers and the Northwest Mavericks are now both Tigers, with distinct tiger logos that reflect the unique personalities of each institution. The Chicago-based advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide led the rebranding effort that integrated the three institutions under a unified Fort Hays brand.
2. New Academic Pathways
Teams of academic and student services professionals from our three institutions have been hard at work over the past year creating new academic pathways. One example is a new pathway that will allow students who complete an associate in applied science program in respiratory therapy to transition to a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Another example of a new pathway currently under development is a program that will transition students with a two-year degree in carpentry to a bachelor of science degree in construction management. Also in the works is a new pathway in the field of agriculture.
3. Leveraging our shared financial strength
Affiliation Implementation teams have identified several opportunities to access powerful technology platforms that otherwise might be unaffordable for them as independent institutions. Examples include the latest Blackboard learning management system and Raiser’s Edge, a well-known institutional advancement software.
4. Introducing the “Tiger Trail”
This creative approach to improving the general education experiences of current and future Tigers is a tailored guide to general education requirements for high school and two-year college students planning to continue their education at Fort Hays State University.
5. Making it easier to move between the three Fort Hays Institutions
One of the objectives of our Affiliation initiative is to create opportunities for students to move between our three institutions in pursuit of training and educational experiences that will expand their job and career advancement opportunities. One example of an early success in this area involves opening up seats in commercial driver’s license courses offered at a Fort Hays Tech campus to FHSU construction management majors. Another example we are exploring involves offering credit-bearing summer sessions in agricultural topics that are complementary to a student’s area of study in a different field.
Celebrations mark the launch of a historic partnership
Community celebrations drew hundreds to an evening of fun, food, and fellowship in Goodland, Hays, and Beloit during the second week of September. The new and distinctly different tiger logos for Fort Hays Tech | Northwest and Fort Hays Tech | North Central were unveiled at each event. More than 400 attended the first launch celebration in Goodland, where Fort Hays Tech | Northwest fans enjoyed burgers, hot dogs, live music, and a fantastic fireworks show to conclude the night’s festivities. The celebration event in Hays featured a ribbon-cutting to mark the launch of the partnership, along with food trucks, free snow cones, live music, and art and science activities for kids. The series of launch celebrations concluded in Beloit, where the Fort Hays Tech | North Central faithful got to climb on an eighteen-wheel truck and a gigantic John Deere combine. The night concluded with a concert by country artist Jake Gill.
