Honors College
The mission of the Fort Hays State University Honors College is to develop student scholar-leaders that are engaged in their communities as a result of an edifying and stimulating collegiate environment of continuous growth and academic pre-eminence.
A Welcome From Our University President
We are excited to learn you have chosen or you are considering to join the Fort Hays State University family. Welcome! Today is an opportunity for you to share in the "new beginnings" of our University by becoming a member of our Honors College. Together, we have the opportunity to celebrate our common bonds and to affirm our faith in a brilliant future. Your commitment to excellence, as exemplified through your extensive academic and community achievements, make you a superb candidate for our Honors College.
In his introduction to the centennial history of Fort Hays State University, Dr. James Forsythe recognized the “special destiny” of our University - a place we call home. It is a destiny animated by “the pioneering spirit” of our community. At the heart of this pioneering spirit is an unshakeable belief in a better tomorrow; a better tomorrow made possible by higher education. Our community understands higher education is both a key to an enriched intellectual life and a powerful engine for innovation and progress.
As Abigail Adams once wrote, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought with ardor and vigilance.” Fulfilling our mission will require us to attract more talent, more partners, more investors, more students, and more resources to our university and to our region. How will we do this? How will we make Fort Hays State University, in the broadest possible sense, the “destination of choice?”
The answer lies in the quality of our people and programs, the inclusiveness of our culture, and the transformational power of our commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation, student success and scholarship. We will utilize our strengths to the fullest. We will continue to develop programs of distinction across the breadth of our university to meet the ever-changing needs of Kansas, the nation and the world.
Our Honors College is a program of distinction. It is designed to welcome to our University family our country's brightest minds. You have the unique opportunity to join our inaugural class. You will be challenged, nurtured, invigorated and you will love every minute of it!
Come join the Tiger family! Come and make history at Fort Hays State University! We are eager to welcome you!
Director's Welcome
Congratulations on your achievement to date and interest in maximizing your university experience! Fort Hays State University's Honors College is here to provide you with the education, training, and access you need to have the best possible college experience. If you are selected to be a part of the Honors College, you will receive the following rewards and benefits:
1. ENHANCED CURRICULUM, PRIORITY ENROLLMENT, AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: Honors courses that you take (which are selected via a competitive faculty application process) will place you in an academic experience with other high-achieving students fully invested in the educational process. Learning and interacting with these motivated peers will enable you to discover and sharpen your own talents and insight. Opportunities to engage in direct study and research with your professors will give you chances to innovate creatively at an early point in your college career. Additionally, once at FHSU, you will be able to pre-enroll in your classes from the earliest possible date. This will ensure that you always get into the classes you need and desire.
2. SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIPS: Our Honors College offers special scholarships that go up to the TOTAL COST OF COLLEGE ATTENDANCE! See the scholarships page to learn about these opportunities. Additionally, we have a specialized, dedicated faculty advisor on staff to prepare you for highly competitive, national-level scholarships that can give you national recognition, extraordinary financial reward, and unrivaled personal growth and development.
3. HONORS HOUSING AND STUDY SPACE: Gifted students simply have a better and stronger college experience when they live surrounded by other brilliant peers. Our honors housing floor gives you the chance to network on a deeper level with FHSU’s best and brightest. Best of all, you have the option to live on our Honors Floor after your freshman year (contingent on availability)! You will also have access to a special, honors-only space in our library, where you will have guaranteed study space accessible only to you and your honors peers.
4. LEADERSHIP AND TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES: Brilliance is best utilized when it is placed in the service of others. All Honors College students are automatically granted membership in the Fort Hays Honor Society, normally open only by invitation to the top 2%, academically, of FHSU students. Honors College students also have the opportunity to serve in the development of their experience on the Honors College Steering Council, a group of faculty, staff, and students committed to making sure the FHSU Honors College is at the forefront of possibility and opportunity. Additionally, Honors College students are placed in the Personal Development Institute, a set of seminar classes offered from the freshman to senior year, designed to give members fast-track access to co/extracurricular activities and life skills training not available anywhere else on campus.
5. UNRIVALED BENEFITS AND PERSONAL ATTENTION TO SUCCESS: From free on-campus parking to free performing arts tickets, Honors College students at FHSU are provided an experience that simply cannot be matched anywhere else. Each Honors College student is provided a team of faculty/staff advisors: their academic advisor, Honors College staff members, and the nationally competitive scholarships advisor.
We invite you today to visit or contact us to learn why FHSU is the destination of choice for intellectually gifted students!
Warmly,
Matt Means, Director, Honors College
Honors College Brochure
Contact Us
Matt Means, Director, FHSU Honors College, Forsyth Library Room 74
mmeans@fhsu.edu, 785-628-4748 (email is best)
Jensen Scheele, Administrative Specialist, Honors College, Forsyth Library Room 72
jnscheele@fhsu.edu, 785-628-4744
Shaelin Sweet, President, Fort Hays Honor Society, Forsyth Library Room 72
forthaysstatehonorsociety@gmail.com, 785-628-4744
Lucille Partlow-Loyall, Student Associate Coordinator, Honors College, Forsyth Library Room 72,
fhsuhonorscollege@fhsu.edu 785-628-4744
Kaylan Lagerman, Marketing and Publicity Outreach Director, Honors College, Forsyth Library Room 72
fhsuhonorscollege@fhsu.edu 785-628-4744
Why I Chose FHSU?
"I have yet to borrow money for my college education/housing because of a combination of the existing scholarships for high achieving students and my part time job."
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"There are many benefits of being part of this group, but for me, the people are what gives the Honors College its value."
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"The support of other students and professors pushing you to do your best is an experience I believe I could not have at any other university."
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"The Distinguished Scholars Program is now turning out to be the backbone to the new formation of the Honors College, and I'm so thankful that I get to be a part of this wonderful program and university."
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"The Honors College has given me the opportunity to pursue projects related to my field of study."
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"The Honors College has provided me a place to grow into the person I'm meant to be while surrounded by the information, resources, and encouragement to get there."
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