04/24/18
HAYS, Kan. – Students at Fort Hays State University are aware, and grateful, for the support that they receive from alumni and friends of the university and, on April 18, eight of those who showed up for FHSU’s sixth annual Student Awareness Day won scholarships for the fall 2018 semester.

Current Fort Hays State students stopped by the university’s Robbins Center, home of the FHSU Foundation, which serves as the fundraising arm of the university, to receive free lunch along with the opportunity to win scholarships. Representatives from Astra Bank, the scholarship sponsor, drew names for some of the lucky scholarship winners.

Awareness Day was created to help educate current Tigers about the importance of private support.

“Fort Hays State has some truly amazing donors,” said Schuyler Coates, director of annual giving for the FHSU Foundation. “I cannot stress how important it is for our students to learn that there are real people behind the scholarships that they receive and, often, the new equipment that they get to utilize.”

Some student visitors left thank-you notes for the donors: “Thank you for helping me to achieve more than I thought was possible.” “Thank you for believing in me. Your generosity is truly an inspiration.” “Thank you for helping a starving artist.” “You have changed the world because you have touched our lives.” “Thank you for making it possible for students like me to realize their full potential. This act of kindness will not be forgotten.”

“Students who attended our Awareness Day event will soon become alumni, some in the next month,” said Coates. “When they are called to support future Tigers down the road, our hope is that they will know the importance of paying it forward, and understand how vital their gifts are to our future.”

The scholarship winners:

$500 Scholarship – Carolina Gallegos-Orosco, Ulysses junior majoring in human resource management.

$500 Scholarship – Nyza Milligan, Manhattan freshman majoring in medical diagnostic imaging, for an essay explaining what donor support means to her.

$500 Scholarship – Beatrice Walsh, Thornton, Colo., freshman majoring in criminal justice, for using #awarenessday in her social media post.

$100 Scholarship – Madison Wiens, Colby freshman majoring in art education.

$100 Scholarship – Aaron Voss, Hays junior majoring in accounting.

$100 Scholarship – Danea Buschkoetter, Holdrege, Neb., senior majoring in applied technology.

$100 Scholarship – Brooke Luedke, Scandia freshman majoring in criminal justice.

$100 Scholarship – Annalise Albrecht, Hill City freshman majoring in art.

To help spread awareness across campus, the FHSU Foundation staked almost 100 lawn signs throughout campus for a week’s time.

“These signs remind students that FHSU donors and their gifts keep our great university running full-speed, and that we wouldn’t be such a strong institution today without their generosity,” said Coates.

“Ensuring that students know how FHSU is funded is an important lesson. Fort Hays State University is once again the third-largest university in Kansas, but continues to offer the second lowest in-state tuition in the United States. The low tuition is only possible due to the number of generous alumni and friends, who understand how important it is to give the gift of education.”

“A big thank you goes to Astra Bank for providing $2,000 in scholarships for us to give away throughout the Awareness Day event,” said Coates. “Thank you again to the students who stopped by, and congratulations to the lucky winners!”

To learn more about the Fort Hays State University Foundation, visit http://foundation.fhsu.edu or contact their office at 785-628-5620 or foundation@fhsu.edu.