09/25/19
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State University welcomes two new hires, Dr. Kevin Amidon as director of the Honors College and Dr. Donnette Noble as Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies and director of civic learning and engagement.

Amidon comes to FHSU after 17 years at Iowa State University, where he taught German studies and was a contributing faculty member in women’s and gender studies. He also was a lecturer of German and classical studies and great books at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

In 2003 to 2004, Amidon was a postdoctoral fellow of the Berlin Program for Advanced and European Studies at the Free University of Berlin.

“FHSU instantly attracted me because it offers a unique combination of effective educational features – comprehensive liberal arts education combined with vigorous focus on professional preparation, manageable size, and highly innovative curriculum ideas like the Virtual College,” Amidon said.

Amidon’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, where he earned awards in highest distinction, high honors in German and honors in economics. He received his Master of Arts and doctorate in Germanic languages and literatures from Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.

In 1997-1998, Amidon was a German Academic Exchange Service graduate fellow at the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Noble comes from Roosevelt University, Chicago, where she taught for nine years as an associate professor of organizational leadership in the Heller College of Business. She also became an affiliated faculty member with the Interdisciplinary Leadership Doctoral Program at Creighton University, Omaha, Neb., in 2015.

In 2016 to 2017, Noble served as president of the Association of Leadership Educators, a national organization dedicated to strengthening and sustaining the expertise of professional leadership educators.

“Fort Hays State University is a treasure – a dynamic and innovative institution with a stellar reputation located in a real gem of a town,” Noble said. “It is an honor to be part of the Tiger family and an absolute delight to be member of the Hays community. But most of all, it is a privilege to serve FHSU’s remarkable students!”

Noble has a Bachelor of Arts in organizational communication and public administration and a Master of Arts in management with an emphasis in leadership from Doane University, Crete and Lincoln, Neb. Her doctorate in human science with a specialization in leadership is from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.