01/13/22 

HAYS, Kan. – This year’s Olliff Family Educational Symposium at Fort Hays State University has been set for Thursday, Feb. 10, in an online webinar format. The symposium, sponsored by FHSU’s College of Education, will run from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The theme of this symposium for area K-12 educators is “Creating Connected Classrooms.” Three areas of focus will be 1) How do we connect with the most “connected” generation of all time?; 2) How do you help young people learn in the ways they are built to learn?; and 3) How do we stay upright and thriving as educators during this challenging period of time?

The featured speaker will be Dayton Galyon, a long-time college basketball and golf coach who now is the director of the men’s and women’s golf programs at Friends University in Wichita. Each year he works with audiences around the country, helping educators understand and create avenues to connect with this generation. The workshop he will present at the symposium is called “Bridging the Gap.”

The symposium is free and open to the public. However, registration is required. Links to the webinar will be emailed to registrants. For information on how to register and a link to the registration page, visit fhsu.edu/olliff-family-educational-symposium/index.

The symposium, which began in 2017, is sponsored by FHSU’s College of Education and was later named after the Olliff Family in honor of the late Darel Olliff and his wife, Shirley.

As a third-generation funeral director in Phillipsburg, Darel developed a passion for mental health. His son, Dr. Kenton Olliff – a long-time employee of FHSU – had worked with his dad for several years before going into teaching.

To ensure the symposium would be offered every year, Kenton committed in 2019 to financially support this important event along with his mother; his wife, Carol Solko-Olliff; and the Olliff family. Kenton, a licensed clinical professional and addiction counselor, is an associate professor of Advanced Education Programs at FHSU, where Carol is the director of International Student Services.