During a recent gathering of Kansas Community College presidents held at Garden City Community College, Dennis King, Fort Hays State University Associate Vice President for Enrollment Leadership, introduced a new scholarship program designed to provide funds to Kansas Community College presidents to distribute directly to students who plan to attend FHSU, but need additional financial aid to successfully transition to a four-year degree program.

The FHSU Community College President Scholarship will provide scholarship dollars that each of Kansas’ 19 community college presidents can use at their discretion to assist those students in greatest financial need.

“We chose this approach because it aligns well with our goal of maximizing the positive impact of the financial aid dollars we have available each year,” King said.

Funding for this scholarship is one of FHSU’s key institutional aid initiatives, designed to promote transfer pathways and advance student retention at both community college and FHSU. The program will officially launch in the new calendar year, and award recommendations will be due to FHSU from community college partners on April 1 for the fall 2026 semester and on December 1 for the Spring 2027 semester.

“We’re really excited by the opportunity to partner with Fort Hays State to offer our most needy students scholarships,” said Kansas Community College Association Executive Director Heather Morgan. “We look forward to seeing the impact of this program on Kansas’ workforce and the role it will undoubtedly play in making Kansas students the key drivers of Kansas’ future economy.”

Colby Community College President Seth Carter expressed his appreciation for FHSU’s new Community College President’s Scholarship, stating, “This is the first scholarship I’ve ever seen like this in the state of Kansas, and I think it’s incredible that FHSU has taken this initiative, and it’s the direct result of a collaborative process that is the hallmark of our relationship with the university.”

Garden City Community College President Ryan Ruda said he sees this new scholarship program as yet another example of FHSU’s ongoing commitment to better serve students. “This will definitely help our students with access and affordability and create a stronger connection between our institutions, a connection that will lead to a stronger transfer process and more fluid communications between FHSU and Kansas’ community colleges.”

For more information on Fort Hays State University’s Community College President’s Scholarship, as well as the wide array of scholarship and financial aid opportunities available at FHSU, go to www.fhsu.edu/admissions/scholarships/