HAYS, Kan. — Dr. Joey Linn, who had been serving on an interim basis since last fall, was named today as the new vice president of the Division of Student Affairs at Fort Hays State University. The appointment takes effect immediately.
Linn took over as interim in October 2014 after Dr. Tisa Mason departed to become president of Valley City State University in North Dakota.
In making the appointment permanent, Dr. Mirta M. Martin, FHSU president, said she had complete confidence that Linn would always put the well being of students first and foremost in his decisions. “This appointment was the result of a long and thorough national search using an outside firm to identify the most qualified applicants,” she said. “In making the appointment, I sought the recommendations of the search committee and listened to the input of my trusted executive leadership team. In the end, the values that exemplify the new era at Fort Hays State — excellence, trust, loyalty, integrity, and a love for students and the university — yielded an internal candidate. Dr. Linn brings years of applicable experience, a love for Fort Hays State, a commitment to our students and a record of helping our students succeed. At the end of the day, he bleeds Black and Gold for our students and the entire Tiger family.”
“I am extremely humbled and honored to serve as the next vice president at Fort Hays State,” Linn said. “To lead a division that comprises professionals with a long history of success and accomplishments is truly exciting. Fort Hays State is committed to student success, and I look forward to working with President Martin, faculty, staff and students as we move our university forward into the future.”
One of the important issues he will address immediately, Linn said, is to benchmark and identify best practices and implement a wide range of recruitment, retention and outreach projects and initiatives as well as increasing the percentage of students who graduate. Other pressing initiatives include assuring the effective use of technology and analysis of data in achieving enrollment objectives; monitoring trends in the economy to identify and capitalize on potential growth markets; and enhancing the university’s visibility and market position. He will work with the university’s leadership team to advance Fort Hays State’s academic quality and diversity in the student body.
As the chief student affairs officer for Fort Hays State, the vice president serves as a member of the president’s executive leadership team responsible for the successful implementation of the FHSU strategic plan. Linn also will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Division of Student Affairs, which includes several administrative units: Enrollment Management (Admissions, Financial Assistance/Scholarships, Registrar and Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science); Student Support Services (Academic Advising & Career Exploration, Career Services, Student Health Services, and the Kelly Center); and Student Life (International Student Services, Persistence and Retention, Residential Life, the Memorial Union and Student Activities, Greek Life, Multicultural Affairs, Student Government Association, Learning Communities, Title IX, and Judicial Affairs).
In addition to earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from Fort Hays State in 1987 and 1991, Linn earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University in 2005. At Fort Hays State, he served as an admissions counselor, the assistant director of admissions, the director of admissions, and associate vice president for student affairs/registrar prior to his appointment last year as interim vice president.
Tim Chapman, president and CEO of the FHSU Foundation, chaired the search committee. “I would like to thank the members of the committee for their time and effort in this vitally important process,” he said. “The vice president for student affairs is a crucial position on this campus, and to be the chair of the search committee was an honor. All three candidates the committee carried forward to President Martin were qualified for the job. I’m pleased to know that Dr. Linn has been selected.”
Other members of the search committee were Dr. Jeff Briggs, dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences; Dr. Greg Farley, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences; Judy Getty, director of student fiscal services; Dr. Patti Griffin, director of the Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center; Charlene Nichols, assistant director of the FHSU Alumni Association; Arin Powers, a Woodward, Okla., senior and president of the Student Government Association; and Carol Solko-Olliff, director of international student services.
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