By ABIGAIL SHEARER
Tiger Media Network
On Thursday, University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jill Arensdorf addressed the Senate about academic developments at Fort Hays State.
Arensdorf has been at FHSU for 24 years and has served as Provost and VP for Academic Affairs for seven years. As the university provost, she oversees all of the departments, programs, and academic activities.
She shared updates on two new programs that will start being offered in the fall of 2026.
The first is a BS in Forensics and Fraud Investigation, which merges accounting and criminal justice programs. Students who pursue this degree will be taught to detect financial fraud.
The second is a BA in Religious Education and Community Engagement. This program collaborates between philosophy, leadership studies, sociology, and marketing.
“(If) you like to go into nonprofits or religious work for a religious non-profit, not necessarily as a priest or pastor, but as an event planner, youth pastor, or youth event planner, this is a program that will take courses from all those areas and package them in a way to prepare students to do that,” Arensdorf said.
She also let the senate know that her office is working to add more on-campus classes throughout all campus departments for juniors and seniors.
Arensdorf then updated the senate on the search for a new dean of the Werth College following Dean Grady Dixon’s departure at the end of the spring semester. The hope is to find a new dean by the end of the semester or early summer semester.
She also shared that FHSU is one of 11 universities to earn both the Community Engaged Classification and Leadership for Public Purpose by the Carnegie Foundation.
“Meaning, we are doing what our mission says. We’re making and developing engaged citizens,” Arensdorf said.” “This is something for you to celebrate, because you are part of that work every day.”
In New Business, four new bills and a waiver were up for first reading with two items being moved to emergency business.
Bill No. 26.S.114 was for Isaiah Russell, who requested funds for airfare for a trip this week. This bill was moved to emergency business because of how soon the funds would be needed and was passed by the Senate.
Bill No.26.S.116 proposed making Veronica Montoya a senator for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. This bill was moved to emergency business and then passed by the Senate.
Bill No.26.S.115 proposed AIGA move $700 from the line item “On Campus Speaker: Speaker Fees, Line 3” to the line item “On Campus Speaker: Speaker Fees, Line 2”.
Bill No.26.S.117 proposes a Ski and Snowboarding Club Line Item Change that would move $4,672 from under Spring Break Breckenridge and weekend trip Breckenridge to be spread amongst Spring Break Idaho Springs and weekend trip Idaho Springs.
Waiver No.26.S.100 proposed that the L3 Live Learn Lead Learning Community receive student fee funds from the Student Activity Fee.
These bills will be up for a vote next week.
In Old Business, the Senate voted on three bills.
Bill No. 26.S.110, a trip request for Benjamin Wilkerson, passed unanimously.
Bill No. 26.S.112 requested moving $6,240.22 from Marketing Club’s Education trips, Denver, Kansas City, and Oklahoma City, and dispersing it amongst Educational trips, Chicago and Nashville. This bill failed.
Bill No.26.S.113 SHRM Line Item Change to move $3,647. This bill was amended from the original number of $6240.22 to $3,647. This amendment was passed and then postponed to next week due to a representative being ill.
Announcements
- Pi Alpha Theta Tiger Trivia @ 5:30 on Wednesday at Arcade 11.
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon Safari is next week, which is the philanthropic week. All proceeds go to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
- The Senator’s Intent to Run form is due March 1st.
SGA will reconvene at 7 p.m. on Thursday.