The Fort Hays State University Foundation has announced a $10,000 gift to establish a new Center for Language and Culture Study Abroad Fund. The FHSU Center for Language and Culture is a collaborative effort of several campus units to offer support in the areas of foreign language improvement (including English as a second language) and education abroad advising assistance.
The goal of the new fund is to provide financial assistance for living expenses to FHSU students who participate in faculty-led study-abroad programs. It is estimated that the initial gift will benefit approximately 70 students.
FHSU alumna Brenda Reeve, Garden City, made the initial contribution.
“Study abroad is a fantastic way to further a student’s education, not only by attending classes but also by experiencing life in a different country,” Reeve said.
She is a longtime FHSU supporter as well as an FHSU Foundation board member. She was inspired to give toward travel-related student expenses because of the role that travel has played in her life and in her daughters’ lives.
“Two out of my three children studied abroad and came back with such a different outlook on other cultures,” she said. “Their eyes were opened in so many ways! I also believe a student who has had this experience will be amazed to find that future employers are impressed by their willingness to take chances in life and stretch beyond their boundaries.”
Some of Reeve’s other contributions to the university include funds for student travel for the FHSU Office of Student Affairs’ Learning Communities. A learning community is a group of first-year students who live on the same residence hall floor, share common interests, take classes together and often travel together.