By Diane Gasper-O’Brien
University Relations and Marketing
Thomas Giebler’s eyes were as bright as the light flooding in from the massive panes of glass as he gave a tour of the new art and design building at Fort Hays State University earlier this week.
He had been waiting all summer for this semester to begin, when he could actually head to class in the new home for his department.
A graphic design major who spends a lot of after-hours on campus, Giebler and fellow classmates became accustomed to working in cramped quarters in a computer lab in Rarick Hall.
Now, they are able to enjoy the benefits of two large computer labs, along with the rest of the building. The second-floor atrium overlooks a large commons area below where multi-colored chairs invite students to sit and visit with others, rest, work on their laptops or merely take in their surroundings.
“I love the open floor plan,” said Giebler, a senior from Andover. “We will be able to bounce ideas off one another. I think collaboration is going to happen big time in this building.”
Giebler was giddy as he walked the halls, explaining the purpose of the different rooms, including faculty offices whose outside walls are full panes of glass overlooking the campus.
Glass walls inside the building allow passersby in the hallways to look into the classrooms.
“I love all the windows,” Giebler said. “You can see the creativity going on. It’s so encouraging.”
Fort Hays State University has long been known for its renowned art and design programs.
Now, it has another drawing card. The two-story, 43,000-square-foot facility is home to all Department of Art and Design programs, with the exception of sculpture. That program is housed in the adjacent Center for Applied Technology building.
The art building connects to the 5,000-square foot former power plant, which is being renovated for the Moss-Thorns Gallery in honor of former department chairs Joel Moss and John Thorns. A building for gallery storage was constructed west of the gallery.
The art building features two separate wings in an offset H, which are connected by a two-story commons area. The facility will provide numerous lab spaces for the various art and design programs as well as department office space, a multi-purpose lab, classrooms, woodshed, studios, commons area and a ceramics kiln yard.
Maddy Otter, a junior from Great Bend, helped move equipment and supplies from Rarick to the new building this summer but said it didn’t feel “real” yet.
It did this week.
“Being in the actual classroom setting was very, very cool for me,” she said. “It felt like almost a dream. The space is amazing. There is so much connectivity and light in the building.”
Besides knowing about the elite graphic design program, Giebler and Otter both cited affordability as a factor for choosing Fort Hays State.
Tuition costs are approved by the Kansas Board of Regents. FHSU prides itself on a quality education at an affordable cost, and it was the only school in the Regents system to seek no tuition increase for this school year.
Giebler said he also heard a lot about FHSU during high school.
“All my teachers in high school talked up Fort Hays State so much, how awesome the professors were and what a great program it is,” Giebler said.
Now that Giebler has witnessed that for himself, he plans to enroll in graduate school at FHSU after earning his bachelor’s degree next spring.
The thought of the opportunity to spend even more time in the new creative space has Giebler’s head spinning.
“When I first heard rumblings about a new art and design building, I thought it would happen after I am gone,” he said. “To get to spend my senior year in it, and probably two more years after that – it’s surreal.”