By UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Fort Hays State University announced Golden Plains Credit Union as the recipient of the Tiger Gear on Friday Partner of the Year Award. Tiger Gear on Friday (TGOF) is a partnership involving several on-campus organizations, businesses, and organizations in the Hays community and this year, we honor one of those participating businesses.
“Our community has a tremendous amount of Tiger spirit. When students come to FHSU, they see it every day throughout our community,” said Janette Meis, communication specialist in the Office of the President and co-chair of the committee. “Golden Plains Credit Union is a wonderful example of how our university and local businesses can partner and support each other.”
FHSU created the TGOF Partner of the Year Award in 2022 to celebrate an organization in the Hays community that goes above and beyond to share its Tiger pride. To earn consideration for the award, community partners were asked to demonstrate their Tiger spirit in any or all the following ways:
- Producing or sharing TGOF-related social media content
- Encouraging employees to get “caught” wearing FHSU Tiger gear at work and in the community
- Ordering FHSU branded apparel for their employees from the Victor E. Gift and Apparel Company
- Sharing how the organization “Tigerized” their workspace
Golden Plains Credit Union (GPCU) is a full-service financial institution with 13 locations in Kansas and over 88,000 members. The business will celebrate 30 years in Hays this August!
Even though they are a longtime supporter of FHSU Athletics, GPCU joined the TGOF partner program in 2022. Every year, Golden Plains Credit Union sponsors the shirt for the Tiger Football season and visitors can’t miss their infectious Tiger Pride on display every day at their location at 2720 Broadway Ave.
“All GPCU locations partner with a local school each fall, and the Hays branch has been a proud supporter of FHSU Athletics for the last eight years,” said Ruth Ruder, vice president for Golden Plains Credit Union. “We were thrilled to be selected as the Partner of the Year and to be recognized for our spirit and dedication to giving back to the community.”
As the 2023 TGOF Partner of the Year, Golden Plains Credit Union will receive several benefits, namely:
- Prime location at the Back to School Picnic on the FHSU Quad on August 21, 2023
- Free Tiger Football tickets (up to 20) for employees to attend the first home game and special on-field recognition during the game
- A free photo shoot with Victor E. mascot at the location of their choice
Golden Plains Credit Union was officially presented with the award during a Ribbon Cutting hosted by The Chamber in Hays, Kansas. During the celebration, slight changes to the partner program were revealed.
To streamline efforts and ensure community partners are recognized adequately, the Tiger Nation Partner Program will become the main umbrella beginning immediately. This program aims to incorporate existing TGOF and Tiger Spirit Partners but includes the addition of a new category: Tiger Card Partner. The Tiger Card Partner is focused on student engagement. Businesses are asked to consider offering a discount to students who present a valid FHSU Tiger Card any day of the week.
To become a Tiger Nation Partner or to learn more about the program, visit https://www.fhsu.edu/tiger-nation-partners.