{"id":33666,"date":"2017-08-17T10:00:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=33666"},"modified":"2017-08-17T08:44:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T13:44:12","slug":"jennifer-bonds-raacke-named-presidents-distinguished-scholar-at-fhsu-convocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=33666","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Bonds-Raacke named President\u2019s Distinguished Scholar at FHSU Convocation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of FHSU University Relations and Marketing\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

HAYS, Kan. \u2013 Dr. Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, professor of psychology and new dean of the Graduate School at Fort Hays State University, was named Wednesday by interim President Andy Tompkins as the President\u2019s Distinguished Scholar for 2017. The announcement came at FHSU\u2019s fall Convocation, the official start of the new academic year.<\/p>\n

As the President\u2019s Distinguished Scholar, Bonds-Raacke will receive a medallion and a $1,500 cash award. She was selected by an evaluation committee of previous presidential scholars. Bonds-Raacke will give a scholarly presentation later in the fall semester.<\/p>\n

President Tompkins State of the University address was titled \u201cFort Hays State University: Making a Difference for a Lifetime.\u201d
\nHe began with the accomplishments of the summer. Highlights were a 2-percent enrollment increase and the completion of several large construction projects, notably two residence halls and the Center for Applied Technology.<\/p>\n

For the coming school year, he covered the list of dedications scheduled for some of the completed construction projects: the Robbins Banking Institute, the new FHSU track and field facility, Victor E. Village, Tiger Village and the CATS building. Included on the fall schedule is the demolition of Davis Hall and Wiest Hall.<\/p>\n

Plans for the future include such things as a new university marketing plan, a website redesign, an update of IT security, and final development of a strategic plan.<\/p>\n

He also noted the university would be studying a \u201cstrategic growth\u201d model and shared enrollment information since 2010.<\/p>\n

Out of the three areas of FHSU\u2019s enrollment, on campus, virtual and international, he said, \u201cYou can see what\u2019s been happening. Our real growth right now has been online. Everything else has generally been flat or down a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the fall semester, he said, the university is working hard to try to make to the enrollment level of last fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re going to see some nice growth in the following year,\u201d he said, \u201cbut this year I\u2019m just trying to make sure you all know our growth is soft right now and we\u2019re working real hard to see if we can at least get back to where we were last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he also covered another topic of intense campus interest: the search for a new president. He said the search committee may start the screening process in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully they will have recommendations to the Board of Regents in October and maybe we will know something by the end of October or first of November.\u201d<\/p>\n

In closing, he referenced the title of his presentation, \u201cMaking a Difference for a Lifetime.\u201d This, he said is what he has heard during his months as president from all the people he has met \u2013 alumni, donors, legislators, community members and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat these people tell me over and over and over again is that you\u2019ve made a difference in their lives for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA reputation like this is not reflective of a single event for a few students, but a way of educating people that make a difference in their lives for a lifetime,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s also reflective of the impact that all of the adults on campus have on the students\u2019 success: How you greet them when they get their sandwich, how we say \u2018hi\u2019 to them when they come in the dorm.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he closed with two challenges. The first was \u201cto continue using our heads and our hearts in educating and supporting our students.\u201d The second challenge was \u201cfor each of us to find joy and happiness in what we do each day and in our relationships with each other and with our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be easy some days and hard some days,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will require that you take the high road when you find it more emotionally satisfying to take the low road. This will also mean that we recognize our duty to see more potential in others than they may be able to see in themselves, and then to encourage them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other top awards were also presented Wednesday:
\n\u2022 Faculty Member of the Year
\n\u2022 Edmund Shearer Advisor of the Year
\n\u2022 John Heinrichs Outstanding Research Mentor
\n\u2022 Virtual College Adjuncts of the Year
\n\u2022 Internationalization of the Campus or Curriculum
\n\u2022 Department Closing the Loop
\n\u2022 Distinguished Service \u2013 Unclassified Professional Staff
\n\u2022 Distinguished Service \u2013 University Support Staff
\n\u2022 Griffin Family Outstanding Service<\/p>\n

The Faculty Member of the Year was selected from the past year\u2019s recipients of faculty awards for teaching, research and scholarly activity, and service.<\/p>\n

Dr. Jeff Briggs, FHSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, presented the award to Dr. Helen Miles, assistant professor of health and human performance. The Faculty Member of the Year is selected from among the previous year\u2019s winners of the Outstanding Teaching Award. The $1,000 stipend is provided by Commerce Bank, Hays.<\/p>\n

Briggs also introduced the other faculty award winners from the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters:<\/p>\n

Dr. Trey Hill, assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Bill Stark, professor of biological sciences, were the research and scholarly activity winners.<\/p>\n

Dr. David Fitzhugh, associate professor of health and human performance, and Dr. Kate McGonigal, associate professor of sociology, were the winners of the Outstanding Service Awards.<\/p>\n

Dr. Eric Gillock, professor of biological sciences, and Miles were the Outstanding Teaching Award winners from 2016-17.<\/p>\n

Dr. Brooke Moore, assistant professor of advanced education programs, was named the Edmund Shearer Advisor of the Year. The award carries a stipend of $500, sponsored by Commerce Bank, and a nomination for the National Academic Advising Association Award.<\/p>\n

The two other nominees, Kevin Shaffer, associate professor of informatics, and Dr. Keith Bremer, assistant professor of geosciences, will receive $150 stipends, also sponsored by Commerce Bank.<\/p>\n

Dr. Hendratta Ali, associate professor of geosciences, was named as the John Heinrichs Outstanding Research Mentor. The award recognizes a faculty member for commitment, time and energy devoted to fostering research by undergraduate students. The award comes with a commitment of $500 of budget funding for the winner’s academic department to benefit the recipient\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Five adjunct instructors and professors, one from each of the five academic colleges at FHSU, were recognized for providing outstanding online learning. Each of the winners was presented with a $500 award:<\/p>\n

\u2022 John Ross, from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
\n\u2022 Thomas Zerfas, from the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
\n\u2022 Arlea Carmack, from the College of Education.
\n\u2022 Rekala Tuxhorn, from the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.
\n\u2022 Jill Goertzen, from the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics.<\/p>\n

Two people received this year\u2019s Internationalization of the Campus and Curriculum Award, given to any full-time faculty, unclassified or university support staff member who contributes to internationalization at work or off work and whose support of internationalization is visible in the campus and community.<\/p>\n

Recipients Kathleen Ward, associate professor of nursing, and Dr. Brett Whitaker, assistant professor of leadership studies, will share the $500 monetary award from the provost.<\/p>\n

Ward was honored for leading a group of nursing students on a medical mission to the Dominican Republic. Whitaker was recognized for consistent revisions to the organizational leadership curriculum at partner institutions in China.<\/p>\n

The Closing the Loop Award was created in 2015 to recognize the academic department deemed to have improved degree programs the most. Briggs presented the award for 2017 to the Department of Psychology, in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, which will receive an additional $2,000 to be shared with department members responsible for the work. The additional funds can be used for valid professional development expenses such as travel and event expenses, equipment, and book purchases.<\/p>\n

Two Distinguished Service awards are presented at Convocation, one to an unclassified professional staff member and another to a university support staff member. Both receive $500 cash awards with the honor.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s unclassified professional staff recipient is Rachel Depenbusch, accounting associate director in the university\u2019s Business Office.<\/p>\n

The award for university support staff went to Tawnya Rohr, administrative specialist for the dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.<\/p>\n

The Griffin Family Outstanding Service Awards recognize four staff members who support the daily campus operations and food service operations at the university. Two are regular employees and two are student employees. Each of the regular employees receives a stipend of $500 and each student awardee receives $250.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s recipients:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Josie Feldt, custodian for Tomanek Hall, selected for the Operations-Regular Staff Award.
\n\u2022 Pam Driskell, Food Service-Regular Staff Award.
\n\u2022 Andrew Luna, Rexford senior, won a student award for his work in the Cunningham Hall Complex and Gross Memorial Coliseum.
\n\u2022 Matt Wagner won the student award for his work for Chartwells food service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of FHSU University Relations and Marketing\u00a0 HAYS, Kan. \u2013 Dr. Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, professor of psychology and new dean of the Graduate School at Fort… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3398,11],"tags":[11238,69,106,5386],"class_list":["post-33666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-news","tag-fall-convocation","tag-fhsu","tag-fort-hays-state-university","tag-jennifer-bonds-raacke"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33667,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33666\/revisions\/33667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}