By UNIVERSITY RELATIONS<\/b><\/p>\n
Proclaiming a theme of \u201cUnlocking Untapped Potential,\u201d Dr. Tisa Mason was inaugurated today as the 10th president of Fort Hays State University in a ceremony in Gross Memorial Coliseum at Fort Hays State University.<\/p>\n
She noted that the inauguration is for her a personal and a professional privilege, citing the six and a half years she spent as Fort Hays State\u2019s vice president of student affairs before leaving to be president of Valley City State University in Valley City, N.D. Transcript of Dr. Mason\u2019s prepared remarks<\/strong><\/p>\n Regent Mullin and members of the Board, thank you for the wonderful investiture ceremony and especially for your support and the trust you have placed in me to join my colleagues in leading this incredible University. It is truly an honor. I proudly accept the responsibility to serve and wholeheartedly pledge to relentlessly pursue the very best for Fort Hays State University. [VIDEO 1- <\/strong>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x4yirIvwQco&t=24s<\/strong><\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n Our theme today is \u201cUnlocking Untapped Potential.\u201d I hope that phrase resonates with you as strongly as it does with me. It is a refinement of our mission and our vision, our past and our future. The specifics may change shape, but that vision remains. It is why we exist. Together, all of us are here to unlock the untapped potential of our students to empower our campus, our community and our world for even greater success.
\nShe said of her previous time at Fort Hays State, \u201cIt was during that time that I came to know and love the students, the faculty, the staff, the city and the unique personality of this place.\u201d
\n\u201cFor six and a half years,\u201d she said, \u201cFort Hays State challenged me and supported me, showing me over and over again the power of hard work and commitment, the value of personal investment, the importance of true community, and the transformative change that happens through innovation.\u201d
\n\u201cFor 116 years,\u201d she continued, leading into the first of three videos that were part of her inauguration address, \u201cthese pillars, these lessons I\u2019ve learned, have stood at the core of Fort Hays State University. They are the secret of our ongoing success. They are the ingredients that set us apart. They are the definition of who we are. Our journey has shaped us. Our history has built us. But our story is still being written.\u201d
\nA transcript of her remarks follow. The address, and the videos that were part of her presentation, are available online at www.fhsu.edu\/potential<\/a>.
\nLeading into the third and final video, Dr. Mason said, \u201cToday is a formality, but it is not a celebration of me. It is a celebration for us \u2013 an inauguration not of a person, but of an institution. Today is our opportunity to pause and reflect on the things that make Fort Hays State University so special: Our spirit of hard work. Our remarkable community. And our enduring legacy of innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWow. I have to tell you the audacity of this moment is surreal. I am truly humbled.
\nI wish to express my gratitude to a select few. To the inauguration committee and the facilities staff: thank you for planning and flawlessly executing a very personal and memorable set of inaugural activities. I am so extremely grateful.
\nHeartfelt appreciation to everyone who has spoken so graciously on my behalf and sent notes of congratulations.
\nMy amazing parents, Doug and Arlene Mayer, are here today. I am also joined by my brother-in-law Mac Mason. Other members of my family are joining us virtually. There is nothing more potent in pursuing and achieving dreams than the love and support of a family. Thank you so much for sharing this day with me.
\nTo my mom: Thank you for being an incredible role model, source of strength and inspiration, and my best friend.
\nI am so fortunate to have a loving and dedicated husband in Bill Mason. Bill, I thank you for being you and especially for always putting me first \u2013 changing your career plans and following me all over the country so I could do the work I was called to do. You support me without question and make it possible for me to have so much with little regard for yourself. I hope a small part of you recognizes that this is your day too. I am truly blessed to have you in my life.
\nI also want to extend a very personal thank you to my many friends and colleagues who have traveled far to be here today representing so many moments in time on my journey both to and back to Fort Hays State University. Please know how grateful I am and that you fill my heart with joy.
\nWelcome everyone and thank you for being present today as we celebrate this remarkable university. Throughout its 116-year history Fort Hays State University has been blessed with a community that consistently rallied its support around her, a committed faculty and staff, engaged students, and a strong legacy of presidents. It is on the shoulders of the nine presidents who served before me \u2013 as well as Regents, legislators, civic and business leaders, and alumni \u2013 that we share this privileged journey forward.
\nTo everyone in this room today, to every member of our global community, to all who have been or will be impacted by our work, it is on your behalf that I proudly accept the responsibility to serve, to lead and to give all that I can to fulfill the mission of Fort Hays State University.
\nTo stand before you today is not just a professional privilege, it is a personal one. As many of you know, this remarkable institution has been immensely formative in my own journey. For six and a half years, I had the opportunity to serve this community as the vice president for student affairs. It was during that time that I came to know and love the students, the faculty, the staff, the city and the unique personality of this place.
\nFor six and a half years, Fort Hays State challenged me and supported me, showing me over and over again the power of hard work and commitment, the value of personal investment, the importance of true community, and the transformative change that happens through innovation.
\nFor 116 years, these pillars, these lessons I\u2019ve learned, have stood at the core of Fort Hays State University. They are the secret of our ongoing success. They are the ingredients that set us apart. They are the definition of who we are. Our journey has shaped us. Our history has built us. But our story is still being written.<\/p>\n
\nTake for example this letter recently written to a freshman seminar instructor by Logan \u2013 a May 2018 graduate. And I know in my heart the essence of this letter could have been written to anyone who teaches at Fort Hays State.
\nLogan writes:
\n\u201cI just wanted to reach out to let you know that I am doing well. My life is busier and fuller than I ever could have imagined. And through it all, I have never forgotten what you did for me. During freshman seminar, we took a self-evaluation quiz. Afterwards, I met with you in your office, where we learned that the evaluation gave me a 25-percent chance of ever earning a college degree. I was devastated. Until I heard your response: \u2018That\u2019s a bunch of BS.\u2019 Those words gave me motivation like you wouldn\u2019t believe. You gave me confidence that I could actually graduate. You even gave me a graduation tassel to keep me focused on that goal.
\n\u201cThis past May, I received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology, with a minor in business administration, and a certificate in geographic information systems.
\n\u201cI never thought I would be half as successful as I have already been, and each time I achieve something new in my career, the first thing I think of is my time at FHSU, sitting in your office, scared that I would never graduate. I think of the motivation and confidence you provided that put me in the position I am in today.
\n\u201cThat graduation tassel still hangs on my wall as a reminder of all the opportunities I had because you invested in me.\u201d<\/p>\n