EDITOR'S NOTE: The story was updated Jan. 4, 2024, with further clarifying information and links.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
A civic engagement initiative known as the Campus Community Collaborative started at Fort Hays State University in 2021 and is now looking forward to a new vision.
The organization builds on relationships already established between FHSU and community partners in a variety of projects that serve Hays, Ellis County, northwest Kansas, and beyond.
Brittney Squire, marketing manager at the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, is co-founder of the group and a member of the leadership team. She co-founded the initiative while employed full-time at FHSU with Dr. Donnette Noble, director of Civic Learning & Engagement.
"Fort Hays State University is already a well-connected entity by itself," Squire said.
The university's strategic plan has a specific goal focused on community and global engagement.
"So, the initial idea was to create an advisory board composed of community members who would share feedback about campus programming [for] community engagement initiatives. ...
"We quickly realized this group could be useful beyond that advisory capacity. We discussed gaps and needs, developed a mission and goals, and then the Campus Community Collaborative, or 3C, as we call it, was born. It's aimed at engaging student leaders with community leaders to address challenges and make improvements," Squire said.
The group is small with intentionally selected members.
"We wanted to make sure there are representatives from campus with a majority [of members] from the community," she said. "The representation is 60 percent community and 40 percent or less are campus representatives."
Campus areas represented include Forsyth Library and the School of Criminal Justice, Leadership and Sociology.
Community representatives come from the justice system, health care, nonprofits, economic development and education.
"We're really trying to catch some of those key industries that affect our community and region," she said.
The collaborative is involved in four key projects — Northwest Kansas Volunteers, collaborative arts, co-creating community, which launched this fall, and community awards.
The volunteers project is in cooperation with the United Way of Ellis County and its affiliated website, www.nwksvolunteers.org.
It's a place where volunteers can find opportunities and local organizations can promote their needs for volunteers.
"We're really working with them to integrate that platform across different campus activities, for scholarship requirements, and also making sure community members know that's a great place to go if they need to try to recruit volunteers," Squire said.
"It's probably the most obvious project for a number of people to get involved in. Students are trying to find community service opportunities left and right and volunteers are needed."
The United Way launched the program just before the pandemic hit.
"They had this great idea. They invested. They lost momentum. They really just needed a partner to help them reinvigorate the use and way that platform can really make a difference," said Carolyn Tatro, FHSU Alumni Association executive director, another of the collaborative members.
The collaborative arts project incorporates workshops for different community groups and first responders.
"They break down the stigma associated with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities," Squire said.
Some content is provided for the participants with most of the interaction coming from a collaborative art project utilizing a weaving loom.
Amy Schmierbach, FHSU professor of art and design, spearheads the project.
"We're just really trying to help her expand that and get it in front of more people," Squire said.
The co-creating community is a new project.
It's geared toward providing different kinds of social opportunities, entertainment, and skill-building such as resume writing, aimed primarily at those in the local justice system.
"It's for them to network in a more supportive environment," Squire said. "It's really just getting off the ground this year. We're hoping to grow that one moving forward."
The FHSU criminal justice department has undergone changes over the last year tied to new initiatives and restructuring at the university level.
"It's evolved," Tatro said, "and there's some really great programs that department has led. It's been nice to see where it fits into things like this."
Tatro is part of the community awards team.
"We in [Hays] like to recognize the people who provide support to their respective areas and the community in general," she said, "but there are not a lot [of recognitions] that bridge the gap between the university and the community and how they support one another."
The community awards team has begun looking into what such a recognition might look like and is early in the planning stages.
Tatro, who did not grow up in Hays, said it's easy for people to stay in their own bubble of interest. She wants people to widen their roles.
"I think about Fort Hays State all the time, so it's been very cool for me to be engaged with the individuals in this group. Not only to see what ideas they bring to the table but also to work with other people who are passionate about things we can all benefit from."
The group wants to explore new projects and is looking to engage individuals outside of its core board.
"Even though we want to keep the leadership team small, it really needs to include more and more people as we go along," Squire said. "Our group will be reaching out to people and asking them to be part of our projects moving forward."
Squire and Tatro encouraged anyone with a community project idea to contact the collaborativee.
More information is available on the Campus Community Collaborative website.