By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
From being told she wasn’t smart enough for college to earning a national award, Tisa Mason’s journey is a testament to hard work and the support she received along the way.
"You don't get to this position, and you don't get this recognition, without a lot of other people contributing to the work that you get recognized for. Nothing happens in isolation," Fort Hays State University President Mason said. "This award is reflective of the work of a lot of people, not just mine."
Mason received the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators IV-West President’s Award in October in St. Louis. The honor recognizes a university president who has advanced the quality of student life on campus by supporting student affairs staff and programs.
Joey Linn, FHSU vice president for student affairs, said in his nomination letter to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators committee, "Dr. Mason is widely recognized by students, faculty, staff, and alumni as a president who genuinely and consistently prioritizes student life... she models authentic student-centered leadership."
Mason said being visible to students matters to her because she wants them to feel cared for. This extends to joining the student section at football games, attending band and percussion concerts and traveling to Milwaukee to support All-American runner Emily McCullough.
"One of my favorite things to this day is high-fives across campus. I love to high-five students. I want them to know that the reason I'm here is because I believe in the potential of their future," she said.
Mason said the nomination was humbling and added the national association played a foundational role in her path to becoming president. She was born in Palmer, Massachusetts, with her father working as a barber and her mother as a school bus driver.
No one in Mason’s family had attended college, making her a first-generation student. This was despite being doubted during her time at Classical High School in Rhode Island, where she graduated in 1979.
"My guidance counselor told me I wasn't smart enough to go to college and that my parents couldn't afford it anyway," Mason said. "But I was fortunate enough to have a mom who wanted more, worked hard and encouraged my heart."
Mason recalled attending a college fair and being struck by the friendliness of the recruiters at the Transylvania University booth from Kentucky. She took a bold step and enrolled without ever seeing the campus or even visiting the state.
Mason said she entered college as a pre-med student but eventually found her passion in social science, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology in 1983.
The National Association of Campus Activities conducted a nationwide search to select five students for a pilot program that would earn a master’s degree and a professional certification.
"Somebody dropped out at the last minute," Mason said. "Eastern Illinois University called Transylvania and said, 'We have an opening. Do you know anyone?'"
That opportunity brought her to Illinois, where the association had partnered with the institution to offer the program. Mason earned her Master of Science in Education in 1984 while working as an administrative graduate assistant in the Office of Student Activities from 1983 to 1984.
"My first job was at Hanover College," Mason said. "The person hiring there used to work at Transylvania University, where I was a student. There are all these incredible networks and leaps of faith that are sprinkled through the trajectory that brought me here."
Mason worked as assistant dean of students at Hanover College in Indiana from 1984 to 1986, managing two residence halls, advising the Panhellenic Council and committees of the student programming board. She also served as assistant director of the campus center.
From 1987 to 1994, she served as director of student life and an assistant professor at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, overseeing all aspects of student life and residential life.
Mason earned her Doctor of Education from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1992. Her dissertation, titled “The Commuters’ Alma Mater: Profiles of College Student Experiences at a Commuter Institution,” examined how different students experience campus life through interviews and exercises.
In 1994, she became the executive director of Sigma Kappa Sorority and Foundation in Indianapolis, an organization with more than 135,000 members. In 2004, Mason once again took on the role of dean of student life, this time at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
Mason said that during this time, former FHSU President Edward Hammond was searching for a new vice president of student affairs and contacted the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators for recommendations.
"Hammond called the president of the association, who called my boss in Wisconsin, and then said to me, 'Hey, President Hammond is looking for a vice president. Do you think you'd be interested?'" Mason said. "I applied, and I was very fortunate to get the job."
Before beginning her new chapter in the sunflower state, Mason said she had never been to Kansas, but she quickly adjusted to what would eventually become her new home.
"People were very personal, supportive, and it was a positive experience," she said.
She served as vice president of student affairs from 2008 to 2014, the year Hammond retired. Mason said she was a finalist for the FHSU presidency, but when that opportunity closed, another one emerged elsewhere.
A search firm reached out to Mason with the offer to become president of Valley City State University in North Dakota.
"One of the advantages of not getting the job here the first time and going to Valley City State is that I was joining a new community that had no preconceived notions about who I was or how I would lead. I had to rely on building new relationships, and I got to try things out in a new environment with new colleagues," Mason said.
According to Valley City State University, Mason served as the 13th president, leading the campus through statewide budget cuts during her three-year tenure while pushing for infrastructure upgrades.
Mason said her years in North Dakota gave her the confidence and presidential experience she would later bring to FHSU as its 10th president. She said the decision to return came with some hesitation.
"What sometimes feels like misfortune turns out to be a blessing, and that's how I looked at that pathway," she said. "I got to come back to colleagues I trusted, good friends and a community that I really adored. The hardest part about coming back to Fort Hays was leaving Valley City because I felt the same way about that community."
Mason was inaugurated as FHSU president on Sept. 14, 2018, at Gross Memorial Coliseum, where her parents were in attendance, bringing with her more than three decades of experience.
"When I had my inauguration, the whole theme that would carry through my presidency is unlocking untapped potential because I believe every student, faculty, and staff has untapped potential, and we're here to help you launch your future," she said.
Mason said she stays grounded through a steady routine that starts with a 5:30 a.m. workout, along with prayer and support from her strong faith community.
Mason hopes to uphold FHSU’s promise of affordable success for as long as she can serve. She said the most rewarding part of her presidency is congratulating thousands of graduates each year as they embark on their own journeys.
"Every hand I shake at commencement is the most meaningful to me. I wish I knew every story of every student whose hand I shook, but I know from my own story how transformative a college education is and how it will impact the future of that person's family as well," Mason said.
