Dear President Mason and Fort Hays State University leadership,
I attended the Hays City Commission meeting tonight as a concerned Ellis County resident and a longtime patron of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
I went hoping to hear concrete facts about the museum’s future and what we as a community might be able to do to help preserve an institution that means so much to Hays and western Kansas.
Instead, we left with more questions than answers, no official plan of action or call to help, nothing.
During the meeting, President Mason stated that “difficult decisions have already been made to preserve the student experience and the future of FHSU.” She also stated that the museum costs approximately $1.2 million annually to operate and there is currently $20 million in deferred maintenance.
Those numbers are not insignificant, nor is the reality that Sternberg is not simply another university building. The Sternberg provides families in western Kansas unique hands-on experiences that creates a learning atmosphere for youth and college students to engage and interact.
It provides specialized research opportunities for students pursuing paleontology and related fields, some of whom come to FHSU just for that reason.
It provides a place for children to fall in love with science, history and our natural world. It gives families a reason to travel to Hays. It provides employment for people with highly specialized knowledge and skills that may very well leave our area with no prominent career pathways. It houses collections that represent decades of research, fieldwork and contributions from local scientists and members of our community that cannot be replaced.
Sternberg is also home to a large variety of animals whose futures must be considered. These animals require precise and special care and are not disposable when budgets become tight.
There are animals that have been raised there, with trained and experienced staff who understand each animal and their individual needs. These collections of animals, fossils, artifacts and institutional knowledge are something that cannot be recreated.
I am not naive to the fact that Fort Hays is facing financial pressures, and I understand that at times difficult decisions do have to be made. I understand that money does not fall from the sky and there has to be a means to an end.
I am asking for transparency.
Why has there not been an official announcement regarding the future of the Sternberg? If FHSU cannot sustain the Sternberg, say that. If FHSU needs help to keep the doors open, say that. If there is no desire to sustain the legacy that is the Sternberg, say that.
What can we do to help?
What are clear action items that members of our community, alumni, tourists, etc could contribute to sustain the museum? What options have been considered before the decision was made to close?
How much time do we have?
There are people both in and outside of this community that are ready to step in and help. We cannot solve a problem we are not allowed to understand. If difficult decisions have already been made regarding this beloved institution, the community deserves to know what those decisions are.
What should not happen is for an institution of this significance to quietly reach a point where the remaining choices are irreversible. The Sternberg was built over generations by scientists, students, donors, employees, volunteers and members of this community.
Once collections are dispersed, specialized staff relocate, animals are rehomed, research and educational programs disappear, rebuilding the Sternberg will not simply mean finding $1.2 million in next year’s budget.
There are people in this community that are willing to step in and #SaveSternberg.
Please allow us that opportunity before it becomes too late.
— Alicia Flower,
Ellis County resident, Sternberg Museum patron