INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State was one of 22 institutions from NCAA Division II selected as a finalist for the 2025 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership. Four finalists were picked as at-large honorees for submitting a strong nomination not chosen as the finalist for their conference.

Fort Hays State was chosen for the Tigers for IDD Sports and Fitness Night. Fort Hays State student-athletes hosted the events for local Special Olympic athletes through a campus partnership with a Physical Activity for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities class. Over 200 student-athletes, along with students from the class, provided instruction to over 60 Special Olympic athletes. The event aimed to foster inclusion and demonstrate the importance of movement and physical activity. Fort Hays State hosted an event for this in both the spring and fall of 2024.

Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selected the top three finalists, who will be announced at the Division II business session on Jan. 17 at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

Each finalist will receive $750. In addition, the winner will receive $3,000, the first runner-up will receive $1,750 and the second runner-up will receive $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.

Below is the list of finalists for the award.

Academy of Art (Pacific West Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;ART U Hoops With the Troops:&nbsp;Now in its fourth year, ART U Hoops With the Troops is a basketball clinic hosted by the Academy of Art men's and women's basketball teams in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Marines during San Francisco Fleet Week, which celebrates America's sea services. The event, held on the USS Tripoli, involved over 160 inner-city youth and included a tour of the ship. The clinic exposed youth to the collegiate student-athlete experience, military life, basketball fundamentals and new career possibilities.

Alabama Huntsville (Gulf South Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Sleep in Heavenly Peace:&nbsp;On a day off during the season, Alabama Huntsville men's and women's basketball teams partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace and local volunteers to build beds for local children in need. This was the second consecutive year the teams partnered with the organizations. Participants built a total of 33 beds, surpassing last year's total of 25.

American International (Northeast-10 Conference) - Home Run for the Hungry Campaign:&nbsp;The American International baseball team's annual Home Run for the Hungry campaign collected 4,000 pounds of food and $500 worth of diapers for a local pantry and Square One, which provides a range of family-friendly education and support services. Over seven years, the campaign has donated 15,900 pounds of food, making a significant impact on the greater Springfield, Massachusetts, area.

Arkansas-Monticello (Great American Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;SAAC Make-A-Wish text-a-thon:&nbsp; Arkansas-Monticello's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee partnered with Make-A-Wish Mid-South to raise $10,000 through a text-a-thon. Student-athletes sent texts to their contacts asking for $10 donations, and within 10 days, they surpassed their goal of $10,000. The funds will be used to grant a wish for a local child, with the wish day planned for February at a basketball game.

Augusta University (Peach Belt Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Education Day Games:&nbsp;Augusta University student-athletes hosted more than 4,500 fifth graders from the community for annual Education Day Games focused on community, learning and collegiate experiences. The events also included financial literacy education and interactive experiences. The goal was to expose students to college life and introduce them to life as student-athletes.

Caldwell (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Tunnel to Towers:&nbsp;The Caldwell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented a check for $1,525 to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation during the annual Super Saturday Basketball Event. The funds were raised through a charity volleyball game involving 38 student-athletes who took on various roles such as players, announcers and officials. The event, attended by around 165 people, included food donations from local restaurants and faculty, with meal tickets sold to raise additional funds. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families and builds specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association&nbsp;-&nbsp;Student-Athlete Empowerment Program:&nbsp;The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's Student-Athlete Empowerment Program is focused on developing student-athletes as leaders. Launched during the 2024 CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, the program includes sessions on personal branding, financial fitness, career exploration and leading with impact. It was facilitated by representatives from the NCAA office of inclusion, U.S. Army, Wells Fargo, FBI and Wendy's. The program also featured community engagement activities, such as distributing shoes to those in need. It continued with the CIAA SAAC Summer Summit, which included workshops, panels and discussions on leadership, career readiness, mental health awareness and civic engagement.

Conference Carolinas&nbsp;-&nbsp;Leading the Way — Champions in Body, Mind, and Soul — SAAC Retreat:&nbsp;Conference Carolinas held its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee retreat in Greeneville, South Carolina. It included a visit to the Boys &amp; Girls Club, a special dinner event that honored community impacts of campus SAACs, and leadership training sessions. The retreat aimed to develop student-athletes as leaders and included presentations on professional communication, networking and handling interviews. The event also inspired student-athletes to create events on their campuses to help Hurricane Helene victims and organize additional canned food drives.

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference&nbsp;-&nbsp;Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness Event:&nbsp;The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference hosted the Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness event across all campuses, uniting athletes, staff, students and community members to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. Named in honor of the late basketball coach Kay Yow, this event celebrated resilience, community support and empowerment for those affected by breast cancer. Each campus held special activities and ceremonies, allowing fans and participants to engage in meaningful ways, from wearing pink gear to participating in halftime recognition ceremonies. The theme "United for a Cure" was central to each campus' approach, creating a visually unified atmosphere with pink decor, custom jerseys and commemorative banners. The event raised significant funds for breast cancer research and awareness initiatives through ticket proceeds, donations and merchandise sales.

Florida Southern (Sunshine State Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Light &amp; Life Park Relief:&nbsp;Florida Southern helped the Light &amp; Life Park senior community recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton. The athletics department logged 792 community engagement hours, assisting with cleanup, debris removal and repairs.

Fort Hays State (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association)&nbsp;- Tigers for IDD Sports and Fitness Night:&nbsp;Fort Hays State student-athletes hosted an event for local Special Olympic athletes through a campus partnership with a Physical Activity for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities class. Over 200 student-athletes, along with students from the class, provided instruction to over 60 Special Olympic athletes. The event aimed to foster inclusion and demonstrate the importance of movement and physical activity.

Gannon (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;PALS Camp:&nbsp;Gannon hosted its PALS Camp in collaboration with the Erie Police Athletic League, providing a chance for underserved youth to build connections with police officers through sports. The camp hosted more than 300 children and included various sporting events, social interactions and educational sessions. The camp aimed to reduce crime, promote positive character development and improve educational outcomes for children.

Mars Hill (South Atlantic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Hurricane Helene relief:&nbsp;Mars Hill student-athletes played a vital role in helping their campus and surrounding communities with relief efforts after Hurricane Helene. They provided over 200 combined hours of community engagement, including preparing meals, cleaning up from the storm and organizing supplies.

Missouri Southern State (At-large selection) - Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat:&nbsp;The Missouri Southern State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted its annual Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat campaign in October, collecting a record 8,618 nonperishable items for Soul's Harbor, a human services and homeless shelter. Student-athletes spent over 200 hours distributing flyers and collecting donations. The donations helped keep the pantry stocked well into the spring.

Molloy (At-large selection)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Campus Walk:&nbsp; Molloy partnered with the Molloy Student Counseling Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to hold the Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Campus Walk. Over 100 student-athletes and dozens of other students and staff participated, raising $1,120 to support suicide prevention efforts. The event included resources and giveaways provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Montana State Billings (Great Northwest Athletic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Game:&nbsp;The Montana State Billings men's and women's basketball teams partnered with the MSU Billings Native American Achievement Center to hold their first-ever Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Game. The event aimed to raise awareness and educate the community about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Montana. The game included a halftime ceremony where participants walked silently carrying photos and mementos of those they wished to honor, and a performance by Native American artist Shakira Glenn. The event promoted community engagement and student-athlete development, fostering a deeper connection between the athletic department and the Native American Achievement Center.

Northwest Nazarene (At-large selection)&nbsp;- All-Abilities Clinics:&nbsp;Northwest Nazarene student-athletes hosted two all-abilities clinics, which served as both a community outreach and an at-home mission trip. Volunteers received education and training on interacting with individuals with intellectual disabilities and on adapted sports. The clinics featured various sports stations, including flag football, cornhole, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and a speed and agility course. Over 120 volunteers participated, assisting athletes throughout the day and ensuring a positive and inclusive environment. The event also included a breakout session for parents and families, where they discussed the challenges and joys of raising children with intellectual disabilities. The clinics aimed to foster inclusion, promote physical activity and provide valuable experience for student-athletes.

Oklahoma Baptist (At-large selection)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children:&nbsp;Oklahoma Baptist student-athletes worked with the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children to create relationships with the kids and raise money to renovate living spaces for single moms and their children. Over the summer, the athletics department donated over $3,000 to the organization and hosted a camp attended by 83 children that exposed them to various sports.

Roberts Wesleyan (East Coast Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pirate Toy Fund:&nbsp;Roberts Wesleyan continued its support of the Pirate Toy Fund, which distributes toys year-round to children in need. Student-athletes contributed more than 300 community engagement hours at distribution events, toy drives and fundraising efforts like benefit games. Their collective efforts included setting up a new warehouse, sorting toys and raising awareness through social media campaigns. The Redhawks' contributions saved the Pirate Toy Fund over $12,000 in billable hours. They collected thousands of toys.

Rockhurst (Great Lakes Valley Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Mental health initiative:&nbsp;Rockhurst student-athletes, led by its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, launched a yearlong mental health awareness initiative that aimed to spread awareness about mental health stigmas and guide people toward resources. Each team had a mental health awareness game where players wore green accessories, the color of mental health awareness. The initiative included starting a chapter of Morgan's Message, which seeks to eliminate mental health stigma in athletics; forming partnerships with the counseling center, sports medicine and athletic performance departments; and creating educational sessions, a social media campaign and a mental health library in the weight room.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference - Crossover for Change:&nbsp;A group of Colorado School of Mines student-athletes raised money for Crossover for Change, whose mission is fostering confidence, empowerment and leadership for young women in Uganda through the sport of basketball. The student-athletes hosted local basketball camps and 5K races to contribute to the organization's efforts to build basketball courts, hold sports camps and conduct virtual sessions on confidence, nutrition and career goals.

San Francisco State (California Collegiate Athletic Association)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Building Connections:&nbsp;The San Francisco State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's primary goal focused on expanding community engagement efforts across athletics teams to support local groups and communities. The results included each athletics team contributing to the community through various events, charities and community engagement activities. These included youth sports clinics, charity walks for those with intellectual and development disabilities, food distribution for homeless shelters and trash cleanup on a beach.&nbsp;

Southwest Minnesota State (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Game Day Roundup:&nbsp;For the second year, Southwest Minnesota State has hosted Game Day Roundup, a community-focused pregame football event that includes inflatables for kids, food trucks, a live DJ, vendor tents and tailgating. It has enhanced relationships with local businesses and the community, creating an atmosphere that encourages Mustangs of all ages to be on campus for home football Saturdays.

Texas Woman's University (Lone Star Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Be the Match:&nbsp;Texas Woman's University student-athletes hosted a campuswide community engagement event in partnership with the National Marrow Donor Program, formerly known as Be the Match. The event aimed to register individuals as potential donors for patients with blood cancers and disorders. With the encouragement of Texas Woman's University student-athletes, 217 individuals registered, far surpassing the baseline goal of 100 registrants. The event included personal stories of experiences with transplants, inspiring participants and highlighting the impact of their contributions.

Walsh (Great Midwest Athletic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;The Cavalier Commitment:&nbsp;Walsh student-athletes launched "The Cavalier Commitment" to appreciate and support sports officials. The initiative focused on creating a culture of appreciation, educating the community about officiating and forming partnerships with local high schools and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Activities included writing thank you cards to officials, hosting educational sessions with officials like longtime NFL and NCAA official Gene Steratore, and promoting officiating through social media and community events.

West Virginia State (Mountain East Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Charleston Public Courts Tennis Tournament:&nbsp;West Virginia State has been leading community engagement through the Charleston Public Courts Tennis Tournament the past three years. The tournament promotes intergenerational interaction and active lifestyles, reinforcing West Virginia State's commitment to community involvement and athletic accessibility. The event, which was revived by the athletics department after being paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, attracted 245 participants across 30 events, with competitors ranging in age from 12 to 83.

<figure>
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 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsINDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State was one of 22 institutions from NCAA Division II selected as a finalist for the 2025 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership. Four finalists were picked as at-large honorees for submitting a strong nomination not chosen as the finalist for their conference.Fort Hays State was chosen for the Tigers for IDD Sports and Fitness Night. Fort Hays State student-athletes hosted the events for local Special Olympic athletes through a campus partnership with a Physical Activity for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities class. Over 200 student-athletes, along with students from the class, provided instruction to over 60 Special Olympic athletes. The event aimed to foster inclusion and demonstrate the importance of movement and physical activity. Fort Hays State hosted an event for this in both the spring and fall of 2024.Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selected the top three finalists, who will be announced at the Division II business session on Jan. 17 at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.Each finalist will receive $750. In addition, the winner will receive $3,000, the first runner-up will receive $1,750 and the second runner-up will receive $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.Below is the list of finalists for the award.Academy of Art (Pacific West Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;ART U Hoops With the Troops:&nbsp;Now in its fourth year, ART U Hoops With the Troops is a basketball clinic hosted by the Academy of Art men's and women's basketball teams in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Marines during San Francisco Fleet Week, which celebrates America's sea services. The event, held on the USS Tripoli, involved over 160 inner-city youth and included a tour of the ship. The clinic exposed youth to the collegiate student-athlete experience, military life, basketball fundamentals and new career possibilities.Alabama Huntsville (Gulf South Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Sleep in Heavenly Peace:&nbsp;On a day off during the season, Alabama Huntsville men's and women's basketball teams partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace and local volunteers to build beds for local children in need. This was the second consecutive year the teams partnered with the organizations. Participants built a total of 33 beds, surpassing last year's total of 25.American International (Northeast-10 Conference) - Home Run for the Hungry Campaign:&nbsp;The American International baseball team's annual Home Run for the Hungry campaign collected 4,000 pounds of food and $500 worth of diapers for a local pantry and Square One, which provides a range of family-friendly education and support services. Over seven years, the campaign has donated 15,900 pounds of food, making a significant impact on the greater Springfield, Massachusetts, area.Arkansas-Monticello (Great American Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;SAAC Make-A-Wish text-a-thon:&nbsp; Arkansas-Monticello's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee partnered with Make-A-Wish Mid-South to raise $10,000 through a text-a-thon. Student-athletes sent texts to their contacts asking for $10 donations, and within 10 days, they surpassed their goal of $10,000. The funds will be used to grant a wish for a local child, with the wish day planned for February at a basketball game.Augusta University (Peach Belt Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Education Day Games:&nbsp;Augusta University student-athletes hosted more than 4,500 fifth graders from the community for annual Education Day Games focused on community, learning and collegiate experiences. The events also included financial literacy education and interactive experiences. The goal was to expose students to college life and introduce them to life as student-athletes.Caldwell (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Tunnel to Towers:&nbsp;The Caldwell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented a check for $1,525 to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation during the annual Super Saturday Basketball Event. The funds were raised through a charity volleyball game involving 38 student-athletes who took on various roles such as players, announcers and officials. The event, attended by around 165 people, included food donations from local restaurants and faculty, with meal tickets sold to raise additional funds. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families and builds specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association&nbsp;-&nbsp;Student-Athlete Empowerment Program:&nbsp;The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's Student-Athlete Empowerment Program is focused on developing student-athletes as leaders. Launched during the 2024 CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, the program includes sessions on personal branding, financial fitness, career exploration and leading with impact. It was facilitated by representatives from the NCAA office of inclusion, U.S. Army, Wells Fargo, FBI and Wendy's. The program also featured community engagement activities, such as distributing shoes to those in need. It continued with the CIAA SAAC Summer Summit, which included workshops, panels and discussions on leadership, career readiness, mental health awareness and civic engagement.Conference Carolinas&nbsp;-&nbsp;Leading the Way — Champions in Body, Mind, and Soul — SAAC Retreat:&nbsp;Conference Carolinas held its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee retreat in Greeneville, South Carolina. It included a visit to the Boys &amp; Girls Club, a special dinner event that honored community impacts of campus SAACs, and leadership training sessions. The retreat aimed to develop student-athletes as leaders and included presentations on professional communication, networking and handling interviews. The event also inspired student-athletes to create events on their campuses to help Hurricane Helene victims and organize additional canned food drives.Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference&nbsp;-&nbsp;Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness Event:&nbsp;The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference hosted the Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness event across all campuses, uniting athletes, staff, students and community members to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. Named in honor of the late basketball coach Kay Yow, this event celebrated resilience, community support and empowerment for those affected by breast cancer. Each campus held special activities and ceremonies, allowing fans and participants to engage in meaningful ways, from wearing pink gear to participating in halftime recognition ceremonies. The theme "United for a Cure" was central to each campus' approach, creating a visually unified atmosphere with pink decor, custom jerseys and commemorative banners. The event raised significant funds for breast cancer research and awareness initiatives through ticket proceeds, donations and merchandise sales.Florida Southern (Sunshine State Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Light &amp; Life Park Relief:&nbsp;Florida Southern helped the Light &amp; Life Park senior community recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton. The athletics department logged 792 community engagement hours, assisting with cleanup, debris removal and repairs.Fort Hays State (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association)&nbsp;- Tigers for IDD Sports and Fitness Night:&nbsp;Fort Hays State student-athletes hosted an event for local Special Olympic athletes through a campus partnership with a Physical Activity for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities class. Over 200 student-athletes, along with students from the class, provided instruction to over 60 Special Olympic athletes. The event aimed to foster inclusion and demonstrate the importance of movement and physical activity.Gannon (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;PALS Camp:&nbsp;Gannon hosted its PALS Camp in collaboration with the Erie Police Athletic League, providing a chance for underserved youth to build connections with police officers through sports. The camp hosted more than 300 children and included various sporting events, social interactions and educational sessions. The camp aimed to reduce crime, promote positive character development and improve educational outcomes for children.Mars Hill (South Atlantic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Hurricane Helene relief:&nbsp;Mars Hill student-athletes played a vital role in helping their campus and surrounding communities with relief efforts after Hurricane Helene. They provided over 200 combined hours of community engagement, including preparing meals, cleaning up from the storm and organizing supplies.Missouri Southern State (At-large selection) - Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat:&nbsp;The Missouri Southern State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted its annual Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat campaign in October, collecting a record 8,618 nonperishable items for Soul's Harbor, a human services and homeless shelter. Student-athletes spent over 200 hours distributing flyers and collecting donations. The donations helped keep the pantry stocked well into the spring.Molloy (At-large selection)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Campus Walk:&nbsp; Molloy partnered with the Molloy Student Counseling Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to hold the Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Campus Walk. Over 100 student-athletes and dozens of other students and staff participated, raising $1,120 to support suicide prevention efforts. The event included resources and giveaways provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.Montana State Billings (Great Northwest Athletic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Game:&nbsp;The Montana State Billings men's and women's basketball teams partnered with the MSU Billings Native American Achievement Center to hold their first-ever Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Game. The event aimed to raise awareness and educate the community about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Montana. The game included a halftime ceremony where participants walked silently carrying photos and mementos of those they wished to honor, and a performance by Native American artist Shakira Glenn. The event promoted community engagement and student-athlete development, fostering a deeper connection between the athletic department and the Native American Achievement Center.Northwest Nazarene (At-large selection)&nbsp;- All-Abilities Clinics:&nbsp;Northwest Nazarene student-athletes hosted two all-abilities clinics, which served as both a community outreach and an at-home mission trip. Volunteers received education and training on interacting with individuals with intellectual disabilities and on adapted sports. The clinics featured various sports stations, including flag football, cornhole, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and a speed and agility course. Over 120 volunteers participated, assisting athletes throughout the day and ensuring a positive and inclusive environment. The event also included a breakout session for parents and families, where they discussed the challenges and joys of raising children with intellectual disabilities. The clinics aimed to foster inclusion, promote physical activity and provide valuable experience for student-athletes.Oklahoma Baptist (At-large selection)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children:&nbsp;Oklahoma Baptist student-athletes worked with the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children to create relationships with the kids and raise money to renovate living spaces for single moms and their children. Over the summer, the athletics department donated over $3,000 to the organization and hosted a camp attended by 83 children that exposed them to various sports.Roberts Wesleyan (East Coast Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Pirate Toy Fund:&nbsp;Roberts Wesleyan continued its support of the Pirate Toy Fund, which distributes toys year-round to children in need. Student-athletes contributed more than 300 community engagement hours at distribution events, toy drives and fundraising efforts like benefit games. Their collective efforts included setting up a new warehouse, sorting toys and raising awareness through social media campaigns. The Redhawks' contributions saved the Pirate Toy Fund over $12,000 in billable hours. They collected thousands of toys.Rockhurst (Great Lakes Valley Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Mental health initiative:&nbsp;Rockhurst student-athletes, led by its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, launched a yearlong mental health awareness initiative that aimed to spread awareness about mental health stigmas and guide people toward resources. Each team had a mental health awareness game where players wore green accessories, the color of mental health awareness. The initiative included starting a chapter of Morgan's Message, which seeks to eliminate mental health stigma in athletics; forming partnerships with the counseling center, sports medicine and athletic performance departments; and creating educational sessions, a social media campaign and a mental health library in the weight room.Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference - Crossover for Change:&nbsp;A group of Colorado School of Mines student-athletes raised money for Crossover for Change, whose mission is fostering confidence, empowerment and leadership for young women in Uganda through the sport of basketball. The student-athletes hosted local basketball camps and 5K races to contribute to the organization's efforts to build basketball courts, hold sports camps and conduct virtual sessions on confidence, nutrition and career goals.San Francisco State (California Collegiate Athletic Association)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Building Connections:&nbsp;The San Francisco State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's primary goal focused on expanding community engagement efforts across athletics teams to support local groups and communities. The results included each athletics team contributing to the community through various events, charities and community engagement activities. These included youth sports clinics, charity walks for those with intellectual and development disabilities, food distribution for homeless shelters and trash cleanup on a beach.&nbsp;Southwest Minnesota State (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Game Day Roundup:&nbsp;For the second year, Southwest Minnesota State has hosted Game Day Roundup, a community-focused pregame football event that includes inflatables for kids, food trucks, a live DJ, vendor tents and tailgating. It has enhanced relationships with local businesses and the community, creating an atmosphere that encourages Mustangs of all ages to be on campus for home football Saturdays.Texas Woman's University (Lone Star Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Be the Match:&nbsp;Texas Woman's University student-athletes hosted a campuswide community engagement event in partnership with the National Marrow Donor Program, formerly known as Be the Match. The event aimed to register individuals as potential donors for patients with blood cancers and disorders. With the encouragement of Texas Woman's University student-athletes, 217 individuals registered, far surpassing the baseline goal of 100 registrants. The event included personal stories of experiences with transplants, inspiring participants and highlighting the impact of their contributions.Walsh (Great Midwest Athletic Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;The Cavalier Commitment:&nbsp;Walsh student-athletes launched "The Cavalier Commitment" to appreciate and support sports officials. The initiative focused on creating a culture of appreciation, educating the community about officiating and forming partnerships with local high schools and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Activities included writing thank you cards to officials, hosting educational sessions with officials like longtime NFL and NCAA official Gene Steratore, and promoting officiating through social media and community events.West Virginia State (Mountain East Conference)&nbsp;-&nbsp;Charleston Public Courts Tennis Tournament:&nbsp;West Virginia State has been leading community engagement through the Charleston Public Courts Tennis Tournament the past three years. The tournament promotes intergenerational interaction and active lifestyles, reinforcing West Virginia State's commitment to community involvement and athletic accessibility. The event, which was revived by the athletics department after being paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, attracted 245 participants across 30 events, with competitors ranging in age from 12 to 83.

Fort Hays State finalist for NCAA Division II Award of Excellence

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine.

Carter was not misquoted. But he was certainly misunderstood, as his thoughts in the wide-ranging interview were reduced in the popular imagination to utterances about "lust" and "adultery."

Nearly a half-century later, as Carter was receiving hospice care in the same south Georgia home where he once spoke with Playboy journalists, his interviewer Robert Scheer still believed Carter was treated unfairly. He recalled the former president as a "real" and "serious" figure whose intent was smothered by the intensity of a campaign's closing stretch.

"Jimmy Carter was a thoughtful guy," Scheer told The Associated Press. "But that got lost here. I've never seen a story like it. It was worldwide. ... It just never went away."

Political disaster ensued. Rosalynn Carter was suddenly being asked whether she trusted her husband. The fallout, in Carter's words, "nearly cost me the election."

Carter spent five-plus hours with Playboy across several months — "more time with you than with Time, Newsweek and all the others combined," he told Scheer and Playboy editor Barry Golson.

The resulting Q&amp;A spanned 12,000 words, and Scheer added thousands more in an accompanying story. Carter discussed military and foreign policy, racism and civil rights, political journalism and his reputation as a "vague" candidate.

"They weren't interested in sensationalized stuff," Scheer said of Playboy.

Hugh Hefner's publication reached an estimated 20 million-plus readers each month with its pictorials of nude women. But the magazine chronicled American culture as well, with its branded "Playboy Interview" featuring such power players as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, Malcom X and leading newsman Walter Cronkite.

Carter, unafraid of nuance, proved he belonged among them, Scheer said.

Carter's most-remembered comments came at the end of their final session. Standing outside Carter's front door, Golson pressed Carter on whether his piety would make him a "rigid, unbending president" unable to represent all Americans.

The Baptist deacon responded with an 823-word soliloquy on human imperfection, pride and God's forgiveness. He said he believed in "absolute and total separation of church and state" and explained his faith as rooted in humility, not judgment of others.

Quoting Matthew 5:27-28, Carter explained that Jesus Christ considered an offending thought equivalent to consummated adultery, and by that standard, he was in no position to judge a man who "shacks up" and "screws lots of women," because he had "looked on many women with lust" and, thus, "committed adultery many times in my heart."

Scheer called it a "sensible statement," reflecting Carter's Baptist tradition: "He was saying, 'Look, I'm not going to be some fanatic. ... I'm not this perfect guy.'"

Playboy realized Carter provided explosive material — and not just about sex. Citing President Lyndon Johnson's handling of Vietnam, Carter included the last Democratic president alongside disgraced Republican Richard Nixon as guilty of "lying, cheating and distorting the truth."

The magazine decided to send the full Q&amp;A text to about 1,000 media outlets in late September, before the usual October publication date for the November edition.

The idea, Scheer explained, was to allow time for fair coverage rather than drop bombshells days before the election.

Headline writers, satirists and late-night television pounced anyway, labeling it Carter's "lust in my heart" interview. "Saturday Night Live," then a fledgling NBC sketch comedy show, had a field day. One political cartoonist depicted Carter lusting after the Statue of Liberty.

He lamented to NPR in 1993 that the Playboy interview morphed into "the No. 1 story of the entire 1976 campaign."

"I was explaining Jesus' Sermon on the Mount," Carter wrote wistfully in a 2015 memoir.

Carter's faith had endeared him to many fellow white evangelicals and cultural conservatives. That made him a difficult foil for Republicans, who wanted to cast Democrats as out of step with most of America. The flip side, Scheer noted, was that many young voters and urban liberals — key Democratic constituencies — "wondered if he was this Southern square."

"Hamilton Jordan (Carter's campaign manager) had always called Carter's faith 'the weirdo factor,'" said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee media historian who has written extensively on Carter. "Talking to Playboy was their way to prove he wasn't some kind of prude."

Scheer, who was with Carter as part of his traveling press corps, said Playboy's early text release sparked a frenzy.

"Reporters were scrambling, asking me, 'Bob, what is this?" he recalled.

The press traveling with Carter focused initially on Carter's criticism of Johnson, who died in 1973. It was a juicy detail because Carter was headed Texas to campaign with LBJ's widow.

Carter initially told reporters his criticisms of LBJ were taken out of context. Scheer "ran back to the plane to get the tapes," and effectively caught the nominee violating his pledge never to make a "misleading statement."

Lady Bird Johnson skipped Carter's Texas events, Scheer said. Carter apologized to her by telephone.

When his commentary on adultery ballooned, Carter insisted the exchange had been off-the-record, throwaway banter as Scheer and Golson prepared to leave.

"He was still wearing the mic!" Scheer told AP.

The way the story morphed "ended up making Carter seem like a creep," Roessner said.

Rosalynn Carter fashioned a pat response: "Jimmy talks too much, but at least people know he's honest and doesn't mind answering questions." And, no, she never worried about his fidelity.

"The only lust I worried about was that of the press," she wrote in 1984, recounting how her discipline finally cracked when a reporter asked whether she ever committed adultery.

"If I had," she replied, "I wouldn't tell you."

President Gerald Ford, who had been gaining on Carter but still trailed badly, leveraged the story. The Republican president was an Episcopalian, soft-spoken about religion, but he invited leading evangelical pastors to the White House the day after the interview's release, including the Rev. W.S. Criswell of Dallas First Baptist Church.

Criswell later declared from his pulpit that he had asked Ford: "Mr. President, if Playboy magazine were to ask you for an interview, what would you do?" Ford's reply, according to Criswell: "I was asked by Playboy magazine for an interview — and I declined with an emphatic 'No'!"

The Rev. Billy Graham, then the nation's top evangelist, and the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the rising leader of the so-called Religious Right, also blitzed Carter. National media, including The AP, highlighted criticism from Christian pastors from around the country.

Roessner, the daughter of a Protestant pastor, said Carter's Playboy comments were clumsy, "but if anyone should have understood the context ... it should have been the ministers."

She recalled Carter's resentment during a 2014 interview she conducted with him. Decades of global humanitarian work had by that time afforded the former president a profile above politics, yet "almost 40 years later, it was clearly something he held on to," she said. He was "still incredibly frustrated by what he felt was unfair coverage and response."

The 1976 campaign was the first after Richard Nixon's resignation, driven by reporting from The Washington Post, and many journalists were demonstrating a new level of distrust of politicians, especially one Scheer described as "wearing his religion on his sleeve."

Those same news organizations largely ignored what the soon-to-be president said about them, Roessner noted.

"The traveling press have zero interest in any issue unless it's a matter of making a mistake," Carter told Playboy. "There's nobody in the back of this plane who would ask an issue question unless he thought he could trick me into some crazy statement."

Scheer, at least, asked plenty of policy questions, and, looking back, he pointed to Carter's narrow victory just weeks later.

"Whatever they said, I think it did exactly what they wanted to accomplish," Scheer said. "That doesn't mean they weren't nervous."

This story was first published April 16, 2023, and has been updated with news of Carter's death.

By BILL BARROW Associated PressPLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine.Carter was not misquoted. But he was certainly misunderstood, as his thoughts in the wide-ranging interview were reduced in the popular imagination to utterances about "lust" and "adultery."Nearly a half-century later, as Carter was receiving hospice care in the same south Georgia home where he once spoke with Playboy journalists, his interviewer Robert Scheer still believed Carter was treated unfairly. He recalled the former president as a "real" and "serious" figure whose intent was smothered by the intensity of a campaign's closing stretch.Carter died Sunday at age 100."Jimmy Carter was a thoughtful guy," Scheer told The Associated Press. "But that got lost here. I've never seen a story like it. It was worldwide. ... It just never went away."Political disaster ensued. Rosalynn Carter was suddenly being asked whether she trusted her husband. The fallout, in Carter's words, "nearly cost me the election."Carter spent five-plus hours with Playboy across several months — "more time with you than with Time, Newsweek and all the others combined," he told Scheer and Playboy editor Barry Golson.The resulting Q&amp;A spanned 12,000 words, and Scheer added thousands more in an accompanying story. Carter discussed military and foreign policy, racism and civil rights, political journalism and his reputation as a "vague" candidate."They weren't interested in sensationalized stuff," Scheer said of Playboy.Hugh Hefner's publication reached an estimated 20 million-plus readers each month with its pictorials of nude women. But the magazine chronicled American culture as well, with its branded "Playboy Interview" featuring such power players as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, Malcom X and leading newsman Walter Cronkite.Carter, unafraid of nuance, proved he belonged among them, Scheer said.Carter's most-remembered comments came at the end of their final session. Standing outside Carter's front door, Golson pressed Carter on whether his piety would make him a "rigid, unbending president" unable to represent all Americans.The Baptist deacon responded with an 823-word soliloquy on human imperfection, pride and God's forgiveness. He said he believed in "absolute and total separation of church and state" and explained his faith as rooted in humility, not judgment of others.Quoting Matthew 5:27-28, Carter explained that Jesus Christ considered an offending thought equivalent to consummated adultery, and by that standard, he was in no position to judge a man who "shacks up" and "screws lots of women," because he had "looked on many women with lust" and, thus, "committed adultery many times in my heart."Scheer called it a "sensible statement," reflecting Carter's Baptist tradition: "He was saying, 'Look, I'm not going to be some fanatic. ... I'm not this perfect guy.'"Playboy realized Carter provided explosive material — and not just about sex. Citing President Lyndon Johnson's handling of Vietnam, Carter included the last Democratic president alongside disgraced Republican Richard Nixon as guilty of "lying, cheating and distorting the truth."The magazine decided to send the full Q&amp;A text to about 1,000 media outlets in late September, before the usual October publication date for the November edition.The idea, Scheer explained, was to allow time for fair coverage rather than drop bombshells days before the election.Headline writers, satirists and late-night television pounced anyway, labeling it Carter's "lust in my heart" interview. "Saturday Night Live," then a fledgling NBC sketch comedy show, had a field day. One political cartoonist depicted Carter lusting after the Statue of Liberty.He lamented to NPR in 1993 that the Playboy interview morphed into "the No. 1 story of the entire 1976 campaign.""I was explaining Jesus' Sermon on the Mount," Carter wrote wistfully in a 2015 memoir.Carter's faith had endeared him to many fellow white evangelicals and cultural conservatives. That made him a difficult foil for Republicans, who wanted to cast Democrats as out of step with most of America. The flip side, Scheer noted, was that many young voters and urban liberals — key Democratic constituencies — "wondered if he was this Southern square.""Hamilton Jordan (Carter's campaign manager) had always called Carter's faith 'the weirdo factor,'" said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee media historian who has written extensively on Carter. "Talking to Playboy was their way to prove he wasn't some kind of prude."Scheer, who was with Carter as part of his traveling press corps, said Playboy's early text release sparked a frenzy."Reporters were scrambling, asking me, 'Bob, what is this?" he recalled.The press traveling with Carter focused initially on Carter's criticism of Johnson, who died in 1973. It was a juicy detail because Carter was headed Texas to campaign with LBJ's widow.Carter initially told reporters his criticisms of LBJ were taken out of context. Scheer "ran back to the plane to get the tapes," and effectively caught the nominee violating his pledge never to make a "misleading statement."Lady Bird Johnson skipped Carter's Texas events, Scheer said. Carter apologized to her by telephone.When his commentary on adultery ballooned, Carter insisted the exchange had been off-the-record, throwaway banter as Scheer and Golson prepared to leave."He was still wearing the mic!" Scheer told AP.The way the story morphed "ended up making Carter seem like a creep," Roessner said.Rosalynn Carter fashioned a pat response: "Jimmy talks too much, but at least people know he's honest and doesn't mind answering questions." And, no, she never worried about his fidelity."The only lust I worried about was that of the press," she wrote in 1984, recounting how her discipline finally cracked when a reporter asked whether she ever committed adultery."If I had," she replied, "I wouldn't tell you."President Gerald Ford, who had been gaining on Carter but still trailed badly, leveraged the story. The Republican president was an Episcopalian, soft-spoken about religion, but he invited leading evangelical pastors to the White House the day after the interview's release, including the Rev. W.S. Criswell of Dallas First Baptist Church.Criswell later declared from his pulpit that he had asked Ford: "Mr. President, if Playboy magazine were to ask you for an interview, what would you do?" Ford's reply, according to Criswell: "I was asked by Playboy magazine for an interview — and I declined with an emphatic 'No'!"Thousands of his parishioners roared.The Rev. Billy Graham, then the nation's top evangelist, and the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the rising leader of the so-called Religious Right, also blitzed Carter. National media, including The AP, highlighted criticism from Christian pastors from around the country.Roessner, the daughter of a Protestant pastor, said Carter's Playboy comments were clumsy, "but if anyone should have understood the context ... it should have been the ministers."She recalled Carter's resentment during a 2014 interview she conducted with him. Decades of global humanitarian work had by that time afforded the former president a profile above politics, yet "almost 40 years later, it was clearly something he held on to," she said. He was "still incredibly frustrated by what he felt was unfair coverage and response."The 1976 campaign was the first after Richard Nixon's resignation, driven by reporting from The Washington Post, and many journalists were demonstrating a new level of distrust of politicians, especially one Scheer described as "wearing his religion on his sleeve."Those same news organizations largely ignored what the soon-to-be president said about them, Roessner noted."The traveling press have zero interest in any issue unless it's a matter of making a mistake," Carter told Playboy. "There's nobody in the back of this plane who would ask an issue question unless he thought he could trick me into some crazy statement."Scheer, at least, asked plenty of policy questions, and, looking back, he pointed to Carter's narrow victory just weeks later."Whatever they said, I think it did exactly what they wanted to accomplish," Scheer said. "That doesn't mean they weren't nervous."___This story was first published April 16, 2023, and has been updated with news of Carter's death.

Jimmy Carter and Playboy: How ‘the weirdo factor’ rocked ’76

&nbsp; Dennis L.
Lacock – age 82, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away peacefully at his home&nbsp;
on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

He was born January 17, 1942, at Randolph Field, Texas to Frank Lloyd and Agnes
Hilda (Carlson) Lacock.&nbsp; He married Judy (Rome) on October 28, 1967, in
Victoria, Kansas.

Dennis was a hydrologist with the U. S. Geological Survey for 37 years
and retired in 2002.&nbsp; He grew up in St. Marys, Kansas, was a 1960 graduate
of St. Marys High School,&nbsp; and was a graduate of Emporia State College.&nbsp;
He was a veteran of the U S Army.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Judy, of the home. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Michael Lacock.

&nbsp;A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, January
8, 2025, at The Basilica of Saint Fidelis, 900 Cathedral Ave., Victoria, Kansas
with Celebrant, Father James Moster O.F.M. Cap.

 Burial will be in the Saint Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas with Military
Honors by the Victoria V.F.W. Post #1751.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

&nbsp;Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, at the church with a
family rosary at 10:45 A.M.&nbsp; 

The family suggests memorials made payable to: St. Fidelis Cemetery Fund or
ELARA Caring Hospice Foundation in care of Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main
Street, Victoria, Kansas 676671.

Condolences can be emailed to <a href="mailto:clineschapels@gmail.com">clineschapels@gmail.com</a> or left by
guestbook at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1735944023897.jpeg" alt="Dennis L. Lacock" />
 <figcaption>Dennis L. Lacock</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp; Dennis L.
Lacock – age 82, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away peacefully at his home&nbsp;
on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.He was born January 17, 1942, at Randolph Field, Texas to Frank Lloyd and Agnes
Hilda (Carlson) Lacock.&nbsp; He married Judy (Rome) on October 28, 1967, in
Victoria, Kansas.Dennis was a hydrologist with the U. S. Geological Survey for 37 years
and retired in 2002.&nbsp; He grew up in St. Marys, Kansas, was a 1960 graduate
of St. Marys High School,&nbsp; and was a graduate of Emporia State College.&nbsp;
He was a veteran of the U S Army.Dennis is survived by his wife, Judy, of the home. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Michael Lacock.&nbsp;A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, January
8, 2025, at The Basilica of Saint Fidelis, 900 Cathedral Ave., Victoria, Kansas
with Celebrant, Father James Moster O.F.M. Cap. Burial will be in the Saint Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas with Military
Honors by the Victoria V.F.W. Post #1751.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, at the church with a
family rosary at 10:45 A.M.&nbsp; The family suggests memorials made payable to: St. Fidelis Cemetery Fund or
ELARA Caring Hospice Foundation in care of Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main
Street, Victoria, Kansas 676671.Condolences can be emailed to <a href="mailto:clineschapels@gmail.com">clineschapels@gmail.com</a> or left by
guestbook at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

Dennis L. Lacock

NEW YORK (AP) — In an extraordinary turn, a judge Friday set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President-elect Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;sentencing in his hush money case for Jan. 10 — little over a week before he's due to return to the White House — but indicated he wouldn't be jailed.

The development nevertheless leaves Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes.

Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Trump’s trial, signaled in a written decision that he'd sentence the former and future president to what's known as an unconditional discharge, in which a case is closed without jail time, a fine or probation. Trump can appear virtually for sentencing, if he chooses.

Merchan wrote that he sought to balance competing interests: Trump’s ability to govern “unencumbered” by the case, the U.S. Supreme Court's July&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-supreme-court-capitol-riot-trial-72ec35de776315183e1db561257cb108">ruling on presidential immunity</a>, the public’s expectation “that all are equal and no one is above the Iaw,” and the importance of respecting a jury verdict.

“This court is simply not persuaded that the first factor outweighs the others at this stage of the proceeding,” Merchan wrote in an 18-page decision.

He rejected Trump’s push to dismiss the verdict and throw out the case on presidential immunity grounds and because of his impending second term. The judge said that he found no legal impediment to sentencing Trump and indeed deemed it “incumbent” on the court to carry out the proceeding before Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

“Only by bringing finality to this matter” will the interests of justice be served, Merchan wrote.

Trump communications director Steven Cheung reiterated that the case, which Trump has long described as illegitimate, should be dismissed outright.

“There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead,” Cheung said in a statement. He didn't elaborate on Trump's potential next legal moves.

Former Manhattan Judge Diane Kiesel said the ruling can't be appealed under New York law, but Trump nonetheless might try to appeal it. In any event, he can appeal his conviction, a step that can't be taken until he is sentenced.

“I’m a little curious as to why it took this long, but I don’t want to be critical of the judge over that because I have no idea what his other caseload looks like and I know this is something that he wanted to make sure he got right because the minute Mr. Trump is sentenced, everybody is going to be running up to the appellate division,” Kiesel said.

Trump was convicted in May of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 counts of falsifying business records</a>. They involved an alleged scheme to hide a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-opening-stormy-daniels-6beee9b99114898ee0dd60185d43bac5">hush money payment</a>&nbsp;to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the last weeks of Trump’s first campaign in 2016. The payout was made to keep her from publicizing claims she’d had sex with the married Trump years earlier. He says that her story is false and that he did nothing wrong.

After Trump’s Nov. 5 election, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case.

Trump’s lawyers urged Merchan to toss it. They said it would otherwise&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-manhattan-da-hush-money-stormy-daniels-4ca273191cb1ea226c8938ef14f0b259">pose unconstitutional “disruptions”</a>&nbsp;to the incoming president’s ability to run the country.

Prosecutors acknowledged there should be some accommodation for his upcoming presidency, but they insisted the conviction should stand.

They&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-manhattan-da-hush-money-stormy-daniels-f4405fbd1b0c769a7f98c40aa892d94c">suggested various options</a>, such as freezing the case during his term or guaranteeing him a no-jail sentence. They also proposed closing the case while formally noting both his conviction and his undecided appeal — a novel idea drawn from what some state courts do when criminal defendants die while appealing their cases.

Merchan ruled that Trump’s current status as president-elect does not afford him the same immunity as a sitting president. Setting the verdict aside and dismissing the case would be a “drastic” step and would “undermine the Rule of Law in immeasurable ways,” Merchan wrote. He opined that it wouldn’t address the Supreme Court’s concerns about presidential immunity, either.

Trump takes office Jan. 20 as the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.

His conviction left the 78-year-old facing the possibility of punishment ranging from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison.

The case centered on how Trump accounted for reimbursing his personal attorney for the Daniels payment.

The lawyer, Michael Cohen, fronted the money. He later recouped it through a series of payments that Trump’s company logged as legal expenses. Trump, by then in the White House, signed most of the checks himself.

Prosecutors said the designation was meant to cloak the true purpose of the payments and help cover up a broader effort to keep voters from hearing unflattering claims about the Republican during his first campaign.

Trump said that Cohen was legitimately paid for legal services, and that Daniels’ story was suppressed to avoid embarrassing Trump’s family, not to influence the electorate.

Trump was a private citizen — campaigning for president, but neither elected nor sworn in — when Cohen paid Daniels in October 2016. He was president when Cohen was reimbursed, and Cohen testified that they discussed the repayment arrangement in the Oval Office.

Trump, a Republican, has decried the verdict as the “rigged, disgraceful” result of a “witch hunt” pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.

Before Trump’s November election, his lawyers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-hush-money-merchan-stormy-daniels-02e54baf65b233ad7f6875536fb998ea">sought to reverse</a>&nbsp;his conviction for a different reason: the Supreme Court's immunity decision, which gave presidents broad protection from criminal prosecution.

The Trump hush money attorneys contended that the jury got some evidence that should have been shielded by presidential immunity. Merchan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-conviction-stormy-daniels-908465ed0b7f2005c72226b5b2546260">later rejected</a>&nbsp;that argument, but in the meantime, the election raised new issues.

While urging Merchan to nix the conviction, Trump also sought to move the case to federal court, where he could also assert immunity. A federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-new-york-immunity-a905207c7db9fc48d022d68ac6cc12e1">repeatedly said no</a>, but Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-appeal-immunity-sentencing-c143a098e633bbe8f624966806996fc2">appealed</a>.

The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial.

Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-justice-department-jack-smith-d6172cf98d8e03e099571c908267456c">ended his two federal cases</a>. One pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss; the other alleged he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

A separate, state-level&nbsp;<a href="https://state%20election%20interference%20case%20i/">election interference case in Georgia</a>&nbsp;is in limbo after an appeals court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fani-willis-georgia-election-indictment-removed-0aa6db3b7abed22eb08ed9323f687972">removed prosecutor Fani Willis from the case</a>.

Trump's lawyers argued that Smith’s decision to dismiss the federal indictments against Trump should propel a dismissal of the New York hush money case, as well. But Merchan said he found that argument unpersuasive, noting that the hush money case was in a “vastly” different stage.

Trump's sentencing initially was set for last July 11, then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-bragg-4d5f8ce399656abff72d7c114a04060d">postponed</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-delay-postponed-election-be5a6fd3481055187543236c8dd3b045">twice</a>&nbsp;at the defense's request.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713921168558.png" alt="File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — In an extraordinary turn, a judge Friday set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President-elect Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;sentencing in his hush money case for Jan. 10 — little over a week before he's due to return to the White House — but indicated he wouldn't be jailed.The development nevertheless leaves Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1735943641048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Trump’s trial, signaled in a written decision that he'd sentence the former and future president to what's known as an unconditional discharge, in which a case is closed without jail time, a fine or probation. Trump can appear virtually for sentencing, if he chooses.Merchan wrote that he sought to balance competing interests: Trump’s ability to govern “unencumbered” by the case, the U.S. Supreme Court's July&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-supreme-court-capitol-riot-trial-72ec35de776315183e1db561257cb108">ruling on presidential immunity</a>, the public’s expectation “that all are equal and no one is above the Iaw,” and the importance of respecting a jury verdict.“This court is simply not persuaded that the first factor outweighs the others at this stage of the proceeding,” Merchan wrote in an 18-page decision.He rejected Trump’s push to dismiss the verdict and throw out the case on presidential immunity grounds and because of his impending second term. The judge said that he found no legal impediment to sentencing Trump and indeed deemed it “incumbent” on the court to carry out the proceeding before Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.“Only by bringing finality to this matter” will the interests of justice be served, Merchan wrote.Trump communications director Steven Cheung reiterated that the case, which Trump has long described as illegitimate, should be dismissed outright.“There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead,” Cheung said in a statement. He didn't elaborate on Trump's potential next legal moves.Former Manhattan Judge Diane Kiesel said the ruling can't be appealed under New York law, but Trump nonetheless might try to appeal it. In any event, he can appeal his conviction, a step that can't be taken until he is sentenced.“I’m a little curious as to why it took this long, but I don’t want to be critical of the judge over that because I have no idea what his other caseload looks like and I know this is something that he wanted to make sure he got right because the minute Mr. Trump is sentenced, everybody is going to be running up to the appellate division,” Kiesel said.Trump was convicted in May of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 counts of falsifying business records</a>. They involved an alleged scheme to hide a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-opening-stormy-daniels-6beee9b99114898ee0dd60185d43bac5">hush money payment</a>&nbsp;to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the last weeks of Trump’s first campaign in 2016. The payout was made to keep her from publicizing claims she’d had sex with the married Trump years earlier. He says that her story is false and that he did nothing wrong.After Trump’s Nov. 5 election, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case.Trump’s lawyers urged Merchan to toss it. They said it would otherwise&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-manhattan-da-hush-money-stormy-daniels-4ca273191cb1ea226c8938ef14f0b259">pose unconstitutional “disruptions”</a>&nbsp;to the incoming president’s ability to run the country.Prosecutors acknowledged there should be some accommodation for his upcoming presidency, but they insisted the conviction should stand.They&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-manhattan-da-hush-money-stormy-daniels-f4405fbd1b0c769a7f98c40aa892d94c">suggested various options</a>, such as freezing the case during his term or guaranteeing him a no-jail sentence. They also proposed closing the case while formally noting both his conviction and his undecided appeal — a novel idea drawn from what some state courts do when criminal defendants die while appealing their cases.Merchan ruled that Trump’s current status as president-elect does not afford him the same immunity as a sitting president. Setting the verdict aside and dismissing the case would be a “drastic” step and would “undermine the Rule of Law in immeasurable ways,” Merchan wrote. He opined that it wouldn’t address the Supreme Court’s concerns about presidential immunity, either.Trump takes office Jan. 20 as the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.His conviction left the 78-year-old facing the possibility of punishment ranging from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison.The case centered on how Trump accounted for reimbursing his personal attorney for the Daniels payment.The lawyer, Michael Cohen, fronted the money. He later recouped it through a series of payments that Trump’s company logged as legal expenses. Trump, by then in the White House, signed most of the checks himself.Prosecutors said the designation was meant to cloak the true purpose of the payments and help cover up a broader effort to keep voters from hearing unflattering claims about the Republican during his first campaign.Trump said that Cohen was legitimately paid for legal services, and that Daniels’ story was suppressed to avoid embarrassing Trump’s family, not to influence the electorate.Trump was a private citizen — campaigning for president, but neither elected nor sworn in — when Cohen paid Daniels in October 2016. He was president when Cohen was reimbursed, and Cohen testified that they discussed the repayment arrangement in the Oval Office.Trump, a Republican, has decried the verdict as the “rigged, disgraceful” result of a “witch hunt” pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.Before Trump’s November election, his lawyers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immunity-hush-money-merchan-stormy-daniels-02e54baf65b233ad7f6875536fb998ea">sought to reverse</a>&nbsp;his conviction for a different reason: the Supreme Court's immunity decision, which gave presidents broad protection from criminal prosecution.The Trump hush money attorneys contended that the jury got some evidence that should have been shielded by presidential immunity. Merchan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-conviction-stormy-daniels-908465ed0b7f2005c72226b5b2546260">later rejected</a>&nbsp;that argument, but in the meantime, the election raised new issues.While urging Merchan to nix the conviction, Trump also sought to move the case to federal court, where he could also assert immunity. A federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-new-york-immunity-a905207c7db9fc48d022d68ac6cc12e1">repeatedly said no</a>, but Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-appeal-immunity-sentencing-c143a098e633bbe8f624966806996fc2">appealed</a>.The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial.Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-justice-department-jack-smith-d6172cf98d8e03e099571c908267456c">ended his two federal cases</a>. One pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss; the other alleged he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.A separate, state-level&nbsp;<a href="https://state%20election%20interference%20case%20i/">election interference case in Georgia</a>&nbsp;is in limbo after an appeals court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fani-willis-georgia-election-indictment-removed-0aa6db3b7abed22eb08ed9323f687972">removed prosecutor Fani Willis from the case</a>.Trump's lawyers argued that Smith’s decision to dismiss the federal indictments against Trump should propel a dismissal of the New York hush money case, as well. But Merchan said he found that argument unpersuasive, noting that the hush money case was in a “vastly” different stage.Trump's sentencing initially was set for last July 11, then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-bragg-4d5f8ce399656abff72d7c114a04060d">postponed</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-delay-postponed-election-be5a6fd3481055187543236c8dd3b045">twice</a>&nbsp;at the defense's request.

Judge will sentence Trump 10-days before inauguration

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oprah-winfrey-us-news-ap-top-news-entertainment-steven-spielberg-165d8109c0c0444192c49f9880ceca5d">Apple TV+</a>&nbsp;is hoping people will make a dent in the Strategic Popcorn Reserve by bingeing its streaming TV and movies for free this weekend in what experts are calling a canny promotion.

The two-day offer this Saturday and Sunday is intended to give viewers a taste of what’s behind the Apple paywall and get them hooked, ready to fork over $9.99 a month in the U.S.

Michael D. Smith, a professor of information technology and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, said the two-day window is not too short to ignore and not too long to satisfy all demand.

“This is not ‘I’m going to let you binge-watch this over the course of three or four days or a week or a couple weeks and then maybe you won’t subscribe next month,’” he said. “This is, ‘I’m giving you two days to explore my catalog. And I’m hoping that you’re going to find something in there that maybe you’ll binge. Maybe you’ll have time to binge the first six episodes, but it’s so cool you’ve got to come back and you’re going to be willing to subscribe to come back.’”

While entertainment companies often use promotions and discounts to lure new customers, Apple TV+’s pitch has no catches, like entering personal info or credit card numbers. All you need is an Apple ID, which is free and which many people already have from the days of 99-cent song downloads.

What can you see behind the paywall? The Emmy-winning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ted-lasso-finale-tv-jason-sudeikis-ae1d331d9dfcae84c6d9e441e5f58d6f">“Ted Lasso”</a>&nbsp;and “The Morning Show” and other buzzy series like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/silo-apple-tv-rebecca-ferguson-hugh-howey-2b184bd68f23a8724f1ae4d010ca2602">“Silo,”</a>&nbsp;“Shrinking,” “Severance,” “Bad Sisters,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gary-oldman-slow-horses-interview-d26e32fc44d58c5241a94749d016efc1">“Slow Horses,”</a>&nbsp;“Disclaimer” and “Presumed Innocent.”

Movies include “Fly Me to the Moon,” “The Instigators,” “Spirited,” “Ghosted,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/argylle-movie-review-henry-cavill-matthew-vaughn-bd2560df6ce2a655022f9dd8d9eed2c8">“Argylle,”</a>&nbsp;Palmer,” “Napoleon” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/movie-review-killers-flower-moon-scorsese-d5e7e7eaee09973fcd62023ee3812c1f">“Killers of the Flower Moon.”</a>

Smith suspects that by the end of the weekend, Apple will have lots of data to sharpen its approach to new customers and returning ones, like himself. Apple will learn, for example, what genres are hot, which shows attract viewers and how long people spend watching.

Smith will be logging in to watch “Ted Lasso” with his son but also wants to check out “Severance” with his daughter. Two days likely won't be enough to watch both to the end.

“It’s kind of like a mall, right? I’ve got an anchor tenant. For me, it’s ‘Ted Lasso.’ That gets me to the mall. And once I’m at the mall, I’m going to wander around and discover some other stuff there. And they’re hoping that the two days isn’t long enough for me to shop,” he said. “My guess it's going to pay off.”

There is some evidence that long bingeing widows don’t help streamers build customers.&nbsp;<a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/isre.2020.0948">A 2020 study</a>&nbsp;by Miguel Godinho de Matos and Pedro Ferreira for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cmu.edu/entertainment-analytics/">Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics</a>&nbsp;at Carnegie Mellon found that binge-watching over several weeks reduces the post-trial likelihood of paid subscriptions.

Apple's weekend deal is clearly an attempt to shake up its numbers. As of October 2024, it had an estimated 25 million subscribers, making it the eighth most popular streaming service by subscribers. Netflix, in No. 1, has 282.7 million.

“Apple TV+ never really truly took off, even though they do have a series of really high-quality TV shows,” says Bo “Bobby” Zhou, a business professor at the University of Maryland. “They are trying to offer a promotional period to let a wider viewer base sample their content in the hope that some of them will be converted.”

Other streamers are also offering deals, like Hulu's free 30-day trial, Starz's $2-a-month plan or Peacock's three-month trial for Samsung Galaxy owners. If viewers miss the Apple TV+ weekend offer, the streamer already has a free 7-day trial promotion going. It has lots of other offers though Target, Best Buy, Samsung and for buyers of Apple devices, too.

<a href="https://jarednewman.com/blog">Jared Newman</a>, a technology journalist who publishes the newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://cordcutterweekly.com/">Cord Cutter Weekly,</a>&nbsp;said the promotion seems to be part of a big push by Apple to up its subscribers. The streamer recently agreed to be distributed through Amazon and there are signals it may want to experiment with an ad-supported tier.

“They really need to get their numbers up and need to get more people on board whatever way possible,” he said. “It may be just another way to test the waters of who would access their service if they didn’t have to pay for it.”

Zhou has seen the industry change from single paid downloads to unlimited access to subscribers and anticipates a future with different tiers of subscribers — say, one free episode for non-subscribers and a full season for diehard fans. Anything to get some buzz.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oprah-winfrey-us-news-ap-top-news-entertainment-steven-spielberg-165d8109c0c0444192c49f9880ceca5d">Apple TV+</a>&nbsp;is hoping people will make a dent in the Strategic Popcorn Reserve by bingeing its streaming TV and movies for free this weekend in what experts are calling a canny promotion.The two-day offer this Saturday and Sunday is intended to give viewers a taste of what’s behind the Apple paywall and get them hooked, ready to fork over $9.99 a month in the U.S.Michael D. Smith, a professor of information technology and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, said the two-day window is not too short to ignore and not too long to satisfy all demand.“This is not ‘I’m going to let you binge-watch this over the course of three or four days or a week or a couple weeks and then maybe you won’t subscribe next month,’” he said. “This is, ‘I’m giving you two days to explore my catalog. And I’m hoping that you’re going to find something in there that maybe you’ll binge. Maybe you’ll have time to binge the first six episodes, but it’s so cool you’ve got to come back and you’re going to be willing to subscribe to come back.’”While entertainment companies often use promotions and discounts to lure new customers, Apple TV+’s pitch has no catches, like entering personal info or credit card numbers. All you need is an Apple ID, which is free and which many people already have from the days of 99-cent song downloads.What can you see behind the paywall? The Emmy-winning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ted-lasso-finale-tv-jason-sudeikis-ae1d331d9dfcae84c6d9e441e5f58d6f">“Ted Lasso”</a>&nbsp;and “The Morning Show” and other buzzy series like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/silo-apple-tv-rebecca-ferguson-hugh-howey-2b184bd68f23a8724f1ae4d010ca2602">“Silo,”</a>&nbsp;“Shrinking,” “Severance,” “Bad Sisters,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gary-oldman-slow-horses-interview-d26e32fc44d58c5241a94749d016efc1">“Slow Horses,”</a>&nbsp;“Disclaimer” and “Presumed Innocent.”Movies include “Fly Me to the Moon,” “The Instigators,” “Spirited,” “Ghosted,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/argylle-movie-review-henry-cavill-matthew-vaughn-bd2560df6ce2a655022f9dd8d9eed2c8">“Argylle,”</a>&nbsp;Palmer,” “Napoleon” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/movie-review-killers-flower-moon-scorsese-d5e7e7eaee09973fcd62023ee3812c1f">“Killers of the Flower Moon.”</a>Smith suspects that by the end of the weekend, Apple will have lots of data to sharpen its approach to new customers and returning ones, like himself. Apple will learn, for example, what genres are hot, which shows attract viewers and how long people spend watching.Smith will be logging in to watch “Ted Lasso” with his son but also wants to check out “Severance” with his daughter. Two days likely won't be enough to watch both to the end.“It’s kind of like a mall, right? I’ve got an anchor tenant. For me, it’s ‘Ted Lasso.’ That gets me to the mall. And once I’m at the mall, I’m going to wander around and discover some other stuff there. And they’re hoping that the two days isn’t long enough for me to shop,” he said. “My guess it's going to pay off.”There is some evidence that long bingeing widows don’t help streamers build customers.&nbsp;<a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/isre.2020.0948">A 2020 study</a>&nbsp;by Miguel Godinho de Matos and Pedro Ferreira for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cmu.edu/entertainment-analytics/">Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics</a>&nbsp;at Carnegie Mellon found that binge-watching over several weeks reduces the post-trial likelihood of paid subscriptions.Apple's weekend deal is clearly an attempt to shake up its numbers. As of October 2024, it had an estimated 25 million subscribers, making it the eighth most popular streaming service by subscribers. Netflix, in No. 1, has 282.7 million.“Apple TV+ never really truly took off, even though they do have a series of really high-quality TV shows,” says Bo “Bobby” Zhou, a business professor at the University of Maryland. “They are trying to offer a promotional period to let a wider viewer base sample their content in the hope that some of them will be converted.”Other streamers are also offering deals, like Hulu's free 30-day trial, Starz's $2-a-month plan or Peacock's three-month trial for Samsung Galaxy owners. If viewers miss the Apple TV+ weekend offer, the streamer already has a free 7-day trial promotion going. It has lots of other offers though Target, Best Buy, Samsung and for buyers of Apple devices, too.<a href="https://jarednewman.com/blog">Jared Newman</a>, a technology journalist who publishes the newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://cordcutterweekly.com/">Cord Cutter Weekly,</a>&nbsp;said the promotion seems to be part of a big push by Apple to up its subscribers. The streamer recently agreed to be distributed through Amazon and there are signals it may want to experiment with an ad-supported tier.“They really need to get their numbers up and need to get more people on board whatever way possible,” he said. “It may be just another way to test the waters of who would access their service if they didn’t have to pay for it.”Zhou has seen the industry change from single paid downloads to unlimited access to subscribers and anticipates a future with different tiers of subscribers — say, one free episode for non-subscribers and a full season for diehard fans. Anything to get some buzz.

Why Apple TV+ is offering a free weekend of binge-watching

I am grateful for the incredible community I am honored to serve—our dedicated faculty, staff, students, alums, and friends of Tiger Nation whose professionalism, resilience, gift for innovation, and commitment to our shared ethic of care have created a culture at this university that continually fuels our success.&nbsp;

As we welcome 2025 with all of its promises, I will remember the year 2024 for the critical strategic partnerships we launched, the generosity of legislators and philanthropists, and the bold steps forward this university community took, which made it a driver of innovation and growth for the people, businesses, and communities of rural Kansas.&nbsp;

January: Addressing the Nursing Shortage with Community Partnerships

In response to a national nursing crisis—marked by the loss of over 100,000 nurses during the pandemic and a projected shortfall of more than 18,000 registered nurses in Kansas alone by 2026—Fort Hays State University forged a guaranteed admission program with the Kansas Association of Community Colleges. Signed on January 19, this memorandum ensures that graduates from Kansas community colleges have secure pathways to continue their nursing&nbsp; education at FHSU, a critical step toward strengthening the healthcare workforce in rural areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

March: Accreditation Achievement and Celebrating 25 Years of Discovery

In March, we proudly received a reaffirmation of our accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, a testament to our consistent quality in education.&nbsp;

We also celebrated 25 years of discovery at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, marked by free admission and an opportunity to contribute to the Curtis Schmidt Zoological Collections Endowment, highlighting our dedication to research and community engagement.&nbsp;&nbsp;

April: Transformational Renovation of Forsyth Library and Online Quality Reaffirmation

April marked the commencement of an exciting $28 million renovation of Forsyth Library, a transformational project aimed at modernizing our resources and solidifying the library's role as a hub for academic and cultural engagement. Dean of Library Services Ginger Williams noted that this is "more than a construction project; it's an investment in the future of learning at FHSU."&nbsp;

Additionally, we proudly earned our five-year Quality Standards certification from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), further affirming our commitment to excellence in online education.&nbsp;&nbsp;

May: Legislative Support for Growth and Innovation

May brought extraordinary support from the Kansas Legislature, including $15 million for the expansion of Stroup Hall and $400,000 for staffing enhancements. We also introduced a new certification program for telemental health providers. We secured $250,000 over five years for this initiative and $750,000 over five years to launch our Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) unit to upskill and reskill the workforce. Additionally, we obtained a $3 million federal investment through U.S. Senator Jerry Moran for health-related programs focused on advanced technology and simulation equipment.

June: Prestigious Carnegie Foundation Recognition&nbsp;

Fort Hays State University was honored as one of only 25 institutions nationwide to receive the inaugural Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose Classification. This accolade highlights institutions that demonstrate a strong dedication to community engagement, social responsibility, and fostering civic skills among college students. This recognition celebrates our robust partnerships with local communities, leadership in addressing public issues, and focus on preparing students to contribute meaningfully to society.&nbsp;

July: Historic Educational Affiliation Approval

The Higher Learning Commission's approval of our change of control application marked a historic moment for FHSU. This strategic alignment with North Central Kansas Technical College and Northwest Kansas Technical College enhances our capacity to serve rural communities, further enriching the educational landscape in our region.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fall 2024 saw a positive trend in enrollment, with a total of 12,878 students at Fort Hays State University, marking a 9 percent increase in first-time undergraduate students and a 3 percent overall rise in our graduate student population. Notably, 78 percent of our domestic students hailed from Kansas, reflecting our commitment to serving our local communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

September: Launching a New Strategic Plan&nbsp;&nbsp;

This fall, we transitioned from our five-year 2019-2024 strategic plan to "Unlocking Untapped Potential: 2024-2027." This roadmap is dedicated to collaborative and responsive planning, building on our strengths, and preparing for future challenges while focusing on innovation and excellence in education.&nbsp;&nbsp;

October: Groundbreaking for the Bickle-Schmidt Athletic Complex

During Homecoming, we celebrated the groundbreaking of the Bickle-Schmidt Athletic Complex. This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant investment in our athletic programs, enhancing training opportunities and solidifying FHSU's leadership in sports medicine.&nbsp;&nbsp;

December: Hosting the Third Annual Western Ag Summit

On December 9, FHSU hosted the Western Kansas Ag Summit, emphasizing critical issues of water management and scarcity in agriculture. This event brought together experts and stakeholders to address Kansas farmers' and businesses' challenges, fostering sustainability in our agricultural communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

2024 has been a transformative year for Fort Hays State University, defined by strategic partnerships, community impact, and a resolute commitment to innovation. As we look forward to 2025, I am excited about the future we collectively build for Tiger Nation and the communities we proudly serve. Thank you for being an essential part of this incredible journey! Together, we will continue to enhance our educational landscape and make a lasting difference in the lives we touch.

By Tisa MasonI am grateful for the incredible community I am honored to serve—our dedicated faculty, staff, students, alums, and friends of Tiger Nation whose professionalism, resilience, gift for innovation, and commitment to our shared ethic of care have created a culture at this university that continually fuels our success.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Tisa Mason" />
 <figcaption>Tisa Mason</figcaption>
 </figure>As we welcome 2025 with all of its promises, I will remember the year 2024 for the critical strategic partnerships we launched, the generosity of legislators and philanthropists, and the bold steps forward this university community took, which made it a driver of innovation and growth for the people, businesses, and communities of rural Kansas.&nbsp;January: Addressing the Nursing Shortage with Community PartnershipsIn response to a national nursing crisis—marked by the loss of over 100,000 nurses during the pandemic and a projected shortfall of more than 18,000 registered nurses in Kansas alone by 2026—Fort Hays State University forged a guaranteed admission program with the Kansas Association of Community Colleges. Signed on January 19, this memorandum ensures that graduates from Kansas community colleges have secure pathways to continue their nursing&nbsp; education at FHSU, a critical step toward strengthening the healthcare workforce in rural areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;March: Accreditation Achievement and Celebrating 25 Years of DiscoveryIn March, we proudly received a reaffirmation of our accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, a testament to our consistent quality in education.&nbsp;We also celebrated 25 years of discovery at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, marked by free admission and an opportunity to contribute to the Curtis Schmidt Zoological Collections Endowment, highlighting our dedication to research and community engagement.&nbsp;&nbsp;April: Transformational Renovation of Forsyth Library and Online Quality ReaffirmationApril marked the commencement of an exciting $28 million renovation of Forsyth Library, a transformational project aimed at modernizing our resources and solidifying the library's role as a hub for academic and cultural engagement. Dean of Library Services Ginger Williams noted that this is "more than a construction project; it's an investment in the future of learning at FHSU."&nbsp;Additionally, we proudly earned our five-year Quality Standards certification from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), further affirming our commitment to excellence in online education.&nbsp;&nbsp;May: Legislative Support for Growth and InnovationMay brought extraordinary support from the Kansas Legislature, including $15 million for the expansion of Stroup Hall and $400,000 for staffing enhancements. We also introduced a new certification program for telemental health providers. We secured $250,000 over five years for this initiative and $750,000 over five years to launch our Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) unit to upskill and reskill the workforce. Additionally, we obtained a $3 million federal investment through U.S. Senator Jerry Moran for health-related programs focused on advanced technology and simulation equipment.June: Prestigious Carnegie Foundation Recognition&nbsp;Fort Hays State University was honored as one of only 25 institutions nationwide to receive the inaugural Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose Classification. This accolade highlights institutions that demonstrate a strong dedication to community engagement, social responsibility, and fostering civic skills among college students. This recognition celebrates our robust partnerships with local communities, leadership in addressing public issues, and focus on preparing students to contribute meaningfully to society.&nbsp;July: Historic Educational Affiliation ApprovalThe Higher Learning Commission's approval of our change of control application marked a historic moment for FHSU. This strategic alignment with North Central Kansas Technical College and Northwest Kansas Technical College enhances our capacity to serve rural communities, further enriching the educational landscape in our region.&nbsp;&nbsp;August: Enrollment GrowthFall 2024 saw a positive trend in enrollment, with a total of 12,878 students at Fort Hays State University, marking a 9 percent increase in first-time undergraduate students and a 3 percent overall rise in our graduate student population. Notably, 78 percent of our domestic students hailed from Kansas, reflecting our commitment to serving our local communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;September: Launching a New Strategic Plan&nbsp;&nbsp;This fall, we transitioned from our five-year 2019-2024 strategic plan to "Unlocking Untapped Potential: 2024-2027." This roadmap is dedicated to collaborative and responsive planning, building on our strengths, and preparing for future challenges while focusing on innovation and excellence in education.&nbsp;&nbsp;October: Groundbreaking for the Bickle-Schmidt Athletic ComplexDuring Homecoming, we celebrated the groundbreaking of the Bickle-Schmidt Athletic Complex. This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant investment in our athletic programs, enhancing training opportunities and solidifying FHSU's leadership in sports medicine.&nbsp;&nbsp;December: Hosting the Third Annual Western Ag SummitOn December 9, FHSU hosted the Western Kansas Ag Summit, emphasizing critical issues of water management and scarcity in agriculture. This event brought together experts and stakeholders to address Kansas farmers' and businesses' challenges, fostering sustainability in our agricultural communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;2024 has been a transformative year for Fort Hays State University, defined by strategic partnerships, community impact, and a resolute commitment to innovation. As we look forward to 2025, I am excited about the future we collectively build for Tiger Nation and the communities we proudly serve. Thank you for being an essential part of this incredible journey! Together, we will continue to enhance our educational landscape and make a lasting difference in the lives we touch.

Heart of a Tiger: Looking back on transformative 2024 

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22ERIC%20TUCKER,%20JIM%20MUSTIAN,%20KEVIN%20McGILL%20and%20JACK%20BROOK%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By ERIC TUCKER, JIM MUSTIAN, KEVIN McGILL and JACK BROOK Associated Press</a>

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-crash-islamic-state-lone-wolves-4bb6446c484737fbe9dd1b9c26a899a9">U.S. Army veteran</a>&nbsp;who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers acted alone, the FBI said Thursday, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in carrying out the deadly attack, which officials say was an act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group.

The FBI also revealed that the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack in which he aligned himself with IS and told viewers that he had joined the militant group before last summer.

“This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” said Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division.

The attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-killed-crash-terrorist-attack-9f2fbcc3e48d8b391590f60969e80e61">killed 14 people</a>, including an 18-year-old woman who had ambitions of becoming a nurse. Authorities initially put the death toll at 15, which included Jabbar, who was fatally shot in a firefight with police.

Officials had said Wednesday that they were seeking additional potential suspects in the attack, which occurred when Jabbar steered around a police blockade and plowed into a crowd.

But Raia said the current assessment is that he acted alone, without any conspirators.

Authorities recovered a black flag of the Islamic State in the truck, and President Joe Biden said he was told by the FBI that Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, had posted videos to social media hours before the carnage that showed he was motivated by the militant group and expressed a desire to kill.

He was shot to death by police, and the FBI said Wednesday that it believed he did not act alone. Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, along with other explosive devices elsewhere in the French Quarter.

Officials fanned out to serve search warrants and spent hours at a Houston-area home thought to be connected to the investigation. But as of Thursday morning, no additional arrests were known to have been made, and it was unclear if the FBI was still actively looking for more suspects.

The rampage turned festive Bourbon Street into a macabre scene of maimed victims, bloodied bodies and pedestrians fleeing for safety inside nightclubs and restaurants. In addition to the dead, dozens of people were hurt.

Zion Parsons, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi, said he saw the truck “barreling through, throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air.”

“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering,” said Parsons, whose friend Nikyra Dedeaux was among the dead.

But by Thursday, a still-reeling city was inching back toward normal operations. Authorities finished processing the scene early in the morning, removing the last of the bodies, and Bourbon Street was set to reopen at some point later in the day, according to an official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

The Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and Georgia, initially set for Wednesday night and postponed by a day in the interest of national security, was still on for Thursday. And the city planned to host the Super Bowl next month.

Federal officials were investigating Jabbar's potential associations with any terror organizations as they hunted for additional clues in what's believed to be the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years.

Local officials, meanwhile, faced more questions about security protocols in the city leading up to the attack, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-vehicle-ramming-attacks-8af368ea95bea1eec9bc15ebaf43f7ec">latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon</a>&nbsp;to carry out mass violence.

Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck onto a sidewalk, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic, authorities said. A barrier system meant to prevent vehicle attacks was being repaired&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-new-orleans-7001f6f459065b18646fe0d253bd0d34">in preparation for the Super Bowl</a>.

Jabbar was killed by police after he exited the truck and opened fire on responding officers, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. Three officers returned fire. Two were shot and are in stable condition.

The driver “defeated” safety measures in place to protect pedestrians and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said.

“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” she added.

Also on Wednesday, there were deadly explosions in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fireworks-accident-two-dead-honolulu-1075a875d2f881516dde4e412d21fd7d">Honolulu</a>&nbsp;and outside a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hotel-vehicle-fire-las-vegas-ad4c171c7a6af64f08db93d9fdc2d749">Las Vegas</a>&nbsp;hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump. Biden said the FBI was looking into whether the Las Vegas explosion was connected to the New Orleans attack but had “nothing to report” as of Wednesday evening.

A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed. The intelligence bulletin obtained by the AP said he was wearing a ballistic vest and helmet. The flag of the Islamic State group was on the truck's trailer hitch, the FBI said.

“For those people who don’t believe in objective evil, all you have to do is look at what happened in our city early this morning," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said. "If this doesn’t trigger the gag reflex of every American, every fair-minded American, I’ll be very surprised.”

Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the service said. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.

Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were parked on the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, cordoned off by police tape with crowds of dazed tourists standing around, some trying to navigate their luggage through the labyrinth of blockades.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urged people to avoid the area, which remained an active crime scene.

“We looked out our front door and saw caution tape and dead silence, and it’s eerie,” said Tessa Cundiff, an Indiana native who moved to the French Quarter a few years ago. "This is not what we fell in love with, it’s sad.”

Biden, speaking from the presidential retreat at Camp David, addressed the victims and the people of New Orleans: “I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you as you mourn and as you heal.”

FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated international terrorism threat due to the Israel-Hamas war. In the last year, the agency has disrupted other potential attacks, including in October when it arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma for an alleged Election Day plot targeting large crowds.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22ERIC%20TUCKER,%20JIM%20MUSTIAN,%20KEVIN%20McGILL%20and%20JACK%20BROOK%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By ERIC TUCKER, JIM MUSTIAN, KEVIN McGILL and JACK BROOK Associated Press</a>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-crash-islamic-state-lone-wolves-4bb6446c484737fbe9dd1b9c26a899a9">U.S. Army veteran</a>&nbsp;who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers acted alone, the FBI said Thursday, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in carrying out the deadly attack, which officials say was an act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia on New Orleans Attack: &quot;This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act...We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/DF2H2YKDO2">pic.twitter.com/DF2H2YKDO2</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1874859484360687948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The FBI also revealed that the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack in which he aligned himself with IS and told viewers that he had joined the militant group before last summer.“This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” said Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1735738471176.png" alt="Photo courtesy WDSU TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WDSU TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-killed-crash-terrorist-attack-9f2fbcc3e48d8b391590f60969e80e61">killed 14 people</a>, including an 18-year-old woman who had ambitions of becoming a nurse. Authorities initially put the death toll at 15, which included Jabbar, who was fatally shot in a firefight with police.Officials had said Wednesday that they were seeking additional potential suspects in the attack, which occurred when Jabbar steered around a police blockade and plowed into a crowd.But Raia said the current assessment is that he acted alone, without any conspirators.Authorities recovered a black flag of the Islamic State in the truck, and President Joe Biden said he was told by the FBI that Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, had posted videos to social media hours before the carnage that showed he was motivated by the militant group and expressed a desire to kill.He was shot to death by police, and the FBI said Wednesday that it believed he did not act alone. Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, along with other explosive devices elsewhere in the French Quarter.Officials fanned out to serve search warrants and spent hours at a Houston-area home thought to be connected to the investigation. But as of Thursday morning, no additional arrests were known to have been made, and it was unclear if the FBI was still actively looking for more suspects.The rampage turned festive Bourbon Street into a macabre scene of maimed victims, bloodied bodies and pedestrians fleeing for safety inside nightclubs and restaurants. In addition to the dead, dozens of people were hurt.Zion Parsons, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi, said he saw the truck “barreling through, throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air.”“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering,” said Parsons, whose friend Nikyra Dedeaux was among the dead.But by Thursday, a still-reeling city was inching back toward normal operations. Authorities finished processing the scene early in the morning, removing the last of the bodies, and Bourbon Street was set to reopen at some point later in the day, according to an official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.The Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and Georgia, initially set for Wednesday night and postponed by a day in the interest of national security, was still on for Thursday. And the city planned to host the Super Bowl next month.Federal officials were investigating Jabbar's potential associations with any terror organizations as they hunted for additional clues in what's believed to be the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years.Local officials, meanwhile, faced more questions about security protocols in the city leading up to the attack, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-vehicle-ramming-attacks-8af368ea95bea1eec9bc15ebaf43f7ec">latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon</a>&nbsp;to carry out mass violence.Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck onto a sidewalk, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic, authorities said. A barrier system meant to prevent vehicle attacks was being repaired&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-new-orleans-7001f6f459065b18646fe0d253bd0d34">in preparation for the Super Bowl</a>.Jabbar was killed by police after he exited the truck and opened fire on responding officers, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. Three officers returned fire. Two were shot and are in stable condition.The driver “defeated” safety measures in place to protect pedestrians and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said.“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” she added.Also on Wednesday, there were deadly explosions in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fireworks-accident-two-dead-honolulu-1075a875d2f881516dde4e412d21fd7d">Honolulu</a>&nbsp;and outside a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hotel-vehicle-fire-las-vegas-ad4c171c7a6af64f08db93d9fdc2d749">Las Vegas</a>&nbsp;hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump. Biden said the FBI was looking into whether the Las Vegas explosion was connected to the New Orleans attack but had “nothing to report” as of Wednesday evening.A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed. The intelligence bulletin obtained by the AP said he was wearing a ballistic vest and helmet. The flag of the Islamic State group was on the truck's trailer hitch, the FBI said.“For those people who don’t believe in objective evil, all you have to do is look at what happened in our city early this morning," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said. "If this doesn’t trigger the gag reflex of every American, every fair-minded American, I’ll be very surprised.”Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the service said. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were parked on the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, cordoned off by police tape with crowds of dazed tourists standing around, some trying to navigate their luggage through the labyrinth of blockades.Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urged people to avoid the area, which remained an active crime scene.“We looked out our front door and saw caution tape and dead silence, and it’s eerie,” said Tessa Cundiff, an Indiana native who moved to the French Quarter a few years ago. "This is not what we fell in love with, it’s sad.”Biden, speaking from the presidential retreat at Camp David, addressed the victims and the people of New Orleans: “I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you as you mourn and as you heal.”FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated international terrorism threat due to the Israel-Hamas war. In the last year, the agency has disrupted other potential attacks, including in October when it arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma for an alleged Election Day plot targeting large crowds.___Tucker reported from Washington, and Mustian reported from Black Mountain, North Carolina. Associated Press reporters Stephen Smith, Chevel Johnson and Brett Martel in New Orleans; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Alanna Durkin Richer, Tara Copp and Zeke Miller in Washington; Darlene Superville in New Castle, Delaware; Colleen Long in West Palm Beach, Florida; and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report.