Welcome to the new frontier. What used to be the Wild, Wild West is now home to Fort Hays State University. I'm Ferrari Saint Paul with YOUniversity TV, and I'll be your host as we check out this campus.

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Fort Hays State University is located in Ellis county in the city of Hays on the plains of Western Kansas. Hays has been recognized as an all American city. Blending the old and the new beautifully.

Well there's lot of different recreational activities, lot of people go to the pool, and there's different volley ball courts. Lot of really nice parks...

The University sits on 4,160 acres of land that was once a wild frontier town and part of the historic Fort Hays Frontier Military post. Big creek provides a tranquil learning atmosphere on its shady grassy banks and serves as a natural laboratory for students in the biological sciences. Fort Hays thrives with stately limestone buildings, profuse flowers, trees and shrubs so beautiful that the campus has often been called the prettiest in Kansas.

We're kind of the hub of Western Kansas, so we have shopping. We have cultural events. We have lots of things for kids and families.

Hays enrolls more than ten thousand students a year. 46% men, 54% women. And a student to faculty ratio at 17 to 1. Half of the enrolling class participates in distance education courses provided through the virtual college program. They include more than two thousand FHSU students at partner universities in China.

We have a slogan. High tech, high touch. And that certainly is true. We have the latest technology in the classrooms and on campus. We do a lot of neat stuff in class with the latest software and hardware.

FHSU makes a college education accessible for almost anyone. Students only need a minimum ACT of 21, rank in the top third of their graduating class or for the minimum GPA of 2.0 for Kansas residents or a 2.5 for non-residents. FHSU offers a high quality education at an affordable price. Resident undergraduate tuition and fees are about $3600 yearly. Non-residents are around $11,000. And on campus room and board is roughly an additional $6000. FHSU offers 60 plus majors along with a variety of minor and certificate programs. Art, education, biology and health and human performance are listed among the student's favorites at the university. If you're looking to land a job in graphic design Fort Hays State is a great start as early as freshman year, students are creating cutting edge images. Mike is working his magic on a special for, you guessed it, YOUniversity TV. Outstanding academic programs include graphic design, the Masters program in biology, financial planning, leadership studies and agriculture.

We do have a radiologic technology program. It's a four year program and its one of the only four year programs in the state of Kansas. We also have a phenomenal education program so students come here for secondary education and elementary education. Learn with our business and our nursing school.

There are 268 full time faculty members at Fort Hays. 128 are tenured and 180 have their doctoral degrees.

Everybody is accessible. You don't have to make an appointment. You don't have to, to go through processes to get to, to get to know your teacher, for us to get to know you. And that's what makes this university great. I know all my student's names, I know where they're from. I know their background, I know their families and that's what makes learning a unique [inaudible].

Getting that real life experience for me was very valuable. And its fun to come into the classroom then and share that with students. And a lot of professors here at Fort Hays have that. They have the degree but they also have the experience that they can share with students.

Fort Hays State University is actually NCAA Division II. We are in a conference that is a great conference in Missouri and Kansas school. Yes, we do have soccer coming in anticipated fall of 2010. We are very excited. We're bringing both men's and women's soccer teams...

The men's basketball team has claimed several national championships. And the women's team brought home a national title as well. FHSU has four resident's hall and an apartment complex that offers condominium style living plus recently renovated Wooster place houses married students and faculty members. There is an abundant amount of extra curricular activities on campus. With nearly 120 student organizations in the categories of campus life, academics, honorary, residential and religious groups. The Guinness Book of World Records now lists Nola Och as the oldest person to ever finish college. Graduating at the age of 95, Nola received her history degree from Fort Hays State University. She graduated alongside her 21 year old granddaughter. We are told Nola is one dedicated student. Rumor has it she passed up an appearance on Oprah during finals week. So, what's up next for the woman making the grade? She's getting her Masters. What else? Want to be successful without losing your shirt, then earn your stripes and become a tiger. In academics and in sports at Fort Hays State University. Well this is where we end our tiger tour. I hope you had as much fun as I did. I'm Ferrari Saint Paul and [inaudible] will see you later.

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