Fort Hays State University was founded in 1902 as the Western Branch of Kansas State Normal School. The institution was originally located on the grounds of Fort Hays, a Nineteenth Century frontier military outpost. The state of Kansas initially intended the university’s academic programs to focus on agriculture, but it opened in as a “normal” or teacher’s college.
FHSU today is a regional comprehensive public university where determined, innovative and caring faculty and staff share a deep commitment to teaching and mentoring students. Our mission is to develop the engaged global citizen-leaders our world needs today. When you consider the quality of our academic programs, our unmatched affordability and the caring and supportive people who make the “Tiger Nation” special.