HAYS, Kan. — The Campus Community Collaborative (3C), a civic engagement initiative launched in 2021, is taking steps to deepen connections between Fort Hays State University and the Hays community through a renewed vision for collaboration and engagement.
Comprised of representatives from Hays businesses, local government, Fort Hays Tech | North Central, and Fort Hays State University, 3C was created to cultivate meaningful partnerships that strengthen both campus and community. During a meeting in early March, members discussed plans to revamp the group to expand involvement among FHSU faculty, staff, and students.
FHSU Provost Dr. Jill Arensdorf, who attended the meeting, emphasized the importance of community engagement and shared her vision for the group’s future.
“No one has needed to convince me in my entire life that community engagement is important,” Arensdorf said. “I’ve lived and breathed that, and I try to model that in my life.”
As part of that vision, Arensdorf proposed blending a current FHSU committee that stewards service-learning with 3C to create a more intentional connection between the collaborative’s mission and ongoing efforts across the university.
“Although the two groups are merging, I really think the identity of 3C with its purpose and its goals has a strong vision of how the university can work together,” she said. “We are taking that membership structure and bringing it together.”
The reimagined collaborative is expected to broaden participation by inviting student leaders and campus groups into the conversation, including the representatives of FHSU’s on-campus and online Student Government Associations, the American Democracy Project, and the student engagement and student success units.
3C co-chair Mendi Anschutz, Director of Advancement for Fort Hays Tech | North Central, said the group’s work since its founding has already demonstrated the value of campus-community partnerships.
“Since the inception of 3C, we are very proud of all the areas that our group has been able to help foster and grow through the collaborative efforts between the Hays community and FHSU,” Anschutz said.
Anschutz said she is excited about the next chapter for 3C and the potential to further strengthen relationships between Hays and the university.
“Many community members may want to be more involved in campus events and activities, and likewise, many people from the university and tech college may want to be more involved in the Hays community,” Anschutz said. “Through 3C, we hope to bridge these common areas and be able to showcase the amazing possibilities, events, and activities that make our whole community thrive and prosper.”
By bringing together local leaders, educators, students, and community members, 3C continues to build on its mission to create stronger connections and shared opportunities among Fort Hays State University, Fort Hays Tech | North Central, and the Hays community.
Dr. Lori Kniffin, Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Director of Civic Learning and Engagement at FHSU, will co-chair the newly envisioned 3C. She said, “FHSU just earned the Carnegie Foundation’s community engagement elective classification, and this is an example of how we will continue to work strategically with the community to advance all of our goals together.”
