English Department-Fort Hays State University

09/24/2026

Teachers-- Get your students excited about Poetry!

Poetry Out Loud is an exciting opportunity open to all students in grades 9-12. It’s simple to participate: students memorize three poems from the Poetry Out Loud online anthology and recite them in front of judges. The competition starts at the local level, then advances to regional and state levels, culminating in the national competition in Washington DC, where scholarships and prizes, including a $20,000 grand prize, are awarded.

FHSU hosts the northwest/north central Kansas regional area. Contact us if you're interested or want more information. If you teach in another area of Kansas or in another state, we can let you know who to contact to participate.

The Poetry Out Loud website https://www.poetryoutloud.org includes contests guidelines, videos of past performances, and free lesson plans and other educational materials to teachers.

09/15/2026

Scholarship portal now open: Priority Deadline November 15.

You can apply for these English major scholarship here: https://fhsu.academicworks.com

Kay Gilmore Memorial Scholarship
Recipient(s) must be an undergraduate, on-campus, full-time student(s) pursuing a major within the English Department. Recipient(s) must have a minimum 3.5 GPA in English courses and 3.0 GPA overall. Recipient(s) must be a resident of Kansas. Recipient(s) must be a junior, with funds to be used senior year. Consideration will be given to a student(s) with financial need.

The Ralph F. Voss, Elvon and Ruby Feldkamp English Scholarship*
The recipient of this scholarship will be a student properly enrolled at Fort Hays State University majoring in English. Preference will be given to a student in the Masters program with next preference for a student of sophomore, junior or senior status. Apply directly to English Department.

Non-Traditional Student English Scholarship
Available to English majors who qualify as non-traditional students.

Graduate Student English Scholarship
Recipient must be enrolled in the MA English program.

Alice McFarland English Scholarship
Award for English majors planning to teach in a secondary school.

English Development Fund Scholarship
Recipient must be majoring in English.

Alexis-Athena Wyatt Memorial Scholarship
Recipients must be either full-time or part-time, on-campus, undergraduate students majoring in English. Recipients must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Scholarship is renewable if the recipients reapply, continue to meet the established criteria and funds are available.

Elizabeth Jane Betty (Nee Moore) Lenz Scholarship
Criteria for scholarship recipients will include a preference for students majoring in English who plan to teach.

Michael Marks Literature Scholarship
Junior English major, 3.0 GPA or better, renewable for senior year if criteria are met.

Lloyd Oswald Scholarship Fund*
The recipients of these (renewable) $1,000 scholarships shall be undergraduate or graduate students properly enrolled at Fort Hays State University and majoring in English with preference to students from western Kansas. Apply directly to English Department.

James and Ruth Start Scholarship
Students majoring in English. Junior or Senior with 3.0 GPA.
Roberta Stout Memorial Scholarship
Recipient must be majoring in English.

Eleanor Bogart English Scholarship
The recipient of this scholarship shall be a graduate student properly enrolled at FHSU and pursing a degree in English. The recipient must have a minimum GPA of 3.3 or higher.

Brett Weaver and Linda Smith Writing Scholarship*
Two recipients will be selected each year for this scholarship and will be junior or senior undergraduate students and/or graduate students majoring in English with a Writing Concentration. Preference will be given to students with a 3.5 GPA (within their major) or higher and who demonstrate financial need.

English Department Scholarship
For students majoring in English.

Pamela Shaffer Memorial Scholarship
Recipient must be a graduate student seeking an English Degree.

*must submit department application (contact department for form)

Scholarship Application opens TOMORROW! 💰

Ready to invest in your future? Don’t miss your chance to apply for scholarships at FHSU!

🗓️ Opens September 15th
💻 Apply at FHSU.academicworks.com
✨ Priority Deadline - November 15
✨ Final Deadline - February 15

08/24/2026

ONLINE STUDENTS and ALUMNI in the east-central Kansas area! Join English faculty and students at the Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival in St. Marys (located between Junction City and Lawrence) on September 25. Let us know if you have questions or plan to attend.

For more info on the festival: https://www.flinthillsshakespearefestival.com/

08/21/2026

Fort Hays State University’s Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program has been selected by the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum for the 2026 Exemplary WAC Program Award – Established Program, a national recognition honoring outstanding and sustainable WAC initiatives.

FHSU’s WAC program was nominated for the award by Michelle (formerly Cox) Crow of Cornell University. The national award recognizes the university’s sustained commitment to developing a campus-wide culture of writing and supporting student writers across disciplines.

Read more: https://hubs.ly/Q04tRmW50

08/11/2026

English Majors Can Teach Us How to be Indispensable in the Age of AI (Forbes)"

"Click through any thought leadership outlet, and you’ll see that CEOs and AI titans agree: English majors are the new best hire.... Critical thinking, empathy, and nuanced communication skills make you more adaptable and open-minded, and these abilities are super-charged by one practice that’s necessary for studying literature: close reading. This reading technique not only cultivates in humans the skills that AI hasn’t yet mastered; it is an essential technique for analyzing and validating AI-produced content."

To increase their durability in the job market, professionals can borrow a page from the English major handbook and start honing their close reading skills.

07/08/2026

"In-class writing works best when the purpose is to develop aspects of good writing, rather than to write an entire paper."

Slowing down the teaching process may be what’s needed in the age of AI.

05/27/2026

A new resource for AI and writing:

https://wacclearinghouse.org/books/perspectives/bad/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSDz_lleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEyS2p6THRxZGtxUjJ0MTNHc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnK9jT3T-3twVaN6RZIkatzNJFXDGwCOT_S9PQnupTTSUcLSj2MU2ALThECj_aem_gok9BsScxJaEULJ3kc6QiQ

Edited by Christopher Basgier, Anna Mills, Mandy Olejnik, Miranda Rodak, and Shyam Sharma Copy edited by Don Donahue. Designed by Mike Palmquist.

05/12/2026

Bosses Horrified as “AI Native” College Graduates Hit the Workplace: "Massive numbers of students are going to emerge from university with degrees, and into the workforce, who are essentially illiterate."

https://futurism.com/future-society/college-critical-thinking-ai?fbclid=IwY2xjawRvayBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETEyY0l6c2g1SWlYc2d3Tjl0c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqzOMoSwOG24_WYYw3UzX559ZEh6OYvfAEy0nb8dwX967hwQs8Qo8F_KDsz5_aem_PwDCJF2llNFiHzTK1KseSg

"AI native" college graduates are hitting the workplace -- and, as experts warned, bosses are finding their performance disappointing.

05/05/2026

Tebo Library is hiring! We are accepting applications for the Library Access Service Specialist, which is a key customer-facing position. The specialist oversees circulation services, course reserves, public workstations, public printing services, event set-up, and collection of fines and fees.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university (does not have to be a Library Science degree)
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Strong commitment to customer service, excellent interpersonal skills, and effective written and oral communication skills.
• Exceptional level of accuracy, thoroughness, and attention to detail for all financial and supervisory tasks.

APPLY BY MAY 18: Read more about the position responsibilities and the preferred qualifications. Apply on Workday with R-05029.

05/04/2026

From a high school history/journalism teacher

As a veteran high school humanities teacher, I’m writing about what I see across social media, in education forums, and in ongoing…