On this episode of the Post Podcast, Fort Hays State University Alumni Association engagement specialist Carolyn Tatro and Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Melissa Dixon share information about the Community Cruise.
Transcript:
EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.
James Bell
The Fort Hays State University Alumni Association recently partnered with the Hays Convention and Visitor's Bureau for a community cruise on campus from the CVB Melissa Dixon, as well as from the Alumni Association, Carolyn Tatro joins us to talk about that and more on this episode of the Post Podcast.
Carolyn Tatro
We had an outstanding opportunity just a few weeks ago to bring together community leaders and community members on to the Fort Hays State campus. So we partnered with the Convention Visitors Bureau with the chamber and grow Hayes for the first community cruise and think it was maybe three years right, Melissa, is I sound right? Correct. Yeah. So it was a it was yeah, it was a great opportunity. We probably had I mean, we had a couple dozen, there were a lot of people
Melissa Dixon
think, yes, this event started, way before I worked for the city as an opportunity to educate our newly elected officials on what our organizations are, what they do, how we're funded, and what our big projects are. And, you know, after COVID, we had to not get on a bus together and do that. So we would start out with a presentation of, you know, I'm the CVB. I'm funded by transient guests tax, and here's my mission. And each organization would go through that and just let those officials know what they do. And then we would all jump on a bus together, and we would drive around town and say, What's going on over here? What's that empty lot? What are your plans for this? And we usually would have somebody on that bus ticket, answer the question. And we would have a lunch at the Welcome Center, and then COVID. And so we hadn't done it in in years.
Carolyn Tatro
But I think it was awesome having them on campus. There were a lot of familiar faces that I knew that I had recognized, but a lot of people that I got to meet and really kind of here. You know, a lot of people had not been on campus in a while. And so it was definitely a different event than what kind of community cruises had taken place before.
Melissa Dixon
Absolutely. There's so many new buildings on campus in the past few years that I know, I know, our city department heads hadn't been in. So the guest list kind of looks like school board members, city department heads, county department heads. And that includes Police Department educators. So everybody got together and got some fantastic personal tours of the three newest buildings on campus. So we went to the officially wills Center for Student Success, which is gorgeous, so many little spaces to meet and engage. And then the new art building, and then the new Center for Applied Technology.
Carolyn Tatro
Yep, Applied Technology. Yes, got it.
James Bell
Nothing greatest, really, we'll need to get to get a cool name for that building.
Carolyn Tatro
It's a cool building, though it is a cool building. They're
James Bell
all they're all great. And what I love about this, and what I think probably everybody took away from this, correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of the ways that we kind of teach our students especially that college age, are shifting, it's a little different. And it's more community spaces and collaborative rooms and things like that, that especially that fishery will center really helps, you know, happen.
Carolyn Tatro
Yeah, so much more collaboration, so much more hands on. And it really was important to us to make sure that our community was able to see that not just the facilities themselves, but what's going on in some of those facilities. And so I think for us, it was just really important because we, you know, we want everybody to feel welcome on our campus, not just students and faculty and staff. But you know, people who and first of all, I cannot tell you how many alums were in this group, what I asked at the very beginning, hands shot up all over the room. I mean, people were cool. Yeah, it was great. There were 4k State alums all over the place. And a lot of them really had not been back to campus in a while. And so being able to connect them back to the spaces, allowing them to just sort of explore what their campus looks like now. And we want everybody to be able to feel welcome on our campus so that they can come see all the really special things that we're doing.
Melissa Dixon
And now those people will be more comfortable. They'll say, Oh, I know where this is. And I know where I can park Exactly. And I know who to talk to. And what I love is sometimes you'll walk into space, and have an idea or an opportunity and say what if we work together on something like this? Because with my job, people call us all the time looking for meeting spaces. And when I walked into the officially Will's Senator, I said, Look at all these meetings. What if we could work together and so I think that's the ultimate goal is to find opportunities that we might not have thought of, for city and university county to work together.
James Bell
But there are really strong connections already in place between the university and I think some of the events and things that I've been involved with and one of the first calls that I always hear is well, let's See if we can get some students down here. Because they are a great resource workwise ideal wise, and engaging them in the community then helps keep them here.
Melissa Dixon
Yes, absolutely, thank you know, I
Carolyn Tatro
get on the soapbox all the time, when I was a student, I wish that I had taken more advantage of the things that this community offers. And I tell people now do not wait until it's too late. Whether or not you plan to stay in Hays, you will want to be engaged with this community, because we want you to feel like you're part of it. And I know how many people stay in Hays because of those community connections. And so it just really benefits everybody to have this relationship. And so this, I mean, and the city of Hayes gives back in so many different ways, you know, whether it's support or student scholarships, you know, there's so many different ways that we can really just build this relationship. And it's so important to the university as well. And, you know, it's, it's a very tight knit community, and everybody, you know, everybody knows everybody sometimes. But we're really just, you know, everything is kind of intertwined. Everything is interconnected. And so it's just important for us to be able to do things like this.
Melissa Dixon
And our goals are so similar. We all want Hayes to be the best it can be. We want people, alumni, students, employees, to fall in love with Hayes and stay here forever. So I feel like in the CVB, yes, our mission is to take care of visitors and market hates to visitors. But our long game is that those visitors will decide to live here. And so I feel like that's something that we work on together every day.
James Bell
Yeah, and I gotta believe, too, that, you know, the university helps. And especially, although the Alumni Association events and activities help bring those visitors to Hayes, and maybe even not alumni, but somebody's curious about the school and they say, Hey, I saw this, these new nice, neat buildings down on campus. And maybe you should check this out when they're talking to their youth, which then helps recruit for the university as well.
Melissa Dixon
Absolutely. That relationship is so important. With that, we have a committee, yeah, dedicated to it. It's called the town and gown committee. So town is the city gown is like what you wear when you graduate. And we're, we're a member of the International Town and Gown Association, because there's so many college towns that have the same challenges. And every year, we go to a conference, and we get together and hear how everybody else is, is solving their problems and, and we take notes on their things that are working. And we've actually presented on some projects there before. It's a great organization.
James Bell
Very cool. Very cool. You know, I wonder if you want to talk a little bit about, you know, after these events, what happens next, you know, what are we gonna do you get to build all that goodwill? And that, you know, like, Oh, that's cool. That's neat. But then what?
Carolyn Tatro
No, well, I laugh because there's just, there's so many different opportunities. Um, you know, we bring our graduates to the community, they, you know, they might find jobs around here, there's lots of different ways that they can benefit afterward. And then they bring those there kind of stories back to the university to help the current students and the other alums to kind of understand, like, here's where I have come full circle. So and I know, throughout the year, you know, there's lots of other opportunities to do this as well and other opportunities, not just for, you know, our elected officials like what we were doing for this community cruise, but my first of many pitches to come for homecoming, you know, it's an opportunity for anybody to be part of what we're doing on campus. We open it up to the entire community, people come from all over the place to see Oktoberfest and homecoming. And we have a lot of different ways for people to get involved for that entire weekend. So absolutely lots of ways that we can do this.
James Bell
Yeah, you mentioned homecoming, and Oktoberfest is one of those things. I think they're so intertwined that most people don't realize they are separate activities and events, you know, different people are planning different things, but it all happens kind of at the same time and together and works perfectly. Oh, always has it as long as I've been here. Don't want to curse it this year, but
Carolyn Tatro
Well, I will. Yeah, both both. People who have their hand in both big events really do a great job of putting it together.
Melissa Dixon
And this year is actually the 50th October so I think everything's going to be bigger and better. There's plans for they're going to try to break the world record for the world's largest beer rock. So don't miss that.
James Bell
You know, what's bummer about that? Cuz I had to talk to some of the organizers. All the spaces to eat the beer rock are full. They're done. Like I want to eat the beer rock I don't want to see it I mean seeing some school but it tastes good. Well, I'm sure it's gonna taste good. But anyway, we got about a minute left guys last thoughts or anything else we want to hit on? Before we go?
Melissa Dixon
I'll say something we're working on right now back to school picnic, which is They're really big town and gown collaboration effort where students are invited to come out to the quad and get to know student organizations that they can be involved in, and local businesses come out to meet them. And CVB is really excited to actually get the the ability to sponsor the meal this year. So we're excited to get down there and see their students too.
Carolyn Tatro
That's great. Yeah, one of the first opportunities for students to see the community is to see all the opportunities during the back to school picnic, it's one of my favorite events of the year, so I'll for sure be there. And then of course, like I said, we've got homecoming coming up. I'll be talking a little bit about this. You're in the next a lot about this in the next few months, but just some some more really great ways for people to come check out what's going on both in at Fort Hays State and pretty much looking forward to all of that.
Comments (0)
To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or
No Comments
To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.