*** FHSU Press Release (April 26, 2013) ***
The Kansas Board of Regents approved a request last week to name the new residence hall that will open in August in honor of the late Jack Heather, who founded the radio and television program at Fort Hays State University and contributed in countless ways to the success of many of our graduates.
The new residence hall is the second phase of a project to replace Agnew Hall, which was razed in the summer of 2010 because of its deteriorating condition and outdated layout. The new Agnew Hall, the first phase of the project to provide much-needed additional residential housing, opened in fall 2012 with 123 beds.
The second phase, now named Heather Hall, will open this fall with 107 beds.
This has the potential to create confusion, because an existing building on the FHSU campus already bears Jack Heather’s name. Beginning immediately, the existing building will be known as the “Center for Media Studies” to avoid duplication of names.
The radio and television studios will be moved into the new 37,150-square-foot Center for Networked Learning when it is completed.
Heather joined the FHSU faculty in 1950 to develop the radio curriculum. He retired in 1988 and passed away in 2011, but his memory lives on in the lives of the young people he taught and mentored.
We consulted with his family and they agreed with the change so that his name will remain a part of the FHSU campus.