09/12/12
ks/dvd
HAYS, Kan. -- A large scale model of
the Fort Hays State University campus has been capturing the attention of
passers-by in the Memorial Union since it was placed on exhibit a couple weeks
ago.
In a ceremony this morning, a couple
with long ties to FHSU officially presented the 8-foot by 11-foot model to the
university. Global 3-D Arts, a Hays company, created the model. Dave Van Doren,
owner of Global 3-D Arts, and his wife, Cathy, a development associate with the
FHSU Foundation, made the presentation.
The interactive 3-D model depicts
the entire campus, including building projects that are under construction or
in the planning stages. An integrated computer monitor allows viewers to select
from a menu of campus buildings. When a selection is made, the building in the
model lights up and information about that building is displayed on the
computer screen.
Dr. Edward H. Hammond, FHSU
president, accepted the model on behalf of the university. "This model
will serve as a tool for recruiting students and faculty, as a way of orienting
prospective students and their parents to campus, as a conversation starter for
visiting alumni, and for our staff to visualize long-range campus
improvements," he said.
The president continued: "Not
only does the interactive model depict the FHSU campus as it is now, it also
shows campus projects now being built or in the planning stages. It includes
the second phase of the Tiger Place residential facility that will open for the
start of the 2013-2014 academic year, the under-construction Schmidt/Bickle
Indoor Training Facility for athletics and the upcoming Center for Networked
Learning academic building.
Eventually the scale model will be
moved to the main floor of Forsyth Library for permanent display.
Van Doren talked about the nearly
century-long ties between his family and FHSU that inspired him to have his
company build the scale model.
"My memories of FHSU date back
to the early '50s, when at the age of about 5 I followed my grandfather
Professor James Start around campus," Van Doren said. "Professor
Start taught in Picken Hall during his 47-year career here from 1919 until his
retirement in 1961. My dad, J.P., also took me boating on Big Creek when it
still snaked through campus. At that time the creek was a full-fledged stream
with enough water for swimming, fishing, ice skating and boating all the way to
Ellis."
He also mentioned two uncles who
played important roles in the early days. Dr. Fred Albertson received his B.S.
in 1916 and began teaching botany in 1918. Cal Malmberg graduated in 1929 and
was actively involved in the Department of Music for about 14 years during the
1930s and '40s.
"Numerous other relatives
studied at FHSU, including aunts, uncles, cousins, my parents, a sister and her
husband, nieces and nephews, various and assorted in-laws and outlaws, my wife,
Cathy, and all our kids, who are fourth-generation Tigers," Van Doren
added. "Cathy and I hope this interactive scale model of the campus will
be helpful with recruitment and orientation of students and their parents and
serve as a useful tool in visualizing future campus improvements."
Construction of the model took about
three years, and it has an estimated value of $60,000. The buildings are made
out of laser-cut plastics and based on precise drawings provided by FHSU.
Nearly a thousand photos of the campus and buildings were used for reference to
ensure accuracy. The model was built to a 1:500 scale.
"The FHSU cabinet shop did a
great job building the table for the model," Van Doren said. "Terry
Pfeifer and Junior Fischer were a pleasure to work with and did a fantastic
job. Mike Nease and Kristin Rupp in the FHSU computing center were very helpful
with the computer and programming."
Van Doren also congratulated
President Hammond for the vision that has helped the campus modernize and
expand. "Ed has done an outstanding job of putting FHSU on the leading
edge of the digital age, growing the university globally with the Virtual
College, increasing the overall enrollment to more than 13,000 students and
expanding the physical campus with numerous new facilities and renovations of
many of the older historic buildings," he said. "FHSU is one of the
best and is THE most affordable university in Kansas thanks to Dr. Ed
Hammond."
Global 3D Arts is located in the
Hadley Center in downtown Hays and specializes in architectural scale models,
3-D architectural renderings and 3-D animations for projects all over the
United States and internationally. More information is available at:
www.Global3Darts.com