7/28/26

By FHSU University Marketing and Strategic Communications

HAYS, Kan. – When students arrive on the Fort Hays State University campus this August for the start of the academic year, they will be welcomed by a new leadership team at the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science (KAMS).

Dr. Jonathan Granberry has been named director of KAMS, and Dr. Andrea Moreland will serve as assistant director. Together, they will lead the university's nationally recognized early college program for academically gifted high school juniors and seniors.

Granberry comes to Fort Hays State from the Northwest Kansas Educational Service Center in Phillipsburg, where he served as assistant director of the special education cooperative. He is also an FHSU alumnus, having earned a master's degree in education from the university.

"I thought (the FHSU) campus was really a beautiful place, and I really enjoyed the people," Granberry said. "Then I saw the opportunity available online for the director position in KAMS."

Granberry said his interest in Fort Hays State's early college programs has grown over several years.

"I feel lucky to be a part of the university and take over a role that's part of the university but still has some of the public school feel to it," he said. "It is an amazing opportunity for students. I will be looking for ways to get more Kansas kids involved. I'm really excited to work with a great group of people."

As he begins his new role, Granberry plans to spend time learning the program while identifying opportunities for future growth.

"I would like to see the program grow. I'm always looking for ways to improve or expand things," he said. "I really want to strive to create a lot of strong positive memories for the kids in the program and for the people who work in the program, just to make it a place where they are excited to come to work and be a part of the process."

Granberry and his wife, Melissa, have four children. Their family remains deeply connected to education. One child will attend Fort Hays Tech | North Central, another will begin the Applied Health program at Fort Hays State this fall, while their two younger children will continue attending middle school. Melissa teaches journalism and yearbook at Norton High School.

Moreland brings more than two decades of teaching and higher education experience to her new role. After earning her undergraduate degree in art from Fort Hays State, she discovered her passion for teaching while serving as a graduate assistant.

"Then, in the master's program, I started doing a graduate assistantship," Moreland said. "I got to teach the class, and that was fun. I thought, 'Maybe I'm a teacher.’

She went on to teach at Drury University before spending 20 years as a high school teacher in Russell. She also served as an adjunct instructor at Fort Hays State while continuing her own education, earning a master's degree in educational leadership from Baker University and completing a Ph.D. in 2024.

Moreland joined KAMS last month and said she has enjoyed the transition.

"So far, I'm loving it," she said. "I am learning a lot of new things. I'm excited to have the kids on campus."

The new leadership team looks forward to welcoming students to the FHSU campus in early August as the academy begins another academic year.

Established by legislative action in 2006, the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science is Fort Hays State University's residential early college program for gifted and talented high school juniors and seniors. The STEM-focused academy allows students to complete their final two years of high school while earning more than 60 hours of college credit through courses taught by Fort Hays State faculty.

Students graduate with a high school diploma and can earn an Associate of General Studies in Science from Fort Hays State. The program also provides hands-on research opportunities, educational travel, leadership development, civic engagement, co-curricular activities, and a supportive residential environment designed to prepare students for future academic and professional success.