Community Development

While earning a degree remains the primary focus, college life offers much more than classroom learning. Students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities that foster leadership skills, deepen their understanding of their chosen careers, and provide opportunities to make a positive impact in their communities.

• Criminal Justice Club: Open to students majoring, minoring, or pursuing a certificate in Criminal Justice, as well as those majoring in Criminalistics, the Criminal Justice Club offers career-focused opportunities for service, networking, and social engagement. The club meets weekly during the academic year, with activities that vary each semester based on student interests. Volunteer options are available through local groups such as:
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • Kansas CASA
  • Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
• Delta Tau Omega: Students in the Criminal Justice Club have an opportunity to join the FHSU chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association, Delta Tau Omega. Membership in this organization allows students to participate in regional and national conferences, where they can engage in a variety of competitions, including written exams, mock crime scene investigations, physical agility tests, scholarly research poster presentations, and national research paper and scholarship contests. To remain active in the organization, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in their criminal justice coursework.
• Sociology Club: Open to all students and majors, the Sociology Club promotes research on topics aimed at improving the community. The club actively collaborates with both the FHSU campus community and residents of Hays, hosting student engagement events and participating in a variety of community service projects. Its mission is to foster a deeper interest in sociology while highlighting the discipline’s importance in understanding society and enhancing the human condition.
• Alpha Kappa Delta: Sociology majors may be eligible for membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, the honor society for sociology. This organization promotes academic excellence and fosters scholarship and fellowship among undergraduate and graduate students. To qualify for membership, students must have junior standing, a minimum 3.0 GPA in sociology, and at least 12 completed credit hours in sociology coursework.
• Leadership Studies Association: The Leadership Studies Association provides students with opportunities to develop their leadership skills by building meaningful relationships, engaging in skill-building activities, and applying leadership in real-world settings. The organization encourages student growth through a variety of events and activities designed to foster personal and professional development.

Criminal Justice Centers

• National De-escalation Training Center:

In August 2020, Fort Hays State University’s Criminal Justice Programs and University Police partnered with the National De-escalation Training Center (NDTC) to become the Region 2 Central Region Training Center. As a designated regional center, FHSU offers the only Level 3 de-escalation training currently available in the United States.

• Level 1 training includes traditional de-escalation techniques grounded in procedural justice.
• Level 2 provides basic crisis intervention strategies.
• Level 3 enhances both traditional de-escalation and crisis intervention methods by incorporating rapid personality identification.

The NDTC De-escalation: Principles & Practice course is an evidence-based program that has been shown to increase officer confidence in applying de-escalation techniques when working with the public.

FHSU facilitates all three of NDTC’s training modalities, including an 8-hour online training, a two-day, in-person training, and a comprehensive 32- to 40-hour train-the-trainer program. Supported by substantial federal funding, these training opportunities are available to agencies at little to no cost. In addition, scholarships may be available to help agencies enroll officers in the online course.

NDTC training is approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and certified by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST).

• Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-based Violence:

Located within the Criminal Justice Programs at Fort Hays State University, the Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-Based Violence functions as a regional hub for collaborative research and community service. Its mission is to alleviate the barriers faced by survivors, promote economic independence, and empower survivors to embrace new opportunities with freedom and confidence.

The Center commits to providing sustainable support aimed at helping survivors break the cycle of violence and transform from victims/survivors into social entrepreneurs.

Focusing on gender-based violence in rural areas, the Center facilitates cross-disciplinary research that explores its causes and effective control measures. It leads collaborative networks of researchers committed to applying evidence-based approaches and identifying best practices to address gender-based violence within rural communities.

Additionally, the Center fosters academic-community partnerships through service-learning, research, assessment, education, and policy development, all designed to enhance the well-being and resilience of rural populations.

• VALUE Program:

The Voss Advanced Leadership Undergraduate Experience (VALUE) is a year-long program designed to cultivate promising undergraduates into effective agents of change. It offers a combination of curricular and co-curricular experiences across three specialized tracks: corporate leadership, civic/nonprofit leadership, and scholarship/leadership research.

• CNN Heroes Advisory Board:

The Sociology Programs focus on creating real-world impact through projects aimed at supporting those in need. A key initiative involves collaboration with CNN Heroes, individuals nationally recognized for their outstanding contributions to nonprofit organizations. The CNN Heroes Advisory Board, made up of these distinguished leaders, offers students valuable guidance and insights drawn from their successful experiences in the nonprofit sector.