Flint Hills Technical College’s new Advancing Tomorrow capital campaign is officially off and running and already making tremendous strides.
During the kickoff event for the campaign on the FHTC campus Thursday morning, FHTC leadership unveiled a major lead gift from the Jones Trust of $2 million. FHTC President Dr. Caron Daugherty stated she and her fellow leadership were ecstatic to receive the donation noting this is just the latest show of support from Jones to FHTC.
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FHTC Vice-President for Advancement Mike Crouch echoed Daugherty’s sentiment and added that the Jones contribution may be just the tip of the iceberg in the coming weeks.
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Crouch stated that those conversations are the result of a clear community understanding as to the important economic role FHTC plays locally.
The $17 million campaign, the largest ever in FHTC history, will benefit the construction of a new Advanced Industry Education Center on the college’s west campus. 17th District Kansas Senator Mike Argabright of Olpe, one of the featured speakers at Thursday’s kickoff and a longtime FHTC supporter, says the new center will be a tremendous resource for Lyon County, the region and beyond.
The new 27,000-square-foot Advanced Industry Education Center will include space for robotics and automation classes along with a welcome center, student services and more. Current plans are to begin construction on the new facility as soon as 2027, with classes possibly beginning by the fall of 2028 or early 2029.
Residents interested in contributing can call the FHTC Foundation at 620-341-1380 or email foundation@fhtc.edu.
11 am Thursday:
Flint Hills Technical College is into its Advancing Tomorrow capital campaign.
Tech College administrators and board members were joined by 17th District Senator Mike Argabright and members of the public for the official campaign start.
Advancing Tomorrow looks to generate at least $17 million for building a 27,000-square-foot Advanced Industry Education Center in the green space on the west edge of the college’s main campus near 18th and Graphic Arts, and $2 million is already in hand — thanks to a lead gift through the Jones Trust. This will boost education opportunities across several existing college programs and is designed to help offset the state’s skilled worker shortage in several disciplines.
