Classes at Flint Hills Technical College don’t begin until Monday, but there is still plenty of activity on the campus in preparation for the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
FHTC President Dr. Caron Daugherty says leadership and faculty have been extremely busy the last week focusing on three key areas: acclimation, enrollment and preparation.
Like any year, many new faces are joining the “FHTC family” this year and Daugherty stated that while there may be some who are still getting comfortable in their new surroundings, from her own experience, there is a wealth of experience on the campus that should help make it a smooth process.
Daugherty says even once the school year begins next week, administration will still be busy with enrollment, specifically for high school students. On that note, Daugherty reminded listeners that recent changes at the state level have affected some of the access and opportunities for high school students in terms of technical education, which means they are anticipating a slight dip in that particular area of enrollment.
That said, Daugherty says there has been an evident increase in other areas that makes her hopeful they won’t see a major decline in overall students for the coming year.
In addition to new students and staff, there is also another notable change to the campus this year, a change that occurred on Tuesday in honor of one of the college’s longest-tenured staff members. During a ceremony on the campus, the college’s maintenance facility was officially renamed in honor of FHTC Director for Buildings and Grounds Charles Bartlett, who has been with FHTC for more than two decades.
Daugherty says the idea came about from FHTC employees and gained unanimous approval.
Daugherty will join KVOE’s Morning Show at 8:20 am Wednesday for her monthly Tech Talk.
