the agricultural experiment station. For years, the University Dairy Unit supplied the school cafeteria with fresh milk.
During the Great Flood of 1951, Big Creek, a tributary of the Kansas River, flooded nearly all of campus, forcing a midnight evacuation.
=== Presidents ===
William S. Picken (1902–1913)
William A. Lewis (1913–1933)
Clarence E. Rarick (1933–1941)
Lyman D. Wooster (1941–1949)
Morton C. Cunningham (1949–1969)
John W. Gustad (1969–1975)
Gerald W. Tomanek (1975–1987)
Edward H. Hammond (1987–2014)
Mirta M. Martin (2014–2016)
Mike Barnett (acting) (2016)
Andy Tompkins (interim) (2016–2017)
Tisa Mason (2017–present)
=== Attempted merger with Dodge City Community College ===
In March 2014, it was announced that Dodge City Community College might become part of Fort Hays State University under a proposal that would create the first public four-year degree-granting college in southwest Kansas. The college would have been known as Fort Hays State University at Dodge City had the plan been approved …
