BREAKING NEWS – FHSU confirms private Sternberg staff meeting as Dec. 18 closure remains unresolved

Dr. Jill Arensdorf,
FHSU Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs
and Professor of Leadership Programs

By Gaille Pike

Special to the Hays Daily News

Fort Hays State University (FHSU) confirmed Provost Jill Arensdorf held a private staff meeting last week but declined to confirm whether museum employees were directed to continue preparing for a Dec. 18 closure of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History’s public operations.

The confirmation came hours before an internal email from FHSU President Tisa Mason shared an update on the fundraising progress for Sternberg and described a process to reimagine Sternberg’s future.

Mason’s Monday evening email to FHSU faculty and staff disclosed that more than $235,000 has been raised toward an estimated $1 million needed to support the museum through fiscal year 2027. However, it did not say whether the university has rescinded, postponed or suspended its announced plan to close the museum to the public on Dec. 18.

“There has been a lot of activity since I announced the need to close the Sternberg Museum to the public as part of the University’s strategic budget realignment process in response to recent funding cuts,” Mason wrote. “Since that announcement, community partners have stepped forward to help.”

Alongside efforts to find a funding solution, Mason said the University has begun a “revisioning process” for Sternberg “led by academic and museum faculty and staff.”

“This work is intended to ensure that the academic and scientific needs of our students continue to be met while developing a financially sustainable model for the museum’s future,” Mason wrote.

The email was obtained today, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, by the Hays Daily News from a source.

Before Mason sent the campuswide update, the Hays Daily News sought confirmation of information indicating university administrators were asking Sternberg employees to plan for sharply different outcomes.

In an Oct. 12 email, the HDN asked Arensdorf, FHSU provost/vice president of academic affairs, and Mark Arant, dean and professor of chemistry to confirm whether they met with Sternberg staff Oct. 8 and conveyed instructions from Mason to prepare an unspecified, yet-to-be-determined “best-case scenario” while also planning for a “worst-case scenario.”

According to the information submitted for confirmation, the worst-case scenario included closing the museum’s public-facing operations Dec. 18, 2026, and moving its collection specimens by July 1, 2027, to a location that had not been determined.

Arensdorf did not confirm or deny the details.

“All FHSU media requests should be working through Eric Grospitch,” she responded. “By way of this email, I am referring you to him.”

Grospitch, FHSU senior advisor for executive operations, subsequently confirmed that Arensdorf met privately with staff but said he could not provide information about the discussion.

“Provost Arensdorf did have a private staff meeting last week, but since that was a closed meeting, I don’t have any information to share about the content,” Grospitch wrote.

His response confirms that the private meeting occurred but does not establish its date, whether Arant attended or whether the reported instructions concerning the Dec. 18 closure and July 1 collections move were delivered.

Neither Arensdorf nor Grospitch denied that employees had been told to continue preparing for those possibilities.

Mason’s internal email does not mention the Dec. 18 date, a possible relocation of Sternberg’s collections or a worst-case scenario. It also does not identify how much money must be raised — or by what date — to prevent the public closure.

The email instead strikes an optimistic tone.

“This work will take time, but we remain optimistic about finding a shared path forward,” Mason wrote. “We will continue to engage directly with the faculty, staff, and community partners involved in this effort, and we will keep the broader campus community informed as things develop.”

The message is generally consistent with Mason’s public statements last week. However, the confirmed staff meeting and the university’s decision not to disclose its content leave a key question unanswered: Was FHSU publicly emphasizing the possibility of preserving museum operations while privately directing employees to remain prepared for closure?

The two positions would not necessarily conflict. Administrators could simultaneously pursue fundraising and a revised operating model while developing contingency plans in case those efforts fall short.

However, Mason’s email does not make that distinction clear. It reports progress toward the $1 million goal without saying whether the $235,000 raised so far has altered the Dec. 18 plan.

Until FHSU states otherwise, it remains unclear whether Dec. 18 is still the effective closing date, what financial threshold would prevent closure and whether university employees are preparing to relocate the museum’s collections by July 1.