More horrible museum news… this time the Sternberg Museum in Hays, Kansas. See the story at KWCH News 12. The fundraising campaign started by the Fort Hays State University Foundation can be found here.

HAYS, Kan. (KWCH) – The Sternberg Museum in Hays will be closing before the end of the year.

The President of Fort Hays State University, Tisa Mason, shared a statement with the school sharing details on the decision to close the historic museum.

The statement shares that the public-facing operations of the Sternberg Museum will close on Dec. 18 as part of the university’s Strategic Budget Alignment process. Faculty and staff will remain at the facility for the year and staffing needs will be reassessed in the future.

Between now and the end of the year, faculty and staff will be focused on helping review the museum’s collections, determine what must be kept for research and teaching and then work with appropriate organizations to make sure every specimen is handled responsibly.

Mason said that it was a “difficult decision.” She explained that during the last legislative session, FHSU received a $2.4 million recurring reduction in state funding, which requires the university to remove that amount from their base budget.

She added that legislators have also asked FHSU to identify an extra 10% administrative reduction. Last session, legislation was introduced that could limit the university’s ability to teach international students. If it passes, the university may lose at least another $6 million from their budget.

Mason clarified that the Sternberg Museum closing is not the cause of the university’s budget problem. Closing the museum will save the university $850,000, according to Mason. This is a third of the budget gap and the largest single cut the university is making.