HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a
public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...
in
Pittsburg, Kansas Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...
. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the
Kansas Board of Regents The Kansas Board of Regents is a body consisting of nine members that governs six state universities in the U.S. state of Kansas. In addition to these six universities, it also supervises and coordinates nineteen community colleges, five techni ...
.


History

Pittsburg State University was founded in 1903 as the Auxiliary Manual Training Normal School, originally a branch of the State Normal School of Emporia (now
Emporia State University Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. Em ...
). In 1913, it became a full-fledged four-year institution as Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg, or Pittsburg State for short. Over the next four decades, its mission was broadened beyond teacher training. To reflect this, in 1959 its name was changed again to Kansas State College of Pittsburg. It became Pittsburg State University on April 21, 1977.


Presidents

Pittsburg State has had 11 leaders. The top leadership post was originally titled "principal" from 1903 to 1913. In 1913, the title was changed to president. * Russell S. Russ (1903–1911) * George E. Myers (1911–1913) * William A. Brandenburg (1913–1940) * O. P. Dellinger (1940–1941) * Rees H. Hughes (1941–1957) * Leonard H. Axe (1957–1965) * George F. Budd (1965–1977) * James Appleberry (1977–1983) * Donald W. Wilson (1983–1995) * John R. Darling (1995–1999) * Tom W. Bryant (1999–2009) *
Steven A. Scott Steven A. Scott, (born November 12, 1952) is an American educator and the ninth president of Pittsburg State University. Scott served as the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Pittsburg State University, and before that, various po ...
(2009–2022) *
Dan Shipp Daniel J. Shipp, is an American educator and the tenth president of Pittsburg State University. Prior to his appointment at Pittsburg State in 2022, Shipp served in multiple roles between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of ...
(2022–present)


Campus

Located in southeast Kansas, the campus is also the home of the $30 million Kansas Technology Center, a state-of-the-art technology program in the largest academic building in Kansas. In December 2014, the university opened the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts. The Bicknell Center provides Pittsburg State University with its first true performance facility since 1978, when deterioration forced the closure of Carney Hall. In addition to the Linda & Lee Scott Performance Hall, the facility also houses a 250-seat theater, a 2,000-square-foot art gallery, grand lobby, reception hall, and multi-use rehearsal space for large musical groups. PSU also operates a satellite campus in the
Kansas City metro area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
, the Kansas City Metro Center Campus, offering a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees. Two degrees are offered in
Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...
on the campus of
Salina Area Technical College Salina Area Technical College is a public technical college in Salina, Kansas, United States. The college is coordinated by the Kansas Board of Regents and regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It has been in operation since 1 ...
.


Student life


Greek organizations

Recognized fraternities and sororities at this university include:


Academics

PSU is organized into the following schools and colleges: * College of Arts and Science * Kelce College of Business * College of Education * College of Technology The Kelce College of Business is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In addition, research institutes are located on campus such as the Business & Technology Institute and the Kansas Polymer Research Center, housed in the newly completed Tyler Research Center.


Athletics

The Pittsburg State athletic teams are called the Gorillas. The university is a member of the
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
ranks, primarily competing in the
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Its fourteen mem ...
(MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Gorillas previously competed in the
Central States Intercollegiate Conference The Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) was an American intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976 to 1989. It was known to be one of the toughest NAIA c ...
(CSIC) of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stud ...
(NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the
Great Plains Athletic Conference The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The co ...
(GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...
(RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1923–24 to 1967–68; and in the
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second oldest in the United Sta ...
(KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23. Pittsburg State competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Club sports include men's baseball.


Football

The Pitt State football program began in 1908 under head coach Albert McLeland. Since that time, the program has produced the most wins in
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
history. It has been national champions on four occasions; 1957,1961,1991 and 2011. Pittsburg State defeated Wayne State University, MI, 35–21 to claim its most recent national championship in 2011. During the 2004 season the Gorillas finished 14–1, losing 31–36 to
Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU ...
in the NCAA Division II National Football Championship. Pittsburg State has won, outright or shared, a total of 27 conference championships during the 96-year history of its intercollegiate program, including 13 conference titles in the last 19 seasons under Coach
Chuck Broyles Charles Leroy Broyles (born February 5, 1947) is a former American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Pittsburg State University from 1990 to 2009, compiling a record of 198–47–2 in 20 se ...
PSU reached the Division II National Championship game in 2004, 1995, and 1992. Its games with fellow MIAA Division II powerhouse
Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World ...
are played at
Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Sta ...
in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead. 26,695 attended the 2002 game—the most of any Division II game.


The Gorillas

PSU is the only university in the United States to feature a gorilla as a mascot. The concept of the mascot was conceived in 1920, and officially adopted on January 15, 1925. Current mascot, Gus, was designed in 1985 by L. Michael Hailey.


Apple Day

Back in 1907, a small delegation from the Pittsburg area lobbied the state legislature to give the newly established university an appropriation that would pay for the construction of the school's first building. But one of the delegate members, Pittsburg mayor Clarence Price, apparently broke the rules by not exiting the floor before the session began (in some versions of the story, it was the namesake of Russ Hall, R. S. Russ, who performed the gaffe). The legislators good-naturedly fined the Pittsburg delegation a barrel of apples before awarding them the appropriation. And when the men returned to Pittsburg, the students were so amused by the story that they decided university administrators and faculty who had missed work and class in order to lobby in Topeka should have to pay the same fine. In those days, students were penalized for truancy. Because members of the faculty left their classrooms in order to attend the legislative session in Topeka, the students reasoned that faculty members should be penalized for their absence. Twelve months later, on March 6, 1908, classes were dismissed for the entire day in honor of the first Apple Day (officially titled Commemoration Day). During an afternoon program in the assembly room of the Central School building, the students once again fined the faculty a barrel of apples. Thus began the unique, annual, tradition at Pittsburg State of the teachers bringing apples for their students.


Notable people

* Fira Basuki, Indonesian novelist * John Brown, wide receiver for the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
*
Gary Busey Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...
, film actor (attended, did not graduate) * Terry Calloway, former Republican member of the
Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocke ...
*
Willie Fritz Willie Fritz (born April 2, 1960) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Tulane. Fritz served as the head football coach at University of Central Missouri from 1997 to 2009, Sam Houston State University f ...
, current head football coach at
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...
*
Eldon Danenhauer Eldon Danenhauer (October 4, 1935 – June 23, 2021) was an American football offensive tackle. He played college football at the Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, and professionally in the American Football League (NFL) with the ...
, Offensive tackle for the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
*
Ralph Earhart Ralph Earhart (March 29, 1923 – May 1, 1997) was a halfback in the National Football League (NFL). Earhart was born on March 29, 1923, in Milburn, Oklahoma. He attended Lefors High School where he played football, basketball and track-and-fie ...
, former NFL halfback,
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
*
Dennis Franchione Dennis Wayne Franchione (born March 28, 1951), also known as Coach Fran, is a retired American football coach. He is the former head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school w ...
, former head football coach of
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
(and former coach of Pittsburg State) *
Eugene Maxwell Frank Eugene Maxwell Frank (December 11, 1907 – October 13, 2009) was an American bishop of the Methodist and United Methodist Churches, elected in 1956. He was notable for his passion for racial equality in the Church and beyond. He also disting ...
,
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...
*
Kendall Gammon Kendall Robert Gammon (born October 23, 1968) is a former American football long snapper and center who played for three teams in the National Football League (NFL). In 2004, Gammon was the first pure long snapper to be selected for the Pro Bowl ...
, former NFL longsnapper,
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
and current Chiefs radio analyst (currently employed by Pittsburg State) *
Don Gutteridge Donald Joseph Gutteridge (June 19, 1912 – September 7, 2008) was an American infielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. Primarily a second baseman and third baseman, he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Bro ...
, Major League Baseball player and manager (
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
) *
Jay W. Hood Jay W. Hood is a retired United States Army major general. His final assignment was as Chief Of Staff of the United States Central Command. His previous assignments include Commander of First Army Division East, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland; Co ...
, Major General U.S. Army, Commander 1st U.S. Army East,
Ft. Meade, Maryland Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command and th ...
, former commanding general JTF
Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off ...
, Cuba *
David P. Hurford David P. Hurford is a psychologist and researcher who specializes in dyslexia/reading difficulties and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He is a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology and Counseling at Pittsburg State Uni ...
, psychologist and researcher in dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder *
John E. Jacobs John Earl Jacobs (November 29, 1903 – May 24, 1971) was an American educator most notably for serving as an administrator at what is now known as Emporia State University. Before serving as the Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC) interim preside ...
, Interim president of Emporia State in 1953; Director of Special Education for the
Kansas State Department of Education Kansas State Department Board of Education (KSDE) is Kansas's Board of Education, headquartered in Topeka.Welcome to KSDE
" Ka ...
from 1953–1957 *
Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock, and contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album, ''Kansas'' (1998), and the song "A Little More" from her ...
, Grammy-nominated Christian music artist; sold over 1 million albums *
Inez Y. Kaiser Inez Yeargan Kaiser (April 22, 1918 – July 31, 2016) was an American educator, public relations expert, and entrepreneur. She was the first African-American woman to run a public relations company with national clients. Early life and educatio ...
, the first African-American woman to run a public relations company with national clients *
Jake LaTurner Jacob Andrew Joseph LaTurner (born February 17, 1988) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, LaTurner was the 40th Kansas State Treasurer from 2017 ...
, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 2nd district * Sherm Lollar, Major League Baseball player *
Aaron McConnell Aaron Richard McConnell (born July 7, 1980) is a former American football lineman who played six seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Nashville Kats, Colorado Crush, Alabama Vipers and Georgia Force. He first enrolled at Oklahoma S ...
, American football player * Ronald Moore, former NFL running back (
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
), 1992 Harlon Hill Trophy winner *
Brian Moorman Brian Donald Moorman (born February 5, 1976) is an American former football punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Pittsburg State University, and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free a ...
, NFL punter,
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
* Sam Pittman, head football coach of the
Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (o ...
* Jim Press,
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automot ...
, vice chairman and president *
H. Lee Scott Harold Lee Scott Jr. is an American businessman who served as the third chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., from January 2000 to January 2009. Scott joined Walmart in 1979 and under his leadership, the company retained its position ...
, former
Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarte ...
president and CEO *
Steven A. Scott Steven A. Scott, (born November 12, 1952) is an American educator and the ninth president of Pittsburg State University. Scott served as the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Pittsburg State University, and before that, various po ...
, ninth president of Pittsburg State University *
Michael Shonrock Michael D. Shonrock (born August 6, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American academic and former administrator. He was the President (education), president of Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, June 2015 to February 2019. Sh ...
, former president of Emporia State University * Sally Stonecipher, first female
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
helicopter pilot * James Tate, writer who won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for poetry * Duane Thiessen, lieutenant general,
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...
* Lucinda Todd, civil rights activist and plaintiff, ''
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segreg ...
'' * Jackie Vietti, President of
Butler Community College Butler Community College (BCC) is a public community college in El Dorado, Kansas. Campus There are a number of branch campuses throughout the area, in Andover, Council Grove, Marion, McConnell, Rose Hill, and a number of distance-learning ...
for 17 years; served as interim president of Emporia State University in 2015 * Steve Weddle, American novelist *
Pat Woodrum Pat Woodrum is the former executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library System, a position she served in for 32 years. Since retiring from the library system in 2008, Woodrum has served as the executive director of the Oklahoma Centennial Bot ...
, Executive director of Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden; former executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library System *
Darryl Wren Daryl Tyrone Wren (born January 25, 1967) is a former American football defensive back who played two seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 1991 NFL Dr ...
, former NFL defensive back *
Douglas Youvan Douglas Charles Youvan (born January 29, 1955) is an American scientist. Notably he has claimed to have affirmatively resolved the famously difficult conjecture in computer science that P=NP. Biography Youvan received an associate degree in ele ...
, biophysicist * David Kan, South African businessman


References


External links

*
Pitt State athletics website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1903 Public universities and colleges in Kansas Universities and colleges in Pittsburg, Kansas 1903 establishments in Kansas