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Former names | Auxiliary Manual Training Normal School (1903–1923) Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (1923–1959) Kansas State College of Pittsburg (1959–1977) |
|---|---|
| Motto | "By doing, learn." On seal: "Research, Instruction, Service" |
| Type | Public university |
| Established | March 6, 1903; 122 years ago (1903-03-06)[1] |
Parent institution | Kansas Board of Regents |
| Accreditation | HLC |
Academic affiliation | |
| Endowment | $116.7 million (2025)[2] |
| President | Thomas Newsom |
| Provost | Susan Bon[3] |
Academic staff | 301[4] |
| Students | 5,774 (fall 2024)[5][6] |
| Location | , Kansas ,United States 37°23′29″N94°42′09″W / 37.3913°N 94.7024°W /37.3913; -94.7024 |
| Campus | Distant town[7], 223 acres (0.90 km2) |
| Other campuses | Kansas City |
| Newspaper | The Collegio |
| Colors | Crimson and gold[8] |
| Nickname | Gorillas |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II –The MIAA |
| Mascot | Gus the Gorilla |
| Website | pittstate |
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Pittsburg State University (Pitt State orPSU) is apublic university inPittsburg, Kansas, United States. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and governed by theKansas Board of Regents.
| Naming history | |
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1903–1923 | Auxiliary Manual Training Normal School |
| 1923–1959 | Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg |
| 1959–1977 | Kansas State College of Pittsburg |
| 1977–present | Pittsburg State University (PSU) |
Pittsburg State University was founded in 1903 as theAuxiliary Manual Training Normal School, originally a branch of the State Normal School of Emporia (nowEmporia State University). In 1913, it became a full-fledged four-year institution and dropped "Auxiliary" from the front of its name.[9] In 1923, the institution changed its name toKansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg, orPittsburg 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 toKansas State College of Pittsburg. It becamePittsburg State University on April 21, 1977.[10]
Pittsburg State has had 14 leaders. The top leadership post was originally titled "principal" from 1903 to 1913. In 1913, the title was changed to president.[11]
Located in southeast Kansas, the school is on a 223-acre (0.90 km2) campus.[12]
Porter Hall (1927) is named forEbenezer F. Porter, a state legislator who helped establish and fund the school.[13]
The campus includes the $30 million Kansas Technology Center, a state-of-the-art technology program in the largest academic building in Kansas.[14] 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 theKansas City metro area, the Kansas City Metro Center Campus,[15] offering a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees.[16] Two degrees are offered inSalina, Kansas on the campus ofSalina Area Technical College.[16]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79% | ||
| Hispanic | 7% | ||
| Two or more races | 6% | ||
| Black | 3% | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% | ||
| Asian | 1% | ||
| International student | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 33% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 67% | ||
PSU is organized into the following schools and colleges:
The Kelce College of Business is accredited by theAmerican 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,[18] housed in the newly completed Tyler Research Center.
The Pittsburg State athletic teams are called the Gorillas. The university is a member of theNCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in theMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Gorillas previously competed in theCentral States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in theGreat Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in theRocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in theCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1923–24 to 1967–68; and in theKansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (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, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Club sports include men's baseball.
The Pitt State football program began in 1908 under head coachAlbert McLeland. Since that time, the program has produced the most wins inNCAA Division II history. It has been national champions on four occasions; 1957, 1961, 1991 and 2011. Pittsburg State defeatedWayne State University, 35–21 to claim its most recent national championship in 2011. During the 2004 season the Gorillas finished 14–1, losing 31–36 toValdosta State University in theNCAA 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 CoachChuck Broyles PSU reached the Division II National Championship game in 2004, 1995, and 1992. Its games with fellow MIAA Division II powerhouseNorthwest Missouri State University are played atArrowhead Stadium inKansas City, Missouri, in theFall Classic at Arrowhead. 26,695 attended the 2002 game—the most of any Division II game.[19]
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.[20] The current mascot, Gus, was designed in 1985 by L. Michael Hailey.[21]
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.[22]
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.[22]
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Established: 1903 –Endowment: $71.22 million –Students: 6,907 (fall 2017) | ||||||
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