Gorilla Connection

Once upon a time, a baby was born at the hospital in Pittsburg, and someone snapped a photo of a nurse caring for her in the nursery. The baby would grow up to become a student in Pittsburg State University's Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing. Her teacher and advisor? The nurse who once cared for her. We caught up to both of them as that student prepares to graduate.

Go behind the scenes in Pitt State's Sperry Herbarium, home to 50,000 plant specimens, and hear from a professor, two students who just helped the herbarium reach a milestone, and a graduate who drives from Kansas City as often as he can to volunteer. 

The interior design program at Pittsburg State University has a reputation for giving students real-world design projects for businesses in the Pittsburg community. Hear from the most recent group about their proposed designs for a new development that's starting to take shape in the heart of Downtown Pittsburg. 

The Media Production program at Pittsburg State University is unique: it gives students hands-on, real-world experiences in sports broadcasting at events ranging from the MIAA Basketball Tournament to national track and field championships. Hear from a student who is using those opportunities to jumpstart his career, and from the director of the program who has guided its growth.

Bryce, a senior in manufacturing engineering technology, loves creating things out of steel. Annika, a senior in field biology, has a passion for sea turtles and marine life. They both have something in common: unique hands-on experiences and industry connections that are furthering their careers before they graduate from Pittsburg State University. 

Over the past 49 years, the Pitt State Jazz Festival has brought to a small city in Kansas not just hundreds of high school jazz bands from across the region — many directed by Pitt State music alumni — but also some of the biggest jazz performers those students could hope to see. As retiring festival director Bob Kehle was putting the final touches on this year’s line-up, he shared reflections on how the festival works, its history, its impact, and memories that stand out. 

A couple of Fridays each month, students in Health, Human Performance, and Recreation at Pittsburg State University lead senior citizens in recess-like fitness activities at the Pittsburg Family YMCA. The class, called "Therapeutic Interventions for Older Adults," is a win-win for everyone.

In this episode, you’ll hear from one of the organizers of a 20-year-old Pittsburg State University tradition in which hundreds of students give back to the Pittsburg community. Riley Johnson, a biology major, shares an inside look at what a team of student leaders is doing to prepare now for The Big Event, and what they are hoping donors will contribute in order to help them pull it off.

In this episode, you’ll meet this year’s winning Homecoming Royalty: Cale Chapman, a senior majoring in communication representing Lambda Chi Alpha, and Morgan Blubaugh, a junior majoring in biology/pre-med representing PEERS. Hear what their experiences have been like at Pittsburg State University in and out of the classroom, and how it feels to be chosen to represent their university. 

In this episode, host Andra Stefanoni heads to the kitchen of Pittsburg State University Volleyball Coach Jen Gomez for a plate of homemade biscuits and gravy and a conversation about her family, her cooking, her team, and what makes Pittsburg State University such a special place to be.