Gorilla Connection

In this episode, host Andra Stefanoni visits the new home of the Office of Student Diversity at PSU and visits with Assistant Director Nicolle Murphy, who is new to campus, and Senior Diversity Officer Deatrea Rose, who has been on campus long enough to have seen changes when it comes to diversity, accommodations, and inclusivity. They share  what they’re doing to serve students, how the new space is helping, and what they’d like faculty, staff, and the community to know. 

We continue our observation of National Hispanic Heritage Month, running from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, by featuring conversations with those at Pittsburg State University who have unique perspectives. This week: a chat with an associate professor of music from Honduras who has been striving to bring the world to Pittsburg, and a graduate student who brought his family to Pittsburg from Mexico. They are planning two special events, one on Sept. 22 and one on Sept. 24, to which the campus and community are invited.  

To kick of National Hispanic Heritage Month here at Pittsburg State University, running from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, this is the first of several short conversations with those who have unique perspectives — including a first-generation college student and a first-generation graduate, a professor of music and one of his students, and the university’s director of diversity. 

You'll soon notice more crimson and gold in Pittsburg than usual: Paint the Town Red Week is coming up, just as a new school year kicks off! In this episode, you’ll learn about the events that are planned,  and you'll hear from Chamber of Commerce Special Events Director Tori Colvin and Alumni & Constituent Relations Director Jon Bartlow about why the town and gown relationship is important to the City of Pittsburg, the business community, and Pittsburg State University.

Welcome to a new school year and a new season of Gorilla Connection.  Another “new” at Pittsburg State is our president, Dr. Dan Shipp, who prefers to go by "just Dan." Like the hundreds of new freshmen on campus, he carries a backpack, wears tennis shoes, and is learning his way as he begins to guide the university into a new era. In this episode, you'll get to know him, hear about his favorite book, his favorite band, and a poignant story about a childhood tragedy that inspired him to make his life count. 

In this episode, you'll spend some time at a couple of summer camps at Pittsburg State University, but you won't need bug spray or a sleeping bag. Started 20 years ago and still going strong, these unique camps focus on giving kids soft skills and hard skills they'll carry into adulthood. They're also helping teachers and future teachers learn valuable skills, too.

As experts across the nation continue to grapple with environmental challenges, students at Pittsburg State University are helping scientists search for clean energy and eco-friendly solutions. In this episode of Gorilla Connection, you’ll meet a PSU student who traveled thousands of miles for the chance to work at the university’s Kansas Polymer Research Center, and you’ll meet a few high school students who are spending their summer at the center as part of a unique internship program. 

Veterinarians across the country have gotten their start in the pre-med program offered by the Pittsburg State University Biology Department. In this episode of Gorilla Connection, you’ll meet a recent graduate who just became Pittsburg's newest veterinarian. And, you’ll go to Room 328 Heckert-Wells Hall, where students who want to become veterinarians can gain hands-on experience caring for animals in a unique program called Nature Reach.

Pittsburg State University music education major and trumpeter Tyler Fries is headed to a competition that will pit him against the best of the best. Host Andra Stefanoni caught up to him in a $1 million rehearsal hall, part of a stunning $30 million performing arts center, to hear him practice and to find out what opportunities he's had here that have enabled him to shine.

From Pittsburg State University's School of Construction: A senior has taken on an especially challenging capstone project that has historical significance in Pittsburg, and a professor has been named Outstanding Educator of the Year by a national association. Learn more with host Andra Stefanoni.