[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20842-20843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

 Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, today I recognize the centennial 
of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. The institution that is 
today Pittsburg State University opened its doors on September 8, 1903, 
in a borrowed building in downtown Pittsburg with 54 students and five 
faculty. From these humble beginnings, Pittsburg State University has 
grown into a comprehensive state university of regional, national and 
international stature.
  In 1903, the fledgling school offered only elementary courses in 
manual training, domestic science, domestic art, and a few basic 
academic subjects. Yet by 1912 the school's enrollment had increased to 
1,183 students and it was described as a ``College for Teachers.'' In 
the coming years, dedicated administrators and faculty worked to raise 
the standards of the institution to the point that it merited and 
received recognition as a liberal arts college.
  Following World War II, the campus grew rapidly. Soldiers returning 
from the war came in droves, thanks to the G.I. Bill, and new buildings 
emerged all over campus. The college's mission and enrollment continued 
to expand as well. In 1977, the college achieved university status and 
assumed its current name, Pittsburg State University.

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  The decade of the 1990s was a time of unprecedented growth of PSU. 
Enrollment passed the 6,000 mark for the first time in 1991. Major 
additions ranged from a renovation and expansion of the football 
stadium to the addition of a 100,000-watt public radio station and the 
installation of a world-class mechanical organ in McCray Hall. In 1997, 
the university completed its largest single capital project with the 
construction of the Kansas Technology Center, a $28-million facility to 
house the university's nationally recognized technology programs. The 
Kansas Technology Center continues to play a vita role in the 
university's growth and development and is a significant economic 
development tool for the four-state region.
  As it celebrates its centennial, Pittsburg State University now has 
an enrollment of more than 6,700 students. The university offers a wide 
variety of highly regarded programs in its Colleges of Business, Arts 
and Sciences, Education and Technology. Known as a comprehensive 
regional university serving Kansas and the four-state region that 
includes Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas, Pittsburg State attracts 
students from more than 25 states and 40 countries. Among its 55,000 
alumni, PSU counts Pulitzer Prize winners, scientists, CEOs of some of 
the world's largest corporations, and even a former Miss America. 
Moreover, PSU is also to be admired for the model relationship of 
kindness and mutual assistance it has maintained with the Kansans in 
its local community.
  I welcome this opportunity to commemorate all that Pittsburg State 
University has done to enrich the lives of its students and its 
surrounding community. I sincerely commend and thank PSU for its 100 
years of faithful service.

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