Pitt State chosen for international STEM education award.

Pittsburg, KS – Pittsburg State University brought home the STEM School of Excellence Award for 2022-2023 yesterday from the International Technology & Engineering Educator’s Association annual conference in Minneapolis.

The award recognizes the university’s collaborative commitment to STEM education.

That commitment is brought to life at Pitt State through collaborative events across campus, from innovative summer camps in the College of Technology, to math relays in the College of Arts and Sciences, to a partnership with the College of Education.

“This is a great honor for the university to receive the recognition for years of hard work and dedication to teaching STEM principles,” said Professor Andy Klenke, interim chair of the Technology & Workforce Learning Department.

Accepting the award with Klenke was Assistant Professor Byron McKay, who submitted the application and supporting documents for the award last fall.

“The receipt of this award validates the dedication and effort of our faculty, including Dr. McKay, who tirelessly strive to create a dynamic hands-on learning environment for students,” Klenke said.

He noted that Pitt State’s programs equip students with the technological expertise required to navigate an ever-changing STEM world, and the ability to solve future STEM problems and challenges. 

‘I’m proud to be a part of a university whose faculty and staff provide a multitude of STEM-centered programs and opportunities for their students and community,” McKay said. “It was a relatively easy task to showcase why Pitt State deserves to be recognized as a STEM School of Excellence.”

The hardest part?

“Picking which of the many great examples I would use. From the partnerships we have created in industry and education to the diverse focus of our student groups and community outreach, I believe Pitt State stands as a wonderful model of a university providing a relevant and effective education for students in STEM fields,” McKay said.

A banner will be placed in the hallway next to the Technology & Engineering Education Lab in the Kansas Technology Center, home to Pitt State’s College of Technology. 

“It was a great day to be a Gorilla on the stage yesterday,” Klenke said.