Great Gorilla Tour

On the Road Again with Alumni & Constituent Relations

4,719.3 miles, 14 days, 9 cities, 9 states, and 225 alumni and friends – these are just a few stats from PSU Alumni & Constituent Relations’ recent Great Gorilla Tour: West Coast Edition. Gus Gorilla, Director Jon Bartlow, and Assistant Director Danielle Driskill visited alumni and friends during a two-week road trip. They hosted alumni in Hutchinson, KS, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tucson, Phoenix, and Albuquerque. These locations are ones they don't often have the opportunity to visit. 

“Because of the overwhelmingly positive response from the inaugural Great Gorilla Tour in 2017, we decided to head west to visit our alumni this year,” said Jon Bartlow. “Pittsburg State is lucky to have the best alumni in the world, but it was particularly rewarding to have the opportunity to reengage those we see on a less frequent basis.”

Alumni events called ‘Gorilla Gatherings’ were held in each location. The Gorilla Gatherings featured an evening of food, PSU updates, prizes, and networking. These events allowed alumni to reconnect and meet fellow Gorillas in their areas. The team’s goal was to bring a little piece of Pittsburg State to its alumni.

“Our goal for this trip was to increase alumni engagement and knowledge of PSU, as well as connect Gorillas in their geographic areas. Event after event, alumni were surprised by the number of Gorillas in their area. Most alumni had not met prior to the Gorilla Gatherings, but they quickly found common bonds when they began speaking of their favorite traditions and memories from their alma mater,” said Jon Bartlow. “I even had the pleasure of meeting the daughter of the namesake of one of my college scholarships. The connections we made with alumni, and the connections our alumni made with one another as part of the Great Gorilla Tour: West Coast Edition made all our efforts and the 4,700-mile road trip completely worthwhile.”

Check out photos from the Great Gorilla Tour under the locations section below or visit us on Facebook. To stay up-to-date on alumni and family events in your area, follow us on social media or visit our calendar.

Once A Gorilla, Always A Gorilla!

Great Gorilla Tour Stats

KANSAS
Tuesday, May 28, Hutchinson - Photos

COLORADO
Wednesday, May 29, Denver - Photos

NEVADA
Friday, May 31, Las Vegas - Photos

CALIFORNIA
Sunday, June 2, San Francisco - Photos
Monday, June 3, Los Angeles - Photos
Wednesday, June 5, San Diego - Photos

ARIZONA
Thursday, June 6, Tucson - Photos
Friday, June 7, Phoenix - Photos

NEW MEXICO
Sunday, June 9, Albuquerque - Photos