PSU announces the 2017 Honorary Family
Wednesday, September 20, 2017 2:00 AM
News, People and Society, Alumni
Pittsburg, KS
“One year, my dad had the PSU cheerleaders do a cheer for my birthday,” she said. “They even gave me my own Pitt State cheer uniform to take home. I’ve had crimson and gold running through my veins since a very young age.”
Lauren, a senior nursing major at Pitt State, is the daughter of William and Patricia Sullivan of Pittsburg, and Phil and Shelly Minton of Pittsburg. She said the university has been an integral part of her family’s life for as long as she can remember.
For their support for and devotion to all things Gorillas, the Sullivan/Minton family has been named the 2017 Pittsburg State Honorary Family. The family will be honored during Family Day activities on Saturday, Sept. 23, and they’ll be formally recognized during halftime of the PSU football game, which begins at 7 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium.
The PSU Honorary Family award is presented each year during Family Weekend to a family with a high level of involvement, school spirit and Gorilla legacy.
“This honor means so much to me and my family,” Lauren said. “Some of the best years of our lives have been spent at various Pittsburg State University events, classes, athletics events and so much more. I have no doubt that my family will continue to stay actively involved at Pitt State for generations to come.”
Lauren said that at least 30 members of her family are graduates of Pittsburg State.
“My family and I are reminded of our alma mater every time we go downstairs to our basement, which is decorated in neon lights and Pitt State memorabilia,” she said.
Lauren said that when it came time for her to choose a university, there was never really a choice.
“Basically, I was born with crimson and gold running through me,” she said. “So when it was time to choose where I wanted to go to college and earn a nursing degree, I just couldn’t imagine being anywhere other than Pittsburg State.”
Along with studying nursing, Lauren is active in various ways on campus. She is a member of Crimson Club and Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority. She has particpated in the Dean’s Advisory Board Student Committee, Nurses of Christian Fellowship and the Newman Club.
She maintains a 3.95 GPA and was recently inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.
Lauren’s parents have also been actively involved with Pitt State for many years.
Her father and step-mother, William and Patricia, volunteer as preceptors in the Irene Ransom School of Nursing. In 2016, Patricia was among the first class of nursing graduates in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. William, who received PSU’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 2009, has also served on PSU’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Lauren’s mother, Shelly Minton, is an alumnus of PSU’s Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and was previously involved with the PSU Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Lauren’s step-father, Phil Minton, is the founder and owner of Jock’s Nitch Sporting Goods in downtown Pittsburg, and he has served on the PSU Athletic Advisory Committee and PSU Hall of Fame Committee.
Family Day events range from a 5K to activities especially for children, and recognition during the game of the Honorary Family. A detailed listing of Family Day activities can be found at www.pittstate.edu/office/activities/events/family-weekend/