Pittsburg State University President, Dr. Thomas Newsom, spoke with the Collegio Sept. 3, just his second official day on the job. Newsom talked about his experience of traveling with the Gorilla football team as enjoyable, saying that all student experiences should also be able to travel first class. Newsom shared that he manages the pressure of the position and his mental health by seeing the joy of students as well as unwinding on the couch with the television on the Kansas City Chiefs or Chelsea Football Club. With student safety in national news, Newsom spoke on the importance of a safety team dedicated to a philosophy of “educate, serve, and protect,” and making sure the University Police Department maintains staff, work life balance, and equipment. And in a rapid-fire interview, Newsom named his top three bands, favorite movie, Whataburger order, his hot take, and more.
Newsom enjoyed traveling with the football team to Big Rapids, Michigan, on Aug. 28. The loss to the ranked #1 team, Ferris State, did not dampen his expectations of our Gorillas.
“Not the outcome we wanted from the game itself, but you’re playing the defending national champions at home,” Newsom said. “It’s really though, first game of the season with a lot of new players. I think we’re going to have an amazing season that’s going to meet our expectations. But just the traveling with our student athletes and our coaches and their families was pretty fantastic.”
PSU supporters had a large turnout at the game, according to Newsom, filling three quarters of the visiting stands. At roughly 800 miles from stadium to stadium, even the Ferris State television crew was impressed.
“Our alumni association actually put on a tailgate,” Newsom said. “That’s in Big Rapids, Michigan, which is a long way from Pittsburg, Kansas. We had a lot of alumni that were there that work in the automotive industry who came through our automotive program. A lot of fans and family members traveled too; we had probably three quarters of the visiting stands full. The Ferris State television crew actually commented during the game about how amazed they were at how many Pitt State fans there were, so that was great.”
Newsom said he had an amazing time traveling with the team and feels that first class travel should be demanded for all student experiences.
“I traveled with the team,” Newsom said. “The way our athletic department provides for our student athlete experience is amazing. It was first class, and that’s what we should demand for all of our student experiences, first class. Not just athletics – whether it be theater, band, debate club, or any of those student experiences – we should demand that.”
With the gravity of a serious title like University President, Newsom said he takes care of his mental health by seeing the joy of students experiencing life and also unwinding on the couch with sports.
“Well, I think the thing that I do is just try to be around our students as much as possible who are experiencing the joy of being a college student,” Newsom said. “That, and I have to tell you, I’m a bit of a couch potato. I like unwinding on a very comfortable sectional that we bought from Pittsburg Interiors. That is the best couch we’ve ever owned. I watch Premier League soccer, we’ll catch an NFL game, and I’ve become an uneducated cricket fan.”
Newsom said football is his favorite sport. He grew up a Houston Oilers fan but is becoming a Kansas City Chiefs fan.
“Being from Texas, I’d have to say that the Cowboys are one (team) that I follow, I don’t know if I’d say I’m a big fan,” Newsom said. “I’m definitely going to become a Chiefs fan, for sure, because I like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. You can’t not like them. But I grew up a Houston Oilers fan.”
Premier League soccer is a big part of the Newsom family Saturday mornings and his time with his father-in-law. Newsom said he is a fan of Chelsea Football Club.
“I’m a Chelsea fan,” Newsom said. “My wife is British; my father-in-law was a huge Chelsea supporter and had season tickets. So, when my wife and I first got married, we would make sure we went over during ‘football’ season, and he’d always take me to a Chelsea game. So, I’ve been to a number of Chelsea games at Stamford Bridge. We watch them Saturday mornings, it’s kind of a thing in my house to watch Premier League soccer.”
Newsom said when it comes to student safety, it is important to him that the University Police Department – along with everyone involved with safety – is understanding and is dedicated to the idea of “educate, serve, and protect,” putting emphasis on the order in which the words are placed.
“I think it’s important that I make sure we have a police force that is dedicated to the principles of: educate, serve, and protect,” Newsom said. “And I say those intentionally in that order because part of what we need to make sure that students are gaining from their university experience is how to live life successfully. We need to make sure that we provide an environment that will give them the skills that they need to ensure that they keep themselves safe when they leave our institution. We need to have an attitude that it’s about education. Our safety team understanding that college students are college students, and not to run into situations and pass judgment or draw conclusions, but to go to situations and make them secure and safe in the moment. Then deal with whatever consequences there are after that. I said in my initial conversation with faculty and staff, ‘every single person on this campus is an educator, no matter what your role is.’ If we take that philosophy and really make it part of our culture, then I think that we will be better for it.”
Moving from the philosophical to the physical, Newsom said it is important that UPD is well-staffed, has proper work life balance, and up to date equipment.
“In terms of specific things about safety, I’ve already talked to the Police Chief about his staffing levels, making sure that we have enough officers to provide whatever need our campus has,” Newsom said. “In fact, I told him we need to figure out what that number is, and make sure we’re there plus one, because I want our officers to have great work life balance. That will make them better educators. I also told him I want to know what his equipment needs are, make sure that we have the modern up to date equipment in terms of helping them serve students. And that’s why it’s ‘educate, serve, protect,’ because they’re all three important.”
In a rapid-fire section of the interview, Newsom said his top three artists are REO Speedwagon, TobyMac, and Casting Crowns; his go to Whataburger order is a number two with cheese, no tomatoes, no onion, large fry, and a large unsweet tea; his favorite vacation spots are Angel Fire, New Mexico and rural France; his favorite dinosaur is the T-Rex because it is “kind of the lion of the dinosaur jungle; his favorite movie is the Gene Wilder “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” because it was the first book he ever read cover to cover; he is currently listening to the book “Hail Mary” on Audible; and his hot take is, “I’m not a huge fan of corn dogs, but I love corn dogs because they are a perfect yellow mustard delivery device.”