On Friday, April 10, Pittsburg State alumnus Ralph B. Cowman visited the Crossland Technology Center to accept the Dr. Ralf J. Thomas Distinguished Service Award and speak to students in the Graphic Communications department. The Distinguished Service Award is an honor that Pittsburg State gives to alumni who have continuously supported and served the university.
Cowman, currently residing in Olathe, KS, serves as the HR and Purchasing Manager at Boelte-Hall, LLC. As an alumnus of the Graphic Communications program at PSU, graduating in ‘75 with a BST in Printing Technology, he has helped assist with scholarships for students and contributed thousands of dollars’ worth of consumable materials for the Graphic Communications department.
Regularly visiting the Crossland College of Technology Company Days and career fairs, Cowman frequently hires Pittsburg State students for the internship program at his company. He spoke heavily on the hiring process for interns during his presentation for Graphic Communications students.
“Year after year interviewing students, I can usually tell within the first 10 minutes whether that person’s a fit or not.” He explained that one question he always asks is what the student’s ultimate dream job would be. “And the ones that have a goal, I can tell… We want people who are pretty sure of what they want to do. I realize that’s probably not what you’re going to do, but you don’t know that yet. You’ve got to start networking.”
Cowman explained that in his experience, students do not typically end up working in the exact area that they had initially planned. In response to a student’s question about how they can prepare for any field, Cowman said, “You think you’ve learned a lot here? You have not seen anything yet. So don’t be afraid to fail, because you will. There will be some bad experiences, then learn from it.” He added, “Learn all you can from whoever you’re working for.”
Graphic Communications professor Christel Benson gave insight on why Cowman’s presentation was so valuable for students.
“Ralph’s role is very unique, and I know that he gave a lot of background information, which is great. He has been so wonderful because of his interviewing for interns,” Benson explained. “And so, sitting on the other side of the table and being able to kind of give the students who are here today a glimpse of, ‘Hey, this is what I’m looking for. I have a set of questions. I know within 10 minutes if you’re going to be a good fit, not a good fit.’ Actually, put some effort into looking at the company ahead of time. And I know a lot of it is his own personal point of view, but he’s been doing this a long time.”
Senior Graphic Communications student Ashley Atkinson felt that the presentation was very informative.
“I learned a lot. He really broadened my horizons of thinking about, like, whatever I’m planning to do in the future, especially since I’m graduating this May, to not be stuck in one spot and to make sure that I have my goals ready. But then past that point to not have tunnel vision, because he’s doing something completely differently than what he originally intended.”
Atkinson added, “I’m just looking forward to all of the stuff that he told me about, like, being prepared to network and talk to people, and showing off what you can do and seeing where it’ll take you.”