In his first year as president of Pittsburg State University, Dan Shipp would frequently visit with students about their thoughts on life in general, but in particular, their concerns — “the things that keep them up at night.”
One of the list-toppers, he noted, was being able to afford college.
The conversations developed into ways to raise additional scholarship funds, when one of his students suggested running.
“You kind of look like Forrest Gump,” she said. “Why don’t you run across the state?”
“Well, I’m in my 50s, so that’s not gonna happen,” Shipp told the Register Monday. “But you also never say ‘no’ to an idea; you build on them.”
The spark turned into a statewide bike challenge — Dan Bikes Kansas — which started Monday.
By Monday evening, Shipp and his entourage were in Iola for an overnight stay. He departed Tuesday morning, en route to Lawrence for the second leg of the 12-day, 800-mile trek.
“The idea is to really grow the endowment,” Shipp said. “This is a little different and audacious.
“I don’t know that we can do it, but we can give it a go,” he continued. “But it’ll be fun to raise some friends and raise some funds as we go.”
By Tuesday morning, Shipp’s fundraising effort had brought in $250,000 in donations.
Shipp was greeted in Iola by several Pitt State alums for a small gathering at Rookies Monday evening. He stayed in Iola overnight and was joined by several riding partners as he left town, including Thrive Allen County executive director Lisse Regehr and Jody Hoener of the Healthy Bourbon County Committee.
THE RIDE has many benefits, on top of the fundraising apparatus.
For one, it offers the Nebraska native a chance to experience several parts of Kansas on a personal basis as he connects with PSU alumni.
“I’d never been to Iola before,” he said. “It’s fun to see this part of the state.”
Shipp also hopes to visit with current or prospective students.
“It’s a good message for students to know you’re not afraid to do tough stuff for them,” he said. “You shouldn’t be afraid to fail. And the students are pretty excited. I’ve gotten a lot of texts.”
