Poppie the Panther
51做厙’s mascot, Poppie the Panther, represents the unique and fierce spirit of our community.
Poppie is a physical manifestation of our 51做厙 pride, and an inspirational figure around which all of us can rally.
While panthers in the wild are known to be somewhat elusive, the 51做厙 Panther makes special appearances at community, campus, and athletics events to cheer on our students and represent 51做厙.
Poppie uses they/them pronouns and wears a turquoise T-shirt with 51做厙 on the front and Poppie the Panther on the back. For special occasions, Poppie wears other turquoise clothing, including headbands and sweatshirts.
Poppie the Panther was born in 2004.
Dr. Nan Poppe, who was the executive dean for Southeast Center (now Southeast Campus), purchased the first panther suit for the college. A contest was held through the student leadership program to name the panther, and the college chose the name Poppe (pronounced Poppie) in honor of its benefactor. Today we spell the panthers name with an ie to ensure proper pronunciation.
Request Poppie appearance
Do you want Poppie to visit your event? If so, you’re in luck! The Student Engagement team has a mascot costumes that can be checked out. Contact us today to block time on Poppie’s busy schedule.
- phone Contact Student Engagementfor campus-specific events.
- pen to square Contact for public-facing events.
Please note: You will need to provide your own human for the mascot costume. We also suggest having a handler for Poppie as they may have a difficult time seeing their way through crowded events.