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University of Wyoming

University of Wyoming student Chase L. Anfinson of Casper has been selected as one of 56 students nationwide to receive the James Madison Memorial Fellowship.

Anfinson, a social studies education senior, receives up to $24,000 to study for his master's degree. That graduate program must include a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the United States Constitution.
James Madison Fellowships support the graduate study of American history by aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government, and social studies. Anfinson, the son of Marlene and Chester Anfinson of Casper and a 1995 graduate of Natrona County High School, says he will pursue an M.S. degree in political science with emphasis in constitutional law. He says the College of Education provided classroom teaching experiences that influenced his plans to be a teacher.

"I started teaching beginning my sophomore year, taught in local schools and this spring served as a student teacher in Glenrock," he says. "Book work is one thing, but that (classroom teaching experience) is a very important part of the university's teacher preparation program."

UW faculty members played key roles in establishing his interest in education, he says. "Carol Bryant in the College of Education and Fred Homer in political science really taught me new ways to think about things, and Michael Day's (associate dean and professor in the College of Education) enthusiasm about the profession was very influential," Anfinson says.

Madison Fellows are required to teach American history or social studies in a secondary school for at least one year for each year of fellowship support. He says he plans to teach in Wyoming.

The award is intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation's secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation's constitutional heritage.

Founded by Congress in 1986, the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the federal government. Additional information is available at www.jamesmadison.com.