Private Gift to UW Supports Civic Engagement

The $100,000 gift to the University of Wyoming from The Tucker Foundation will support the Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Project, which focuses on conversations about issues of significant public concern—part of UW’s strategic plan and service to the state.
 
“I have known the Wallop family for many years and my family is proud to support this endeavor to honor the legacy of Malcolm Wallop,” says Summerfield K. Johnston, Jr., of The Tucker Foundation.
 
The UW Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Project challenges us to join together as an intellectual community to foster excellence in teaching, scholarship, innovation and creative endeavor—to engage in matters of public concern and to provide students with experiences that prepare them to meet tomorrow’s challenges with sustainable solutions.
 
The donor, The Tucker Foundation, provides financial support including scholarships and grants to schools and nonprofits that foster character in young people, as well as the skills required for a productive and happy life. The foundation also supports environmental conservation.
 
The Wallop Project sponsors significant discussions on issues of public interest across the state of Wyoming.  It offers an opportunity to build upon the legacy of U.S. Sen. Malcolm Wallop’s distinguished career as a public servant. Wallop’s life was about conversations around ideas, and the Wallop Civic Engagement Project honors that legacy, providing a platform for those who champion the public good.
 
The Wallop Project was created by Dr. Jean Garrison, UW’s new chief engagement officer and director of the new Office of Engagement and Outreach. She also served as the founding director of the Center for Global Studies. The project is a collaboration of the University of Wyoming Office of Engagement and Outreach, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies. External project partners during the first year of the program have included Wyoming Humanities Council, Wyoming Public Radio, Wyoming Public Television, the Wallop family, and an extensive list of friends and former staffers for Sen. Malcolm Wallop.
 
“I am grateful to The Tucker Foundation for this leadership gift, which provides two years of support that allows us to fully launch the Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Project in 2019,” says Garrison. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and partners across the state to build a collective vision for UW’s work in civic engagement and look forward to promoting this initiative in partnership with our community colleges and K–12 education.”
 
The Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Project supports the following initiatives.
  • Expert in Residence Program – This initiative brings in visiting experts such as retired diplomats, government officials, and prominent private sector actors to teach and work with UW students, interact with faculty, and be involved in civic engagement.
  • Wallop Student and Faculty Fellows Program – This initiative provides support for research and internship projects, graduate fellowships for students, and research and engagement program support for faculty fellows.
  • Outreach and Civic Engagement Programming – The Expert in Residence and Wallop Fellows participate in statewide programming to share their expertise in significant conversations, particularly in partnership with Wyoming educators and community colleges.
 
Recent Conversations in Democracy and Wallop Project speakers include U.S. Ambassador to Oman Garry Grappo, former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and PBS host Alexander Heffner. Recent Faculty Fellows have studied topics such as reconciliation in Ireland and democracy, trade, and economies around the world. Recent Wallop Student Fellows have studied France’s influence in Cambodia, the U.S. impact in the country of Georgia, and post-genocide reconciliation in Rwanda.
 
PHOTO:
Senator Malcolm Wallop.
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