Buchanan Outlines Recent UW Accomplishments

May 4, 2007 -- President Tom Buchanan today (Friday) presented to University of Wyoming trustees a report of recent major accomplishments at and gifts to UW. Among them were:

Longtime UW supporters, Marian Rochelle and her daughter April Brimmer Kunz, have gifted $1 million, to be matched by the state, to create the state-of-the-art William N. Brimmer Legal Education Center at the UW College of Law. This new facility will feature a multi-dimensional space that can be configured as a high-tech courtroom, a classroom, or a lecture hall seating more than 160. Additional features are a seminar room, jury deliberation room, judge's chambers, a holding area for defendants, and a sound booth.

More than 93 percent of UW students report being pleased with the education they are receiving at UW, according to the results of surveys administered in 2006 by ACT -- the people who administer the pre-college test favored in the western United States -- and educational consultants Noel-Levitz. Among the areas where students rank UW significantly above the national average are students' sense of belonging here, the feeling of having an enjoyable experience as a student, a sense of feeling made welcome, the ability of UW students to experience intellectual growth, a campus commitment to academic excellence, knowledgeableness and approachability of academic advisers who are concerned about student success, and adequacy and accessibility of computer labs.

UW Professor Steve Jackson was among the authors of a climate changes study published in the online "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." To assess the risk of novel and disappearing climates during the next 100 years, the researchers used climate models and greenhouse gas emission scenarios from the recent assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

UW neuroscience research published in ScienceDirect, one of the world's largest online collections of published science research, provides new insight into the most common inherited cause of mental retardation. Led by Leah Selby of Cheyenne, a UW senior double majoring in zoology and physiology and Spanish, UW researchers determined neurological causes of certain symptoms of the genetic disorder fragile X syndrome (FXS), a condition cited for abnormalities ranging from minor learning disabilities to mental retardation.

Jason Shogren, a professor in the UW Department of Economics, is among the top 100 student advisers listed in a recent issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Shogren, UW's Stroock Professor of Natural Resource Conservation and Management, is ranked in an 11th place tie on the list that considers the impact of advisers on their students' success.

Arlene Soto, director of the UW Small Business Development Center's regional office in Cheyenne, is the new president of the National Association of Small Business International Trade Educators. NASBITE is a professional organization for educators, trainers and counselors who train students and small- and medium-sized businesses in the complexities of international trade.

The Radio-Television News Directors Association presented a regional Edward R. Murrow award for excellence in electronic journalism to Wyoming Public Radio. The station received the Best Sports Reporting award for News Director Bob Beck's story called "Remember the 8." Broadcast in September, the segment examined the five years since a deadly drunk driving crash killed eight UW track athletes.

After several years as an independent organization, the UW Alumni Association has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Wyoming, reestablishing its historic relationship with the university. The association staff will operate as the Office of Alumni Affairs within the university's Division of Student Affairs.

Students in a UW College of Business marketing class conducted research that helped two Wyoming companies -- Casper's NERD Gas Company LLC and Laramie's Animal Health Clinic -- receive Mountain States Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics. The Torch Awards honor companies that demonstrate exemplary management practices, uphold high standards in relationships with customers, suppliers and shareholders and show honesty and integrity in marketing and advertising.

The Western Association of Student Employment Administrators has chosen Brynn Hvidston, a UW senior from Rock Springs, as its regional Student Employee of the Year.

An Americorps volunteer who works with a UW alcohol awareness program, Hvidston won both UW and state competition and then won the regional award, where she competed against the winners from 12 other western states. The award considers her reliability, initiative, uniqueness of contribution, quality of work, professionalism, and community and campus service.

The UW Undergraduate Range Management Exam team and Mae Peterson of Pinedale in public speaking won their categories at the recent international meeting of the Society for Range Management in Reno, Nev. Students from 22 institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico competed in the event. The UW team was second in the Rangeland Cup.

The UW Cowgirls won the Women's National Invitation Tournament by defeating the University of Wisconsin 72-56, in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a women's sporting event in Wyoming. Wyoming's Hanna Zavecz was the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Photo
Restored Relationship -- Jill Lucero, immediate past president of the UW Alumni Association (UWAA), addresses members of the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees following the announcement that the UWAA has signed a memorandum of understanding with UW, reestablishing its historic relationship with the university. The association staff will operate as the Office of Alumni Affairs within the university's Division of Student Affairs. Looking on is UW President Tom Buchanan. (UW Photo)

Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007