The seminar room honors Milward Simpson, who served as U.S. senator, governor and
president of the UW Board of Trustees. (UW Archives)
A ceremony to officially open the University of Wyoming's new Milward L. Simpson Seminar Room will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in the UW College of Arts and Sciences building lobby.
Refreshments and an opportunity to view the new facility in the Department of Political Science will follow the ceremony.
The Simpson Seminar Room will be used for small classes that focus on student-to-student interaction as well as the traditional student-to-instructor interaction. To achieve this, the room is modeled after conference rooms used in high-level governmental offices, offering a professional setting that encourages students to raise class performance to a professional level.
The actual work involved remodeling a student lounge and re-doing the walls with new paneling, carpet, furniture and enhanced technological capacity.
"In addition to providing a conducive learning environment, the Simpson Seminar Room reminds students of the dedication to public service by honoring Milward L. Simpson, who served the state as governor, U.S. senator and president of the UW Board of Trustees and who instilled this spirit of public service in his sons, Dr. Peter Simpson and Sen. Alan Simpson," says Jim King, professor and head of the Department of Political Science.
The project is among several initiatives funded by the Simpson Family Fund for Excellence in Political and Cultural Leadership, with a significant gift from the Griffin Foundation that supports higher education, performing arts and health care projects.
The Simpson Family Fund supports programs that directly impact students, faculty, and research, including internships in Washington, D.C., expanded UW student enrichment opportunities in theater and the arts, the Milward L. Simpson Professorship that provides funds for visiting speakers and professors in political science, and the Alan K. Simpson Institute that focuses on archival programs within the American Heritage Center.
