Murdock Selected to Give Buchanan Lecture at UW April 27

A recently retired University of Wyoming professor and administrator will give UW’s 2018 Buchanan Lecture Friday, April 27.

Maggi Murdock, a professor emeritus of political science, will discuss “Lessons from an Unexpected Life” at 1:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Center Ballroom. Her talk is free and open to the public.

The lecture was established to honor Tom Buchanan, who retired in June 2013 after serving as UW’s 23rd president since 2005. The lecture is delivered annually by one of UW’s most accomplished retiring faculty members.

The lecture offers members of the university community the opportunity to hear distinguished UW faculty members distill a life of inquiry, reflection and service into important guidance for successive generations.

A native of Wyoming, Murdock began her career at UW in 1975 in the Department of Political Science. She also taught as an adjunct faculty member in the UW Department of Criminal Justice. She received the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award and the George Duke Humphrey Distinguished Faculty Award for excellence in teaching, distinction in scholarly work and distinguished service to the university.

In addition to her teaching duties, Murdock served in various administrative roles at UW. Her leadership posts included dean of UW-Casper; dean of the Outreach School; associate vice president for academic affairs; and interim vice president for academic affairs.

Murdock has been active in local and state organizations, as well as political science and online education professional organizations. She was a longtime guest lecturer at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy. She also served on the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Board of Trustees for eight years. She is currently a member of the HLC Committee on Strategy and the HLC Partners for Transformation. Additionally, she serves on the Wyoming Public Media Public Advisory Council and the Wyoming ReNEW (Revolutionizing Nursing Education in Wyoming) Board. 

Murdock earned her master’s degree (1974) and Ph.D. (1978), both in political science from Tufts University. She received her bachelor’s degree (1970) in political science from Creighton University.

The Office of Academic Affairs sponsors the Buchanan Lecture, selects the speaker and provides a monetary award. For more information, call the Office of Academic Affairs at (307) 766-4286.