UW Commencement Ceremonies May 12

A former Wyoming governor, a respected industry and community leader, the first female state geologist and three University of Wyoming students are among speakers at UW’s spring commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 12.

UW is scheduled to accord degrees upon 1,501 undergraduate students, 386 graduate students, 73 College of Law students and 51 School of Pharmacy students.

For the first time in many years, UW academic colleges will combine spring commencement ceremonies. Instead of individual colleges holding their own ceremonies over two days, there will be three combined ceremonies May 12, all at UW’s newly renovated Arena-Auditorium.

Each ceremony is scheduled to last about two hours, featuring a keynote speaker, student speaker, a reading of all graduates’ names and presentation of diplomas to each student. The ceremonies will be broadcast live via UW’s WyoCast system.

The first ceremony, set for 8:30 a.m., is for students graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/9285996e39ef4393bfa8c8c2a145ed531d.

The second, starting at noon, is for all UW graduate students. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/35e202f925a54f6fa2769db208b474121d.

The third, beginning at 3:30 p.m., is for students graduating from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Business, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Health Sciences, the School of Energy Resources and Honors College. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/49c35bb679334e02b4a5967d62eb47fa1d.

UW’s College of Law will continue to hold its own commencement ceremony, as is traditional with law schools nationally. That ceremony is Saturday, May 12, at 10 a.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. The graduation speaker is former law Professor Bob Southard. The WyoCast link is: https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/3f558d93a23942699b2702b1a038ba8c1d.

Two honorary degree recipients also will be honored at the undergraduate ceremonies.

The University of Wyoming at Casper, which for many years has had its own commencement ceremony, is instead moving to a more intimate “Celebration of Excellence” at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 10, at the Nicolaysen Art Museum. The event will feature graduating UW-Casper students as guests of honor and the awarding of diplomas to graduating students.

The student speakers, keynote speakers and honorary degree recipients for the May 12 ceremonies are:

Student Speakers

-- 8:30 a.m. ceremony: Emily Quallen, Farmington, Conn., wildlife and fisheries biology and management, and environment and natural resources.

-- Noon ceremony: Stephanie Bachtelle Stacy, Tustin, Calif., doctoral student in clinical psychology.

-- 3:30 p.m. ceremony: Samuel Mallory, Cheyenne, energy resource management and development, and honors.

Keynote Speakers

-- 8:30 a.m. ceremony: Sharon Haley Linhart, industry and community leader, and founder of Denver-based Linhart PR. She graduated from UW with a B.S. degree (1973) in journalism. 

-- Noon ceremony: Erin Campbell, from Laramie. She is the first female Wyoming state geologist, appointed by Gov. Matt Mead in 2017. She received her doctoral degree from UW and taught in the UW Department of Geology and Geophysics for 15 years.

-- 3:30 p.m. ceremony: Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan, of Casper. He served as governor from 1987-1995. Sullivan earned a B.S. degree (1961) in petroleum engineering and a Juris Doctor (1964) degree, both from UW. He was U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 1998-2001, and has received many state and national honors.

Honorary Degree Recipients

-- 8:30 a.m. ceremony: Neltje, from Sheridan County. She is a Wyoming artist and philanthropist, and is a major supporter of arts programs at UW and elsewhere.

-- 3:30 p.m. ceremony: Margaret Webster “Maggie” Scarlett, from Jackson, a UW alumna who has served in literacy, library, museum and arts volunteer leadership roles, and has received state and national recognition for her work in creating and expanding museum and library collections.