The World Needs More Cowboys Celebration Sept. 19 in Gillette

Students will learn more about the University of Wyoming, UW alumni will connect with their alma mater, and members of the public will find out more about UW’s presence in their community during a “The World Needs More Cowboys” celebration Thursday, Sept. 19, in Gillette.

The public is invited to the event from 5:15-6:30 p.m. in the commons area of Thunder Basin High School. Free appetizers and beverages will be served. The event precedes the UW Cowgirls’ soccer match against the University of South Dakota at 7 p.m. at TBHS.

UW Acting President Neil Theobald will be in attendance and speak during a brief program at the celebration, highlighting the value of higher education and the Cowboy Commitment, UW’s new merit- and need-based financial aid offerings for Wyoming high school graduates. He’ll be joined by Bradon Bryngelson, Tate Daly and Adrienne MacKenzie, students from Campbell County currently attending UW, who will discuss their experiences at the state’s university. UW women’s soccer Head Coach Pete Cuadrado also will offer some remarks.

UW faculty members and admissions representatives will be on hand to answer questions and interact with attendees. Free UW-branded giveaway items will be available, including T-shirts to the first 50 high school students.

Additionally, UW alumnus Bertine Bahige, principal of Gillette’s Rawhide Elementary School, will talk about how UW prepared him for his career and role in the community -- and what it means to him to be a UW Cowboy. Bahige is one of 12 UW alumni featured in advertising in Wyoming newspapers and other media over the next year under the banner of “The World Needs More Cowboys -- and So Does Wyoming.”

The Gillette event is the first of 12 monthly events planned around the state in counties where UW alumni featured in the advertising live and work.

“It’s clear that our marketing tagline, ‘The World Needs More Cowboys,’ has connected virtually with people across Wyoming. Now, we’d like to make that connection even stronger through face-to-face interaction,” says Chad Baldwin, UW’s associate vice president for marketing and communications. “These events are a great opportunity for local students to learn more about their state’s university, for alumni to connect with their alma mater and one another, and for members of the community to meet Acting President Theobald along with UW faculty and students.”

Before the evening event, Theobald, UW physics/astronomy Professor Danny Dale and the current UW students from Campbell County are scheduled to speak to students at both TBHS and Campbell County High School. Graduate and undergraduate students in UW’s Science Initiative Roadshow also will be in classes at TBHS that week to work with high school students.

Theobald, a first-generation college graduate, earned a Ph.D. at the University of Washington in 1989. Before that, he was a high school math teacher and baseball coach in Seattle. His extensive career in higher education administration has included multiple roles at Indiana University, where he was a tenured professor for two decades and served in a number of administrative positions. From 2012-16, he was the president of Temple University.