October 10, 2025

Greetings Staff and Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences, 

It’s been a busy and exciting couple of weeks for A&S. Homecoming was a great celebration of campus spirit. Many of us marched in the parade with the A&S float and special thanks to our visual arts faculty and students for joining with the creative bicycles! It was also fun to see the strong A&S turnout at the tailgate before the game. 

 

Last week we also met with the A&S Board of Visitors. This college advisory group, who is made of A&S alumni and supporters, met to discuss Board goals for the upcoming year. They elected new leadership and discussed how they can help move our college forward. I am grateful for this strong group of leaders and look forward to continuing to work with them. 

 

Last week, we also held the annual Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation. It was a pleasure recognizing our outstanding A&S students and meeting their families. We also had a wonderful keynote speech by UW alumna Kara Calvert and a lively performance by the Happy Jacks directed by Assistant Professor of Music, Brian Murray. 

The annual President’s Dinner that occurred last week honored three individuals who are deeply connected to our college. Congratulations to Maggie Scarlett and Lynne Simpson for their Distinguished Alumna awards and to Greg Dyekman for the Medallion Service Award. 

 

Speaking of Lynne Simpson, I had the pleasure of giving opening remarks and introducing Lynne at a public discussion between her and Dean Peter Parolin.  It was a well-attended event that highlighted Lynne’s great work in the arts in Wyoming throughout her career. She is truly a Wyoming treasure. 

 

Thank you for everything you do and have a great weekend. 

 

Sincerely,

 J. Scott Turpen