Published August 07, 2024
Dear Alumni and Friends of the College of Arts & Sciences,
Please enjoy the July 2024 edition of the College of Arts & Sciences Monthly Newsletter. I've recently spent time in Gillette and Sheridan, meeting with partners, stakeholders and friends of the College of A&S. These conversations have been productive and exciting.
We're just a few short weeks away from Saddle Up, UW's college preparation program for incoming students. I'm looking forward to seeing campus full of activity again and welcoming all students back to Laramie.
In this issue of the newsletter, you'll learn about a grant the Wyoming Center on Aging recently received, some of their upcoming programming, newly published materials from A&S professors, the WIP Creative Economy Start Up Challenge and much more.
Thank you for your continued support of the College of Arts & Sciences.
Sincerely,
J. Scott Turpen
UW’s Wyoming Center on Aging Receives $5M Grant to Address Needs of Older Adults
The UW Department of Psychology’s Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA) has been awarded a $5 million grant to enhance partnerships to expand and strengthen geriatrics education for the health care workforce and to expand resources for the state’s older adults and caregivers. The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded funding through the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). The five-year grant is led by WyCOA Director Christine McKibbin and Associate Director Catherine Carrico, both in the Department of Psychology in UW’s College of Arts and Sciences. The GWEP educates and trains the health care workforce and family caregivers to care for older adults by collaborating with community partners. Read more here.
UW Announces WIP Creative Economy Start Up Challenge Winners
Ten creative startup efforts around Wyoming, ranging from film production and music to literary and visual arts, have been selected to receive $25,000 each in the inaugural Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP)-funded Creative Economy Start Up Challenge. UW President Ed Seidel announced the winners of the competition recently at UW’s Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, housed within the College of Arts and Sciences. Through this program, the Neltje Center, Sheridan College and Northwest College have raised awareness about the deep enthusiasm and dedication Wyoming’s creatives have for their communities. Learn more about this initiative here.
Department of Communications and Journalism Hosts 38th Annual VisCom Conference
The UW Department of Communications and Journalism hosted the 38th annual VisCom Conference at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort from June 17-20. Scholars and professors from UW and other universities shared their work and ideas on a variety of issues through visual communication. At the end of each presentation, scholars and professors answered questions from the audience about the research they put into their project. Professor Cindy Price Schultz, head of communication and journalism at UW, said for the last 38 years scholars from UW and other states have gone to different locations each year. To learn more, read the story from the Saratoga Sun.
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies Publishes Book
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Bradley Rettler, recently published a new book, Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin, which begins by explaining why bitcoin was invented, how it works and where it fits among other kinds of money. It’s sold around 1,000 copies and was #1 on Amazon for philosophy for several weeks. It was reviewed in Forbes, the American Institute for Economic Research and Blockworks.
Assistant Lecturer in the English Department Receives Service Award
Assistant Lecturer in the English Department Allison Gernant (on the left in the photo) was the recent recipient of an Exceptional Service Award for the Organization of the Mathew Shepard 25th Memorial on June 20 at the Shepard Symposium on Social Justice’s award night. Gernant teaches first-year composition, first year seminar and courses in the LeaRN Program. Her research and teaching interests include active and engaged learning practices in higher education and interdisciplinary, problem-based learning.
Professor for the Department of English Publishes New Book Chapter
Professor for the Department of English Tracey Owens Patton recently published a new book chapter titled “Staying East of the Mississippi: Reengaging with Rodeo’s Diverse History and the New England Connection” in the book Boston’s Black Athletes: Identity, Performance, and Activism. Patton is professor of rhetoric and critical cultural and mediated studies in the Department of English and adjunct professor in African American and diaspora studies in the School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice at UW. Her area of specialization is critical cultural communication, rhetorical studies and transnational studies.
UW Master of Music in Performance Student Participates in Choral Conducting Symposium
Emily Peterson, UW Master of Music in Performance (choral conducting) student, was selected for participation in the University of North Texas Choral Conducting Symposium in Denton, Texas. She conducted a 60-voice choir and string quartet in works by Samuel Barber and G.F. Handel. Peterson received coaching from Clay Couturiaux, Marques L. A. Garrett, Allen Hightower and Brian C. Murray.
Wyoming Dementia Together Schedules Programs Through December
Wyoming Dementia Together (WDT), a statewide nonprofit caregiver network offered through the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA), will offer a variety of informative discussions focused on dementia care through December. Legal issues, financial considerations, behavioral changes and family advocacy in the health care system are among the 11 topics to be covered by WDT during the second half of 2024. See all the events here.
