June 2025
Published June 26, 2025
Watch Video Featuring Professor Rob Colter!
Dr. Robert Colter is the Department Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies at UW.
Watch this new video feature, and hear him talk about his interest and passion for
philosophy, why he decided to pursue this field and who his favorite philosopher is!
With a passion for ancient Stoic texts, Colter founded and directs the Wyoming Stoic Camp for students interested in the immersion of stoicism and nature. He is also the Executive Director of Wyoming Pathways from Prison, a program that provides high quality-college courses to incarcerated women and men. Watch the video here.
A Message from Interim Dean Freng
Summer has arrived in Laramie—a beautiful time of year to enjoy everything our community and campus have to offer. While campus feels a bit calmer during the summer months, there is still plenty going on across our college. We’re already looking ahead with excitement to welcoming students back this fall.
In this issue of the A&S newsletter, you'll learn about recent faculty trips and accomplishments, summer at the Neltje Center in Sheridan, and more. As always, thank you for supporting the College of A&S.
Adrienne Freng
Top Stories
Master Craftsman Program Expands Opportunities for Art Students
UW College of Arts and Sciences Celebrates 2025 3MT Award Recipients
Morris Appointed as Director of Humanities Institute at University of Wyoming
Learn More In The Press Release
A&S News and Notes
Professor of History Receives Award
Professor of History Renee Laegreid is the recent recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion Award Contest. She received honors in Western Non-Fiction for Sandoz and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The Will Rogers Medallion Award was originally created to recognize quality works of cowboy poetry that honored the Will Rogers heritage, but has expanded to include other works of Western literature and film. Learn more about this award here.
Forrest Cole Interns at Cheetah Sanctuary
Forrest Cole, last year's Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship recipient, is currently
interning at the Cheetah Conservation Fund headquarters in Namibia. Cole is working
with the cheetahs to feed and photograph them.
Professor of Music Travels to South Korea
During his residency in South Korea, Dr. Brian C. Murray led a choral conducting masterclass
at Chonnam National University, a guest presentation at Seoul Theological University,
and a clinic with the choir at Changwon National University. Dr. Jiwon Han and Dr.
Soyeon Kang, piano faculty at the UW, arranged these engagements in addition to expertly
serving as pianists, translators, and guides.
Summer at the Neltje Center: Fully Booked and Full of Creative Energy!
The Neltje Center is excited to share that they're fully booked for the summer! The
summer will be alive with collaboration, experimentation, and discovery. They're proud
to host a wide range of groups including: Makerspace Coordinator Jane Crayton's Digital
Preservation & Photogrammetry Class; Assoc. Professor Nancy Small’s Mellon Foundation-funded
“Re-Storying the West” project; Visual Arts Lecturer Tessa Dallarosa’s outdoor visual
art studio residency for undergraduates; Professor Alyson Hagy and Assoc. Professor
of Practice Bethann Garramon Merkle’s grant writing intensive for faculty and staff;
a world premiere reading of Asst. Professor Matthew Greenberg’s new play “Robbie’s
House;” the three-day “Listening with Water” workshop, led by artist-scholar Gretchen
E. Henderson; Mapping Meaning, led by Ruckelshaus Institute Director Melanie Armstrong,
a multi-generational collective of artists, scientists, and scholars exploring new
ways of understanding and acting in a more-than-human world.
We’re currently accepting applications for mini-residencies—learn more and apply here.
UW Board of Visitors to Hold Annual Retreat at the Neltje Center
The Neltje Center is honored to welcome the UW College of Arts & Sciences Board of
Visitors for their annual retreat this August. The BOV plays a vital role in supporting
the college’s fundraising and outreach efforts, and the Center is an ideal setting
that fosters inspiration, reflection, and connection.
Nestled in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, the Neltje Center includes a 15,000-square-foot facility with flexible studio spaces, a large gallery, gathering rooms, overnight accommodations, and expansive gardens and sculpture walks.
Hosting the BOV underscores the Neltje Center's shared commitment to advancing creativity and excellence across the college—and it’s an exciting opportunity to showcase the Center’s role in supporting faculty, students, and community engagement.
UW COJO Professors Present at International Communication Association Conference
Congratulations to Professors Shane Epping, Li Li, and graduate student Md. Saddam
Hossain for their accomplishments at the 75th International Communication Association
Conference in Denver. Dr. Epping made a solo presentation entitled "Photojournalism
and the Politics of Belonging in Perú." Md. Saddam Hossain served as a first author
with Epping on a paper presentation entitled "Political Affiliation of Journalists
and the Influence on Their Reporting: Bangladesh Perspective." Dr. Li chaired a Popular
Media & Culture Panel while also presenting a paper entitled, "The Marvel Cinematic
YOU-niverse: An Examination of the Uses and Gratifications of Marvel Cinematic Universe
Audiences," that was co-authored with COJO MA graduate Riley Box and Professor Cindy
Price-Schultz.
UW COJO Co-Hosts Visual Communication Conference in Estes Park
Professor Shane Epping cohosted the 39th Visual Communication Conference toward the
end of June in Estes Park, CO, where he gave a presentation. Professor Kayla Clark
(David vs. Goliath: Low-Tech Design Tools in a ‘Black Box’ World) and graduate students
Mahbuba Siddiqua (Nommo in the Digital Sphere: The Legacy of Black Spoken Word and
Hashtag Activism in Online Protest Rhetoric), Niko Sims (That’s Another One for the
Fire: Pentadic Criticism of Night of The Living Dead), and Molly Walters (Exploring
the Significance Laramie, Wyoming, has on College Student Drinking Behavior) presented
along with 40 scholars/creatives from across the country.
Fund Spotlight of the Month: Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship Fund
Through the Larsh Bristol Fellowship, students are empowered to tell meaningful stories,
develop their visual voice, and carry forward a tradition of excellence in photojournalism
that reflects both Wyoming’s unique communities and the broader human experience.
Ashton Hacke (2023), who works as a photojournalist in San Francisco, was invited as a keynote speaker by the Wyoming Press Association after his compelling work documenting newsrooms across the state. Forrest Cole (2024) earned Honorable Mention in the international Visual and Interactive Media (VIM) contest for his photo story on a woman mountain biker; recognized for his photography achievements, Forrest also received a 2025 summer internship with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. Elsa Freise (2024), who photographed buffalo on the Wind River Indian Reservation, was recently contacted by the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody to contribute to a major exhibition honoring the American bison as part of the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026. Julia Cook, the 2022 fellow, was contacted by a publisher and awarded a book deal as the single author and photographer for an upcoming book titled Wild Wonders: The Untamed and Enigmatic Animals that Inhabit Yellowstone National Park, set to be released in fall 2025. Reflecting on her experience, Julia shared: “The extra time I was able to spend out in the field as a result of the Larsh Bristol funding really helped me improve as a photographer and storyteller. Without that time dedicated to photography, I would not be where I am today in my photography career.”
