Published March 27, 2025
UW Modern and Classical Languages Department Hosts World Languages Day Competition
345 visiting secondary students and 33 teachers representing 13 junior high and high schools from across the state participated in the annual World Languages Day (WLD) competition March 7 to March 8. WLD is Wyoming’s state championship of foreign language study hosted by the University of Wyoming’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages. This year’s theme was “Folklore.” Director Bénédicte Sohier, a Senior Lecturer in Modern and Classical Languages, led this year’s event alongside 52 volunteers, including 11 UW interns, 12 UW student volunteers, and 29 UW faculty and staff members.
A Message from Interim Dean Freng
We're now past mid-semester, and graduation will be here before we know it! It's great to see everyone back on campus after spring break last week. In this issue of the newsletter, you'll read about the annual World Languages Day competition, the winner of the Jacoby contest, the High-Desert Regional Conference on campus this week, and much more.
Thank you for supporting the College of Arts & Sciences. Please enjoy the March monthly newsletter.
Adrienne Freng
UW Assistant Professor of Anthropology Nikolas Sweet Publishes New Book
Two UW Criminal Justice Professors Featured in Red Rock Relationships Podcast
Featured Story: Violinist Michael Vitanza Wins Annual Jacoby Contest at UW
Visual Arts Professor Invited to Lead Two Workshops in Texas
Billi London-Gray, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Visual Arts, was invited to lead two workshops at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas, in March. She taught participants to make beadwork in response to the sculptures of Jean (Hans) Arp. She was helped by her volunteer and mom Sherry London during workshops.
Department of Theatre & Dance Hosts High-Desert Regional Conference
The Department of Theatre and Dance is currently hosting the 2025 American College Dance Association’s High-Desert Regional Conference. For four days, over 350 dance enthusiasts from around the region, and as far away as Hilo, Hawaii, are gathering on campus to share their passion for dance and community. Conference events include 4 adjudication concerts, 1 informal concert, 1 gala concert, 4 adjudication feedback sessions, and over 120 dance workshops.
Communications and Journalism Faculty and Students Receive Honors at 2025 Festival of Visual & Interactive Media Contest
The 2025 Festival of Visual & Interactive Media (VIM) Contest winners were recently announced at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Southeast Colloquium held at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. All submissions for VIM are vetted in a blind-juried, peer-reviewed international competition. UW's Shane Epping won four awards in two separate faculty divisions, while students Forrest Cole and Sera Glass won a total of five awards. (Pictured is Epping's photo that won gold.)
Watch a Video About the New Bitcoin Institute
Bradley Rettler is a philosophy professor at University of Wyoming. He publishes research on metaphysics, philosophy of religion, epistemology and most recently Bitcoin. Bitcoin has evolved into an interdisciplinary field, connecting cryptocurrency to broader discussions in philosophy and social justice. Professor Bradley Rettler explores this connection in his co-authored book, "Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin", published earlier this year.
Refusing the State: Land Relationships on Indigenous Terms
Recent interest in co-management models for tribal homelands and even return of stolen lands to Indigenous peoples provide important avenues for undoing the work of colonialism. But what happens when the settler state’s terms for recognizing land relationships – primarily “property” and “territory” – can’t fully capture the nature of Indigenous connections to land, water, and our more-than-human relatives? This event is sponsored by the School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice.
UW Global Colloquium
The Associated Students Interested in China (ASIC) will host the UW Global Colloquium on March 29, with generous support from the Global Engagement Office, Honors College, College of Business, and the Modern & Classical Languages Department. This exciting event will feature: tea time with the Jazz Ensemble; engaging guest speakers; interactive cultural activities; and a complimentary dinner.
Buchanan Center Special Event: Urban Bush Women
Buchanan Center Special Events hosts the groundbreaking Black women-led theatrical dance company Urban Bush Women performing “This Is Risk” on Saturday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the UW Arts and Sciences Auditorium.
