May 2026
Published April 29, 2026
UW Debate Team Earns National Honors at Championship Tournaments
The UW Debate Team recently earned national recognition at both the National Debate
Tournament and the Cross-Examination Debate Association National Tournament. This
squad is among the youngest in the country, with most debaters in their first or second
year of collegiate competition. The team also received community-selected recognition,
honored for best evidence and research, the “Bootstraps Award” for hardest-working
small squad, and the Rookie Director Award. UW Debate Director David Rooney was named
a CEDA Critic of the Year and selected to judge the national championship round.
A Message from Dean Turpen
With UW graduation just a couple of weeks away, the end of the semester is quickly approaching. We’re looking forward to celebrating our students and all they’ve accomplished.I’m also glad to share that the UW Debate Team earned national accolades recently. There is no shortage of exciting news across the college right now, and there are many great events still to come before the academic year wraps up.
This month’s newsletter just further highlights that A&S graduates are up to any challenge and are “Ready for Tomorrow’s World."
Happy Spring!
J. Scott Turpen
Watch the Recap of Historian Dr. Edward Larson Speak During This Year's Humanities Summit
UW English Professor Julia Obert Publishes New Book With Liverpool University Press
Learn More About This Publication Here
UW History Professor Cecily Zander Appointed to Abraham Lincoln Association Board
News and Notes
UW Pathways from Prison Program Receives Grant to Expand Access to Education
The UW Pathways from Prison (WPfP) program has been awarded a $500,000 grant from
the Mellon Foundation to expand access to higher education for incarcerated individuals.
The funding will support the expansion of the program into the Wyoming State Penitentiary
in Rawlins and increase connections with the UW community and state of Wyoming. It
also will provide essential learning tools, including Chromebooks and academic materials,
as well as additional instructional and program support. Learn more by reading the
press release.
UW Collegiate Chorale Performs with Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Singers
On Saturday, April 11, UW Collegiate Chorale joined forces with the Cheyenne Symphony
Orchestra and Cheyenne Chamber Singers to premiere Jeff Lippencott’s "American Patriot
Hymn." They recorded this commissioned work with Grammy Award-winning producer Elaine
Martone in November of 2025.
UW Students and Faculty Earn Photography Accolades
UW Professor Shane Epping recently had an article published in the current issue of Visual Communication Quarterly (Volume 33, 2026) titled "Visual Analysis of Living with Cancer as Seen Through a Lens of Poststructuralism." Epping also has a solo photography exhibition totaling 20 images at D'art Gallery in Denver from May 7 to May 31, 2026. The exhibition is titled "On the Road Again: Scenes from Highway 287." Lastly, he had a single photo selected for an upcoming exhibition titled, "Anything Goes," at The Lab on Santa Fe in Denver from May 8 to June 7, 2026. Additionally, UW students recently swept all three photography categories at the 2026 Visual and Interactive Media Festival by earning gold, silver, and bronze for a total of nine awards in the following categories: Photography - Single - Journalism (Gold - Zach Agee, Silver - Garrett Grochowski, and Bronze - Sera Glass); Photography - Photo Essay - Journalism (Gold - Zach Agee, Silver - Shelby Sinclair, and Bronze - Shelby Sinclair); Photography - Photo Illustration; (Gold - Ruth Muyapa, Silver - Abigail Johnson, and Bronze - Alanna Link).
Upcoming Events
Writing the Story of Peace - April 29
Members of the community are invited to the academic and culture event, titled "Writing the Story of Peace," first imagined by American Cultural Studies MA student, Hoang Nyugen, and coordinated by the Vietnamese Scholars and Students Association (VSSA). The event brings together a film screening and a panel discussion among UW scholars and local Vietnam War veterans and explores themes of war, memory, representation, and pathways to peace and reconciliation. The event will take place from 4:15-8pm on April 29 at the Alice Hardie Stevens Center (Laramie Plains Museum) at 603 E. University Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
Run Like A Cheetah! - May 2
Join the COJO Study Abroad class in its efforts to help the remaining 7,000 cheetahs in the wild during the Run (or Walk) Like a Cheetah 5K on May 2. The run begins at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m. at the basketball court in Washington Park. There is also a Silent Auction in the Otto Dahl shelter from 9-10:30 a.m. of cheetah-related items including jewelry, pictures and cookies! If you can't make it in person, there is a virtual walk as well. All proceeds go to the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia where the Study Abroad class will take place in late May. $40 Adults; $25 for students (use code STUDENT at checkout); Groups of 4+, $5 off (use GROUP4 at checkout); Virtual walk, $10. Sign up for this race at RunSignUp. For more information, contact Cindy Price Schultz at cprice@uwyo.edu.
Feste Romane (UW Symphony Orchestra) - May 9
The next UW Symphony Orchestra performance is Thursday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center Concert Hall. Tickets are available at www.uwyo.edu/boxoffice/calendar.html, by phone at 307-766-6666, or at the Buchanan Center Box Office. The UWSO’s last concert came within a few seats of selling out, so don’t wait to get your Feste Romane tickets.
