August 2026

 

 

College of Arts & Sciences Welcomes New Students During Saddle Up

UW's annual Saddle Up event was a success!  Saddle Up is a week-long program for all first-time students that kicks off their UW experience. Students move in early, build academic skills, connect with classmates, and get a head start on college life. Plus, as part of their orientation, a packed room of first year College of Arts & Sciences students received some helpful tips and tricks from Recruiting Coordinator Gregory Barr, Dean Scott Turpen, Career Services Specialist Anna Keller, and A&S Student Success Center Director Tina Mathews.

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A Message from Dean Turpen

It’s wonderful to welcome our students back to campus and see the energy of a new academic year. As the semester officially gets underway this week, there is already so much exciting work happening throughout our College. 

I’m also looking forward to launching a new video series that offers another way to stay connected with A&S and hear directly about the people and work that make our college so valuable. I hope you’ll follow along! You can view the first episode here. 

 

Thank you for your continued support of our students, faculty, and programming. Here's to anther great year. Go Pokes!

J. Scott Turpen

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UW Buchanan Center Special Events Presents: The War and Treaty on Oct. 16

 

Learn About This Event

 

Take a Look at the Inaugural UW College of Arts and Sciences Annual Report

 

Read the Full Report Here

 

UW Anthropology Department Contributes to New Study on North American Bison History

 

Learn More About The Study Here

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Meet A&S Board of Vistors Chair Mary Ellbogen Garland!

 

Mary is involved personally as a volunteer and professionally in service to the people of the State of Wyoming. She is the president and chair of the John P. Ellbogen Foundation. The focus of her work is in education and for the well-being of children families. She has given support to teacher quality, education leadership, early childhood care and education, civics education, student scholarship and basic needs for Wyoming communities. "I have had the wonderful opportunity of serving as an advocate and ambassador for the College of Arts & Sciences for many years," she says. "I am delighted to witness first-hand the incredible talent of the leadership, faculty, staff, and students in the College. It is an honor to support the preparation of students whose skills and leadership will enrich their future workplace and the communities in which they live."

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A&S News and Notes

 

First Cohort in Wyoming Pathways from Prison Program Graduates

Six women at the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk made history in August, becoming the first cohort of women in the Wyoming Pathways From Prison program (WPfP) to earn bachelor’s degrees. The graduates each earned a Bachelor's in General Studies from UW during a commencement ceremony held Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Wyoming Women’s Center. WPfP is a collaboration between UW and the Wyoming Department of Corrections that seeks to provide high quality, for-credit college courses to incarcerated women and men at no cost through support from Pell Grants. The ultimate goal of the program is to transform lives, both within and outside prison walls, by creating opportunities for skill-building, personal growth and self reflection. Research consistently shows that the more education a person receives — especially college degrees — the less likely they are to return to prison.

 

UW Anthropology Professors and Students Travel to Peru for Three-Week Course

Anthropology professors Allison Caine and Nikolas Sweet recently wrapped up their three-week study abroad course “Nature and Culture in Peru.” Students were able to explore archaeological sites in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, learn about regenerative agriculture, alpaca herding, and traditional weaving, and eat lots of delicious Peruvian food! They ended the course by in the city of Cusco to celebrate Inti Raymi, the festival of the sun. Interested UW students can keep an eye out for future study abroad courses offered by anthropology faculty!

 

UW Professor Zoe Pearson Begins Term as Chair of the Conference of Latin American Geography

Zoe Pearson, associate professor in the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies, recently started her two-year term as the Chair of the Conference of Latin American Geography (CLAG), an impactful international professional association founded in the U.S. in 1970. CLAG regularly publishes the Journal of Latin American Geography , as well as the CLAG newsletter. Its members are located across the world, with a notable concentration across the Americas. As the Chair of CLAG, Pearson will play a leading role in organizing the association’s conference in Montreal in 2027 and in guiding CLAG’s pursuit of its mission to foster geographic education and research on Latin America.

 

Re-Storying the West Team Travels More Than 2,200 Miles to Gather Wyoming Stories

This summer, the Department of English’s Re-Storying the West team traveled over 2,200 miles around Wyoming gathering stories in relation to land and culture. The website has dozens of new individual stories and now offers a long-form  Stories With/In Community section. RSW’s new  podcast episode will release in early September. More site content will continue to be added throughout the upcoming academic year.

 

UW Professor Nicholas Crane Serves as Guest Editors for Justice, Power, and Resistance Journal

Nicholas Jon Crane, associate professor in the School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies, recently saw the publication of a special issue of the journal Justice, Power and Resistance, which he guest-edited with Dr. Çağlar Dölek (Cal Poly Humboldt). The focus of the special issue on “Violence and urban transformation in contemporary Turkey” was realized by an international group of scholars. Justice, Power and Resistance volume 9, issue 2, includes an editorial essay by Crane and Dölek which situates the contributions and traces some emerging themes in the interdisciplinary literature on violence and urban transformation in Turkey.

 

A&S Professors Return from International University Theater Festival in Tunisia

UW faculty members Matthew Greenberg and Brandon Gellis recently returned from Tunisia, where their performance "Swimming Upstream: A Country Music Composition" represented the U.S. at the International University Theater Festival in Monastir, featuring work from more than 50 countries. While there, they performed alongside artists from Iraq, Libya, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, and beyond and were named recipients of the festival’s Award for Excellence in Performance, its highest honor. The trip also opened new opportunities for cultural exchange and continued collaboration between UW and Tunisian partners.

 

Carlisle Selected for Permanent Public Art Commission at Denver Botanic Gardens

UW Professor Ashley Hope Carlisle, sculpture faculty in the Department of Visual Arts, has been commissioned to create a permanent public art installation, Small Wonders: Seeds of Transformation, for the Denver Botanic Gardens. Carlisle was selected as one of just four artists chosen from 1,600 national applicants in a year-long selection process, with the contract signed in June 2026. The piece is slated for completion and installation by end of April 2028 at one of the most-visited public gardens in the country, which drew over 1.46 million visitors in 2024.

 

The commission builds directly on Carlisle's teaching practice at UW, where she trains students in large-scale fabrication through both the sculpture curriculum and Master Craftsman, a paid apprenticeship program she developed to give UW students and graduates hands-on professional experience on real, contracted fabricated projects and commissions. "Students learn fabrication and professional practice not only through direct instruction, but by watching a working faculty member actively sustain a demanding public commission from contract through installation,” Carlisle says.

 

Professor Clair Uding Publishes New Book on Crime Hot Spots

Professor Clair Uding recently published Hot Spots of Crime: Social Structure and Social Context at the Micro Geographic Level with co-authors David Weisburd, Beidi Dong and Kiseong Kuen through Cambridge University Press. The book examines what makes certain places become crime hot spots and the broader social and health challenges found in these areas.  Drawing on more than 7,000 surveys, physical and social observations, and qualitative data, the research explores the social features of crime hot spots and the role of informal social controls in understanding and preventing crime. The book is available as an open-access publication through Cambridge University Press.

 

UW Professor Shane Epping Earns Dr. Sandy Utt Excellence in Teaching Award 

In early August, Shane Epping, Bobby Model Photojournalism Professor at UW, received the Dr. Sandy Utt Excellence in Teaching Award at the 109th Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference in New Orleans. This competition celebrates not only knowledge but also teaching skills, passion for the field, engagement with students and colleagues, and innovative skills in the classroom. 

 

UW Director of Bands Collaborates With Top Chamber Musicians

UW Director of Bands Matthew Schlomer recently spent five weeks in Michigan, collaborating with some of the nation’s top professional chamber musicians to plant music in unexpected places. Recent Fischoff Grand Prize winners, the Katarina Quartet, spent a week doing workshops with Schlomer before creating personal interactions with audiences in odd locations like campgrounds, gas stations, and ice cream shops. To see more of this community transforming work, go to  interlochenpublicradio.org/the-sound-garden-project.

 

UW Professor Anne Stevens Earns Laramigo Award
At the end of the spring semester, Anne Stevens, a clinical assistant professor of psychology and director of the UW Psychology Center, was awarded UW’s Laramigo Award for Community Engagement in recognition of her impact on mental health across campus, Laramie, and the state. The award recognizes the contributions of UW faculty and staff members to the university and Laramie communities. The award, created by anonymous donors in 2022, offers a stipend to a UW employee and a Laramie-based nonprofit organization of the recipient’s choice. Read the press release here. 

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Upcoming A&S Events

 

Fall 2026 Visiting Artist Events

Aug 31: Kevin Sloan Exhibition opens in Visual Arts Main Gallery (Visual Arts Building)

Oct 6: Visiting Artist Talk by Kevin Sloan – 6:30-7:30pm, Visual Arts Building 111 and Zoom

Oct 8: Exhibition Reception for Kevin Sloan VA Gallery Exhibition - 6:30-8:30pm

To learn more about Sloan and his art, the Visual Arts Visiting Artist Talk Series will feature Sloan on October 6 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the Visual Arts Auditorium, VA 111. Then, on Thursday, October 8, the Department will celebrate Sloan's work during an Exhibition Reception in the main lobby of the Visual Arts building from 6:30 to 8:30pm. All events are open to the public. Typical Main Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9am to 4pm.

Sept 21-25: Eccentric Bike Building Workshop with Greg Henderson: During Homecoming week, New York City artist Greg Henderson will visit Laramie to lead an Eccentric Bike Building Workshop. Members of the Department of Visual Arts will feature bikes built throughout the week in the Homecoming Parade. The department will announce the event details closer to the start of the semester. Scheduling updates will appear on the  Department of Visual Arts website and the A&S Event Calendar.

 

Upcoming Jazz Events
 
Thursday, September 3
Back to School Jazz Night @ Bonds Brewing 
Ft. UWYO Jazz Studies faculty and students 
Free - 6-9pm 

 

Monday, September 21
Laramie Listens presents JUNO winning guitarist and vocalist, Jocelyn Gould 
Presented by UWYO Jazz Studies and Laramie Chamber Business Alliance 
Backwards Distillery - 6-8pm - Free

 

Fridays, 4:30-6:30pm

Live in the Student Union, The Pokes Pub House Band
Join the nationally recognized UWYO student Jazz combo for their 3rd season of Jazz Jam sessions in the Student Union! 

 

Wyoming Dementia Together Caregiver Network and Healthy U Announces Upcoming Events

Are you a family member or friend of someone living with dementia? Caregivers throughout the region are offered the opportunity to receive suggestions to support caring for their loved ones by sharing their story for discussion and feedback to a network of caregivers as well as a professional support team at the  Wyoming Dementia Together Caregiver Network (WDT). WDT meets bi-weekly from 10:30am-11:45am MST via Zoom! 
 
Upcoming Educational Discussion Topics:
Sept 9: Legacy Leaving - Listening with Heart and Purpose
Sept 23: Aging Brain Care - From Evaluation to Emerging Treatment Options
Wyoming residents are also invited to participate in a Healthy U workshop ! Healthy U is a six-week workshop for anyone with an ongoing health condition (or a caregiver of someone with a health condition) who wants to take control of their condition and live a happier, healthier life. Contact WyCOA to learn more. Save the Date: Healthy U Leader Training: 9/15 - 9/18/26 in Laramie.

 

Upcoming Wind Symphony Performances

The UW Wind Symphony has been invited to perform at the 2027 Wyoming Music Educators Association conference in January. This honor allows UW’s top musicians to perform for nearly every music teacher in the state, as well as the Wyoming High School All-State musicians. Upcoming performances include:UW Wind Symphony - Double Take: This concert features music that has existed somewhere else first and has been borrowed and reimagined – from a drunken folk singer regaling military exploits in Grainger’s iconic “Lincolnshire Posy,” to Bach’s epic “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” to Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” that was made famous by Bugs Bunny. This concert will take place Oct. 7 at 7:30pm in the Concert Hall at the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. (Conductor: Matthew Schlomer). 

 

UW Wind Symphony - Love Among the Ruins: Composers have captured the pride, patriotism, and tragedy of war in many ways. Yes, there will be the optimistic pep of a military march, but at the heart of the evening is a bittersweet concerto for viola performed by UW's new Professor of Viola Ross McIntosh, “Love Among the Ruins,” paired with the haunting masterwork by Karel Husa, “Music for Prague.” This performance takes place Nov. 5 at 7:30pm in the Concert Hall at the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. (Conductor: Matthew Schlomer, viola solist: Ross McIntosh).