July 2026

 

UW Communication and Journalism Faculty and Students Travel to Namibia

 

Communication and Journalism Department members Cindy Price Schultz, Shane Epping, and Kayla Clark, along with many UW students, took a study abroad course to Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia in May and June. During the trip, students helped to support cheetah conservation. Students learned about the work of the Cheetah Conservation Fund through lectures by experts, wildlife tours, feeding the cheetahs, and much more. In May, the Communication and Journalism Department held a "Run Like a Cheetah" 5K in Laramie. All proceeds supported the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

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A Message from Dean Turpen
  
The summer is moving fast, and there is a lot important work happening in the College of Arts and Sciences. I've spent some time this summer traveling on behalf of the college, and it's been wonderful connecting with alumni, donors, and stakeholders along the way.
 
Now we're looking forward to Saddle Up and welcoming students back to campus in just a few short weeks. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading about some of our recent events and the accomplishments of our outstanding students and faculty.

Thank you for your continued support of A&S. Go Pokes!

 

J. Scott Turpen

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First-Year Saddle Up Event Returns to UW Campus in a Few More Weeks!

 

Learn About This Event

 

UW Homecoming is September 21 - 26, 2026 (See the Schedule for Details!)

 

Explore More About Homecoming

 

UW Psychology Professor Catherine Carrico Receives Excellence in Rural Psychology Award

 

Read the Full Story here

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A&S News and Notes

 

UW Assistant Professor of Communication and Journalism Selected to Represent Wyoming in 'Women to Watch' Exhibition

Kayla Clark, a UW assistant professor of communication and journalism, has been selected to represent Wyoming in "Women to Watch 2027: A Book Arts Revolution," a prestigious exhibition presented by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Clark was chosen from a cohort of four Wyoming artists nominated by the Wyoming Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and will exhibit alongside artists from across the U.S. and around the world. Her work will be on view at the museum from April through August 2027. A statewide exhibition featuring Clark, as well as a variety of other artists, will open this fall before touring communities across Wyoming through 2027.

 

Art Educators Gather at the Neltje Center
Arts educators from across Wyoming are gathering at the UW Neltje Center, showing up, digging in, and taking meaningful creative risks together. Professional development workshops, hosted by the talented staff of the UW Art Museum, focus not only on new teaching strategies but on reenergizing artistic practice and strengthening a statewide community of educators. This marks the first of two cohorts participating in the program this summer, and the UW Neltje Center looks forward to welcoming the second cohort in the coming days!

 

UW Faculty Collaboration to Debut New Performance in Tunisia
“Swimming Upstream: A Country Music Composition,” a new solo performance work written by Matthew Greenberg, a UW assistant professor of theater and dance, will debut during the International University Theater Festival in Monastir, Tunisia, Saturday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 16. The work features production design by Brandon Gellis, a UW associate professor of visual communication design, and reflects UW’s continued partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Science in Tunisia. Greenberg and Gellis’ piece was selected to represent the U.S. at this performance festival, which will feature works from more than 50 countries.

 

UW Music Professor Conducts in Brazil
Michael Griffith, music director of the UW Symphony Orchestra, just returned from a week making music in Teresina, Brazil. He was conductor of the inaugural season of Concerto sem Frontieras, a week-long series of orchestra concerts, chamber music recitals, and educational events. Teresina is in far northeast Brazil, and Griffith’s repertoire included music from the folk and popular traditions of this region of Brazil, plus American and European classical music. Musicians from Austria, Switzerland, and the U.S. joined local players from Orquestra de Camara Inova  and the Teresina Symphony Orchestra in this project. This was Griffith’s fifth trip to Brazil to conduct.

 

UW Debate Team Hosts Wyoming Forensics Institute
The UW Debate Team recently held the Wyoming Forensics Institute, hosting high school students from Wyoming and Colorado for a summer debate camp on the UW campus. Students were able to attend either a one-week or two-week session, engaging in skills development trainings and receiving strategic guidance on how to debate well throughout the year. Students received an evidence set (a collection of prepared research) before camp allowing them to start debating from day one. They continued to polish their research skills during camp as they worked on expanding their evidence set, learning from lectures, and engaging in debates. This is the Wyoming Forensic Institute's 22nd year of offering affordable debate education, with a mission to provide exceptional, national-caliber instruction to students at the most accessible price.

 

UW Communication and Journalism Professor Publishes New Research
UW Communication and Journalism Professor Cindy Price Schultz recently published a new article titled "Moving Journalism in a New Direction? Business Models of Digital News Organizations in Kazakhstan." It was published in the International Journal on Media Management, for which she was recently named associate editor. Her co-authors are Karlyga Myssayeva and Md Saddam Hossain, a former COJO master's graduate who is in a doctoral program at the University of Missouri. The publication is related to her sabbatical research in Kazakhstan. 

 

UW Associate Professor of History Elected to Executive Board of German Studies Association
Adam Blackler, associate professor of history at UW, was recently elected to the executive board of the German Studies Association (GSA). The GSA is the largest German history organization in North America. Blacker is a historian of modern Germany and southern Africa, whose research emphasizes the transnational dimensions of imperial occupation and colonial violence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His scholarly interests also include the political and social dynamics of Germany’s Weimar Republic and the interdisciplinary fields of holocaust and genocide studies and international human rights.

 

UW Music Professor Travels to Texas for Choral Conducting Symposium
UW Director of Choral Activities, Brian C. Murray, served as a faculty member and administrator at the 2026 University of North Texas Choral Conducting Symposium in Denton, TX. The symposium includes 18 conducting fellows, 17 symposium auditors, 3 collaborative pianists, 4 teaching faculty, and a professional string quartet. 

 

Clinical Psychology Students Earn Prestigious Internship Placements
Eight UW clinical psychology doctoral students have matched with APA-accredited clinical internship sites across the country, including several of the nation's most competitive training programs. Through a highly selective national matching process, the students secured placements at institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, Madison VAMC, Medical University of South Carolina, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Nebraska Mental Health Centers, Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Students began their internships this summer and will complete their training in summer 2027.

 

Clinical Psychology Student Receives Top Honor

UW clinical psychology student Rachael Dumas recently received the Stephen Chermack Award for Research during her training at the University of Michigan/VA Ann Arbor Health Care System. The award is the highest honor presented to trainees in the program and recognizes outstanding research achievement. The recognition reflects the high caliber of UW graduate students and the impact they are making at leading institutions across the country.

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Upcoming Events

 

Special Events Presents: The War and Treaty

The Buchanan Center is proud to announce that The War And Treaty is coming to Laramie on October 16! The husband-and-wife team of Michael and Tanya Trotter have released music that continues to elevate them beyond beloved industry favorites, capable of performing on stages worldwide with widespread acclaim and standing ovations. Purchase tickets for The War and Treaty here.