Dean's Weekly Newsletter 12-12-2025

Dear Colleagues,

This has been an energizing final week in the College of Education, and I am continually inspired by the dedication our students, staff, and faculty bring to their work. As we close out the semester, I look forward to continuing our momentum in the new year. There is much to reflect on.

Here are our final updates of the semester:

• Dean’s Recognition Ceremony
• Milken Educator Award Recipient
• Play Practitioner Grant Information
• WYECPLC Winter Lights Festival Sponsorship
• Conversation with Aldora “Dodie” White Eagle and Lynette St. Clair
• Holiday Market
• Reminder About Final Grades
• Fall 2025 Commencement Details
  
  

Dean’s Recognition Ceremony: The College of Education hosted the annual Dean’s Recognition Ceremony at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, celebrating student achievement, faculty excellence, and donor support. We extend our thanks to the John P. Ellbogen Foundation, Mary Ellbogen Garland, Phil Lantz, Martha Wyrsch and Sarah Brown Matthews, and Dave and Kelly Dunham for their ongoing support. Honorees included:

• Lantz Distinguished Professors (2026): Nikki Baldwin, Amy Encinger, Jihyun Lee
• Mary Garland Distinguished Fellows (2026): JP Han, Tiffany Hunt
• Student Choice Instructor Awards: Cindy Brock, Joe Russo
• John P. "Jack" Ellbogen Dean’s Student Teaching Support Award: Silas Boyd, Emilee Harrington, Aida Hester, Maddy Heissenbuttel, Toby Johnson, Marnie Martin, Cambree Miller, Britney Maldonado, Dusti Peterson, Sarah Turner, Riley Valentine, Autumn Watkins
• Dick and Marty Brown Non Traditional Student Award: Dianna Arnold, Rebecca Calkins, Kelby Laska Davila, Corinne Marie Ellis, Joshua Hayes, Daisy Kelley, Dan Lavine
• Dunham Family Fellows: Katie Acord, Sage Angell, Karen Jeske, Chevelle Jolley, Julianna Muñoz, Chloe Willenborg

 

Milken Educator Award Recipient: The College of Education is proud to recognize alumnus Garrid Halsey, a middle school STEM teacher at Laramie Middle School, who was recently named a national Milken Educator Award recipient. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted prize and connects recipients to a national network of education leaders. We congratulate Garrid for this outstanding recognition and for the continued impact he is making in Wyoming classrooms.

 

Play Practitioner Grant Information: Nikki Baldwin, senior lecturer in Early Childhood Education, shared an update on a statewide early childhood education initiative supporting kindergarten teachers through additional TEI funding. Thirty-two applications were received, and six teachers were selected as grantees, each paired with an experienced Play Practitioner mentor to deepen play-based instructional strategies from January to May 2026. All participants will present their work at the 7th Annual UW Kindergarten Summit in June.

Grantees:

• Abbey Winkler
• Sarah Speckner
• Jessica Kavitz
• Kendra Redding
• Joanna Hostetter
• Cheryl Garvin

Play Practitioners:

• Yolanda Crowder, Kylee Lewis, Janelle Huber
• Theresa Herrera, Emily Claycomb
• Angela Burton

WYECPLC Winter Lights Festival Sponsorship: The Wyoming Early Childhood Professional Learning Collaborative led by Nikki Baldwin, is once again sponsoring the Laramie Winter Lights Festival at Washington Park. The sponsorship funds the lighting display on the children’s playground in honor of early childhood educators and caregivers. This support reflects the University’s engagement with local families, schools, and early care programs, offering children a vibrant, color-changing space to play during the festival. Please be sure to view the lights if you have a chance; they are beautiful!

Conversation with Aldora “Dodie” White Eagle and Lynette St. Clair: Thank you to Dr. Aldora “Dodie” White Eagle of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and Lynette St. Clair of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe for joining us at Wednesday’s College-wide meeting. We were grateful for the opportunity to welcome them to campus and to engage with their work and insights about the Wyoming Indian Education for All Act.

Holiday Market: As highlighted by Provost Alexander in her message this week, UW Staff Senate is hosting the annual Holiday Market today, Friday, December 12, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM at the UW Conference Center. This event showcases local artisans, crafters, and campus partners and offers a fun way to support our staff community while finding thoughtful gifts. Thank you to Staff Senate for continuing this tradition each year.

Reminder About Final Grades: Provost Alexander also shared a helpful reminder that final grades are due online by noon on December 18. Thank you in advance for keeping these academic processes on schedule during an especially busy time of year.

Fall 2025 Commencement Details: Faculty and staff are encouraged to review final instructions for the Winter 2025 commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 13 at 10:00 AM in the Arena Auditorium.

Please remember:

• Master’s hooding at 8:00 AM in the Fieldhouse
• Doctoral hooding on stage, with lineup in the Fieldhouse
• Arrival at 8:45 AM for faculty not hooding master’s students
• Regalia required for all participating faculty
• Parking in regular spaces without a permit
  
  

As you attend the ceremony, please make a purposeful effort to connect with our College of Education graduates. I encourage each faculty member to speak with students they have not met before, learn their major, ask about their favorite class at UW, and find out where they plan to teach. Commencement is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our students and strengthen our community.

As we close out the fall semester, I want to extend my gratitude to each of you for the dedication, resilience, and creativity you bring to the College of Education. Your work this year has positioned us for an exciting 2026, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together. I will see many of you tomorrow at Fall Commencement as we celebrate our graduates and their bright futures.  

Have a wonderful holiday season. My weekly newsletter will resume on January 23, 2026.

Jenna