Dean's Weekly Newsletter 2-6-2026

Published February 06, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

 

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the unusually warm weather this week. This is a good time to spend breaks walking outside and enjoying the bustling energy of our students making their way to classes and events on campus. As we begin to hit our stride in the semester, there are always things to do, people to meet, and ideas to share. As we brace for more chilly days ahead, I encourage us to remember to take care of ourselves and others for the growth of our community, University, and the state of Wyoming.

Here are some of my updates this week:

 

  1. Ag Mech Class Visit
  2. Teacher's Table
  3. PrePARE Lunch
  4. Conversations That Matter Workshop Summary
  5. Wyoming Teacher Mentor Corps Nominations
  6. FCCLA Judges Needed
  7. Foundation-Related Requests for Proposals
  8. Education Peer Mentoring Program (Deadline Extended)
  9. Change My Mind Event (Technology in the Classroom)
  10. Supporting Early-Career Faculty Success
  11. Updated Organizational Charts

 

Ag Mech Class Visit: Yesterday morning, I visited the Ag Mech class taught by Ty Berry and joined by Lucas Dow and Rob Hill. Ty Berry is a lecturer in Agricultural Education. I was treated to a delicious breakfast burrito fresh off the grill, and I got to see the beginnings of cornhole boards that students are designing and building from scratch. How fun! I am impressed by the innovative work happening in our Ag Shop to help our Ag Ed and CTE students thrive and get ready to train Wyoming's next generation of skilled workers.  

 

Teacher's Table: Earlier this week, on Tuesday, Stefan Robinson, one of our outstanding advisors from the Education Student Success Center (CoESSC), made use of his John P. "Jack" Ellbogen Dean's Distinguished Staff Award for Student Success to host the "Teacher's Table," where a group of students met to discuss "Advocacy Today" and create some artwork together. What a great event, and I am excited to see Stefan's future projects!

 

PrePARE Lunch: Also, on Tuesday, Tiffany Hunt, Assistant Professor in Special Education, and Jen Krause, Assistant Lecturer in Special Education, hosted a lunch seminar to talk more about the PrePARE program, which allows students to spend the fall before their student teaching semester working as a paraprofessional at their host school. It serves as a wonderful extended practicum experience, and we have a larger group of students than ever excited to participate. 

 

Conversations That Matter Workshop Summary: Following our January 16 Conversations That Matter workshop with leadership facilitator Lisa Barbeau, we completed an analysis of the faculty and staff discussions. Participants reflected on our shared purpose, strengths, what we may need to let go of, our desired future, individual and collective commitments, and remaining questions. The attached document summarizes the written feedback, including word clouds highlighting commonly used terms and the five most frequent themes for each prompt, with representative quotes provided in alignment with the facilitator’s guiding prompts. 

 

I would also like to share photos of the raw data. The photo files are quite large, so you can click here to view the photo on Canva: click here 

 

Many thanks to our graduate student worker and the staff in the Dean’s Office for their thoughtful work. The Dean’s Office retains the original hard copies of the Post-it notes and sticky notes for anyone interested in reviewing the raw data.

 

Wyoming Teacher Mentor Corps Nominations: Tuesday, February 10, is the final day to nominate an outstanding Wyoming teacher for the Wyoming Teacher Mentor Corps. This initiative supports experienced educators in serving as mentors to strengthen teaching practice and support the next generation of teachers across the state. Colby Gull, Managing Director of the Trustees Education Initiative, encourages faculty and staff to consider nominating strong candidates who would make excellent mentors. Nominations can be submitted here: https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_diH26HiETz37Pmu.

 

FCCLA Judges Needed: Faculty, staff, and students are invited to serve as judges for the Wyoming FCCLA State Conference, an excellent opportunity to connect with high school students and Family and Consumer Sciences teachers from across the state. Judging will take place in Cheyenne on March 31 (1:00–5:00 PM) and/or April 1 (8:00 AM–3:00 PM). Cambria Sweep, a College of Education elementary education student, is serving as this year’s FCCLA judge coordinator, and we encourage our community to support her efforts. Interested volunteers can sign up here: https://forms.gle/4GkXkQyQj9y9v7kF6.

 

Foundation-Related Requests for Proposals: I would like to highlight the attached Requests for Proposals document shared by the Research Development Office, especially for faculty seeking to apply for external funding. In particular, the first opportunity from ViaPath Foundation is worth exploring. 

 

Education Peer Mentoring Program (Deadline Extended): The application deadline for the College of Education Peer Mentoring Program has been extended to Wednesday, February 11 at 5:00 PM. This pilot program is designed to strengthen students’ sense of connection and belonging while providing upper-division students opportunities to develop leadership and mentoring skills. First- and second-year students are encouraged to apply as mentees, and juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply as peer mentors. Participants in both roles receive a stipend, and online students are welcome. Applications can be submitted through this brief online form: https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cAc5byoDXPsaPae.

 

Change My Mind Event (Technology in the Classroom): Faculty are encouraged to share an upcoming "Change My Mind" tabling event focused on technology and its impact on learning and development. Hosted by Joe Schroer, Associate Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, the event invites students to stop by, engage in conversation, and consider recent discussions related to Gen Z students and the reported decline in the Flynn Effect, as well as observations from local schools. You can find Joe in the Education Annex main floor entry on Tuesday, February 10, from 9:30-11:30 AM. Students may find this short video helpful as context for the discussion: https://youtu.be/Fd-_VDYit3U?si=P1lq6Uil_9WDr9F7. Additional events are planned throughout the semester for those interested in participating or partnering on future dialogues.

 

Supporting Early-Career Faculty Success: Over the past year, we have received frequent feedback, especially around the desire for a stronger onboarding support and experience for new faculty. In response, I have consulted with one of the original founders of AWF, who remains at UW, along with the College leadership team and senior faculty. These conversations have helped us return more deliberately to the original intent of AWF: supporting early-career faculty as they develop the skills, habits, and confidence needed for independent, sustained academic writing and research productivity. With that goal in mind, the Academic Writing Fellows program will sunset at the end of Spring 2026, and in Fall 2026 we will launch a revised initiative, the Fostering Academic Success (FAS) Program. FAS is a time-limited, developmental program designed specifically for first- and second-year faculty with formal research expectations. Its purpose is to provide focused support early on, while clearly signaling that the ultimate goal is independence. 

 

Current Academic Writing Fellows may complete their participation through the end of this spring semester. Additional details about FAS, including eligibility, structure, and expectations, are included in the attached document. Finally, I extend my sincere thanks to Mia Williams and Jonathan Carrier for their leadership of the Academic Writing Fellows program over the past year.

 

Updated Organizational Charts: If you are unfamiliar with the College of Education structure, or would like a refresher, be sure to check our updated organizational charts for a snapshot of who works here and the different parts that make up the College: https://www.uwyo.edu/education/faculty-staff/organizational-chart.html

 

Please send any corrections to Cody Schofield, our Communications and Marketing Specialist, at cschofi3@uwyo.edu 

 

***

When I see pictures of our students excited about their future careers as educators and counselors, I feel an unmistakable excitement and hope for the future of Wyoming citizens. As we continue our important work this semester, I would like to remind us all: Education is the profession that makes all other professions possible!

 

Jenna