Dean’s Weekly Newsletter 5-15-2026
Published May 15, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
Applause to everyone for making it to the end of Spring 2026! It has been an excellent semester for the College of Education, and this final week has reflected the breadth of work taking place across the College. This is my final newsletter of the academic year, and I am excited to share the following updates:
- Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony & Celebration
- President’s Commencement Dinner
- 2026 American Heritage Center Teaching and Research Grant
- School of Computing Building Community Award for Broadening Impact
- Katie Acord Receives A&S Outstanding Graduating Senior Award
- Three University-wide Outstanding Graduating Senior Award Nominees
- 2026 Outstanding Ambassadors
- Reminder: Spring 2026 Commencement Tomorrow
Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony & Celebration: Tuesday evening’s Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony & Celebration was a fitting finale to the semester before commencement, offering the College of Education an opportunity to recognize the impact of the Ellbogen Foundation across the College of Education and throughout the state.
The program highlighted the breadth of Ellbogen-supported work in the College, beginning with opening remarks and recognition of the John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean’s and Trustees Education Initiative Peer Mentoring Program. Special thanks to Myah Hammerquist, Josie Thomason, Laynee Walker, and Madi Baillie for sharing their experiences and representing the mentor and mentee partnerships supported through the program.
The evening concluded with a heartfelt response from Mary Garland. The evening featured distinguished Fellows in Education Tiffany Hunt, Ling Zhang, and JP Han, along with recognition of Outstanding Dissertation Award recipients Aaron Nydam, Anne Sudmeier, Jeffery Lewis, and Melena Osborne. Thank you to Miriam Sanders, Assistant Professor in Secondary Mathematics Education, for speaking on behalf of Melena Osborne, her doctoral advisee, who recently welcomed a new addition to her family. The program also included a presentation from Stefan Robinson, recipient of the John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean’s Distinguished Staff Award for Student Success.
Together, these presentations reflected the Foundation’s support for student success, faculty research, teacher preparation, rural education, literacy, mathematics instruction, and programs that strengthen Wyoming communities. On behalf of the College, thank you to Mary Ellbogen Garland and the Ellbogen Foundation Board for their leadership, generosity, and continued belief in education and in the people working each day to serve Wyoming’s students, schools, and communities.
UW community members can view the complete album at this link: https://shorturl.at/Xq5sE
President’s Commencement Dinner: As another week of Board of Trustees meetings draws to a conclusion, I had the pleasure last night of attending the President’s Commencement Dinner, where JP Han, Assistant Professor of Elementary Mathematics Education in School of Teacher Education, and Jason Katzmann, Associate Lecturer in the College of Education, UW Casper, were honored as the Presidential Scholarly Achievement Award for Promising Early-Career Faculty recipients. Bravo to JP and Jason on their remarkable achievements!
2026 American Heritage Center Teaching and Research Grant: Congratulations to Anne Aydinian-Perry, Assistant Professor of Secondary Social Studies Education, on receiving a 2026 American Heritage Center Teaching and Research Grant. Her project, “Inquiry Into the Archives: Using UW AHC Collections for Inquiry Design Model Learning,” will support the planning, creation, and implementation of a curriculum module for senior social studies education students in the semester before their student teaching residencies. The module will guide students in selecting and adapting primary source documents and artifacts from the AHC’s collections for use in future classrooms when teaching about Wyoming, the United States, and Indian Education for All standards. As part of the module, students will create inquiry-based lesson plans built around central questions and student-curated collections of AHC artifacts. I look forward to seeing future updates on Anne’s work through this grant.
School of Computing Building Community Award for Broadening Impact: Congratulations to William Cain, Associate Professor in Learning, Design, and Technology in the School of CLAD, and Adjunct Faculty member in the School of Computing, on receiving the School of Computing’s Building Community Award for Broadening Impact. This award recognizes faculty, staff, and students whose work advances community outreach, volunteerism, and initiatives that use computing for social good. William was recognized for his interdisciplinary work connecting artificial intelligence, learning, and community engagement across the University of Wyoming and beyond. His recent work includes organizing the UW AI Experts Panel on Applications & Ethics, delivering a keynote to UW Extension, and developing AI-enhanced educational initiatives that support teaching, learning, and workforce development in Wyoming. Kudos to William on this well-deserved recognition.
Katie Acord Receives A&S Outstanding Graduating Senior Award: Congratulations as well to Katie Acord, a Secondary English Education dual major in the College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences, on receiving the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduating Senior Award. Katie maintained a 4.0 GPA while distinguishing herself through undergraduate research, honors thesis work, teaching, advocacy, and public engagement throughout her time at UW. Her work has included research presentations on intellectual freedom and literary studies, student teaching, and educational leadership, reflecting her strong preparation as both a scholar and future educator. Katie was also celebrated as a Dunham Family Fellow this academic year. After graduation, Katie will begin teaching English at Sheridan High School in Sheridan, Wyoming. It is cheering to see Katie’s success recognized in both of her Colleges, and congratulations again on this well-deserved honor.
Three University-wide Outstanding Graduating Senior Award Nominees: Katie Acord was also nominated for the University-wide Outstanding Graduating Senior Award, along with two additional College of Education students: Hilde Ball, another Secondary English Education major, and Sarah Turner, an Agricultural Education major. This campus-wide recognition honors students for academic excellence, contributions and service to UW, leadership in co-curricular activities, character, and citizenship. Congratulations to Katie, Hilde, and Sarah on representing the College of Education among this year’s nominees.
An additional congratulations to all of our graduating seniors for their outstanding work in becoming first-rate educators!
2026 Outstanding Ambassadors: A round of applause for Quincy Deremmer, Shayd Fuller, and Ella Dostal on being selected for this year’s Outstanding Ambassador Awards. These awards recognize College of Education Ambassadors who demonstrated strong attendance, participation, and service to the College through their help and presence at events, including the College Advocacy Board Reception and the Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony & Celebration. We are grateful for the work of all College of Education Ambassadors, who help welcome guests, represent our students, and support the College’s outreach and engagement efforts throughout the year.
Congratulations as well to Shelby Williams, president; Abby Reardanz, vice president; Millicent McGinnis, treasurer; and Laynee Walker, secretary, for completing their terms as officers of the Education Student Ambassadors. Best wishes to Abby Reardanz as the incoming president as she assembles her team for another productive year. Below is a picture from last week that I want to share once more with some of our great ambassadors.
Reminder: Spring 2026 Commencement Tomorrow: Finally, the University of Wyoming Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies will be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, in the Arena-Auditorium. College of Education faculty should plan to attend both the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. Faculty and staff participating in the graduate ceremony should arrive by 11:30 AM for the 12:30 PM processional, and those participating in the undergraduate ceremony should arrive by 2:30 PM for the 3:30 PM processional. Participants should gather in the Fieldhouse for line-up, and faculty must wear regalia if participating in the processional. Faculty hooding master’s students should arrive at the Fieldhouse by 10:30 AM for formal hooding and photographs before the ceremony.
***
A special and many thanks to all faculty and staff whose work has helped our graduating seniors, master’s students, and doctoral students complete their programs and prepare to walk at commencement tomorrow. The close of the academic year is a good moment to recognize the teaching, advising, mentoring, administrative work, and service that make these student accomplishments possible.
This week’s newsletter is the final edition before we pause for the summer session. To continue following College of Education news over the summer, please connect with us on our social media channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyoCollegeOfEd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uwyo_ed/
X: https://x.com/UWyoCoED
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-wyoming-college-of-education/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCikM7A50XrUNhje7bEyfyg
I look forward to resuming the newsletter in the fall semester. I also look forward to seeing many of you at commencement tomorrow as we celebrate our students and send them forward into their next chapters. For those I do not see, have a lovely summer.
Go Pokes!
Jenna
