Dean’s Weekly Newsletter 9-11-2026

Published September 11, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Beautiful fall weather has arrived, and it has been wonderful to see our students back on campus, bringing renewed energy and excitement to the start of the semester.

This week offered me several opportunities to spend time with them, moments that remain among the most important parts of my work. Whether hearing about the challenges they have overcome, celebrating their scholarship and research, or simply visiting with them between classes, I am continually inspired by their resilience, hard work, different experiences, and commitment to their communities and future professions.

President Reeves has identified the student experience as his first priority for the University of Wyoming, and the College of Education is fully aligned with that commitment. An excellent student experience requires supporting students academically, professionally, and personally. It also means knowing our students, listening to their stories, being available when they need guidance or encouragement, and ensuring they know they are valued members of our community. Several of this week’s updates illustrate this commitment especially well.

In This Week’s Newsletter

1. ATA Welcome Back BBQ
2. EMAT Student Earns School of Computing Graduate Scholar Award
3. New Book Highlights Literacy Work Across Wyoming
4. LRCC Scholarships Support Wyoming Educators
5. LRCC Hosts Inaugural Summer Institute
6. Wyoming Educators Create Books for Wyoming Families
7. State of the University Address
8. Constitution Day at UW
9. Leadership Wyoming Visits UW
10. Cowboy Kickoff Concert
11. Become a BoodleBox AI Ambassador
12. UWIT Computer & Technology Training
13. In-Class Formative Assessments Workshop
14. Dick and Marty Brown Non-Traditional Scholarship Recipients Celebration
15. Dean’s Fall Welcome
16. Homecoming Parade

ATA Welcome Back BBQ: I was delighted to be invited to join our Agricultural Education students at Tuesday’s ATA Welcome Back BBQ and offer a brief welcome. What a wonderful way to begin the semester! Our Ag Ed students continue to impress me with their kindness, professionalism, enthusiasm, and strong sense of community.

We are incredibly grateful to Heath Hornecker, Professor of Practice, and Ty Berry, Lecturer, for their outstanding leadership in strengthening Agricultural Education, supporting and mentoring our students, building partnerships across Wyoming, and preparing the next generation of agricultural educators. It is exciting to see how much our students benefit from their instruction, encouragement, and dedication to the program. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with this exceptional group outside the classroom!

EMAT Student Earns School of Computing Graduate Scholar Award: Please join me in celebrating Jana Nelson, an EdD student in Educational Mathematics, who has been selected to receive the School of Computing Graduate Scholar Award! This well-deserved award will provide valuable support as Jana advances her dissertation-in-practice research.

I was pleased to highlight Jana’s work in May following the publication of her co-authored research on using generative AI to develop metacognition-aligned mathematics instruction for students with disabilities, and I am thrilled to celebrate her accomplishments again. Congratulations, Jana! My sincere thanks also to Miriam Sanders for her exceptional mentorship and continued advocacy for our students.

New Book Highlights Literacy Work Across Wyoming: A new edited volume, Innovative Approaches to Literacy in Rural Contexts, highlights the expertise, experiences, and important literacy work of Wyoming educators. Edited by Leslie Rush, Todd Reynolds, and Cindy Brock, the book features contributions written or co-written by educators, school district personnel, and administrators from across Wyoming in partnership with university colleagues. It also showcases the Literacy Research Center and Clinic’s collaborative, research-based professional development with Wyoming schools and districts. Congratulations to our Wyoming educators and university partners whose outstanding work is represented in this important volume!

LRCC Scholarships Support Wyoming Educators: This summer, the Literacy Research Center and Clinic welcomed the inaugural Nathan’s Gift Dyslexia Scholarship Cohort, providing full tuition and fees for eight Wyoming educators pursuing the Dyslexia Graduate Certificate. The LRCC also supported 11 educators through its Literacy Graduate Certificate Scholarship Cohort, enabling them to deepen their expertise and apply their graduate learning in schools and communities throughout the state.

I am very grateful to Tracy Spies, Fisher Family Professor of Literacy Education, for her leadership in creating the Dyslexia Graduate Certificate and developing coursework that equips educators to recognize and respond effectively to students with dyslexia.

We extend our profound appreciation to Ann Pickard and Dan Smith for making Nathan’s Gift possible. By opening access to advanced preparation, their extraordinary generosity will have an impact far beyond the eight scholarship recipients. Each educator will bring this specialized knowledge into Wyoming classrooms, helping students with dyslexia develop the skills and confidence to succeed while providing valuable guidance to their families and schools. Through this lasting investment in educators, Nathan’s Gift will strengthen literacy instruction and positively affect communities across Wyoming for years to come.

LRCC Hosts Inaugural Summer Institute: Scholarship recipients from across Wyoming came together this summer for the LRCC’s inaugural Summer Institute, an immersive professional learning experience centered on literacy leadership, collaboration, and translating research into effective classroom practice. The institute united members of the Nathan’s Gift Dyslexia and LRCC Literacy Graduate Certificate cohorts, creating an important opportunity to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and build lasting relationships with colleagues who share a commitment to improving literacy outcomes for Wyoming students.

Wyoming Educators Create Books for Wyoming Families: hrough an exciting new partnership with Unite for Literacy, the LRCC welcomed approximately 20 Wyoming educators to Laramie for a Writer’s Workshop focused on creating books that authentically reflect Wyoming’s people, places, experiences, and communities. These books will be professionally published through Unite for Literacy, with more than 3,000 copies ultimately distributed to families and childcare settings across the state. This effort, which also includes collaboration with colleagues in the College of Education’s Center for Early Learning, will help ensure that more Wyoming children see their own lives and communities represented in the books they read.

My sincere thanks to Kim Gustafson, Executive Director of the LRCC, for her leadership in expanding these opportunities and advancing the Center’s commitment to Wyoming educators and the students they serve.

State of the University Address: In this week’s Provost’s newsletter, Interim Provost Anne Alexander reflected on President Shane Reeves’ State of the University address and the university’s role in serving Wyoming. I was pleased to attend alongside many faculty and staff from the College of Education, as well as members of the broader campus and statewide community. If you were unable to attend, the recording is available at https://shorturl.at/NifGG

Leadership Wyoming Visits UW: The Provost also highlighted this week’s visit from the Leadership Wyoming Class of 2026. Leadership Wyoming brings together leaders from across the state to deepen their understanding of Wyoming’s opportunities and challenges and strengthen their capacity for statewide leadership. During the class’s UW Infusion sessions, Associate Dean Pete Moran; School Directors John Kambutu and Courtney McKim; Assistant Dean Christi Thompson; Rob Hill, Professor of Practice in Career and Technical Education; and I engaged in productive conversations with a subgroup about Wyoming’s teacher workforce and the College of Education’s role in preparing and supporting educators statewide. As Leadership Wyoming alumni, John and Rob brought an especially meaningful connection to the current class.

Constitution Day at UW: UW will observe Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17, with this year’s program, “Would Ben Franklin Tweet That?” featuring Dr. Colin Ramsey, Professor Emeritus of English at Appalachian State University. The discussion will consider how Benjamin Franklin might view today’s culture of expression, persuasion, public discourse, and civic disagreement. The event will be held from 3–4:15 PM in Coe 506. More information is available at https://www.uwyo.edu/acadaffairs/constitution-day/index.html

Cowboy Kickoff Concert: The Cowboy Kickoff Concert will take place this evening on Fraternity/Sorority Mall, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the Wyoming community to celebrate the start of the academic year. The evening will feature live music from UW alumnus Chancey Williams, food trucks, and a 3D drone show to close out the event.

Become a BoodleBox AI Ambassador: UW faculty and staff are invited to apply to become early adopters and ambassadors for BoodleBox, the university’s new AI platform. Selected participants will receive access before the broader campus rollout, explore practical applications in their work, provide feedback, and help colleagues become familiar with the platform. Participation requires attending or watching the recording of an online training session on Monday, September 28, at 3:30 PM. Applications are due September 21: https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5j0ESlnUiA3uXD8

UWIT Computer & Technology Training: Looking to upgrade your technology skills? UW Information Technology offers free remote training opportunities for employees and students, including workshops on Excel, Microsoft Teams, UW storage solutions, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and self-paced courses on AI prompting, Qualtrics, and the UW website CMS. Employees and students can use the discount code LEARN2026 to bypass payment for most workshops. View the full training catalog and enroll at http://uwittraining.uwyo.edu.

In-Class Formative Assessments Workshop: The Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning will offer an In-Class Formative Assessments workshop on Tuesday, September 29, from 1–2:15 PM in CoE 510F and via Zoom. The workshop will explore formative assessment strategies aligned with course content, student learning outcomes, and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. Register at https://shorturl.at/ds6t1

Dick and Marty Brown Non-Traditional Scholarship Recipients Celebration: On Wednesday afternoon, we had the privilege of hosting the Dick and Marty Brown afternoon get-together in celebration of the remarkable recipients of the Dick and Marty Brown Non-Traditional Student Excellence Award. Members of the Brown family, Martha Wyrsch and Sarah Brown Matthews, joined honorees Rebecca Calkins, Dianna Arnold, Joshua Hayes, Dan Lavine, Daisy Kelly, Corinne Ellis, and Chad Lindsay for a conversation about their journeys as non-traditional students.

Their stories reflected extraordinary resilience, determination, and courage as they pursued their education while overcoming adversity, balancing significant responsibilities, and navigating limited institutional resources. Each recipient reminded us that non-traditional students bring invaluable life experience, purpose, and perseverance to our university community.

We are tremendously grateful to Sarah, Martha, and the entire Brown family for their generosity and belief in these exceptional students. Through this award, the Brown family helps ease those financial pressures while honoring each recipient’s determination, achievements, and aspirations. Their support makes it possible for these students to continue pursuing their goals and creating new opportunities for themselves, their families, and the communities they will serve.

Dean’s Fall Welcome: I look forward to seeing many of you at our Education Dean’s Fall Welcome on Monday, September 14, from 5–7 PM in the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center Ballroom. The reception will begin at 5 PM, followed by dinner at 5:30 PM and our program at approximately 5:45 PM. We are pleased to welcome Courtney Cook Bales as our featured speaker, who will share her perspective on teacherpreneurship. I hope you will join us as we bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni, partners, and friends of the College. Please register here: https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5aJioPvFqCgh5IO

Homecoming Parade: Exciting news! Our College of Education will participate in UW’s Homecoming Parade with a walking entry. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to join us and help represent the College as part of this year’s Homecoming celebration. We are still looking for some faculty and staff to join the parade, so please let Jake Orr at jorr@uwyo.edu know if you are interested.

Important Upcoming Dates:

Yesterday, I shared important updates regarding the University’s budget reductions and expectations for our presence on campus. As we navigate these challenges and responsibilities, it is important that we remain grounded in the purpose at the heart of our work: our students. As we move further into the semester, I hope we will continue to keep them at the center of all we do. I am grateful to the faculty and staff who support them each day. I also encourage each of you to continue seeking opportunities to connect with our students directly to learn their names, listen to their stories, and understand their experiences. Those conversations matter, and our presence matters, not only to our students, but also to our colleagues and to sustaining the engaged, connected, and vibrant university community we all share.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Dean’s Fall Welcome on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Jenna

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Laramie, WY 82071
Dept. 3374
Email: edquest@uwyo.edu
Phone: (307) 766-3145

The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.