Dean’s Weekly Newsletter 9-18-2026

Dear Colleagues,

 

This has been a remarkable week for the College of Education. We received extraordinary news of a major federal investment, gathered for our Dean’s Fall Welcome, celebrated faculty accomplishments, and saw our students, faculty, and staff represent the College in many different ways. I end the week with a profound sense of joy and optimism for the remainder of the semester and look forward to sharing these exciting updates with all of you.

 

In this week’s newsletter:

1. 1. WELCOME Project Receives $4.12 Million Federal Grant Award
   2. Dean’s Fall Welcome
   3. Celebrating Faculty Tenure and Promotion
   4. Celebrating National Teach Ag Day
   5. Ag Ed Students Prepare for Homecoming
   6. Student Ambassadors Represent the College at Campus Pass
   7. Launching WYO-ED UR
   8. SMTC Launches Yearlong District Partnership
   9. Lorraine Males Featured on AI Podcast
   10. International Student Teaching and Education Abroad Opportunities
   11. Graduate Travel Award Proposals Due October 2
   12. In-Class Formative Assessments Workshop
   13. District Residency Connections Fair
   14. From the Provost: Leadership Institute, Board of Trustees, and Homecoming Week
   15. Homecoming Educational Eggcellence

 

WELCOME Project Receives $4.12 Million Federal Grant Award: I am pleased to again celebrate Amin Davoodi, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the ESL Program, on receiving a $4,123,978 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the five-year WELCOME Project, or Wyoming Educators Learning through Credentialing and Outreach for Multilingual Education. This is truly extraordinary news for our College. The project will prepare approximately 160 Wyoming K–12 educators, including approximately 120 who will earn an ESL Endorsement and 40 who will complete the Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction with an ESL concentration. Participating educators will receive full tuition support.

 

Since yesterday’s announcement, Amin also shared a few additional details that further highlight the scope of the project. The WELCOME Project will include an annual Summer Institute at the University of Wyoming, bringing participating educators from across the state to Laramie for intensive professional learning, hands-on workshops, and opportunities to build a statewide network focused on multilingual education. Project staff will also provide ongoing in-person instructional coaching and classroom observation in schools across Wyoming. These components will extend the impact of the grant well beyond graduate coursework and provide sustained support to educators across the state. Please see attached for more information. 

This is a tremendous accomplishment for Amin and for the College of Education, the University of Wyoming, and our state!

 

Dean’s Fall Welcome: It was wonderful to see more than 240 students, faculty, staff, friends, and supporters gather Monday evening for our Dean’s Fall Welcome. Our student-selected keynote speaker, Courtney Cook, shared an engaging message drawn from her experience as a high school English teacher. Now a viral social media influencer, she reflected on the relationships teachers build with students and the unexpected opportunities that can grow from showing up authentically and being "more than" we were before. In my remarks, I reflected on one of the first lessons Wyoming taught me nearly two decades ago: never underestimate the wind! It may change our direction, and occasionally our hairstyle, but it also teaches us resilience. It was a time to celebrate the heart of our work: our students. Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible, and the evening was a wonderful reminder of that.

 

Celebrating Faculty Tenure and Promotion: I joined John Kambutu, Director of the School of Teacher Education, at this week’s luncheon recognizing UW faculty who recently received tenure, promotion, and fixed-term rolling contracts. As Provost Alexander shared in her message this week, these milestones reflect years of dedication to teaching, scholarship, service, and our students. We celebrated Alison Mercier on her well-earned promotion to Associate Professor with tenure, a significant recognition of her outstanding accomplishments and sustained contributions to our students, College, University, and profession. Congratulations, Alison, on this remarkable career milestone! We also celebrated Lorraine Males, Wyoming Excellence Chair in Mathematics Education, who joined UW at the rank of Professor with tenure. Congratulations to Alison and Lorraine!

 

Celebrating National Teach Ag Day: I had fun stopping by an Agricultural Education class yesterday to celebrate National Teach Ag Day and welcome Alicia Tomlinson, founder of “One Less Thing.” A former agricultural education teacher, Alicia now provides curriculum resources designed to support busy ag teachers nationwide. During her visit, she invited our students to use her curriculum resources on a free trial basis as they prepare to present at the fall conference in Casper. Ty Berry, Ag Ed Lecturer, continues to create opportunities for our students to learn from professionals in the field and build connections across Wyoming’s agricultural education community. His commitment to connecting our students with the people and industries they will serve strengthens both their preparation and Wyoming’s agricultural education workforce.

 

Ag Ed Students Prepare for Homecoming: I was also grateful to see our Agricultural Education students hard at work this week preparing the College of Education float for the upcoming Homecoming Parade on Saturday, September 26. Their creativity, teamwork, and willingness to contribute to our College community are greatly appreciated. Thank you to Heath Hornecker, Professor of Practice in Agricultural Education, and our Ag Ed students for helping make sure the College is well represented during Homecoming!

 

Student Ambassadors Represent the College at Campus Pass: It was great to see our College of Education Student Ambassadors representing the College at Campus Pass on Saturday, September 12. Campus Pass gives prospective students an opportunity to experience campus life, explore UW programs and services, and enjoy the energy of a Cowboys football game. Featured in the photos are Levi Moore, Academic Advising Manager, and Student Ambassadors Laynee Walker and Quincy Dereemer. Thanks as well to Jody Mitchell, Senior Program Coordinator for Recruitment, for helping prospective students feel welcomed and connected to the College of Education.

 

Launching WYO-ED UR – Wyoming Education Undergraduate Research: I am excited to share the launch of WYO-ED UR, a new opportunity for College of Education undergraduate students to work alongside faculty on authentic education research. No previous research experience is required. Students will be matched with a faculty mentor based on their interests and available projects. These are paid opportunities, typically 2–5 hours per week at $15/hour. Thanks to Joseph Schroer, Associate Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, for leading this effort. I encourage faculty and staff to share the opportunity with students who may be curious about research, even if they do not yet see themselves as “research students.”

 

Thank you to Joseph Schroer, Associate Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, for his leadership, mentorship, and commitment to creating research opportunities for our undergraduate students.

Interest form: https://lnkd.in/gGRwF4uY

 

SMTC Launches Yearlong Partnership with Laramie County School District #2: The Science and Math Teaching Center’s Professional Learning team launched a new yearlong partnership with Laramie County School District #2. Throughout the school year, the team will provide sustained and responsive professional learning opportunities for secondary science teachers. This is an excellent example of the College working directly with Wyoming educators and school districts to support professional learning over time. I am grateful to Jessica Marcolini, Director of the Science and Math Teaching Center, for her leadership in developing partnerships that advance science education across Wyoming.

 

Lorraine Males Featured on AI Podcast: Lorraine Males, Wyoming Excellence Chair in Mathematics Education, was featured on the first episode of Season 4 of Azadeh and Guy on AI. The episode explores AI tools for teachers and Lorraine’s perspectives on their use in education. Watch or listen here: https://guyonai.substack.com/p/ai-tools-for-teachers-an-interview. Nice work!

 

International Student Teaching and Education Abroad Opportunities: Levi Moore and Julianna Worden, Academic Advising Professional, shared international opportunities with our students at the Study Abroad Fair on September 11. Through the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching, or COST, students can complete eight weeks of their 16-week residency in the United States and eight weeks abroad in an English-speaking school. A new Summer 2027 opportunity will also allow Education majors to spend 10 days in Ecuador and experience education in another country. Students can learn more at a COST information session on October 9 from 9:00–9:50 AM in the Cheney International Center. A second session covering both COST and Ecuador will be held October 22 from 12:00–12:50 PM in Education Annex 207.

 

Graduate Travel Award Proposals Due October 2: Graduate students are invited to submit proposals for the John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean’s Fund Graduate Travel Award, which supports conference travel at the graduate level. Due to strong early demand, proposals for fall 2026 should be submitted to Jake Orr by 5 PM on Friday, October 2. I encourage graduate students who are planning conference travel to review the call for proposals and consider applying: https://shorturl.at/q1uj4. Questions and completed proposals may be sent to Jake at jorr2@uwyo.edu.

 

In-Class Formative Assessments Workshop – September 29: Faculty are invited to an upcoming workshop from the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning on in-class formative assessments on Tuesday, September 29, from 1:00–2:15 PM in Coe 510E and via Zoom. The session will focus on matching formative assessment strategies to course material, learning outcomes, and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. New and experienced instructors are welcome. Register here: https://shorturl.at/2sgOL

 

District Residency Connections Fair – October 9: I encourage our students and faculty to take advantage of the Wyoming School-University Partnership’s annual District Residency Connections Fair on Friday, October 9, from 10:00 AM–3:00 PM in the College of Education Gym. The fair connects College of Education students with leaders from Wyoming school districts and education organizations to explore potential student teaching residency locations. December graduates can also connect with districts about spring employment opportunities. If you have any questions, please contact Margaret Hudson, Director of the Wyoming School-University Partnership and Assistant Professor in the Educational Leadership Program in the School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy, and Design.

 

From the Provost: Leadership Institute, Board of Trustees, and Homecoming Week: As Provost Alexander shared in this week’s message, applications for the UW Leadership Institute are due Monday, September 21. The institute provides eligible faculty and staff with opportunities to develop leadership skills, learn more about higher education leadership, connect with colleagues, and receive mentorship from university leaders. More information is available here: https://www.uwyo.edu/president/_files/docs/26-27-uwli-app-call.pdf.

 

The UW Board of Trustees will also be on campus next week for its September meeting.

Finally, next week is Homecoming Week! I hope members of our College community will find opportunities to participate in the many events and traditions taking place across campus. Homecoming information is available at https://www.pokes.org/homecoming.

 

Homecoming Educational Eggcellence Next Monday: We are kicking off Homecoming Week with breakfast burritos and Cowboy spirit! Please join us in front of the Education Building on Monday, September 21, at 8:30 AM for Educational Eggcellence. 

 

With that, thank you for everything you do for our students, one another, and for the College of Education. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing many of you during Homecoming Week.

 

Go Pokes!

 

Jenna