Corporate Giving provides crucial support to all areas of campus. The remarkable support of corporations has made a huge difference to the University of Wyoming. Gifts campus-wide have built buildings, created new programs, and underwritten research that changes the world as we know it.
Some of the biggest impacts across the University of Wyoming campus have come from the support of corporations. Corporations give because they want to be good corporate citizens in their communities. They also seek a return on investment—that is, measurable outcomes that confirm they’ve made smart philanthropic decisions. The UW Foundation strives in every way to honor this contract, and it shows. Student by student, corporation-supported scholarships have built a wealth of human capital.
First Interstate Bank of Laramie has been giving back to the communities it serves for a very long time. They recently fulfilled their pledge for the First Interstate BancSystem Foundation Entrepreneurship Fund that supports the John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition at the University of Wyoming. First Interstate’s support is an integral component of UW’s commitment to entrepreneurship education and statewide economic development, and this pledge is just one of their many gifts, including a chair in entrepreneurship and leadership, the entrepreneurship major and minor, and the institute of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship is very important to our state’s future. Microsoft has pledged a gift to support the Wind River Startup Challenge Fund, which provides seed funding for startup businesses on the Wind River Reservation. These efforts are part of IMPACT 307, a statewide network of innovation-driven business incubators committed to growing and strengthening Wyoming’s entrepreneurial community. Microsoft’s support is bridging a gap in funding and saving the momentum of the program. “This third year wouldn’t be happening without Microsoft’s support,” says Fred Schmechel, assistant director, IMPACT 307.
Sometimes the best impact a corporation can have is the ability to see where a need lies and adapt to evolving challenges. Occidental Petroleum Corporation (formerly Anadarko) established the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Chair in Energy and Environmental Technologies. It has since been restated and split into two chairs—the Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Technologies and the Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies. The former is housed in the School of Energy Resources and focuses on the science, while the latter is housed jointly between the School of Energy Resources and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and focuses on policy.
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John SmallSenior Associate Vice President for Development |
