Faculty Highlight: Suzie Pritchett

Professor Suzie Pritchett is on a continuing mission to contribute to the internationalization and the promotion of global awareness at the University of Wyoming and within the state of Wyoming.

Pritchett, an Assistant Professor at the College of Law, has been an instrumental resource to the state regarding immigration and information about the international refugee resettlement program. She has been enlisted as a featured speaker among the University’s Saturday U program, which is co-sponsored by the University of Wyoming Outreach School, the Wyoming Humanities Council, and the UW Foundation.

In November, Pritchett gave a talk regarding refugee resettlement program to a full house in Gillette, WY. Most recently she brought the same talk to Sheridan, WY on February 6th.

“The response of the Saturday U presentation has been great,” she says. “People are very appreciative of the information.”

The importance of her presentations comes close on the heels of the national debate regarding Syrian refugees entering the country. Wyoming is the only state in the nation that does not currently house a refugee resettlement program. “People keep hearing about this topic, but they don’t know much about the immigration process generally or specifically in Wyoming,” comments Pritchett. “This has been a great opportunity to open dialogue on the subject and educate the public. The response has been really positive overall.”

As the foremost expert in the state on immigration, Pritchett has also served as a vital resource for information on international law and immigration issues, fielding multiple calls and emails weekly on the subject from members of the community. This extra workload comes in addition to her work teaching at the law school and running the International Human Rights Clinic, and co-directing the Center for International Human Rights Law & Advocacy at the College of Law.

“I think it’s really important for the law school to serve as a resource,” she says. “Particularly when there are so few immigration and human rights lawyers in the state.”

Interested persons can view her presentation “The Cowboy State in a World on the Move: Exploring Contemporary Immigration Issues in Wyoming” on the Wyoming Humanities Council website. Pritchett will also be part of an upcoming panel “One in Fifty: Wyoming and Global Refugee Crisis” at the Casper Humanities Festival on February 26, 2016, and at a live broadcast by Wyoming PBS at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center in Powell, WY on March 24, 2016.