UW College of Arts and Sciences Celebrates Award Recipients

The University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences recently held its annual awards banquet, honoring current and former faculty members, as well as alumni.

The event is held each May to honor the tradition and history of excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences and to celebrate current individuals within the college. Before the ceremony, the Student String Trio -- featuring Bryce Allen, of Aurora, Colo.; Giovanna Volpi Schmeiske, of Ourinhos, Brazil; and Kiara Sheffield, of Orlando, Fla. -- performed.

Interim Dean Adrienne Freng handed out awards that recognized an outstanding alumna; an outstanding former faculty member; extraordinary merit in teaching and research; and the Beatrice Gallatin Beuf Golden Apple Award.

“This year’s award recipients come from all corners of the College of Arts and Sciences,” Freng says. “Their passion for teaching, research and creative work really captures what makes our academic community so special.”

This year’s College of Arts and Sciences award recipients are:

Outstanding Alumni Award

Kyndra Rotunda is a professor of military and international law and executive director of the Military and Veterans Law Institute at Chapman University. She was born and raised in Wyoming and attended UW, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and her law degree. Her top academic honors included admission to the American Law Institute and Phi Beta Kappa.

After law school, she began her legal career in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, where she held the rank of major. She went on to serve in several missions related to the Global War on Terror, including roles as a legal adviser to investigators, a military commissions prosecutor and an advocate for wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., as well as completing tours in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Rotunda also served as the Wyoming state planning coordinator under Gov. Dave Freudenthal, leading the policy team and helping to expand opportunities for women in Wyoming.

She is the author of several books and is regarded as a leading expert in military/veterans’ law. Rotunda is a regular radio and television commentator regarding military law, matters related to veterans, national defense policy and military trials.

Outstanding Former Faculty Award

Wyoming native Michael Brown, who received the Outstanding Former Faculty Award, joined the UW Department of Communication and Journalism in 1994. He had previously served as an instructor at UW-Casper and returned to UW after completing his Ph.D. He was recognized for his teaching excellence, receiving the Ellbogen Meritorious Teaching Award and the Seibold Professorship.

He served as editor for two international journals and established a cooperation agreement between UW and the Kazakh National University in Kazakhstan. The partnership yielded several collaborative research projects, including a media literacy program in Kazakhstan funded by the U.S. Embassy. This has been the longest continuing partnership between a U.S. university and a Kazakh university, with many Kazakh students serving international internships at UW.

As a scholar, he studied media history and was active in the broadcasting field, helping to establish the Radio and Audio Division of the Broadcast Education Association.

Extraordinary Merit in Teaching Awards

-- Allison Caine, Department of Anthropology.

-- Dan Fetsco, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology.

-- Alyson Hagy, Department of English.

-- Erin Harrington, Department of Psychology.

-- Barbara Logan, Department of History.

Extraordinary Merit in Research Awards

-- Kyle De Young, Department of Psychology.

-- Kenneth Hanson, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology.

-- Ricki Klages, Department of Visual Arts.

-- Tracey Owens Patton, Department of English.

-- Bradley Rettler, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Beatrice Gallatin Beuf Golden Apple Award

-- Yan Zhang, Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

“Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients,” Freng says. “Their accomplishments are inspiring and show just how much talent we have across the college.”

For more information about this event, email the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office at asdean1@uwyo.edu.