UW Advances Community-Engaged Education Through Third Annual Faculty Institute
Published May 18, 2026
Ten University of Wyoming instructors recently completed the Community Engaged Faculty Institute (CEFI). This professional development program supports faculty from across disciplines in creating or redesigning service-learning and community-engaged curriculum.
The institute aligns with UW’s designation as a Carnegie Foundation community-engaged campus and advances institutional priorities related to excellence in teaching, student success and meaningful partnerships with communities across Wyoming.
“The Community Engaged Faculty Institute reflects the University of Wyoming’s commitment to connecting academic learning with meaningful community impact,” says Erin Olsen, director of the Office of Community Engagement. “Faculty learn to design courses grounded in collaborative partnerships and hands-on service-learning experiences, where community partners serve as co-educators, helping students develop the skills needed to make lasting contributions across Wyoming and beyond.”
Through a structured cohort model, faculty participants engaged in collaborative workshops, peer learning and ongoing coaching to develop curriculum that connects academic learning with real-world community needs. Program facilitators, campus partners and community collaborators contributed to the institute by providing expertise, mentorship and real-world perspectives to support the faculty learning process.
“Throughout our immersive sessions, faculty worked to develop their curriculum from the ground up. They began by enunciating their values and aligning these with student learning outcomes, service-learning and community-engaged pedagogies and assessment strategies,” says Rachel Watson, director of UW’s Learning Actively Mentoring Program (LAMP) and CEFI facilitator. “They grew metacognitively and affectively; most importantly, they bonded with a community of equally inspired colleagues who supported their work. Students and community partners will be very fortunate to be the beneficiaries of these instructors’ innovative strategies.”
The 2025-26 CEFI cohort includes faculty members and educators from a wide range of units:
-- Cecilia Aragon, Department of Theater and Dance and Department of American Cultural Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
-- Lauren Camp, Department of Veterinary Sciences and Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources.
-- Brandon Folse, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
-- Lori Howe, Honors College.
-- Billi London-Gray, Department of Visual Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences.
-- Duong Nguyen, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
-- Tamsen Polley, Department of Veterinary Sciences and Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources.
-- Hailey Sorg, Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute and UW Extension in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources.
-- Richard Vercoe, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
-- Cecily Zander, Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Participant post-program feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“I had a wonderful experience in learning about service learning and community engagement and the breath of its applications,” one participant wrote. “To me, both pedagogical techniques represent a powerful, transformative teaching approach that bridges academic theory with practical application in the classroom.”
The 2025-26 CEFI was coordinated by the UW Office of Community Engagement, with support from the Office of Academic Affairs; the Science Initiative’s LAMP; Service, Leadership and Community Engagement; the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning; and the Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program and Stewart Family Enrichment Fund within the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies.
