Wyrsch Family Gift Establishes Named Deanship for UW Honors College

A major gift from University of Wyoming Foundation Board member and alumna Martha Brown Wyrsch will establish the Wyrsch Family Deanship in the UW Honors College.

The gift marks the fifth named deanship in UW’s history and advances the university’s commitment to academic excellence. Endowed deanships are among the most prestigious gifts a university can receive, providing both the resources and recognition needed to attract visionary academic leaders and to advance university priorities.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to invest in the Honors College and in the extraordinary students and faculty who make it such a special place,” Wyrsch says. “Honors encourages students to be courageously curious, to ask difficult questions, to see connections across disciplines and to consider the impact they want to make in the world. Our family hopes this gift will help sustain that spirit for generations of students.”

The new investment recognizes the Honors College’s role as a catalyst for academic and experiential opportunities that broaden perspectives and foster intellectual and personal growth. Its interdisciplinary mission brings together students, faculty and ideas from across UW.

“Great universities are built by investing in great people and giving them the opportunity to make a difference,” UW President Shane Reeves says. “Martha Wyrsch and her family’s gift strengthens the Honors College, supports the kind of interdisciplinary education that prepares students for the challenges ahead, and creates a lasting foundation for excellence at UW. We are exceptionally grateful for this commitment to our university and to the generations of Cowboys and Cowgirls who will benefit from it.”

The Honors College grew from UW’s longstanding and nationally recognized Honors Program. In 2017, university leaders established Honors as a formal college to expand interdisciplinary opportunities and to develop programs in collaboration with colleges and departments across campus.

“Honors brings students together in dynamic multidisciplinary settings where they explore innovative approaches to the biggest problems of our times,” says Peter Parolin, dean of the Honors College. “The Wyrsch family’s remarkable gift will allow the college to offer students exceptional opportunities that will not only enrich their time at UW but also prepare them to lead.”

Today, Honors College students can pursue a concurrent interdisciplinary major or minor, participate in small discussion-based classes, conduct research and creative projects, study abroad and engage in experiential learning. The college serves as a bridge across UW, creating opportunities for faculty collaboration and bringing students from different disciplines into a shared intellectual environment.

“As an Honors graduate who has accomplished so much in her life, Martha understands the transformative power of a UW education,” Parolin says. “She is ensuring that future students have the same opportunities she had to pursue their passions and broaden their horizons. We are all blown away by the Wyrsch family’s generous commitment to Honors, and we’re determined to be worthy of their confidence.”

Wyrsch earned her UW undergraduate degree in English literature in 1980, a law degree from George Washington University in 1986 and a Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program certificate in 2002.

Raised in Laramie, she was deeply involved in campus life, including serving as president of the Associated Students of UW. She has received several UW honors, including the Distinguished Alumna Award, the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumna Award and the Mortar Board National Honor Society Distinguished Alumna Award, along with numerous state and national honors and appointments.

Wyrsch has remained closely connected to UW through her service on the UW Foundation Board as vice chair and her philanthropic support of the university.

Her commitment to Wyoming was shared with her late husband, Gerry Wyrsch. The couple met in Washington, D.C., in the early 1980s while Martha was serving on the legislative staff of U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson. Married for 41 years, they shared a strong commitment to UW and its mission. Together, they established the Martha and Gerry Wyrsch Student Enrichment Fund in Honors. Martha continues that legacy through her leadership and philanthropy.

For the Wyrsch family, the investment is ultimately about the students who will benefit from those opportunities.

“Martha Wyrsch has given so much to UW, not only through her giving, but through her leadership and the example she sets for all of us,” says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. “She and Gerry believed deeply in giving back to the place that helped shape their lives, and Martha has carried that commitment forward with extraordinary generosity. Her service to the foundation and the Wyrsch family’s generosity to Honors are an inspiring example of that Cowboy spirit.”

A portion of the gift will be eligible for a match through Wyoming’s state matching program, further extending its long-term impact. Established in 2001, the state matching program leverages private philanthropy in support of UW priorities.