Martín Carcasson will present his work on dialogue and deliberation to tackle wicked problems on Mon, March 10 and Tue, March 11, 2025. His presentation, "Tackling Wicked Problems through Deliberative Engagement: How to Engage Diverse Perspectives and Elevate our Conversations in Hyper-Partisan Times", will take place in the Student Union West Ballroom on March 10 at 5:30pm. Carcasson is Professor of Communication Studies at Colorado State University and the founding director of the CSU Center for Public Deliberation. His research focuses on helping local communities address “wicked problems” more productively through improved public communication, community problem solving, and collaborative decision-making.
The day after his presentation, on March 11, Carcasson will offer three participatory workshops for faculty, staff, and students to practice collaborative dialogue techniques. These all take place in the Student Union West Ballroom.
Carcasson’s visit is brought to us by the student organization BridgeUWYO, the Service, Leadership, and Community Engagement (SLCE) Office, the Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program, and the Office of the President.
A website about the principles is established in fall 2023.
A Library Guide (“LibGuide”) has been established to offer information resources on intellectual freedom, academic freedom, free expression, and constructive dialogue. This Lib Guide was featured as a part of Coe Library's "Democracy" display in Sept., 2024.
Early in 2024, a short video was created to convey the spirit of the Wyoming Principles. Later in the year, another video was produced for new student orientation.
A series of stickers and bookmarks, featured on this page, were created and are now available across campus.
President Seidel is in the process of producing a video message that all new UW employees will see when they complete their online onboarding.
Applicants to UW can now select “Free Speech & Dialogue” from the menu of extra-curricular activities they are asked to identify and receive information about.
A Community of Principle, made up of 20 full-time faculty and staff, met regularly throughout the spring semester at the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning to discuss the principles and consider the opportunities and challenges for aligning their work with these principles.
New students were introduced to the UW Principles at Saddle Up orientation with a video featuring President Ed Seidel and current students.
The Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program created several modules for K-12 audiences connected to the UW Principles. (Upon logging into WyoLearn, click on the tile that says "Wallop K-12 Curriculum Project - Social Studies")
The Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program and the School of Politics, Public Affairs & International Studies presented an educational program in recognition of Constitution Day, a discussion with Mary Beth Tinker, who was part of a famous Supreme Court case about students' free expression rights.
Vice President & General Counsel Tara Evans and Adjunct Professor Dr. Martha McCaughey gave a workshop on the First Amendment in Sept., 2024.
Assistant Lecturer Catherine Johnson and Adjunct Professor Dr. Martha McCaughey gave a workshop on Free Expression Boundaries in the Classroom in Sept., 2024.
In fall 2024, Prof. Matt Burgess began running a rapid-response constructive dialogue group which initiated it's first dialogue session in Sept. 2024 focused on the UW Principles. Further rapid-response dialogues on various topics will continue to take place throughout the year. Burgess has also started a podcast entitled "Grounded, Not Divided" where he will interview people in business, policy, non-profits, and other sectors of society who are taking on some of society's hardest problems such as poverty, disease, innovation, environmental protection, and education. "Grounded, Not Divided" can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
UW was selected by Heterodox Academy, an international, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, to become a Heterodox Academy Campus Community. Campus Communities that are part of this network strive to improve research and higher education by championing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement.
A student chapter of BridgeUSA was formed in fall 2024. “BridgeUWYO” is now a Student Organization and has a series of meetings and discussions scheduled. Find BridgeUWYO activities/events and dates on their website or follow the them on Instagram @bridgeUWYO.
President Seidel established a committee at UW to develop a potential collaboration with the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, including the Mineta-Simpson Institute, a dedicated retreat space and home for programming specifically designed to foster empathy, courage, and cooperation in the next generation of leaders.
In 2024, the UW Student Code of Conduct was revised and updated through the lens of free expression. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) had previously granted a "Red" status for UW's Student Code of Conduct. In light of these recent updates, this rating has been improved to a "Yellow" status.
UW's Title IX policy is also currently under review.
ASUW – Oct. 31st, 2023: ASUW Passes Senate Resolution #2912: Freedom of Expression | Authored By: Senator Saint
FACULTY SENATE – Nov. 27th, 2023: Faculty Senate voted unanimously to pass Resolution 449, officially endorsing the statement of principles.
CABINET ENDORSEMENT – Nov. 30th, 2023: In a formal letter, the President's Cabinet expressed their endorsement of the principles.
UW DEANS ENDORSEMENT – Dec. 5th, 2023: The University of Wyoming Deans have expressed their endorsement of the principles on freedom of expression, intellectual freedom and constructive dialogue.
STAFF SENATE – Dec. 6th, 2023: Staff Senate approved Senate Resolution 251, officially endorsing the statement of principles.
UW DIRECTORS ENDORSEMENT – Dec. 22nd, 2023: Twelve University of Wyoming Directors have provided written endorsement of the principles on freedom of expression, intellectual freedom and constructive dialogue.