UW President Welcomes Students

Fall semester classes began today (Wednesday) at the University of Wyoming. Dick McGinity, who starts his first full academic year as UW president, wrote the following message to welcome students to campus:

Dear UW Students:

I’m delighted to welcome you to the start of the University of Wyoming’s 128th academic year!

You are joining 10,000 other students who have come to Laramie from all 50 states and more than 65 foreign countries. As a UW student, you are an integral part of this exciting and challenging academic community. Your presence invigorates and enriches us all, and we have been looking forward enthusiastically to your arrival.

We at UW are committed to making your experience here as enriching and transformative as possible. I think you’ll find that we make every effort to make you feel at home and that we care about your well-being. We do our best to provide a supportive environment in which you can develop and pursue your academic and personal goals. Our faculty is committed to your future, and our staff is ready to assist with any issues and concerns that may arise.

But… know also that we will challenge you to be the best that you can be, both in and out of the classroom. When you leave UW, we want you to be prepared to excel in an increasingly competitive global environment, and confident that you can achieve whatever goals each of you may choose for yourself. Your UW experience can give you the tools to achieve such success. How much success, however, will depend on your own perseverance and determination while you are here at UW, and after you leave.

UW’s history is a proud one. The vitality and enthusiasm of this special community keeps our institution young and dynamic. The accomplishments of our faculty and alumni are recognized worldwide. You are now a part of this tradition, and a major contributor to its vitality.

While the cost of attending college has risen dramatically in the last decade across the country, UW’s undergraduate tuition for Wyoming residents remains the lowest for public universities in the nation, and nonresident tuition is near the lowest. That’s due, in large part, to the backing of Wyoming’s elected officials, who support the state’s only university at the highest level in the country. You are the beneficiaries of this financial support, and also of the industries and individuals who make it possible.

Appropriations by elected officials, combined with the generosity of private donors, have transformed UW’s campus in the last decade, adding more than 1 million square feet of new, state-of-the art spaces for instruction and research. And more facilities improvements are on the way. This year, you’ll watch the Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in a renovated Arena-Auditorium; you’ll perform and watch others perform in an improved Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts; and you’ll have an opportunity to welcome family and other visitors to our new Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center. Also nearing completion are the new Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility, containing undergraduate science laboratories, and the Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center.

In addition to the facilities improvements, there have been investments in UW’s programs in energy, engineering, health sciences, business, life sciences, education and computational sciences that will enhance your experience here -- and lift the university to new heights of academic excellence.

It truly is an exciting time to be part of UW. I strongly urge you to take advantage of the literally hundreds of opportunities available on campus and in the Laramie community that will help you achieve your academic goals, develop your personal talents, and enjoy your time at UW. For the rest of your lives, few of you will ever again have an opportunity to develop your minds and talents that is equal to the one you have here and now. Make the most of it!

On behalf of all UW faculty and staff, I offer each of you best wishes for an exciting and productive academic year!