Finalists Named for UW Honors College Dean

Finalists for the position of Honors College dean at the University of Wyoming have been identified, and they are scheduled to give public presentations on campus next week.

The candidates are Stephanie Anderson, professor and head of UW’s School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies; Peter Parolin, associate professor and former head of the Department of English; and Donal Skinner, professor and head of the Department of Zoology and Physiology.

Their public presentations will take place in Room 138 of the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, and they will be streamed via the WyoCast system. Here is the schedule, along with the WyoCast link for each.

-- Parolin, Tuesday, July 25, 9 a.m., https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/b25053e7a74f462ab4b37060ad786dfc1d.

-- Skinner, Wednesday, July 26, 9 a.m., https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/a664dc5285624ab2986bb6a7ca1ccc2e1d.

-- Anderson, Thursday, July 27, 9:15 a.m., https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/cd93ff1479dc451489c3d80454ff19021d.

The search committee asks for public comment on each candidate. People may submit comments at https://survey.uwyo.edu/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=9lK39561J#.

Earlier this year, the UW Board of Trustees approved a plan to convert UW’s Honors Program into an Honors College with its own dean. Interim Honors Program Director Susan Aronstein is returning to her faculty position in the Department of English.

The committee that conducted the internal search was chaired by Steve Barrett, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, with broad campus representation from students, faculty and staff.

Among the first actions for the dean will be working with academic departments and colleges to develop upper-division honors courses and college-track curricula; develop faculty advisory committees; and begin private fundraising to support the college.

The Honors College has moved to the Guthrie House, former home of the UW Foundation, on the south end of the UW campus.

The Honors College will infuse and formalize high-impact practices for its students, including first-year experiences, writing-intensive courses, undergraduate research, service learning, internships and capstone projects. The experiences could be accumulated by students in an experiential learning portfolio or “passport,” signaling to prospective employers the especially rich experiences they had in earning their degrees.

Plans call for the Honors College to be fully in place by fall 2020, although several colleges and departments, including the College of Engineering and Applied Science, are moving forward with development of honors tracks that could be in place before then.