Sept. 29 Event Celebrates Cheneys and 10 Years of UW Internationalism

A public event at the University of Wyoming will celebrate former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, the author and scholar Lynne Cheney.

The lecture is titled “From Wyoming to the Vice Presidency of the United States: A Family Dialogue.” It will take place Friday, Sept. 29, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center.

The event is free and open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Free parking is available in the parking lot east of War Memorial Stadium and north of the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center.

In an illuminating and thought-provoking public dialogue, former Vice President Cheney and his steadfast partner will deliver an insightful portrait of American politics and public life during some of the most extraordinary moments in the nation’s history.

The event also will honor internationalism at UW and coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the grand opening of the Cheney International Center.

The center was created through the Cheneys’ generosity. Their gift of $3.2 million in December 2007 was doubled to $6.4 million through state of Wyoming matching funds. These funds created not only the Cheney International Center, but also the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment -- which remains the largest land-grant university study-abroad scholarship endowment in the nation.

The Cheneys worked closely with UW to focus their philanthropy on the enhancement of the university’s international programs. Specifically, they wanted to provide a state-of-the-art facility to unite UW’s international studies units into a single location while also creating a significant endowment fund to support study-abroad opportunities for UW students.

In 2009, Vice President Cheney said, “We hope the center will provide the kind of support for Wyoming students to travel overseas and study internationally and to learn a lot of the lessons we’ve learned over the years -- that it will be the kind of facility that will add a significant dimension to education here at UW.”

At the center’s grand opening, he added, “Our time in Laramie and at the University of Wyoming, most of it right there in A&S, the examples I learned, the practices I learned here at UW, laid the foundation” for his 40-plus years of public service.

At the event next Friday, the Cheneys will chronicle their days growing up in the wide-open spaces of Casper to their life in Washington, D.C., serving as the nation’s second couple. Together, they offer a unique perspective on a life of remarkable achievement and accomplishment. Their Wyoming roots run deep.

One of the most influential statesmen in Wyoming history and one of UW’s most distinguished alumni, Vice President Cheney has been eyewitness to events at the highest level, from the resignation of a president to the dark days of 9/11. He grew up in Nebraska and Casper, and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science at UW.

Vice President Cheney served as White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford, Wyoming’s U.S. representative, secretary of defense under President George H.W. Bush and vice president of the United States under President George W. Bush. He is the author or co-author of three books.

Lynne Cheney’s knowledge of American history and the importance of teaching it well has led to an extraordinary professional career as a scholar, author and public servant. Her father an engineer and her mother a deputy sheriff, Lynne grew up in Casper. She earned a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in English literature in Colorado and Wisconsin, and taught English at UW.

Lynne chaired the National Endowment for the Humanities; served as a senior fellow in education and culture at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research; and is the author or co-author of at least 15 books, including a biography of founding father James Madison.

The Cheney Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment enters its 10th year of excellence and continues to enrich the lives of UW students through meaningful global exposure and research opportunities. It remains the nation’s beacon for land-grant study-abroad scholarship.

Four scholarships are included in this endowment:

-- Cheney Study Abroad Grants to assist with travel costs.

-- Cheney Fellowships for outstanding graduate and undergraduate students to support excellence in scholarships abroad.

-- Cheney Semester Support Scholarships to assist students who may exhaust financial aid due to studying abroad.

-- Cheney International Awards for university-sponsored or -recognized student organizations to help groups going abroad for academic reasons.

Since 2008, the Cheney Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment has supported 2,115 students with just over $2 million, creating a network of global citizens who are prepared to compete in the ever-evolving global economy when they leave school and join the workforce. Of the award recipients, 60 percent are Wyoming students, with 86 percent of all awards going to undergraduate students.

During the 2016-17 academic year, 202 undergraduates and 44 graduate students were funded $239,800 for international study, to perform research and to intern abroad. They were funded with small grants to support students participating in UW faculty-led courses abroad, semester and yearlong programs, and service-learning projects, among other things.

This far-reaching endowment has been a cornerstone of UW academic success for nearly a decade and will continue to serve generations of students as the university expands its international mission.

In UW’s new strategic plan, “Breaking Through: 2017-2022,” President Laurie Nichols emphasizes the importance of international outreach and recommends a number of benchmarks for achievement. These include establishing an Office of Global Engagement, increased student and faculty participation in international experiences and research, and more partnerships with international institutions of higher learning.

The Cheneys’ generosity provides important support for this initiative.