Weatherford Receives UWs George Duke Humphrey Distinguished Faculty Award

In his 27 years with the University of Wyoming Department of Management and Marketing, Larry Weatherford has consistently exemplified the qualities of outstanding teaching, research and service.

Those attributes have earned Weatherford, the Scarlett Chair of Business in the UW College of Business, the George Duke Humphrey Distinguished Faculty Award.

Named for UW’s 13th president, who served from 1945-1964, the George Duke Humphrey Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes teaching effectiveness, distinction in scholarly work and distinguished service to the university and state.

Last year, Weatherford was the recipient of the Hollon Family Award for Teaching Excellence in Off-Campus Programs. But his classroom presence also makes him an outstanding faculty member, according to his colleagues.

“In the classroom, Dr. Weatherford has distinguished himself time and again by making the extra effort to change students’ lives inside the classroom and beyond. He has accomplished this at both the graduate and undergraduate levels,” says David Chicoine, College of Business interim dean.

At the graduate level, Weatherford has taught decision science modeling to MBA students and, at the undergraduate level, he has taught challenging courses central to the decision sciences concentration at both the introductory and advanced levels.

“As a mentor, Dr. Weatherford has played a critical role in ensuring student success, but he also has mentored junior faculty in ways that often go unnoticed,” Chicoine adds. “This type of mentoring has proven critical in ensuring continuity within the department and the college.”

Another colleague praises his teaching experience that translates to real-world opportunities.

“Dr. Weatherford brings the unique combination of classroom teaching excellence with the ability to draw meaningful and practical connections to the business world. He uses innovative activities to help MBA students engage with course material while developing critical-thinking skills,” says Steve Farkas, Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program director. “Through the incorporation of class projects, simulations and other experiential exercises, Dr. Weatherford has influenced the MBA’s curriculum in ways that have translated to the program’s first national ranking by U.S. News & World Report.”

It is not only Weatherford’s peers who praise him for his work in the College of Business, but also his students, many of whom take his online education courses.

“Dr. Weatherford was amazing. I loved having access to the online recorded class sessions. Being able to hear ‘Dr. W’ speak and give explanations made the material easier to understand,” one student wrote. “Plus, ‘Dr. W’ is an amazing teacher and fun to learn from. He gave relevant examples that apply to real life, so the material is easy to translate. Overall, he is one of my top two favorite professors so far.”

Another student mentions that Weatherford can turn even the dullest subjects into an interesting course.

“Professor Weatherford’s passion and excitement for decision modeling is evident in every class. A boring class by Dr. Weatherford does NOT exist!” the student wrote. “I appreciate his patience and understanding with students who have less knowledge with modeling and Excel. I highly recommend taking Dr. Weatherford’s class, because every student is guaranteed to learn how to use optimization and modeling techniques in the business world, no matter what industry. I appreciate the knowledge that Dr. Weatherford shared and communicated throughout the semester, and I believe that I benefited greatly from taking his class.”

Weatherford received a bachelor’s degree (1982) in chemistry from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. (1991) in management science from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.