Honk if you love UW. But if you love UW students and want to show it, get a brown-and-gold license plate.
The UWAA is the administrator of the license plate program, which launched in 2008. Since that time, Wyoming motorists have acquired more than 6,500 brown-and-gold license plates, generating $650,000 for scholarships that have helped 100 students attend UW.
The program is so successful that the UW Board of Trustees recently approved a change in regulations to award 10 new $1,500 scholarships annually to Wyoming community college transfer students, beginning in fall 2016. Currently, 12 different awards are granted yearly through the program. According to Jim Rose, executive director of the Wyoming Community College Commission, “These scholarships for transfer students are the latest demonstration of the tangible commitments that UW is making to ensure Wyoming community college students can seamlessly transfer to UW and find the support and guidance they need to be successful.”
In addition to individual scholarships, license plate revenues provide one award of $3,000 for a recognized UW student organization each year. By the end of 2016, a total of $24,000 will have been distributed to multiple student organizations.
“By all measures, the UW license plate program has been successful,” says UWAA Director Keener Fry. “UW students have benefited significantly from the financial aid, and the university has benefited from the pride that UW alumni and friends display by putting these plates on their automobiles.”
Fry expects significant interest in renewing the program with an updated fresh license plate design. “We are excited to be a partner with the state of Wyoming and UW in providing this program for a second cycle beginning on Jan. 1, 2017.”
Owners of vehicles who want to register new vehicles or renew their current registration with brown-and-gold plates may download applications at uwyo.edu/alumni/uw-license-plate. A one-time fee of $130 is required with the plate application; $100 funds student scholarships, with the other $30 going to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
For more information or to purchase license plates, call the UWAA at (307) 766-4166.