The decision to give back to the University of Wyoming started with a phone call. A Cowboy Caller—an engineering student—contacted Brian and Lynne Seitz to let them know what was going on with the college and to ask if they would like to support it. And they did.
“What started it was the university reconnecting,” Brian says. “A welcome part of any fundraiser is trying to make that personal connection, and the university does that.”
What has continued the giving for so many years was Brian and Lynne’s desire to give back to the university that had given to them. Both Brian and Lynne graduated from UW in 1985. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, and Lynne earned her master’s degree in natural science.
“I got a very quality and low-cost education at Wyoming, and it’s served me well,” Brian says. “I’ve had a rewarding career, and the university still maintains that reputation of providing a quality affordable education, and that’s difficult to get, so that has kept me donating—just paying back a bit.”
Lynne adds, “Too many students think that you have to go to a big name university to get a great education, and I don’t agree with that at all. You can get a really good education—and it has to be reasonably priced—and people who go into severe debt to get a big name are really missing out.”
The couple lives in Anchorage, Alaska, where Brian works for ConocoPhillips. Since they have been donating to UW, the company has been matching those funds for decades. This incentive has increased the impact that Brian and Lynne’s donations have had on UW and encouraged them to continue their support.
“It makes your dollar seem so important,” Lynne says.
“You’re getting a two-for-one there,” Brian adds. “You’re doubling down on every dollar given, and it’s a way for ConocoPhillips to support causes that are important to their employees.”
Aside from donating to the College of Engineering and Applied Science, they don’t specify what program their gifts can be used for. They leave it up to the college to use the funds in areas that need it most.
“My hope is that it retains that low-cost education through either scholarships or ability to keep tuition down,” Brian says.
Annual giving is the only fundraising program of the university that reaches all alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends on a yearly basis to offer giving opportunities for direct support of UW’s colleges, departments and programs. UW annual giving focuses on acquiring regular yearly contributions, thus creating a vital and dependable source of non-legislative support for Wyoming’s university.
Although the state of Wyoming provides the base of funding UW needs to operate a modern university, it takes the annual support of alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends for UW’s colleges, departments and programs to excel. Because of annual gifts, discretionary funds are available when there is an unexpected need or a sudden opportunity.
Contributors to UW annual giving programs may designate their gifts to any area, college, department or program within the university. These gifts help UW fulfill its mission of being one of the nation’s finest public land-grant research universities.
