Mike Muller says he has never known of a school that approaches the personal support
UW offers students throughout their education and into their professions. Now that
he’s working as a business relationship manager for Wells Fargo in Jackson, Wyo.,
he finds himself fully committed to UW, even though he attended undergraduate school
elsewhere.
“I never knew a school could make me feel like that,” he says of his connection to UW.
Muller’s arrival at UW took a winding path. Raised in Indiana, he attended Ball State in Muncie with the goal of becoming a strength and conditioning coach. He worked with the varsity football team after completing his master’s degree there. After a time, Muller says he was ready to experience someplace new. He was selected as a graduate assistant for the UW football program while in graduate school, focusing his studies on business. “I knew I needed a business background regardless of my future profession,” he says.
He knew that college coaching could mean moving from school to school and came to understand that life was not for him. Muller says it didn’t take long for him to fall in love with Wyoming, the culture and the fact that people would drive across the state to a game even in years when the team wasn’t having a lot of success. All those factors prompted him to enter UW’s executive MBA program while working full time for the Cowboys team.
Although all of Muller’s classes were online, because he was on campus he had personal access to faculty if he needed it. Muller notes that MBA director Steve Farkas was exemplary in his involvement with students, helping them network with employers and develop resumes. “This was a fantastic situation and program, which had a huge impact on me,” Muller says.
Eventually, Muller, through the UWAA, connected with Jan White, an executive with Wells Fargo in Wyoming who’d also received her MBA from UW. Muller says they talked about the business banking culture at the company and what he could expect if hired. Ultimately, Muller was hired as a business banking trainee with Wells Fargo in Cody. “I gained experience in commercial lending, learned about credit, customer relations, software management and the corporate structure of Wells Fargo.” Six months later, a position opened at the location in Jackson. He was hired in November 2014 and now lives in Alpine.
“Without the help of Steve Farkas and (UWAA’s) Keener Fry, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Muller says. “I’d be somewhere, but I wouldn’t be enjoying it as much.”
