Student Elijah Ward interned with IMAGINE, learning rangeland management
Published May 07, 2025
By Micaela Myers
The University of Wyoming’s nearly 11,000 students come from every state in the nation and countries around the world. They arrive with all types of backgrounds,
and what they need to succeed and thrive varies widely. In order to help students at every stage of their journey, the state of Wyoming, the UW Board of Trustees and the UW Foundation have all made student success a top priority.
In order to fund student success initiatives — from scholarships to mentoring and hands-on learning opportunities — a number of matching funds were created, including $2.5 million from the UW Foundation Board and $10 million from the state for the University Endowment Challenge Program. These funds encourage philanthropy by allowing donors to double their impact. To date, 28 endowed student funds have been created with gifts and associated state match funds ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000.
“Each of our students comes to UW with unique goals and talents, and their success is our top priority,” says UW President Ed Seidel. “We are grateful for investments by the Wyoming Legislature, UW Board of Trustees and UW Foundation Board that have enabled us to support our students in new ways, including through completion grants and enhanced hands-on learning opportunities, which are critical for students’ success in their careers.”
John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation, says student success is always top of mind for donors. However, the recent push for these initiatives as an institutional priority helped grow momentum.
“It sends a strong message not only to our donors but also to our constituents in the state and potential students and parents,” Stark says. “Seeing these major investments becomes a real recruiting tool for students.”
Enduring Legacy
For donors such as alumnus Jerry Schuman, a gift to UW can help their life’s work live on through future generations. Schuman enjoyed a successful career as a soil scientist specializing in mine land reclamation and carbon sequestration research. Along the way, he mentored many UW graduate students. When Schuman learned about UW’s Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE) initiative to develop long-term strategies for invasive grass management, he wanted to support student involvement, including internships, and made a matched gift.
“The thing that’s really nice is the university has put matching funds forward, so my donations are doubled right up front, which is very tempting,” Schuman says.
Growing up on a ranch in Sheridan County, Schuman saw firsthand the devastating effects of invasive species, including cheatgrass, and wants to make sure this important work continues.
Biology undergraduate Elijah Ward, of Montgomery, Ala., interned at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center with IMAGINE this past summer.
“I would not have been able to participate in this great experience if it had not been for people like Jerry Schuman who financially support IMAGINE,” he says. “I would like to work in native habitat conservation. During my internship with IMAGINE, I was involved in agricultural research projects as well as rangeland management. I gained a true appreciation for the unique ecosystem the rangeland supports. The experiences I had while hiking around Wyoming are some that I will never forget.”
Peter Cole also interned with IMAGINE then returned as a UW graduate student majoring in plant sciences, where he’s advised by IMAGINE Director Brian Mealor.
“The internship is focused on monitoring for invasive annual grasses throughout Wyoming,” he says. “We frequently traveled to different parts of Wyoming, so we got a good view of the state and the different places. On days we were not monitoring, we helped out with research projects at the center. I learned a great deal, and it would not have been possible without the funding of the sponsors like Jerry Schuman.”
Cowboy Coaches, who serve as peer mentors, pose for a photo.
Student Inspiration
Ken Griffin came to UW in 1970. For more than 30 years, he served UW as a classroom teacher, student adviser, scholar and administrator. He concluded his career as the dean of the College of Business in 2003. The students he met along the way motivated his philanthropy. Upon their retirement, he and his wife, Leah, decided to pass on their wealth to worthy charitable causes. UW headed their list.
Recently, Griffin made two matching-level gifts toward student success at UW, the first one creating the Verdell Dodge Memorial Native American Student Enrichment Fund.
Griffin met Dodge as an advisee. They were both first-generation students, and Griffin was impressed with Dodge’s hopes, dreams and potential before Dodge passed away at a young age.
“Verdell touched my heart, mind and soul, so I decided to give a gift in his name to support Native Americans on campus,” he says. “I hope it will help students see their way through to degree completion and that their educational experiences will better position them — both in pursuing a better life and in transforming society.”
Seeing firsthand the impact a UW education can make — including his wife and daughters, who earned a total of six UW degrees — inspired Griffin to make a second matching-level gift, this time to support UW’s Cowboy Coaches peer mentoring program.
“UW is the kind of institution that transforms people’s lives,” he says. “It’s the place I initially invested my life. Now, I have an opportunity to invest my remaining financial resources to further the mission.”
Close to the Heart
Donors often direct their student success-related philanthropy toward issues near and dear to their hearts.
Wyoming natives and alumni James and Jill Anderson supported agriculture and geology at UW before turning their attention to student veterans. They contributed toward the construction of the Marna M. Kuehne Foundation Veterans Services Center in the Wyoming Union, and they recently made a matching-level gift to establish the James E. and Jill S. Anderson Veteran Student Scholarship.
“The purpose of our gift is to provide support and respond to opportunities and needs that are unique to veteran students and not ordinarily addressed within the traditional university or academic community,” the Andersons says. “Moreover, this endowment is dedicated to the proposition that we shall never forget our veterans and what they have done for us as a nation.”
UW Veterans Services Center Director Marty Martinez says: “As nontraditional students, veterans often face many life challenges while working through the rigors of their college experience, such as part-time or full-time employment, families, car and house and insurance payments, and much more. The Anderson scholarship will provide financial relief and assistance as these warrior scholars meet the challenges life and academia can present. I cannot express enough my gratitude to Jim and Jill Anderson for this effective and wonderful way to remind our student veterans that their service and sacrifice are appreciated and remembered.”
Like the Andersons, Don and Judy Legerski both graduated from UW. Two of their children and five of their grandchildren also are UW alumni. Their love of the university, combined with their love of national parks, inspired their endowment gift to create the UW Teton Graduate Scholars in Biodiversity. The fund supports graduate student research at the AMK Ranch, UW’s research institute located in Grand Teton National Park. Recent scholars have studied mule deer migration, parasites in bees and many other biodiversity issues.
“We believe in education and its ability to change lives and improve the world,” Judy says. “It’s a privilege to assist graduate students as they move forward with their research. Our hope is that by spending productive time at the AMK Ranch, they’ll become big supporters of the national parks.”