Idaho native, director of the Oral Communication Center and senior lecturer in the Department of Communication and Journalism, Beau Bingham brings a big heart to the University of Wyoming.
UW was the perfect fit for the small-town graduate. Bingham was instantly drawn to the students of University, he said, and they are the reason he is here today, 15 years later.
“The students are just a great group of students to work with and they bring a skill set to the University that is just fun to work with,” Bingham said. “I feel like I can relate to a lot of the students because I came from a very similar background, I grew up on a cattle ranch and they make it feel like home.”
After growing up in Carey, Idaho, Bingham first graduated from Idaho State University with a secondary education degree and then earned his master’s from New Mexico State University, where he received an assistantship and taught two public speaking classes every semester he was there.
However, teaching at a university was not always the dream for Bingham. His original vision was to teach business classes in a high school or junior high, the areas he did his student teaching in.
“I realized I enjoyed it, but I like an older group of individuals, so I decided to go back to graduate school and earn a degree where I could teach in college,” Bingham said.
When it comes to impacting students in the long run, Bingham wants to impact his students by making them want to be better individuals not only in school, but also in society.
When students enter his classroom, they will not only learn material for the test, but material they will use and utilize the rest of their lives. Business and Professional Communication, one of many classes Bingham teaches, prepares students to enter the workplace and pushes them to do projects they will encounter in their professional life.
“My goal as a teacher is to the make the material applicable to students’ lives, make it something they can use not just in the classroom to gain the knowledge, but to help them see the benefit in their life as they leave school,” he said. “It’s fun when you hear back from students, like in that business class, and they say, ‘Hey, I got a job offer from doing this assignment’ and it gets them excited to enter the work force.”
Aside from school, Bingham said being a husband and a dad is the most important part of his life. At home, he has his hands full with his wife, son and four daughters with two in college, two in high school and one in middle school.
“I have learned the importance of having lots of chocolate on hand and ice cream, because it solves any problem,” Bingham joked about having five ladies at the house.
One of his favorite parts of the day is when his son and daughter enrolled at UW find their way into his office around lunchtime.
When he’s not teaching or spending time with his family, Bingham spends his time outdoors or woodworking. His love of building and creating stems from his experience in the construction industry, pouring concrete for 10 summers as a student. The outdoorsman also enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, animals and backpacking with the Bingham clan.
