Tomorrow, July 21, the University of Wyoming is having a celebration in Afton, Wyoming to educate local students about UW, reconnect with alumni, and introduce the new president and men’s basketball coach.
“I am hopeful the event will be an opportunity for us to showcase two new important leaders on the campus – President Seidel and new Head Basketball Coach, Jeff Linder,” said the UW Athletics Director Thomas Burman. “We need to build bridges with the far western part of Wyoming and this will show we are extending the olive-branch.”
Burman is just one of many UW officials who will be attending the celebration in Afton. President Seidel will attend to speak on the university’s hopes to strengthen entrepreneurism and the state’s economy among many other things.
“I have been fortunate to hear President Seidel speak on a couple of different occasions and have been very impressed,” said Head Coach Jeff Linder of the men’s basketball team. “He is really smart and has a vision for the University of Wyoming that I’m excited to see.”
Linder and Burman will also attend and speak on UW athletics. This will be Linder’s first introduction to the state as the head coach of the men’s basketball team through a university event due to him recently being hired in March and COVID-19 preventing other events from occurring till now.
Linder says he is excited to meet Wyoming citizens who play such an important role in the university and “to have the opportunity to represent the state of Wyoming and to embody the passion and pride of being a Cowboy.”
Burman says he is excited to attend the event tomorrow in order to get to know new individuals and reunite with some old friends he hasn’t been able to see much recently due to COVID-19. He also intends to share how the university serves the needs of the state and indirectly Star Valley, and how amazing UW is to him.
“I love the people of Wyoming and how they care about our only university,” said Burman. “I enjoy the bond we all have in Wyoming and how we need to come together in this difficult time.”
Neither Burman nor Linder are too worried about COVID-19 for this event if individuals who intend to come follow state regulations. The university will follow proper guidelines and protocols and Burman has stated he will be wearing his mask during the event to take all measures of safety.
The Dean of the College of Business, Dave Sprott, will also be attending along with a few current UW students from Star Valley, Shay Erikson and Cassie Hunsaker, who will share their college experiences according to a UW press release.
Barbara Sessions, a UW alumna and now chief operating officer of Silver Star Communications, will also be there to speak on UW and how the university helped her in her career and what it means to her to be a Cowboy. Sessions is one of twenty four alumni a part of “The World Needs More Cowboys… and So Does Wyoming” advertising.
This is just one of many of these “The World Needs More Cowboys” celebration events. More will occur in the months coming in Douglas, Casper, Pinedale, Jackson and many other Wyoming towns. Each celebration will feature a UW alumni and have speakers from the university. The events will continue to occur as scheduled if COVID-19 does not prevent them otherwise. See the schedule and chosen alumni here: https://www.uwyo.edu/cowboys/ .
“It’s clear that our marketing tagline, ‘The World Needs More Cowboys,’ has connected virtually with people across Wyoming. These events are about making that connection even stronger through face-to-face interaction,” says Chad Baldwin, UW’s associate vice president for marketing and communications, in a UW press release. “It’s a great opportunity for local students to learn more about their state’s university, for alumni to connect with their alma mater and one another, and for members of the community to meet UW’s new president along with coaches, faculty and students.”
The public is welcome to join from 5 to 7 in the afternoon at Canyon View Park, and they are asked to follow state guidelines regarding COVID-19.
