During the Thursday, November 16, 2023 University of Wyoming Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting that Branding Iron previously covered, several updates were given to the BOT, including proposals of new potential degree programs and those under review for elimination, a detailed list of which was sent in an email from the Provost on Nov. 16.
Notably among these updates was a presentation given by Doctor Todd Surovell, a UW professor, and the Director of the George C. Frison Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Dr. Surovell shared the multi-year excavation process of a 13,100 year old mammoth in Laramie county dubbed the ‘Warren Mammoth,’ which was radiocarbon dated to be 150 years older than the oldest archeological site in Wyoming, Hell Gap.
The Wyoming Innovation Partnership and the Saddle Up Program also offered previously requested updates on their respective programs, the latter of which shared statistical data from the 2022 Saddle Up ‘cohort’ which showed a minor increase of 91% to 93% in the overall retention rate of students who did participate in the program from the fall 2022 to spring 2023 semester.
According to representatives from the program this number far exceeded the reported 87% retention rate of students who did not participate in the program during the same time.
Additionally when looking at retention rates of students by college or school the program found that with the exception of the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Education, a positive impact on retention was seen across the board for each college or school.
It was also noted that a positive impact on retention rate was not seen when it came to minority students, and is something that Saddle Up will actively focus on improving as the program continues into the next academic year.
