The State of the University address kicked off on September 17th in the Student Union and outlined what the University of Wyoming has achieved in the past year, and what the administration hopes to achieve going forward. There were several key areas of discussion, revolving around freedom of speech, enrollment rates, concealed carry on campus, and the president’s strategic goals for the University.
Possibly the most notable thing about the speech was the president’s insistence on the presence of freedom of speech and expression on Campus. The president aims to turn UW into a politically neutral ground where ideas can be exchanged and debated over without fear of intervention by the University. It UW’s goal to let everyone fight for the ideas that believe in, without outwardly supporting or hindering them in that process. The president also noted that this may mean students will hear ideas that they disagree with or offend them, but that this is the nature of true freedom of expression.
On the administration side of things, enrollment for the University of Wyoming is down by about 0.8%, likely caused by a FAFSA issue that affected many universities earlier in the year. A changing environment and collegiate landscape where many are being encouraged to go straight into the workforce or go to trade school is also a possible factor. According to Provost Carman, the University is continually looking for new opportunities to work with trade schools and community colleges in order to adapt the University of Wyoming to the new academic landscape in America. In a quote when asked about this, Carman stated, “I’m all for the trades and community colleges and the opportunities they provide. Sometimes there’s a narrative that college only means university, but there’s abundant data that shows students with technical and associates degrees can have just as successful careers… Though the data shows that if you have a four-year degree, you can be even more financially successful.” Carman is continually advocating for the University to include more of these programs and working actively with Wyotech and LCCC to do this.
The University also has confirmed that following a re-classification of requirements, UW will meet the standard to become an R1 university in 2025, a goal that President Seidel laid out for the University when he initially took office. The University has also qualified for the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, meaning the University of Wyoming collaborates extensively with its local community and state. Both classifications will make the University a more appealing school for students to choose, helping with enrollment rates in the future.
The President and Adam Comeau also spoke very briefly on the state of campus carry. While currently, the drafted resolution states that no changes will be made to the campus’ current policy, over 3,000 people responded to the initial form with widely varying opinions. An in-person session on the issue, open to the public and hosted by the UW Board of Trustees, will take place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. The public is welcome and encouraged to go, hopefully allowing for the Board to take into consideration everyone’s opinions on the matter.
Finally, the president outlined that he will continue to pursue his strategic plan for the University. This involves 5 major steps for the university to achieve success, including enhancing student success, pursuing institutional excellence, providing a supportive community, serving the state of Wyoming, and the cultivation of financial stability and diversification. The University has already proven its commitment to two of these goals, pursuing institutional excellence and providing a supportive community, as evidenced by the University’s recent R1 and Carnegie Community Engagement classifications. When asked if there was a particular step of the plan that was more important, he stated, “I would say student success is by far the prime directive of the University, I would say that they’re all co-equals but among co-equals there’s the one that’s number one.” The president’s commitment to student success has already shown itself in the form of the University’s ongoing attempts to re-define academic probation, most notably advocating for the ability to forgive one failed class like many other universities around the country.
This year’s State of the University address was an excellent outline of the goals that the university has achieved, and what the university hopes to achieve in coming months and years. The University of Wyoming continues to prove to be an influential and innovative institution in the American academic landscape, and will likely continue to be throughout the coming years if these plans are followed through with.
