higher education

The College of Arts and Sciences hired a new dean last June. Before Dean Camellia Moses Okpodu came to the University Wyoming (UW), she was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana. She's trained as a plant physiologist. Due to restructuring, the UW College of Arts and Sciences is projected to become the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Wyoming Public Radio's Ivy Engel sat down with Dean Okpodu to talk about her deanship thus far and the future of the college.

Wyoming community colleges urged the legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee this week to support the governor’s request for pay hikes.

The agreements deal with how issues such as finances, debt, insurance, and employee contracts, among others, will be handled in the separation process.

Two and a half months ago, Campbell County voters overwhelmingly chose to make Gillette College Wyoming's newest independently governed community college. Since that time, steps have been taken to ensure a smooth transition.

On Aug. 17, Campbell County overwhelmingly voted to make Gillette College independent of the Northern Wyoming Community College District (NWCCD), its parent institution that it had been part of since its inception in 1969. Just over two months later, plans are underway by Sheridan College to help aid in this objective by offering guidance and assistance along the way.

University of Wyoming enrollment is down this year, having dropped three percent from this time last year.

College students could soon be getting their course content as they brush their teeth, cook dinner, or drive to work. As smart speakers become more common in people's homes, Tiffany Hunt, an associate lecturer in the special education department at the University of Wyoming, is studying how they can be used to improve college student's learning.

Residents of Campbell County will soon vote on the future of its community college. The vote will ask residents if they want to separate from the Northern Wyoming Community College District and become an independent one. Wyoming Public Radio's Catherine Wheeler explains how the issue came up for a vote and what it will mean if it passes.

This week the University of Wyoming (UW) announced some big plans. After already reducing $42 million, the university had to cut another $13 million. Those cuts will involve the loss of roughly 75 jobs. Along with that, UW announced it's consolidating a number of departments, and shifting science and math programs from the College of Arts and Sciences to the Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture.

As the state slowly recovers from the pandemic, it's important for people to get the education and training they need to secure good-paying jobs. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Director Robin Cooley says they can help.