Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

Today we celebrate the heritage, cultures, and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples, especially our many students and community partners from the Wind River Indian Reservation. We’re proud of the work happening through CWC–Wind River, where students find a welcoming place to begin or continue their education close to home with personalized support every step of the way.

We’re also excited to expand opportunities through Recompete, a new partnership with the Wind River Sage Fund helping adults 25-54 gain hands-on skills and workforce training that open doors to good jobs and brighter futures.

Note: A big Thank You to the associations and others for all the great content submitted to the board packet these last two months. Although you can find the content when Paula Hartbank sends the packet out collegewide, most prefer to read the area updates in my monthly President’s Newsletter. We have so much great content to share this fall that we will be sprinkling it out over the next few months with plans for a big edition on Faculty and Student Learning in December. 

Congratulations to everyone for contributing to what I believe was a very successful 10-Year Reaffirmation Visit by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). A huge thank you to Dr. Kathy Wells and our CWC team for such an amazing job - honestly, the best I’ve ever seen. As reported by Dr. Wells, we have already received some positive verbal feedback but we’ll get the final report in about three months.

As reported in emails by Rachel Hofer, Director of Admissions, our enrollments for this fall are so far insanely up over previous years. We, once again, have the greatest growth of all the colleges. 

And in terms of enrollment efforts, I’m happy to report that CWC is signing a partnership agreements with Wonder Institute and CAEL. More on that to come!

This is because of all the care and hard work you bring every day for our students and community. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone at CWC. You live our college values. You truly are Resilient and Tenacious (from the “R” and “T” in RUSTLERS).

Our library team has been doing some incredible things lately to make learning and connection easier for our students. They’ve expanded study spaces, brought in new technology and resources, and created programs that make the library feel like the true heart of campus. It’s becoming more than just a place to study — it’s where students gather, collaborate, and belong.

The Ranger recently featured their efforts in a great story. I encourage you to take a look: Where Rustlers Read.

The Alpine Science Institute had a packed summer — from youth adventure camps to farm-to-table dinners and research collaborations, ASI continues to be a hub of learning, leadership, and community connection.

Our Outdoor Education team led dozens of students through climbing, biking, and art camps, while high school counselors gained hands-on leadership experience. Partnerships with Lander Valley High School and the Lights On summer program brought even more local students outdoors for adventure-based learning.

ASI also hosted university researchers, local food events like the Pushroot Valley Harvest Dinner, and community celebrations including the Jurassic Classic Mountain Bike Festival. Even the Lander Center saw exciting updates with a new library and student lounge space.

There’s so much more happening at ASI—check out the full report for all the details.

Read the full ASI update

Our grounds crew continues to set the standard for care and sustainability on our campuses. Under the leadership of Andy Titus, CWC has once again been recognized as a Tree Campus USA—our sixth consecutive year earning this distinction!

With nearly 1,000 trees across our campuses, this award reflects not only a commitment to the environment but also the dedication and craftsmanship of our team. Maintaining this recognition requires new community projects each year, thoughtful planning, and a lot of hands-on work.

We’re proud of Andy and the crew for making our campus one of the greenest and most welcoming in the state. The Ranger recently featured Andy and his work—check out the story here: CWC’s Garden Guru

Our Alpine Science Institute/Expedition Science had a jam-packed summer and continues to lead the way in hands-on learning and research that reaches far beyond the classroom. This summer, the team received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program, ensuring continued funding for paid GIS internships over the next three years.

In total, 38 students participated in coursework, internships, and research supported by NASA, EPSCoR, the Wyoming Innovation Partnership, and other state and national partners. From mountaineering expeditions and glacier monitoring in the Wind River Range to archaeological research presented in Austria, our students are doing extraordinary work that’s gaining attention far and wide.

Here’s just a glimpse of what they accomplished this summer:

• Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office Internship – Students used GIS tools to digitize and preserve historic and cultural data for the Northern Arapaho Tribe.

• Wind River Tribal Buffalo Institute Internship – Interns built a geospatial database and web map to track buffalo herd movements, contributing to graduate-level research.

• HIKES Wilderness Monitoring Expedition – Students backpacked through the Wind River Mountains, collecting critical campsite data for the Shoshone National Forest.

• Gannett Peak Glacier Research Expedition – A two-week climb to Wyoming’s highest point where students monitored glaciers, tested temperature sensors, and even assisted in a search and rescue effort.

• Data Science Workshop – Students analyzed field data using GIS and R to visualize glacier and temperature changes in the Winds.

• Independent Climate Research – Students tested mobile weather sensors on expeditions across Wyoming and Canada to fill data gaps in remote areas.

• Archaeological Research in Austria – Two CWC students presented original GIS-based research at the International Mountain Conference in Innsbruck—a tremendous achievement.

• Environmental Monitoring Partnerships – Ongoing collaborations with the Shoshone National Forest on air, water, and fish population studies.

These projects are a powerful example of what happens when faculty, students, and partners come together to learn by doing. 

Truly grateful to you all,

For the full October 2025 Board Meeting Packet, click here.