蜜芽TV

Dear Colleagues,

 

April 1 marked the end of my third year serving as the John P. 鈥淛ack鈥� Ellbogen Dean of the College of Education, including my first year as Interim Dean. As I enter my fourth year, I find myself reflecting with great appreciation on the time I have spent in this role.

 

What has made this experience especially rewarding is not any single moment, but the collective impact of the people who make up this College. Every interaction with our faculty, staff, students, and the many friends, supporters and advocates of the College of Education has critically mattered. Together, we have navigated both challenges and accomplishments, and it is through these shared experiences that we continue to grow, strengthen, and move forward as a community.

 

These past weeks have offered many opportunities to connect, engage, and celebrate the important work happening across the College and the broader University community. From highlighting the work of our students and faculty to moments of thoughtful conversation and collaboration, this semester has been a strong reflection of who we are and what we value.

 

Thank you for the consistent care, excellence, and energy you bring to this work. It is an honor to serve alongside you, and I am excited for all that we will continue to build together in the year ahead.

 

Here are some updates since my last newsletter:

1. UW Board of Trustees Names Shane Reeves as Next President
2. Celebrating Tenure and Promotion Achievements
3. Recognizing Leadership and Service
4. Education Peer Mentoring Program (EPMP) Meetings Continue
5. Updates from Civic Education Program Manager Andy Pannell
6. College of Education Hosts Spring Community Barbecue
7. Provost鈥檚 Office Announces Faculty AI Training Opportunity
8. Faculty Member Appointed to Raising Readers in Wyoming Board
9. Student Teacher Accepts Position in Sheridan
10. College of Education Faculty Receive 2026 PIE Awards
11. Reminder: College of Education Research Forum Today
12. Reminder: College of Education Meeting on April 6
13. Invitation: Advocacy Board Reception on May 7
14. Invitation: Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony on May 12

UW Board of Trustees Names Shane Reeves as Next President: With great excitement, 蜜芽TV Board of Trustees has selected Brigadier General Shane Reeves as the university鈥檚 next president. A distinguished leader with more than 30 years of military service and most recently the chief academic officer at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Reeves brings exceptional experience in leadership, scholarship, and academic excellence. He will retire from the Army to lead UW into an exciting new chapter.

 

Read more: /news/2026/04/board-of-trustees-selects-reeves-as-uw-president.html

 

Celebrating Tenure and Promotion Achievements: Please join me in extending our sincere congratulations to Amanda DeDiego on her promotion to Full Professor, and to Alison Mercier on achieving tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees has officially approved both of these recognitions, reflecting their outstanding contributions to the College of Education, their commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service, and their impact on our students and broader community. These milestones represent significant professional achievements, and we are proud to celebrate Amanda and Alison for their dedication and continued leadership within our College.

 

Recognizing Leadership and Service: As mentioned in the Provost鈥檚 message yesterday, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Amanda DeDiego, currently Associate Professor in Counseling Education and Supervision in the School of CLAD and serving as Interim Dean of UW Casper, for her outstanding work in the College of Education. We are grateful for her dedicated service, leadership, and the many contributions she has made to our College and the broader University community. We are grateful for her service and wish her all the best in this next adventure.

 

Education Peer Mentoring Program (EPMP) Meetings Continue: Students in the College of Education鈥檚 Peer Mentoring Program are continuing to build meaningful connections through their spring meetings, including conversations over pottery painting in downtown Laramie and other informal gatherings around the community. Recent meetups have centered on coursework, post-graduation plans, Praxis preparation, and everyday life, while also giving students the opportunity to enjoy different locations and activities around Laramie together. I am glad to see these students utilizing this program to create space for exploration, relationship-building, and studying.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Updates from Civic Education Program Manager Andy Pannell: Andy has continued to represent the College of Education through important civic education work at both the state and national levels. In February, he joined UW education student Elise Newton and Anne Aydian-Perry in Riverton to help build new social studies standards, and in March, he and Mike Thomas of Sheridan High School attended and presented at the National Symposium on Civic Education Research at Georgetown University. We appreciate Andy鈥檚 hard work to advance civic learning in the state and for his work to represent the College of Education and the John P. Ellbogen Foundation!

 

College of Education Hosts Spring Community Barbecue: Yesterday, the College of Education hosted a spring barbecue in front of the Education Building as part of our ongoing efforts to create more opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the broader campus community to gather informally and connect with one another. The event, which featured a 鈥淐heeseburgers in Laradise鈥� theme, drew a strong turnout, and we quickly went through hundreds of burgers. A special thanks to Rob Hill and Lucas Dow, Professors of Practice in CTE, and everyone else who helped out to make this event a success in spite of inclement spring weather.  We served more than 200 burgers to our students, as well as to faculty, staff, and friends of the College

 

Provost鈥檚 Office Announces Faculty AI Training Opportunity: The Office of Academic Affairs is inviting brief proposals from faculty interested in professional development or training related to artificial intelligence. This rolling opportunity, open through August 2026, is intended to support faculty as they build skills and expertise that can strengthen the integration of AI into teaching, research, and creative activity across the university. Eligible uses of funding may include certification programs, workshops, specialized training, and related expenses. Faculty interested in applying should submit a 1-2 page proposal with an estimated cost to provost@uwyo.edu.

 

Faculty Member Appointed to Raising Readers in Wyoming Board: We are pleased to share that Jennifer Geringer, Associate Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Raising Readers in Wyoming. This statewide nonprofit literacy initiative provides books to young children and their families through pediatric well-child visits, helping children build a personal library before they begin kindergarten. We congratulate Jenn on this appointment and appreciate the ways she continues to bring her expertise in children鈥檚 literature and early literacy development to work that supports Wyoming families and communities.

 

Student Teacher Accepts Position in Sheridan: Abbie Wilcox, who is currently student teaching in Casper, has accepted a Family and Consumer Sciences teaching position at Sheridan Junior High School. Sheridan County School District 2 is known for its strong schools and rigorous interview process, which includes both a live teaching demonstration and a formal interview. Following the interview, Sheridan Junior High principal Timm Cooper shared, 鈥淪he is an impressive young lady. If she isn鈥檛 a poster child for UW Education, I don鈥檛 know who would be a better representative.鈥� We congratulate Abbie on this accomplishment and appreciate the strong preparation and support provided by our Career and Technical Education faculty as our students continue to represent the College of Education so well across the state.

 

Congratulations as well to our other students who are securing jobs both across Wyoming and other parts of the nation. Students planning to stay and teach in Wyoming should also consider applying to our Stay and Teach in Wyoming Program: 

 

College of Education Faculty Receive 2026 PIE Awards: Nikki Baldwin, Senior Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, and Joe Russo, Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education, have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Promoting Intellectual Engagement in the First Year (PIE) Award. It is also worth noting that this marks Joe鈥檚 eighth PIE Award in his nine years of teaching at the University.

This university-wide recognition honors faculty who meaningfully engage first-year students, support their transition to college expectations, and foster a strong investment in learning. We congratulate Nikki and Joe on this recognition and appreciate the lasting impact they continue to have on our students.

 

Reminder: College of Education Research Forum Today: A reminder that the inaugural College of Education Research Forum will take place today from 4:30 to 6:00 PM in the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center Ballroom. This new event is designed to showcase and celebrate the exciting work taking place across the College of Education while also creating space for connection and conversation across the broader University community.

We especially encourage our undergraduate students to attend and engage, as this is a wonderful opportunity to explore research, connect with faculty and peers, and begin envisioning their own pathways into scholarly and professional work. Admission is free, and hors d鈥檕euvres and refreshments will be provided. We hope faculty, staff, students, and friends of the College will join us for an engaging evening of posters, discovery tables, roundtables, and conversation.

 

Reminder: College of Education Meeting on Monday, April 6: A reminder that the next College of Education Community Meeting will take place on Monday, April 6, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM in the Union Family Room and will feature "Ideas in Motion: A Community Exchange." This college-wide gathering is designed to bring faculty and staff together to share current research, projects, outreach in a fast-paced, interactive format using a World Caf茅 model. We hope this conversation will help make visible the wide range of important work underway across our community.

 

Invitation: Advocacy Board Reception on May 7: Faculty, staff, and other stakeholders are warmly invited to join the College of Education Advocacy Board Reception on Thursday, May 7, at the Wyo Sports Ranch Club and Loge on the west side of War Memorial Stadium. This reception will provide an opportunity to connect around the important work underway across the College and to help set the stage for the Advocacy Board鈥檚 spring meeting on May 8. We hope you will consider joining us for what will surely be an impactful evening. RSVP here: 

 

Invitation: Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony on May 12: Faculty, staff, and other stakeholders are also warmly invited to join us for the 2nd Annual Ellbogen Excellence Ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the UW Conference Center Ballroom. This special event will highlight the impact of Ellbogen Foundation support across the College of Education through presentations from Mary Garland Distinguished Fellows in Education, Outstanding Dissertation Award recipients, and participants in the John P. 鈥淛ack鈥� Ellbogen Dean鈥檚 and Trustees Education Initiative Peer Mentoring Program. A reception with light refreshments will follow the formal program. RSVP here: 

 

As we move forward, thank you for the continued care, excellence, and energy all of you bring to the College of Education. I hope to see you at our inaugural Research Forum tonight, and I wish everyone a wonderful weekend.

 

Jenna