College of Arts and Sciences
UW Sociology Program
Department Alumni
Brian Bentel
Brian Bentel (pictured in the back row, 2nd from the left) earned a Master's from our department and went on to earn his Ph.D. His first job as a professor was at East Central University, a regional university in Oklahoma that focused on providing a college education to people who might not have the ability to travel to or afford bigger state schools. Many of its students were non-traditional students who were from the lower and working class and were trying to improve their credentials in an increasingly challenging economy. Recently Brian moved with his wife, Akiko Yoshida, to Wisconsin. Both of them teach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is an assistant professor, and he is a Lecturer who is pursuing a career in music in his free time.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.