University of Wyoming’s president has informed the UW Board of Trustees that he will step down from his position when his contract expires on June 30 of next year.
President Ed Seidel shared his plans with the board one year in advance to give time for a thoughtful, inclusive search for the university’s next president and to help with the transition, according to a statement UW released Monday.
“Serving as president of the University of Wyoming has been a tremendous honor for me,” Seidel said in the statement. “It has been a great privilege to work on behalf of our students, our university community and our state. I’m deeply proud of all we’ve accomplished together during the past five years.”
Seidel became UW’s 28th president July 1, 2020.
The Board of Trustees will establish a search process for UW’s next president. Details of the search will be announced as they are determined, says the statement.
Officials React
Kermit Brown, chairman of the UW Board of Trustees, voiced appreciation for Seidel’s work.
“We deeply appreciate President Seidel’s commitment to this university,” Brown said. “He has moved us forward in innumerable ways, and we are grateful for his leadership and dedication. We look forward to his support and assistance in our transition to new leadership.”
Gov. Mark Gordon also voiced his appreciation to Seidel, “for his commitment to making UW one of the finest universities in the country.”
“(Seidel) has led through significant challenges with a forward-looking vision and a steadfast commitment to the university’s future,” the governor added. “He has moved the university forward, and I especially appreciate his leadership in establishing the Wyoming Innovation Partnership, which has strengthened higher education and workforce development.”
The governor’s office will continue to work with the trustees in the next year “to ensure that UW continues to thrive,” said Gordon, adding well wishes for Seidel.
Seidel said he will continue to work alongside other UW leaders.
Rob Godby, chair of UW’s Faculty Senate, thanked Seidel for his work as well.
Conflict
Seidel’s resignation comes after the demotion of a popular professor, who has since sued the university.
Cameron Wright, former dean of UW’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS), was demoted April 1 following a vote of the UW Board of Trustees. He remains a UW professor.
Wright’s lawsuit links his demotion to a controversy in which Seidel and others allegedly pressured him to divert $500,000 annually earmarked for the engineering school into a new spinoff computing school run by Seidel’s partner.
The outcry was significant.
In its statement announcing the move, UW lists advancements under Seidel’s tenure as:
• Status as a Carnegie R1 Research and Carnegie Engaged university.
• Launch of a School of Computing.
• An academic reorganization supporting efficiencies and thematic synergies in several colleges.
• Helping to create the Wyoming Innovation Partnership with the state’s community colleges and the governor’s office.
• Campuswide principles and programs regarding freedom of expression.
• Launch of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
• Creation of the Jay Kemmerer WORTH (Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality) Institute.
• New initiatives for student, faculty and dean support, with increases in student retention and success rates, creation of numerous professorships and endowed chairs, and UW’s first four endowed deanships.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
