Wyoming has a great university. That did not happen by accident, and it should not be taken for granted. As president of the University of Wyoming, I am proud of what generations of Wyoming citizens have built. But, more importantly, I believe we must be clear about why Wyoming’s university matters -- especially at a moment when its value is being questioned.
The University of Wyoming is where students from Ten Sleep and Lusk, Cheyenne and Jackson, Mountain View and Hulett come to pursue their dreams without leaving the state they love. They come here instead of moving away after high school because UW offers a great education right here in Wyoming -- an education that allows graduates to compete anywhere, while often choosing to build their lives here at home either right after graduating or later when many return.
That matters for Wyoming’s future.
UW educates Wyoming’s nurses, teachers, engineers, ranchers, business owners, accountants, pharmacists, artists and entrepreneurs. Students in any major -- every major -- get the hands-on skills they need to launch their careers. Liberal arts majors have become CEOs of energy companies; environmental science majors become water lawyers; math majors become teachers.
As the only university in the state, we have a responsibility to support comprehensive workforce needs and serve every corner of Wyoming. We educate both deeply and broadly, exposing students to multiple ideas so they are prepared, nimble and able to thrive in a world that is rapidly changing. We don’t promote agendas and have become nationally known for neutrality, strongly supporting the First Amendment via our freedom of expression efforts. Last week, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni gave UW its highest national “Gold Standard” rating among all universities it ranked.
Doing this all well requires excellence -- not prestige for its own sake, but great programs and faculty that compete well at the national level. Wyoming deserves not just “pretty good” nurses, engineers and teachers, but the best we can prepare. And at present we do that.
Don’t just take my word for UW’s standing as a great university. In new rankings by TIME Magazine, we are listed as the No. 61 public university in the U.S., No. 99 among all U.S. universities and No. 286 among all universities across the globe. By comparison, UW’s ranking is significantly higher than a number of larger flagship and land-grant universities in neighboring states.
Recently, I was asked why Wyoming needs a great university if the state constitution requires that it be “as nearly free as possible.” In other words, can the state afford it? My answer is straightforward: Wyoming already has a great university; it cannot afford not to have one.
A great university is not a cost center. It is a multiplier.
State support through the block grant is the essential foundation that allows UW to function. On that foundation, the university works every day to multiply Wyoming’s investment. And we’re succeeding beautifully. Since 2019, external research funding -- grants and contracts that support Wyoming jobs, students and priorities -- has grown from about $90 million to more than $220 million per year.
Those dollars fund research on trona-based batteries, new uses for coal, water management, wildlife migration, health care delivery, and other areas central to Wyoming’s economy and way of life. They bring people, jobs and opportunity into the state. But those funds do not replace the block grant. They depend on it. External grants do not pay for classrooms, core instruction or other services our students need. Without a strong base, that leverage disappears.
The university has already done its share during hard times. UW absorbed cuts of more than $40 million in 2018 and more than another $30 million in 2022. We did so responsibly, as we worked to ensure that research and service to the state continued to grow.
The proposed $40 million cut now is different. This is not shared sacrifice during a downturn. It is a devastating rollback, on top of prior cuts, during a time of state financial strength -- driven not by a budget crisis, but by a failure to recognize the incredible value we bring to Wyoming.
Many universities across the country rely on sharply higher tuition to fund operations, pushing more debt onto students and families. Wyoming has chosen a better path. We continually work to make the great education the state needs “as nearly free as possible,” and state support has allowed UW to keep education affordable for Wyoming students. Cutting the block grant undermines that promise. It either forces higher costs onto students or deep reductions in programs Wyoming depends on -- or both -- outcomes that neither families nor the state’s economy can afford.
So, the choice before us is not complicated.
If Wyoming continues to invest in its university, UW will continue to return far more than the state puts in. The university educates the workforce, drives economic diversification, attracts federal and private dollars, and generates well over $1 billion in annual economic impact.
This is not about whether Wyoming can afford a great university. It is about whether Wyoming can afford not to have one.
Investing in the University of Wyoming is one of the best bargains available to this state -- today and for generations to come. We have a great university. Let’s not backtrack. Our students deserve it. Our economy depends on it. And Wyoming’s future is stronger because of it.
Ed Seidel is the 28th president of the University of Wyoming.
