Happy Holidays! Thank you for another good semester at CWC.
Changing of the Board Guard with Gratitude and Excitement
As most of you know, I report to CWC’s seven elected board members. After 12 years of service, Trustee Nicole Schoening has stepped aside. She represented the CWC Riverton-Shoshoni subdistrict. A lifelong educator, focusing especially on students in most need of caring and support, Nicole has brought so much heart, love and soul to CWC and the community colleges across the state.
She has served in just about every committee or position on CWC’s Board, including Board Chair. She has worked many years in the Fremont County School District #25 and has an M.S. in Education from the University of Wyoming. Nicole has such compassion for CWC students that she often gets teary-eyed when she tells the CWC story. There is perhaps no other person who exudes the CWC mission of “transforming lives and strengthening communities” as Nicole. I’m personally grateful for her wise ear and mentorship - and so many hours and years of service! We all have been so lucky to have had her at the helm.
The newly elected CWC Riverton-Shoshoni subdistrict trustee isAlma Law. Alma is an active member of the Fremont County community. He is on the Board of Directors of the Riverton Chamber of Commerce and is a local food producer with his Law of the Homestead Breads.
You’ll regularly see or hear him in the local media. He provides local Haunted History tours, does some podcasts, and more. The photo here is him searching for fossilized shark teeth in the Gas Hills.
Trustee Law is an educator. In addition to having worked for Fremont #25 for 9 years, he has been a long-time member of the CWC family as you will see him singing in our community choir. Alma has two master's degrees, one in Educational Curriculum and Instruction and another in Special Education. He is a Master Trainer in ACE Interface where ACE stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. Alma is on the board of Lander’s Bookmarked Literary Arts Festival and is the president of Foster Families of Fremont County. He works with individuals with disabilities on the Medicaid waiver.
The Newsletter Format: You will see that we are going to try to do my Presidential Newsletter a little differently. Rather than me doing a bunch of copy and pasting from the Packet, Marketing is working to make the Newsletter a bit more journalistic and appealing … and less of my usual 15 pages of scrolling!
In this season of gratitude and hope, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to you all for the important work you do in helping members of our communities.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
From the Student Senate Report (President Ben Nelson)
Student Senate once again sponsored the Finals Feed on the Monday night of Finals week. THANK YOU to this crew for their help at Finals Feed! The students always love this event! And a special THANKS to Matt Bush for his help cooking all the food!
From the Professional Staff Report
CWC Library
The Toast to Mondays program provides complimentary breakfast to students, staff, and faculty members.
The Bootstrap Collaborative recently conducted their first annual Baby Pitch Competition.Read more about Baby Pitch Competition
CWC Jackson
CWC Jackson had an opportunity to host Linda Williamson of Lander’s Meadowlark Market and Kitchen. Read more about Cooking with Community
A lively discussion at the Teton Library featuring the critical topic of Community Food Systems at Work. Read more about Teton Talks
TRIO SSS
Right before Thanksgiving break, Gambles donated a freezer for the CWC Food Pantry. Read more from TRIO SSS
Student Life
The CWC Chapter NSLS Induction Ceremony will be held in late Spring. Read more from Student Life.
CWC Wind River
Advising Days were held at the Frank B. Wise Building. Current and potential students had the opportunity to apply to CWC, register for spring/summer classes, and complete the FAFSA and scholarship applications.
Career Services
Several workshops were held for students: Cover Letter & Resume, Career Pathways, Interview Preparation, and After Graduation.Read more from Career Services.
Admissions
Apart from traveling over 7,000 miles between Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Idaho, and South Dakota, Admissions have also given over 40 campus tours. The team is gearing up for Discover Day 2025. Read more from Admissions.
CWC - College and Career Readiness
Our programs do impact lives, IET Program Manager, Ellen Kappus, Ed.D. provided this moving video interview with one of her IET/CNA students. Read more from College and Career Readiness
Dubois Outreach
November offerings in Dubois included Speedy Rams Running Club, Taekwondo, Pickleball, and Toddler Gym. Read more from Dubois Outreach.
From the Classified Staff Report
Community Service Day
Andy Titus, Grounds Supervisor, supervised a portion of the Community Service Day events on Campus. A small group of Classified Staff members collected trash from all around campus.
Staff Bingo Night
The Fun Committee hosted a staff bingo night. The event's emcees were Scott McFarland and Shanna Montgomery, Human Resources Technician. With $600 worth of prizes on the line, a variety of staff turned out for an evening of fun.
From the Faculty Association Report
Alpine Science Institute: Faculty, students, and staff have worked together with support from the LOR (Livability, Opportunity, and Responsibility) Foundation to create information for and install a new informative kiosk at the public parking lot at the Lander Alpine Science Institute (ASI). Read more from ASI.
Dr. Bill Finney and Dr. Kate Patterson worked with students on the Nationwide Balloon Eclipse Project (NEBP). The highlight video received honorable mentions in all four major categories in the SciAct Meeting's movie night event.
National Association of Biology Teachers Conference: Faculty: Claudia Troxel, Tara Womack-Shultz, Lucy Graham, Kirsten Kapp and students: Henry Alberts, Lazara Jimerson, Julia Vilaboas, and Sunshine Mullenix, attended the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Conference in Anaheim, CA.Read more about the STEM Conference.
Test Center: In addition to the usual tests at the main campus, the Lander Center proctored a test for a Braille instructor in November. Read more from the Test Center.
Wyoming Chronicle concluded its 15th season earlier this year, continuing to spotlight newsmakers, artists, and remarkable personalities in Wyoming. Read more
Our award-winning mental health documentary series, A State of Mind, has launched into an enlightening second season. Read more
Last fall, Wyoming PBS celebrated the Ken Burns film, The American Buffalo - a dramatic story of the animal’s near extinction and the people who saved it. Read more
