WyomingAthletics.com : On Campus :: University of Wyoming : Official Athletic Site

Athletic Department | Athletic Director | Laramie, Wyo. | President | Wyoming

This is the University of Wyoming...

A Great University in the Rockies
UW Family Sculpture Photo
"The University of Wyoming Family" sculpture

Daring to be different isn't just a catchphrase at the University of Wyoming. It's a way of life.

The University of Wyoming, nestled on Wyoming's high plains between the Laramie and Snowy Mountain ranges, is one of the most unique institutions of higher education in America.

The cosmetic attractions of Wyoming's state university are obvious. UW offers an outstanding education in beautiful surroundings. It offers the cultural advantages of one of the top universities in the U.S., and is set in a small, friendly college town. It has the advantages of a rural community, yet is just over two hours away from a major metropolitan area, Denver.

But the University of Wyoming offers much more than a small, friendly atmosphere. Consider:

U.W. is the only four-year school in the state, which gives it the advantage of drawing on all of Wyoming's resources - including human resources - in striving to offer its students an increasingly excellent education;

The University was named by the New York Times as one of the best education buys in the nation;

Wyoming's residence hall area is the most densely populated area in the state, accommodating 2,499 people on one-and-one-third acres of land;

June Etta Downey, one of U.W.'s early faculty members, was the first woman to head an academic department in the U.S.;

Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, when filled, becomes the third-largest city in the state, and the Double A basketball arena becomes the fifth-largest city;

White Hall, a dorm on the U.W. campus, is the tallest building in the state;

U.W. is the "highest" four-year school in the nation at 7,200 feet, and boasts the "coolest" summer school in America, with temperatures rarely ranging into the 90s.

Yes, the University of Wyoming offers a progressive education in a distinct atmosphere.

One of the University of Wyoming's main attractions, and the top example of Wyoming's commitment to an excellent education, is its low student-faculty ratio. Wyoming maintains a ratio of 12 students per faculty member, one of the lowest such ratios among four-year schools in the west. Such a ratio allows for a personal and informal learning relationship.

While the University of Wyoming recognizes the importance of a "classroom" education, it goes beyond that. At U.W., a "whole" education is emphasized. The progressive and effective internship programs offered by U.W.'s business and journalism programs are ways in which U.W. facilitates interaction with the "real world".

With the "whole" education in mind, U.W. also strives to offer a variety of cultural and social activities. Each semester, a variety of lectures and discussions are offered to supplement the educational process, and U.W. students are admitted free to university-sponsored theatrical and musical productions, as well as to U.W.'s top-flight athletic programs.

A college education is a multi-faceted process, and nowhere is that more evident than at the University of Wyoming. Getting a complete education means different things to everyone, but involves gaining experience in a chosen field through classroom learning, through professional and academic student organizations, and through professional experience. It can also involve exposing yourself to fields of study in entirely new areas, and simply being on your own. The university experience can force you to challenge conventional thinking and to generate your own ideas. And it also provides the opportunity for some real adventure.

At the University of Wyoming, students are exposed to all of that. And to much more.

The university offers a variety of performing arts events, ranging from rock concerts in the Arena-Auditorium to classical concerts and performances by the University's theatre and dance department. Wyoming also boasts one of the most competitive athletic programs in the nation, one which annually challenges for conference and national championships.

Wyoming offers many extracurricular activities, including over 150 recognized student organizations that include a wide range of social, professional and academic groups. U.W. also has an extensive and popular intramural athletic program that brings students and student groups together on the athletic fields.

As its state's only four-year college, Wyoming considers its campus as extending over the entire state. Thus, the university is a college of personalities and lifestyles, bringing together people not only from Wyoming and the region, but from across America.

The result is a unique and deep-rooted spirit. That spirit features a friendly, open demeanor, and a pride in the state and its beautiful University.

From its roots as a railroad community in the middle-1800's, Laramie has grown to become one of the friendliest and most progressive cities on the western frontier, but one which has not become too big for its heritage.

So here sits Wyoming's university, high on the Laramie plains, a school dedicated to excellence and to meeting the challenges facing the state today and tomorrow.