UW Serves Sublette County
University of Wyoming support
by University of Wyoming
November 25, 2005
(Sublette County) Each year, the University of Wyoming takes a snapshot of the support that it provides to Wyoming counties and shares the results with Wyoming residents. Major categories of support are education, research, cultural outreach and economic impact.
Since 1886, the university's primary mission has been the educational development of UW graduates, many of whom have gone on to provide leadership in all sectors of the Wyoming economy. Currently, 447 UW alumni live in Sublette County.
During the fall 2004 semester, UW enrolled 87 students from Sublette County on the Laramie campus and contacted 222 high school students about educational opportunities at UW. Twenty-eight students from the county participated in summer math and science programs, music camps and sports camps.
Educational opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students were made available through hundreds of individual courses and 17 degree programs administered by the Outreach School. Five took courses through the UW/Casper College Center and 11 took courses through the Outreach School.
On the health care front, nearly 200 county residents participated in Wyoming Institute for Disabilities outreach programs; 13 participated in speech pathology and audiology clinics.
UW also helped county employers advertise 12 job openings through the Career Services Center and the Wyoming Career Information System was used nearly 5,900 times by Sublette County residents to look for jobs that matched their interests and abilities. Additionally, UW helped local businesses and schools and government agencies through the placement of two interns and student teachers.
Four clients benefited from Manufacturing Works (formerly MAMTC) assistance; four attended technology transfer workshops.
Research has always been one of the most important parts of UW's land-grant mission. Increasingly, UW has looked for ways to use its research strengths to address local and statewide economic development concerns. Broad areas of UW faculty research that impacts the entire state include agriculture, energy development, health care, tobacco-use prevention, reporting within the justice system and drought impacts.
Research and service of specific interest to residents of Sublette County, conducted last year, includes ongoing enhanced oil recovery research projects, helping to develop state policy in managing issues surrounding coalbed methane water management, continuing research to enhance brucellosis vaccine, continuing research on chronic wasting disease among game animals, and researching and developing enhanced erosion and water quality modeling tools to improve the quality and rate of environmental analysis in coalbed natural gas.
Agriculture remains a significant economic sector in Sublette County. Last year, UW educators served the agriculture industry through soil tests, State Vet Lab tests, research and extension projects, bull tests and 4-H programs. During the year, the Cooperative Extension Service alone had more than 6,200 contacts with county residents.
More than 400 benefited from Centennial Singers performances, the Ann Simpson Art Mobile and a variety of cultural conferences and workshops.
In terms of direct contributions to the economy, UW disbursed more than $500,000 in salaries and student financial aid to 98 Sublette County residents.
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