Type |
Public flagship Land grant |
---|---|
Established | 1886 |
Affiliation | APLU |
Endowment | $422.3 million (2016) |
President | Laurie Nichols |
Academic staff
|
1,151 |
Administrative staff
|
1,846 |
Students | 13,992 |
Location |
Laramie, Wyoming, U.S. 41°18′47″N 105°34′53″W / 41.31306°N 105.58139°WCoordinates: 41°18′47″N 105°34′53″W / 41.31306°N 105.58139°W |
Campus | Small city |
Colors | Brown, Gold |
Athletics | NCAA Division I – MWC |
Nickname | Cowboys and Cowgirls |
Mascot | Cowboy Joe (live horse) Pistol Pete (costumed student) |
Website | www |
University rankings | |
---|---|
National | |
ARWU | 103–125 |
Forbes | 235 |
U.S. News & World Report | 168 |
Washington Monthly | 122 |
Global | |
ARWU | 301–400 |
QS | 651–700 |
USNWR graduate school rankings |
|
---|---|
Education | 126 |
Engineering | 126 |
Law | 123 |
USNWR departmental rankings |
|
---|---|
Biological Sciences | 164 |
Chemistry | 131 |
Clinical Psychology | 124 |
Earth Sciences | 42 |
Economics | 76 |
Mathematics | 126 |
Pharmacy | 53 |
Psychology | 177 |
Social Work | 123 |
Speech–Language Pathology | 92 |
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,220 feet (2194 m), between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW (often pronounced "U-Dub") to people close to the university. The university was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming is unusual in that its location within the state is written into the state's constitution. The university also offers outreach education in communities throughout Wyoming and online.
The University of Wyoming consists of seven colleges: agriculture and natural resources, arts and sciences, business, education, engineering and applied sciences, health sciences, and law. The university offers over 190 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs including Doctor of Pharmacy and Juris Doctor. The University of Wyoming was featured in the 2011 Princeton Review Best 373 Colleges.
In addition to on-campus classes in Laramie, the university’s Outreach School offers more than 41 degree, certificate and endorsement programs to distance learners across the state and beyond. These programs are delivered through the use of technology, such as online and video conferencing classes. The Outreach School has nine regional centers across the state, with several on community college campuses, to give Wyoming residents access to a university education without relocating to Laramie.
On September 27, 1886, the cornerstone of Old Main was laid marking the beginning of the University of Wyoming. The stone is inscribed Domi Habuit Unde Disceret, which is often translated, "He need not go away from home for instruction." The following year, the first class of 42 men and women began their college education. For the next decade the building housed classrooms, a library and administration offices.
The style of Old Main set a precedent for all future University buildings. The main stone used is rough-cut sandstone from a quarry east of Laramie and the trim stone is smooth Potsdam Sandstone from a quarry near Rawlins. Old Main was designed to be a monumental structure and was designed to be a symmetrical building with a prominent central spire as the focal point. The building was also designed to reflect the character of Wyoming and the rough stone and smooth trim represented the progressing frontier. The design of Old Main had a lasting effect on university structures, which is most visible by the use of sandstone façade on nearly every building.