Wyoming

University of Wyoming trustees keep President Seidel, form committee to address turmoil – WyoFile

Published

7 months ago

April 9, 2025

University of Wyoming trustees keep President Seidel, form committee to address turmoil – WyoFile

Rising furor over the controversial demotion of a University of Wyoming engineering dean has brought the state’s only public four-year university to a tipping point.

Academic leaders, donors and others decried the demotion as emblematic of a culture of top-down and inscrutable decision making by the UW Board of Trustees and President Ed Seidel.

Twelve college deans signed a letter expressing “deep concern for the trajectory” of the university — citing the dean’s demotion and mounting pressures on academic freedom.

And on Monday, the faculty senate overwhelmingly delivered a vote of no confidence in Seidel, the first such vote in recent memory.

The outrage appeared strong enough to threaten Seidel’s leadership. Professors and deans expressed hope for lasting change to leadership that, according to the faculty senate, has driven the departure of talented academics and made replacing them difficult — ultimately threatening the learning experience for students.

The gravity of the moment was not lost on Seidel, he told the trustees Tuesday morning, reading from a written statement before they entered a closed-door meeting without him.

“How we handle this pivotal moment is important for the future of the institution,” Seidel said, “which is clearly facing a crisis.”

After an hour and a half behind closed doors, the board reemerged and issued its response. They will form a committee to study the issue.

The committee will include two trustees, and most likely one faculty member, one staff member, one student government member, Seidel and the provost, board chairman Kermit Brown said. “That committee will be charged with working on communications and working on ideas to more fully engage shared governance in the university,” he said.

Neither a timeline nor the new committee’s authority were discussed. The trustees are also crafting a “formal statement,” Brown said, “with regard to the current state of affairs and the work of the [new] committee.” That press release will be vetted by the university’s legal department before its release, trustees said.

The trustees had not published the statement by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

People gather for a vigil Friday, May 3, 2024, to honor those killed in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The vigil, held at the University of Wyoming, remained peaceful. (Ashton J. Hacke/WyoFile)

The trustees did not raise the prospect of imposing consequences on Seidel for losing the faculty’s trust. His current contract extends through the summer of 2026. Nor did the trustees address the underlying issues that sparked furor following Dean Cameron Wright’s demotion — most notably the allegations lobbed across campus that it was a retaliation for Wright’s opposition to funds being shifted from his budget to that of Seidel’s romantic partner, who heads UW’s new School of Computing.

Faculty senate members considered their vote a risky endeavor. Though many of them are tenured professors, they conducted yesterday’s meeting mostly in a closed session so that senators could feel safe speaking against university leadership. Once the meeting opened to the public, votes on the no-confidence resolution were issued by hand-written paper ballots to avoid any hand raising or spoken votes.

“You are justified in fearing retribution from this administration,” Bob Sprague, a former chair of the faculty senate, wrote in a letter to the body ahead of its Monday vote. But he also urged senators to “speak truth to power and send a clear message to the entire University community that this administration’s conduct is not acceptable.”

The faculty senate ultimately voted 43 to 11 to back a resolution that declared Seidel’s leadership “unacceptable,” though it did not call for him to be removed. Instead, in a final paragraph — referenced by Brown when he announced the new committee — it called for the administration and campus to work together to “reestablish an atmosphere of mutual respect, to rebuild trust and a willingness to work together.”

On Tuesday, faculty members returned to a campus Seidel will remain in charge of for the foreseeable future. During a campus town hall the president hosted yesterday, Seidel rejected any suggestions he would retaliate.

“I am absolutely against any form of retaliatory action,” he said at that event, according to a report in Oil City News. “I’ve been very, very clear about that. And I do not want to ever have any kind of a retaliation against someone for speaking their mind.”

UW Trustee Chairman Kermit Brown. (Courtesy)

After days of impassioned statements and letters from his critics, Tuesday appeared relatively quiet following the morning board meeting. Ray Fertig, the faculty senate president, did not respond to WyoFile voicemails requesting comment.

Two outspoken former faculty members, and Democratic Laramie lawmaker Karlee Provenza — who has criticized Seidel’s advocacy for the School of Computing and his conciliatory approach to the Legislature’s efforts to meddle with campus — told WyoFile the trustees’ response fell flat.

“They don’t have a really genuine, authentic response to anything is what it feels like,” Provenza said. She hoped faculty and deans would continue to push for change if they wanted something beyond the new committee, she said.

“One choice is ‘aw shucks, I didn’t get what I wanted, I don’t have any power in this situation,’” Provenza said. “But I think the other option is we have to build our power. There are more levers of power for faculty, for deans, and I encourage them to exercise those rights.”

Sprague and former president of the faculty senate, now-retired veterinary professor Donal O’Toole both noted that the committee, as Brown described it, appeared stacked toward the administration and the trustees, with just two faculty representatives and one student on a seven-person body.

“They will put forward probably some very watered down recommendations that ultimately will be ignored,” Sprague said. Ultimately, he feared the episode will lead to “no substantial improvement to the situation on campus,” and the trustees, he said, will “rationalize [faculty] unhappiness in various ways.”

O’Toole agreed that the trustees had opted for a tepid, middle-of-the-road path. “Seidel is a known quantity,” he said, “and [in the wake of criticism] he’s certainly saying all the right things.”

Beginning last week, when the faculty senate leadership expressed dismay in his leadership ahead of the full body’s vote, Seidel has been conciliatory and said he has learned from the uproar. In several statements and in yesterday’s town hall, he promised to renew his commitment to the university’s model of “shared governance,” which, notably, calls for faculty input on the removal of academic officers.

Faculty members say that part of the university’s governing code was firmly ignored when the board demoted Wright. The board demoted Wright even though every department head in his college — with the exception of school of computing head Gabrielle Allen, Seidel’s partner — called on them not to.

Coming back from a no-confidence resolution to a place where the campus is working well together will be very hard to do, O’Toole said.

“On the one hand, I think the faculty senate executive committee thought this had to be done,” he said. “On the other hand, they realized that in the short and medium term it’s going to make dealing with Seidel’s administration pretty frosty … The feeling is ‘we’ve sent the message, let’s hope for the best.’”

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Related Topics:academia donal ou2019toole ed seidel faculty senate Featured karlee provenza university of wyoming

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Wyoming

Everything on the Line: Week 8 Decides Wyoming’s Football Playoff Brackets

Published

11 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Press Room

Everything on the Line: Week 8 Decides Wyoming’s Football Playoff Brackets

It all comes down to this. It is Week 8 of high school football in Wyoming, which means the playoff brackets will be decided by Saturday afternoon. Playoff berths and seeds will be on the line this week, but some teams are already locked in. Games will be played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Five teams are on the field on Thursday. Friday features 27 games on the schedule. Three six-man games will be on Saturday. All but three of the matchups are conference games. Four will have ranked teams playing each other, which includes a No. 1 versus No. 2 game in Encampment on Saturday between the top-ranked Rattlers and second-ranked Tigers in six-man football. This is our Week 8 football scoreboard. WyoPreps will post the game scores below.

WYOPREPS WEEK 8 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2025

Sixteen games on the schedule will impact seeding and/or playoff berths.

Next to certain games, you will find a link where you can listen to or watch football games from local broadcasters in Wyoming. These links are provided as a courtesy. If we’re missing a local broadcast link, you can email david@wyopreps.com. Here is the Week 8 schedule for the gridiron.

Class 4A

Final Score: Thunder Basin 55 Cheyenne South 6 – Bolts clinch the No. 6 seed in the 4A playoffs.

Class 1A 9-man

Final Score: #2 Greybull 94 Wyoming Indian 12

Class 1A 6-man

Final Score: Riverside 28 Meeteetse 22 – OT – Rebels get the No. 3 seed, and the Longhorns will be the No. 4 seed.

Out-of-State Opponent

Final Score: 1A 6-man #4 Hulett 1 Edgemont, SD 0 – forfeit win

Read More Football News From WyoPreps

WyoPreps Football Playoff Scenarios 2025

WyoPreps Football Rankings 10-22-25

WyoPreps Football Standings 10-19-25

WyoPreps Week 7 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 6 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 5 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 4 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 3 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 2 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 1 Football Scoreboard 2025

WyoPreps Week 0 Football Scoreboard 2025

Class 4A

Laramie at #1 Sheridan, 6 p.m. – Sheridan Media Watch Live

#3 Campbell County at #2 Cheyenne East, 6 p.m. – KFBC Watch Live or KAML Watch Live

#5 Natrona County at #4 Cheyenne Central, 6 p.m. – KRAE Watch Live

Kelly Walsh at Rock Springs, 6 p.m. – TRN Watch Live

Class 3A

#5 Jackson at #2 Cody, 5 p.m. – KODI Listen Live or KZJH Watch Live

#1 Star Valley at Green River, 6 p.m. – TRN Watch Live or SVI Media Watch Live

Rawlins at #3 Riverton, 6 p.m. – County 10 Watch Live or WyoToday Watch Live

#4 Lander at Buffalo, 6 p.m. – 307Buffalo.com Listen Live or County 10 Watch Live or WyoToday Watch Live

Douglas at Torrington, 6 p.m. – KGOS Watch Live or KKTY Listen Live

Evanston at Powell, 6 p.m. – KPOW Listen Live or Mylocalradio.com Watch Live

Class 2A

#5 Lovell at Cokeville, noon

#2 Mountain View at Lyman, 1 p.m. – Mylocalradio.com Watch Live

Worland at Kemmerer, 5 p.m. – SVI Listen Live

Upton-Sundance at #1 Big Horn, 6 p.m.

Pinedale at #3 Thermopolis, 6 p.m. – WyoToday Watch Live

Wheatland at #4 Newcastle, 6 p.m. – KASL Listen Live or KZEW Listen Live

Burns at Moorcroft, 6 p.m.

Tongue River at Glenrock, 6 p.m.

Class 1A 9-man

#1 Pine Bluffs at Southeast, 6 p.m. – KERM Listen Live

#3 Big Piney at Shoshoni, 6 p.m.

Wind River at #4 Rocky Mountain, 6 p.m.

#5 Lingle-Ft. Laramie at Saratoga, 6 p.m.

Wright at Lusk, 6 p.m.

Class 1A 6-man

Guernsey-Sunrise at H.E.M., 1 p.m. – does not count in the standings, per WHSAA.

Ten Sleep at Kaycee, 1 p.m.

Midwest at #3 Burlington, 2 p.m.

Class 1A 6-man

#1 Little Snake River at #2 Encampment, noon

Dubois at #5 Casper Christian, 1 p.m. (at NCHS)

Non-Varsity Opponent

1A 6-man Farson-Eden at Rock Springs JV, 4 p.m.

Campbell County vs. Thunder Basin Football Game 10-10-25

The Camels held off the crosstown rival Bolts, 17-14, on October 10, 2025.

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Eric Barber

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Wyoming

Kenneth (Ken) Nyberg

Published

1 day ago

October 23, 2025

Press Room

A Celebration of Life for Kenneth “Ken” Nyberg will be held on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at the Big Horn County Fairgrounds in Basin, Wyoming.

Ken passed away on October 11, 2025, at Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana, after a long and courageous battle with a rare autoimmune lung disease related to Agent Orange exposure.

Ken was born in Springfield, Minnesota, and raised in Lamberton, Minnesota. His parents, Laurel and Pat Nyberg, owned and operated the Lamberton Hatchery, where Ken and his four siblings learned early the values of love, hard work, and family.

After graduating high school, Ken was drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served in Vietnam. After his honorable discharge and upon returning home, he attended college in Mankato, Minnesota.

In 1977, Ken moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, where he met Kathy (Kas) and her three sons. The couple married on May 27, 1978, and later moved to Craig, Colorado, where they raised their family. Together, Ken and Kas began fostering children and eventually opened a group home for at-risk teens-a calling that became the work of their hearts. Their shared love for helping others and working side by side was truly extraordinary.

In 1989, they moved to Escalante, Utah, where they served as primary counselors at Turn-About Ranch, once again dedicating their lives to guiding and supporting teens. In 1994, Ken and Kas settled in Basin, Wyoming, where they managed the local boys’ group home until their retirement.

Beyond his work, Ken had a deep love for the outdoors-fishing, hunting, camping, and working on their place in Manderson, Wyoming. He had a special gift for including “the kids” in his hobbies and projects, making every experience both a lesson and an adventure.

Ken is survived by his wife Kas; three sons: Kraig Nyberg of Basin, Kevin (Brigette) Nyberg of Ocklawaha, Florida, and Ken Nyberg of Thornton, Colorado; his brother Dave (Ann) Nyberg of Cheyenne, Wyoming; sister Sandy of Dacono, Colorado; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Laurel and Pat Nyberg, brother Randy Nyberg, and sister Judy Lehne.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the ASPCA or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Ken’s memory. Arrangements have been entrusted to Atwood Family Funeral Directors.

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Wyoming

Wyo authors, literary history featured on PBS Books reading road trip episode

Published

2 days ago

October 22, 2025

Press Room

Wyo authors, literary history featured on PBS Books reading road trip episode

JACKSON, Wyo. — PBS Books is taking a virtual road trip across the country, and an episode about Wyoming literature will be released on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The journey seeks to celebrate and highlight iconic authors, stories, bookstores and real-life locations that inspired unforgettable works. The series is diving into different corners of the U.S. to find out how each location has left its mark on the bookshelves of the nation’s readers.

The Wyoming episode of “American Stories: A Reading Road Trip” will air at 8 p.m. on the PBS Books YouTube channel, pbsbooks.org, the PBS Books Facebook page and the PBS app. All installments are available to watch on the PBS Books website after they premiere.

“Aligned with America’s 250th birthday, each episode invites viewers to explore the heart, history and creative spirit of the United States — all through the lens of books and storytelling,” reads the description of the series.

Amy Ryan, owner of local mainstay Valley Bookstore, discussed the importance of Wyoming literature and authors with Buckrail.

“I think a lot of people would be surprised to find out that Wyoming is actually a very literary state,” said Ryan. “We have authors like Jack Turner, who [lives] here. We had Margaret Murie, who’s written a couple classics, and we have writers who are still active.”

The episode will focus on the scenery that influenced Ernest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon”; the dawn of the Western genre through Owen Wister’s novel “The Virginian”; and modern authors like well-known mystery writers Craig Johnson and C.J. Box. The show will also visit the Toppan Rare Books Library at the University of Wyoming.

Ryan highlighted some Wyoming creators who might not have world fame, but have influenced the literary landscape just the same. Authors like Alexandra Fuller, Tim Sandlin, Grant Golliher and Bridget Crocker have drawn inspiration from Wyoming’s backdrop and communities.

A Murie Ranch Front Porch conversation on Tuesday, Oct. 21, presented Crocker as she talked about her recent book “The River’s Daughter.” According to Teton Science Schools, her story is one of “resilience and empowerment, from a turbulent childhood in Wyoming to a globe-spanning career as a whitewater rafting guide” that began on the Snake River in Jackson Hole.

“We do have a really grand tradition of chroniclers of Western history,” Ryan said. “It’s a very lively community for such a sparsely populated state. We seem to attract real writers.”

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