UW builds partnerships

The University of Wyoming is always looking for more ways to improve their partnerships with community colleges and businesses throughout the state, including Western Wyoming Community College and the trona industry, specifically through a partnership with Genesis Alkali.

To share some of the success of the partnerships with Sweetwater County, representatives from the university hosted a "UW in Your Community" event at Western Monday night.

At the event, Professor Patrick Johnson, the head of UW's Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, gave an update about the university's partnership with Genesis Alkali and the initial success of a new minor program that trains students to work in the trona industry.

"We started a process control minor, and that came from inspiration from working with the trona industry in general and through a generous donation from Genesis Alkali to allow us to buy some lab equipment to train students on and start a process control simulator," Johnson explained.

Process control is a crucial part of the trona industry which involves "the design of industrial control systems that oversee processing and manufacturing, while maintaining quality assurance and strict safety protocols," according to a press release UW released in 2019.

"The demand for qualified process control employees outpaces the availability," the press release explained. "Typically, process control is an area in which Genesis Alkali prefers to hire experienced people, but because of the shortage, the company wants to take a different approach. It is donating $100,000 in seed funding to establish a minor in process control."

The first courses for the new minor began in the fall of 2019, and last spring the university had the first students graduate from the program.

"Students that have started going through it are getting job offers immediately," Johnson said. "It's high-demand. It's a good example of the partnership with the university and the industry and Sweetwater County. We responded to their need and we're able to offer something that was relevant to the industry."

In addition to the new minor, the university has also started new programs to give students more practical experience and training.

"We started a co-op program so students can be on jobs from January through August at industry sites and taking two classes online asynchronously to keep on track," Johnson explained. "So they can get practical experience while getting their degree."

The idea for the co-op program was inspired by conversations Johnson had with Bruce Pivic in Rock Springs.

Also during the "UW in Your Community" event, Western President Kim Dale and UW President Ed Seidel spoke about the partnerships between the university and the college, including the success of the new Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIN), which is designed to provide an easier path for students to complete their education and hopes to address economic and workforce development. Dr. Dale said the college and university are always working together to create "seamless transfer opportunities" for students.

President Seidel explained that WIN is "an attempt to align all of higher education in the state." He also mentioned that the university is working on 2+2 programs, which he said will help students "hit the ground running."  

Board of Trustees member Laura Schmid-Pizzato explained the 2+2 programs will allow students to study two years at a community college and two years at the university and will make transferring easier.

Local students also spoke about their experiences at UW during the event, including Green River High School graduates Emily and Sarah Foerster and Rock Springs High School graduates Alison Jensen and Isabella Spicer.

Before the event at Western, the representatives from UW held assemblies at Green River High School and Rock Springs High School.