University of Wyoming

Located 7,220 feet above sea level in the city of Laramie, the University of Wyoming is a land grant institution established in 1886. Laramie itself is located to the south of the state near the Medicine Bow Mountains, and is 35 miles from the state border with Colorado.

There are more than 80 undergraduate courses and ninety graduate programmes available at UW, divided between the seven colleges of Agriculture, Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, and Law.

UW has an extensive research background, often linked to its spectacular surroundings. For instance, the school of Environment and Natural Resources utilises the campus’s proximity to Mountain Bow national park in its ecological and climate research. Created in 2006, the School of Energy Resources provides graduate and undergraduate courses focusing on energy research and courses such as professional land management.

On the summit of Jelm Mountain (9,656 feet), the UW infrared observatory contains a 2.3 metre telescope, and is a key part of academic study in the departments of mathematics and astrology.

The Friday Night Fever events on campus provide engaging performances for students, and also have regular showings of recently released movies.

Athletics teams are known as the Cowboys or Cowgirls, and compete in the NCAA Division I. There are a total of seven men’s sports programmes and eight women’s, including soccer and volleyball. American football games are played at the War Memorial Stadium, which can seat up to 29,000 spectators.

Alumni of UW include former Vice President Dick Cheney, engineer and physicist W. Edwards Deming, director of NASA’s manned moon landing Samuel C. Phillips, and NBA player Ken Sailors.