CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - University of Wyoming off-campus centers in Casper and elsewhere will remain open even though the university is eliminating its Outreach School, an official said.
Jeff Edgens, director of the regional center in Casper and the associate dean of the Outreach School, said he has no concerns about any of the centers closing in the future. “We’re secure with UW-Casper and the regional centers,” Edgens said.
The UW Board of Trustees voted last month to dismantle the Outreach School and distribute the organization’s duties to other areas across the university as UW grapples with $42 million in cuts caused by reductions in state funding.
What exactly will be lost is still unknown, officials said, but layoffs and cuts to operational funding are possible.
The Outreach School handles UW’s distance education and oversees its partnerships with community colleges, like Casper College.
Administrators started looking at eliminating the Outreach School because they wanted to increase efficiency across campus, Edgens told the Casper Star-Tribune (https://bit.ly/2omwgzb).
Edgens said that no part of the Outreach School’s functions should be eliminated. It will all just have a new home on campus, he said.
For instance, he said, he’ll now oversee all of the regional centers and report directly to the provost.
Edgens said he doesn’t think the change will be detrimental to enrollment or to the university’s online offerings, adding that a large goal of strengthening UW’s regional centers is increasing enrollment on those campuses and in Laramie.
___
Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, https://www.trib.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.