Western Wyoming Community College has undergone several changes in the past year and more are on the way as they look to capitalize on funding that they hope will drive more students to their campus and online courses.

Covering and serving an area of more than 29,000 square miles is a challenge in itself.

“That’s bigger than some states,” said Dr. Kirk Young, President of Western in an interview with SVI. “So we relay on our outreach sites. They do a tremendous job to meet the needs that our students have.”

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Two of those sites are in Lincoln County with one in Afton and another in Kemmerer/Diamondville. They are just two of the communities that Dr. Young and others have visited in order to get the word out about Western and also what the school can do to improve their offerings.

“We’ve had a lot of change and worked really hard to make sure people are well-informed not just here at the college but in the communities in which we operate,” he said. “I’ll be visiting every one of these sites again this year and I hope to meet with the communities on what we can do better and what our plans are for the area.”

At the state level, legislative support included enhancements to the Hathaway Scholarship (40% increase) and expanded dual and concurrent enrollment opportunities, serving over 2,000 high school students annually. At the same time, declining local property tax revenues, projected at $16.6 million statewide, and ongoing funding pressures continue to shape long-term planning for community colleges across Wyoming. Even with the increase in student fees, Wyoming community colleges remain among the most affordable in the nation, ranking second lowest for tuition and fees by U.S. News.

“The state’s funding was an addition from the Hathaway which funds our students and hopefully that will help attract more students,” Dr. Young continued. “That should help them access funds to help them come to college. “Western has increased the ability to do online education but with this additional funding through the K-12 system we are hoping for students to take additional courses through the outreach sites.”

Different courses that can be started in high school can continue at Western, giving students a leg up on their future income. There have been some tough decisions at the school in the last year as it has grappled to find the balance of layoffs while increasing pay for those that stay. Dr. Young believes things are trending in the right direction.

“The future is really bright for Western,” he concluded. “We’ve taken steps with our budget and other things to put ourselves into the best possible position of the future. In addition to that, we have the opportune to look into new programs. We have that personal touch that provides that one-on-one that students needs. Our people work so hard to make sure the programs we offer will prepare students of the workforce.”