Community Enrichment
Business Enrichment Series
Roy Chamberlain left an important mark on Casper College. As a legislative representative from Niobrara County, Chamberlain was a sponsor of the act establishing Casper College. Originally titled the Chamberlain Lectures, the Business Enrichment Lectures reflect his vision and business acumen. Chamberlain was particularly interested in the American concept of free enterprise, a common theme among the speakers invited to campus; speakers such as Johnny Cupcakes who started a t-shirt business from the trunk of his car and turned it into a multi-million-dollar business and Sir John Templeton, famed financier and creator of the Templeton Growth Fund now known as Franklin Templeton Investments.
Doornbos Ag Lecture Series
Colonel Philip Doornbos came to Casper when he was assigned to the Casper Army Air Base in 1944 to recover from wounds sustained during World War II. After meeting Casper College President Tim Aley, he accepted a job at Casper College serving initially as the business manager and then as the executive director of the college’s foundation. In 2002, he endowed the Doornbos Lecture Series, realizing an agricultural-based lecture series would benefit programs on campus as well as the community. The lectures focus on the agricultural industry, keeping students and community members alike, abreast of the most current information in the field. The series has featured many notable speakers including Temple Grandin and Lowell Catlett, Ph.D.
Grosz Health Sciences Lecture Series
The Grosz Health Science Lecture series provides educational opportunities for the benefit of Casper College students seeking degrees in the health sciences and community members involved in healthcare throughout the state. The lectures are intended to advance knowledge and improve educational opportunities.
Humanities Festival/Demorest Lecture Series
The Humanities Festival, featuring the Demorest Lecture as its centerpiece and perhaps the college’s most widely-known lecture series, was launched in 1985 with Casper College instructor Margaret Demorest as its keynote speaker presenting her extensive research on the authorship of Shakespeare’s sonnets. The annual February festival promotes scholarly research in the humanities, encourages vitality in the teaching of the humanities, and recognizes the value of the humanities have in our lives. The 2017 Humanities Festival titled, “Fables, Folklore, and Fantasy” hosted noted speculative fiction author Jasper Fforde speaking about his writing process and his unique writing style. The Humanities Festival has also had speakers such as Sir Ken Robinson of Ted Talk fame and Broughton Coburn. Each festival has a theme with fascinating speakers and hosts workshops with thought-provoking material. Free admission makes the event more than worthwhile.
Kinser Jazz Festival
Held annually, the Kinser Jazz Festival exists to provide world-class jazz and jazz education to the current and future generations of musicians in the Rocky Mountain Region. The focus is on presenting authentic jazz performances by artists of the highest caliber and offering a variety of educational experiences for jazz ensembles, their directors, and the public at large.
Literary Conference
The Literary Conference is an annual event featuring a variety of writers and educators who give both presentations and workshops during the two-day event. The 2017 Literary Conference featured author and poet Jessica Jacobs and author Stephen Graham Jones who gave a presentation titled “Fiction-Craft Talk.” The workshops help improve the skills of writers.
Tate Geological Museum
The Tate Geological Museum was founded in 1980 through a gift from Marion and Inez Tate. It was originally designated as the Tate Earth Science Center and Mineralogical Museum. Because ‘geological’ encompasses earth science, mineralogy, and paleontology, the name was changed to the Tate Geological Museum in 2001. Located on the Casper College campus, the museum is a great resource for the community. Many local schools and groups visit the museum to add to their students’ learning experiences. One of a minute number of geology and paleontology museums in Wyoming, the Tate Geological Museum houses a collection of over 3000 fossil and mineral specimens. Museum staff is always on hand to answer questions, help identify items brought in by visitors and make visits to the museum an enjoyable experience. The Tate is a great addition to anyone’s list of ‘must see sites’ when traveling through Wyoming.
Werner Wildlife Museum
The Werner Wildlife Museum was founded in 1964 by Herman Werner. In 1970, Werner donated both the building and collection to Casper College. Over the intervening decades, the collection has grown from the original 36 exhibits to almost 400 birds, fish, and animals. The museum now includes The Lair, an interactive area for children, as well as a garden, bird feeding station, and picnic area. The museum’s main focus is native Wyoming wildlife but also houses birds and animals from around the world. The mission of the Werner Wildlife Museum at Casper College is to promote learning and appreciation of the Earth’s natural history through preservation of collections, exhibits, and outreach consistent with the mission and goals of Casper College.
T-Bird Booster Club
Established in 1960 by the late Swede Erickson and some dedicated fans, the T-Bird Booster Club was originally known as the Buck-a-Month Club, with the purpose of raising scholarship and recruiting dollars to help Casper College become competitive at the national level. The T-Bird Booster Club continues to accomplish that mission today. Each year, the club not only provides scholarship dollars, but also helps with the host family program, special events, and hospitality. The goal of the T-Bird Booster Club is to help our student-athletes have the best experience possible in Casper.
Western History Center
The Casper College Western History Center maintains a collection of primary sources on Wyoming and the West with particular emphasis on Casper and Natrona County. The WHC supports the instructional, institutional and individual needs of students, faculty, staff and the community. The collection is open to the public.
Your gift to Casper College opens the door of opportunity for our students. Whether you make a gift in support of scholarships, our faculty, an academic program, or the greatest needs of the University, your generosity has a profound and lasting impact.
The student emergency fund will help address COVID-19 related hardships faced by our students, such as helping cover unmet financial costs due to loss of employment, assisting students who may need to travel home, or aiding in any educational-related expenses.
Students need assistance now more than ever to attain their college goals. No gift is too small and every dollar makes a difference.
