University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Natural Resources leaders briefed the joint Agriculture committee on Oct. 31, 2023, presenting goals to increase student enrollment, hire and retain faculty and extension staff, and address facility and research needs.

Dean Barbara Rasco and senior associate dean Kelly Crane described program-level recruitment and marketing plans, and said the college is working to design new undergraduate and professional master’s programs intended to meet workforce needs (ranch management, agricultural communications, nutrition and non-thesis masters for working professionals). The college said it has begun hiring a program coordinator focused on targeted marketing to high school counselors, FFA, 4-H and first-generation students.

Enrollment and workforce needs: The college reported fall 2023 enrollment of about 1,260 students, down from a high of 1,588 in 2018. Leaders said several programs are at teaching capacity and that losses from retirements and resignations strain their ability to deliver courses, research and extension work. Dean Rasco said a recurring-cost estimate the college uses is roughly $150,000 per new tenure-track faculty line (assistant professor, including fringe) and about $100,000 for many extension/lecturer positions (salary plus fringe). Crane said a priority is restoring extension capacity — the college seeks area educators and extension specialists embedded in departments and wants a career track for 4-H educators to improve retention.

Research and facilities: College leaders asked the state to help restore positions at research and extension centers (R&E centers such as Lingle, Sheridan, Powell, Laramie) and said some centers lack up-to-date facilities and equipment needed for credible, field-relevant research. Dean Rasco and finance vice president Alex Keane described deferred-maintenance estimates in the hundreds of millions across campus and R&E centers; Dean Rasco referenced a 2021 deferred-maintenance report that put the university-wide need in the rough range of $100 million (campus and R&E centers combined), and she urged attention to both upkeep and targeted facility investments tied to college programs.

Vet lab and BSL-3 updates: Jonathan Fox, department head of veterinary sciences, told the committee the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory has recruited two pathologists and a veterinary epidemiologist with legislative support and university help but still has five open diagnostic positions, including director and two pathologists. He said lab accessions remain at a record-high level (more than 20,000 accessions this calendar year) and that pathology and infectious-disease turnaround times have been maintained. The university’s biocontainment facility (BSL-3 necropsy) is being used for suspect select agents and research, including brucella sequencing projects; Fox said a Wyoming Excellence Chair in brucella vaccine research has been approved and filled, with the new faculty member expected to start in March.

Budget context: Alex Keane (vice president, finance) said past state compensation increases have helped but that a consistent, ongoing compensation policy is important to remain competitive for faculty. He also noted the college absorbed roughly $2.3 million in operating reductions from the state block grant in a past budget cycle and said the university can provide the committee a more specific funding-gap estimate on positions, operating and facilities if requested.

Ending: College leaders said they welcome a partnership with the Legislature and the governor’s office to target recurring funds for faculty and extension positions, to advance program marketing and to address facility needs in line with the university campus master plan.