President Ed Seidel presented the University of Wyoming’s budget priorities to the Joint Appropriations Committee and outlined several exception requests intended to support workforce development, research capacity and student success.

Seidel said UW’s top priorities include salary increases (he asked the committee to approve the governor’s enterprise‑wide recommendation) and several exception requests the university ranked highly. For the 2027 biennium he highlighted a $6,000,000 one‑time request to strengthen CTE teacher‑training (a $5,000,000 renovation plus $1,000,000 for updated equipment) aimed at expanding teacher pipelines for trades and career‑technical programs. The governor recommended approval of this request.

On athletics, Athletic Director Tom Berman asked for $3,000,000 annually ($6,000,000 over the biennium) to cover rising costs in travel, healthcare, scholarships and operations. Berman said the department’s total expense budget is roughly $53,000,000 and warned that without additional support the university may face difficult cuts, including possible sport elimination, scholarship reductions or staff layoffs. “If we do not get the support that we are asking for, we will have to make some very difficult decisions,” he told the committee.

Coach Sundance Wicks framed athletics as a statewide brand asset that supports recruitment and community identity and noted the program’s role in student development.

Seidel also requested $4,500,000 one‑time to create two in‑state labs — an assay lab to keep sample analysis in Wyoming and an advanced materials lab focused on product development (for batteries, magnets, and other downstream uses of critical minerals). The governor recommended the one‑time funds but did not recommend recurring funding to hire a lab director.

On technology and workforce initiatives, Seidel described a prior $2.5 million matching appropriation for UW’s AI initiative that helped UW raise nearly $9,000,000 in additional support; he said a new $2.5 million matching request was denied by the governor but remains a university priority. He also asked for $2,300,000 recurring to expand paid internships for UW students within Wyoming — an effort tied to retention goals given UW’s estimate that about 75% of students leave the state after graduation.

Seidel closed by presenting the university’s highest‑priority funding ask: a $20,000,000 one‑time endowment matching program to incentivize major private gifts for student success and faculty excellence (the governor recommended $12.5 million with a $2.5 million carve‑out for agriculture). Seidel said UW and its trustees are confident they can match state funds with private donations.

Next steps: committee members pressed for more granular financial data on athletics revenue and expenses, procurement options for CTE construction and more detail on how endowment matches have been and would be leveraged. Committee members requested follow‑up materials including ticket, merchandise and match revenue breakdowns and historic fundraising detail.

The president and university staff agreed to provide additional documentation to the committee.