Thomas Buchanan

MS 1975, Geography		Tom Buchanan arrived in Laramie for UW graduate studies, and quickly discovered that life in the east had not prepared him for the wild west: "I really didn't know that grownups wore cowboy hats, and I had never said, 'Yep,' in response to anything! Nevertheless, with time and coaching from a third-generation Wyomingite, whom I met and married along the way, I began to develop an attachment to this strange place called Wyoming. Where are all the trees?" Except for a stint in Illinois, where he earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Buchanan has lived in Wyoming ever since. He returned to Wyoming as assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Recreation, moving up to associate professor in 1985. In 1986, he became chairman of the department, and in 1989 was promoted to full professor. Among Buchanan's awards are the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award and the Seibold Professorship. In 1991, he became associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences where, among his many duties, he works with the dean on Financial Management and Planning for the college. He is responsible for many aspects of the management of the College's physical sciences, math sciences, and humanities divisions. Buchanan has also acted as consultant to the director of the Wyoming Department of Commerce and to the governor and the State Planning coordinator's office. He has served as an expert witness in several civil cases. Looking back over 20 years, Buchanan says, "Unlike many alums who go elsewhere, my career brought me home to Laramie and the University of Wyoming. Over time, what started as a degree program has evolved into a career, a family, a community of friends and colleagues, and a sense of place like nowhere else."