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University of Wyoming

Tom Buchanan

Tom BuchananTom Buchanan became the 23rd president of the University of Wyoming on July 1, 2005

He earned a bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York, a master's of science from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Prior to joining the UW faculty in 1979 as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Buchanan taught at the Pennsylvania State University and at the University of Illinois.  

Buchanan served as assistant professor at UW from 1979-1985; associate professor from 1986-91; department head from 1988 to 1991, and was promoted to professor in 1991.  He served as associate dean of the UW College of Arts and Sciences from 1991-1997, and was named UW’s associate provost in 1997.  He was chosen vice president for academic affairs in October 1998.

As vice president for academic affairs, Buchanan has been responsible for development and implementation of the university’s two Academic Plans (1999-2004 and 2004-2009), which have guided and are guiding decisions concerning the number, scope, and focus of the university’s academic programs, the activities of academic personnel, and the allocation of university resources and institutional energy.

Major accomplishments of the plan to date include achieving enrollment levels of 13,000 students, developing a centralized position management system that applies personnel dollars to institutional priorities, streamlining the university’s general studies program, implementing tuition charges by credit, increasing distribution efficiency of student financial aid, developing processes to assess learning outcomes at UW, enhancing the school and institute of environment and natural resources, designing intervention programs for students at risk, developing an interdisciplinary program in life sciences, and eliminating underused academic programs and initiating new academic programs in areas of university distinction.

As president, Buchanan’s priorities for the university include focusing on academics, with special attention given to the composition of the instructional workforce; maintaining stability in the university’s research program; maintaining administrative stability and performance; realigning the university’s enrollment strategy to meet specific goals of the Academic Plans; continuing campus planning processes directed toward academics, support services, facilities, and intercollegiate athletics; and seeing through to completion construction projects that are underway and under development.

He received the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award in 1988 and the College of Arts and Sciences Seibold Professorship in 1990.  In 1992 he was named a College of Arts and Sciences Exemplary Alumnus.   In 1997 he received an exemplary administration award from the Western Association of Summer Session Administrators, and in 1997 he was chosen for an Educause Fellowship for the 21st Century.  Buchanan is former president of the Northwest Academic Forum, a 32 institution consortium of universities in 11 western states. He has continued postdoctoral studies at the Harvard schools of Law, Business, and Graduate Education. 

Buchanan served as acting UW president during summer 2002.

In June, 2008, he was named chair of the Mountain West Conference Board of Directors for the 2008-09 academic year.

He is married to Jacque, whom he met while a student at UW.  They have one son, Eric.