Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation at UW Sept. 27

University of Wyoming faculty, staff and students, and area residents are invited to the 2024 Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation Friday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. in the University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation is a well-established tradition in the College of A&S to celebrate undergraduate success. Specifically, the event will honor undergraduate students on the college's 2023-24 honor roll.

This year's keynote speaker is John Sargent, former CEO of Macmillan Publishers, one of the five largest American publishers. At various times, he also ran the U.S. operations of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group (Macmillan's parent company), including all U.S. trade companies; the Macmillan Higher Education group; The St. Martin's Publishing Group Scholarly and Reference division; Hanley & Belfus medical publishers; and Scientific American magazine. He started at Holtzbrinck as CEO of St. Martin's Press and was with Holtzbrinck/Macmillan for 24 years.

Sargent also has served as CEO of Dorling Kindersley Inc. and as president of the children's book division of Simon & Schuster. He was board chair and the longest-serving board officer of the Association of American Publishers. He has been on the board of Graham Windham, a New York family and foster care agency for more than 35 years, including four years as its chairman, and currently serves as board chair of Ocean Conservancy. He has written three books for children and a memoir.

He received his bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from Columbia University. He grew up on a cattle ranch outside of Sheridan.

The program also will feature student speaker Carissa Fostervold, of Greybull, as well as performances by UW Department of Music groups Collegiate Chorale and the Happy Jacks.

Fostervold is pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology at UW. Her grant-funded project that she will present during the event is titled "The Atomic Energy Commission's Influence in the Social Construction of Uranium."

Her project focuses on analyzing the Atomic Energy Commission as an element of the environmental state. According to environmental state literature, the state is recognized as playing a more significant role in environmental governance and protection. Specifically, Fostervold is analyzing how the Atomic Energy Commission has socially constructed uranium as a source of energy.

A reception will be held immediately following the Honors Convocation in the A&S auditorium lobby.

For more information about the convocation, visit www.uwyo.edu/as, call the A&S Dean's Office at (307) 766-4106, or email [email protected].