Albany County Campus to get interim leader

Laramie County Community College President Joe Schaffer announced today the appointment of Kathleen Urban, LCCC’s Dean of Arts and Humanities, as interim associate vice president of the college’s Albany County Campus.

Urban replaces Lynn Stalnaker, who announced his resignation as associate vice president earlier this summer to move back to Kansas to be near family and for a new teaching opportunity for his wife, Jo Lynne. Stalnaker will remain as associate vice president until Urban takes full office on Aug. 15.

“My experiences at LCCC have been very rewarding and I will sorely miss both the LCCC family and the opportunities that were afforded me during my tenure,” said Stalnaker. “The Albany County Campus is well positioned to continue strengthening the relationships with the University of Wyoming and achieve continued growth.”

Schaffer says while Stalnaker’s leaving is a big loss for the college, he feels confident in the branch campus’ health as a result of Stalnaker’s leadership and that Urban is a natural fit to sustain the Albany County Campus during the transition to new leadership.

“Lynn has been an exceptional leader for an exceptional branch campus, and is to be commended for his role in growing the ACC’s enrollment and strengthening its relationship with the Laramie community,” Schaffer said. “I firmly believe Kathleen, with her deep experiences in instruction, administration, and branch campus operations, will be able to step in and aid the college in the transition to new leadership for the ACC.”

Urban has worked for LCCC for 20 years, serving as a legal assistant studies instructor, the interim and permanent dean of social sciences, interim dean for health sciences and agriculture, interim and permanent dean of Arts & Humanities, as well as serving as an adjunct instructor on numerous occasions. Prior to that time she served as the Northwest UniServ Director for Wyoming Education Association and a student of law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is familiar with branch campus operations, and has been involved in efforts of the ACC such as a joint planning process with UW to explore the feasibility and design of a new ACC building on the UW campus.

In addition to helping guide the completion of the UW/LCCC building on the university campus, Urban will work closely with the ACC faculty, staff, and community advisory board to facilitate the search for a permanent associate vice president. Urban will serve a one-year appointment to accomplish this, after which she has announced her intent to retire. 

Urban’s move to the ACC leaves another opportunity on LCCC’s Cheyenne campus as she vacates the position of Dean of Arts and Humanities. Jose Fierro, vice president of academic affairs at LCCC, has announced the appointment of Nicole Bryant as interim dean of the School of Arts & Humanities.

“I am happy to serve in the interim position because I care deeply for the School of Arts and Humanities and the ways in which it contributes to student learning and the Cheyenne community,” Bryant says. “I am excited to work with faculty and administrators to offer innovative and thoughtful opportunities for our students; to support the creative and dynamic initiatives of our faculty; and to continue the projects this Division has contributed to over the past two years.”

Bryant earned her master’s of literature from Eastern Michigan University with a secondary emphasis on teaching of composition pedagogy. She then moved to Casper and worked as a faculty member at Casper College, where she served on the general education revision committee. Since 2010, she has been an instructor at LCCC.

She has earned three Teacher of the Year awards in her career (Eastern Michigan University in 2008, Casper College in 2010, and LCCC in 2013).

Both Urban and Bryant will fill their interim roles for one year. During that time, national searches for permanent administrators will be conducted.