Sheridan College and Whitney Benefits

Whitney Days at Sheridan College

Sheridan College hosted the second annual Whitney Days event week at Sheridan College to honor Mr. Edward A. Whitney and his legacy of expanding and contributing to higher education in Sheridan County that the Whitney Benefits foundation has continued. The week included a combination of informative, educational, and fun events that incorporated service learning and civic engagement, which were central to Mr. Whitney’s life. During the week of Sept. 19-26, 2018, Sheridan College hosted a cupcake collage, tie dye T-shirt class, campus recreation kick ball, the Great Outdoors in Your Backyard, piano performance by Fei-Fei, a lunch trip around the world with Whitney, panning for sapphires, Lady Generals volleyball matches, Pat Hamilton Memorial Rodeo, Hypnotist Lizzy, a s’mores bar, and a block party barbecue with music and inflatables, among other activities.

Second Century Legacy Grant boost programming

Mr. Edward A. Whitney died 100 years ago. To mark the occasion, Whitney Benefits held a celebration in the Sheridan College Technical Center and announced a gift of $11,369,000 to Sheridan College. In 2018, $745,000 was paid. The gift is to support faculty in several academic areas including: agriculture, machine tool technology, welding technology, diesel technology, general and visual arts, the CNA program, and music. These programs were all selected as potential growth areas and align with regional economic development priorities. Also included in the grant is support for marketing and recruitment as well as funding for the creation of a student success program modeled from the current TRIO program at Sheridan College. This program will improve student persistence and completion by utilizing a contemporary mentoring model that goes beyond traditional advising to include comprehensive service, from selecting a career path through acquiring the first job upon completion. The old Technical Center building, built in the 1970s, is in the process of being completely renovated. The new building will be over 50,000 square feet, almost doubling the original space. The welding, machine tool, and diesel departments will all receive significant makeovers, each gaining roughly 40 percent more space. Weatherby was very impressed with the machine shop when they visited Sheridan in the process of deciding where they would like to relocate. Former Whitney Benefits Board President Tom Kinnison said that we, as a community, have a unique asset in Sheridan College. He highlighted the funding challenges the college faces by showing a chart of funds provided from mill revenue, which shows a steep decline in recent decades due to the collapse of the local coalbed methane industry. Kinnison said that the Whitney Second Century Legacy grant will add 18 fulltime positions and one part-time position.

Agriculture position helps grow program

In January 2016, Whitney Benefits committed to grant $250,000 for three years to fund an Endowed Agriculture Instructor position at Sheridan College. This position was created to keep pace with increasing enrollment, educational excellence, and educational research at Sheridan College. The Mars Agriculture Center, a 15,000- square-foot state-of-the-art facility that is located on the south end of Sheridan College’s main campus connecting to the existing Science Center, has also increased prospective students interest in agriculture and sciences. The center focuses on providing real-world experiences for students. In addition to high-tech classrooms, a herbarium, a greenhouse and a soils and agroecology lab, the new center includes a computerized commodities trading floor classroom for students studying in the ag-business program.

Sheridan College to expand housing options

In 2008, Whitney committed to gifting $750,000 per year for 10 years as part of its $7.5 million gift to Sheridan College for on-campus living facilities. The final disbursement for this gift was donated in 2018. The 150-bed suite-style student housing units have vastly expanded Sheridan College’s ability to recruit and house new students. The Whitney Lofts also added a new food court area in the Hayes Building and a recreational lounge area in the Williams building. The new housing at Sheridan College provides a new and unique opportunity for students to grow, foster educational opportunities and enjoy their college educations. In 2018, Whitney Benefits also granted $400,000 to Sheridan College to demolish an outdated building and prep the area for future student housing. The gift also included architecture and engineering fees for construction of the upcoming Centennial Hall Dormitory.

New art positions funded at college

In 2016, Whitney Benefits committed to funding three new positions at Sheridan College for three years. In 2018, $200,000 was donated for these three positions. An $80,000 contribution allowed Sheridan College to continue to employ an  additional dance instructor. Dance is a growth area in the Performing Arts program at Sheridan College and an additional instructor will allow additional growth. A $60,000 contribution was made to continue to employ a theater technician. This position assists as both an educator within the Center for the Arts building and helps with new community productions and events to be held in the Center for the Arts. The third position is a recruiter for technical programs for $60,000. This position is a specialized recruiter that seeks prospective students that are looking for vocational training. In 2017, Whitney also committed to granting $80,000 per year for three years to fund a faculty position at the Whitney Center for the Arts. The grant was used in 2018 to fund the employment of an art instructor to provide continuing education to Sheridan College students and local school district students in visual and performing arts.

Computer programming focus of Whitney projects

In 2016, the Whitney Board agreed to participate in several projects that would improve computer skills for Sheridan and Johnson county students over a three-year commitment. Whitney Benefits created the opportunity for all Sheridan County school districts to participate in computer program training and equipment upgrades. Whitney’s commitment for this project was $346,145 in 2018. This includes the salary and benefits for a Sheridan College instructor to teach computer programming with the opportunity of participation by all Sheridan County School Districts and to support and strengthen computer programs offered through Sheridan College to Sheridan County school students. The support from Whitney Benefits will allow the school districts, along with Sheridan College, to align computer programming and computer science programs with the nationally recognized curriculum and teacher development model, “Project Lead the Way.” PLTW will strengthen existing programming classes (large focus on computer coding) and provide a connection between secondary and post-secondary programs. Two classrooms on the main Sheridan College campus will be equipped to support the program. One room will be for use by secondary students; the second will support college students pursuing a degree.

Ag pilot project

In 2018, Whitney Benefits approved funding for a three-year agricultural educational pilot project at Sheridan College. $55,667.73 was gifted. This project will allow agriculture students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in several different project aspects.

Whitney Benefits receives Research / Outreach Partner

Award

Whitney Benefits received the 2018 University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’  Research / Outreach Partner Award for its collaborative efforts to create and strengthen agricultural paths for students seeking advanced education. The foundation’s agricultural efforts include the following: $1.3 million in 2014 toward building the Forrest Mars Agriculture Center at Sheridan College, $1.25 million in 2007 for a collaboration between Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming to strengthen the college’s agricultural curriculum for an enhanced degree program, $750,000 in 2016 for an endowment to fund the Edward A. Whitney Agricultural Instructor position at Sheridan College which was filled by Assistant Professor Sadanand Dhekney in the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming and $1.475 million in 2017 for agricultural positions including an agriculture instructor position, an agriculture business instructor, a new rangeland management instructor position and a new seasonal farm assistant to support student and faculty member laboratory work. Whitney Benefits has also granted a 50-year no-fee lease to Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming for the Whitney owned Adams Ranch immediately south of Sheridan College. This will provide a space for educational  experiences and hands-on training to local college and high school students.

Whitney Benefits commits $25.3 M to Sheridan College

In 2014, Whitney Benefits committed to the largest gift in the history of Sheridan College in the amount of $25.3 million. In 2018, Whitney continued to fund this extraordinary gift with a grant of $2,129,005. The commitment from Whitney Benefits to Sheridan College included the necessary $1.3 million required to complete the $8 million Mars Agriculture and Science Center renovation project, $16 million to support the renovation and expansion of the fine and performing arts wing of the original Whitney Building, $2 million to support infrastructure and parking improvements on the main campus and $6 million for approximately half of the Tech Center renovation and expansion project.

Continued support of high-demand programs

In March 2013, Whitney Benefits announced the creation of the Jobs, Education, and Technology (JET) Program. The program is a partnership with Sheridan College and other potential sponsors and will include funding four new instructor positions for five years. The positions will be in areas where there is tremendous demand for educated, skilled workers. The total cost to add four full-time teachers is approximately $400,000 per year or $2 million over five years. The total pledge from Whitney Benefits is one-half of the $2 million, or $1 million, toward this effort. The agreement is meant to allow SC to expand the offerings in such high demand areas as machine tool technology, diesel technology, welding technology, agriculture / horticulture, and performing arts. In order to fully realize the plan, Whitney Benefits trustees looked to others in the community to match their pledge. The City of Sheridan matched the yearly pledge for the machine tool technology faculty position and the Perkins Foundation matched the yearly pledge for the welding technology faculty position. An anonymous donor matched Whitney’s yearly pledge for the general arts / visual arts faculty position and a second anonymous donor funded the agricultural science faculty position. Whitney Benefits would like to extend a special thanks to these donors for their support of Sheridan College!

Whitney Community Advisory Group

The Whitney Community Advisory Group was created in 2004 to provide input from various community members about current Whitney projects and events. The group helps to oversee operations at Whitney Commons and Whitney Plaza. The current community members include Steve Carroll, Mark Demple, Pete Eliason, Bill Gatley, Judy Stallman, and John Standish.

City of Sheridan

THE GIFT OF WATER

In 2018, Whitney Benefits gifted the city of Sheridan in excess of 50 million gallons of stored Park Reservoir water to assist in watering Sheridan’s 13 parks, pathways, and greenways, including the Sheridan Recreation District's Thorne-Rider Park, Oatts Baseball Complex, Dan Media Field, and the elk pasture irrigation and restoration project at Kendrick Park. Additionally, Whitney contributes water to the University of Wyoming Science and Research Center located at Whitney’s Adams Ranch for students and educators with experimental test plots, grape vineyards, and crop irrigation.

Sheridan College and Whitney Benefits

Whitney Days at Sheridan College

Sheridan College hosted the second annual Whitney Days event week at Sheridan College to honor Mr. Edward A. Whitney and his legacy of expanding and contributing to higher education in Sheridan County that the Whitney Benefits foundation has continued. The week included a combination of informative, educational, and fun events that incorporated service learning and civic engagement, which were central to Mr. Whitney’s life. During the week of Sept. 19-26, 2018, Sheridan College hosted a cupcake collage, tie dye T-shirt class, campus recreation kick ball, the Great Outdoors in Your Backyard, piano performance by Fei-Fei, a lunch trip around the world with Whitney, panning for sapphires, Lady Generals volleyball matches, Pat Hamilton Memorial Rodeo, Hypnotist Lizzy, a s’mores bar, and a block party barbecue with music and inflatables, among other activities.

Second Century Legacy Grant boost programming

Mr. Edward A. Whitney died 100 years ago. To mark the occasion, Whitney Benefits held a celebration in the Sheridan College Technical Center and announced a gift of $11,369,000 to Sheridan College. In 2018, $745,000 was paid. The gift is to support faculty in several academic areas including: agriculture, machine tool technology, welding technology, diesel technology, general and visual arts, the CNA program, and music. These programs were all selected as potential growth areas and align with regional economic development priorities. Also included in the grant is support for marketing and recruitment as well as funding for the creation of a student success program modeled from the current TRIO program at Sheridan College. This program will improve student persistence and completion by utilizing a contemporary mentoring model that goes beyond traditional advising to include comprehensive service, from selecting a career path through acquiring the first job upon completion. The old Technical Center building, built in the 1970s, is in the process of being completely renovated. The new building will be over 50,000 square feet, almost doubling the original space. The welding, machine tool, and diesel departments will all receive significant makeovers, each gaining roughly 40 percent more space. Weatherby was very impressed with the machine shop when they visited Sheridan in the process of deciding where they would like to relocate. Former Whitney Benefits Board President Tom Kinnison said that we, as a community, have a unique asset in Sheridan College. He highlighted the funding challenges the college faces by showing a chart of funds provided from mill revenue, which shows a steep decline in recent decades due to the collapse of the local coalbed methane industry. Kinnison said that the Whitney Second Century Legacy grant will add 18 fulltime positions and one part-time position.

Agriculture position helps grow program

In January 2016, Whitney Benefits committed to grant $250,000 for three years to fund an Endowed Agriculture Instructor position at Sheridan College. This position was created to keep pace with increasing enrollment, educational excellence, and educational research at Sheridan College. The Mars Agriculture Center, a 15,000-square-foot state-of- the-art facility that is located on the south end of Sheridan College’s main campus connecting to the existing Science Center, has also increased prospective students interest in agriculture and sciences. The center focuses on providing real-world experiences for students. In addition to high-tech classrooms, a herbarium, a greenhouse and a soils and agroecology lab, the new center includes a computerized commodities trading floor classroom for students studying in the ag-business program.

Sheridan College to expand housing options

In 2008, Whitney committed to gifting $750,000 per year for 10 years as part of its $7.5 million gift to Sheridan College for on-campus living facilities. The final disbursement for this gift was donated in 2018. The 150-bed suite-style student housing units have vastly expanded Sheridan College’s ability to recruit and house new students. The Whitney Lofts also added a new food court area in the Hayes Building and a recreational lounge area in the Williams building. The new housing at Sheridan College provides a new and unique opportunity for students to grow, foster educational opportunities and enjoy their college educations. In 2018, Whitney Benefits also granted $400,000 to Sheridan College to demolish an outdated building and prep the area for future student housing. The gift also included architecture and engineering fees for construction of the upcoming Centennial Hall Dormitory.

New art positions funded at college

In 2016, Whitney Benefits committed to funding three new positions at Sheridan College for three years. In 2018, $200,000 was donated for these three positions. An $80,000 contribution allowed Sheridan College to continue to employ an  additional dance instructor. Dance is a growth area in the Performing Arts program at Sheridan College and an additional instructor will allow additional growth. A $60,000 contribution was made to continue to employ a theater technician. This position assists as both an educator within the Center for the Arts building and helps with new community productions and events to be held in the Center for the Arts. The third position is a recruiter for technical programs for $60,000. This position is a specialized recruiter that seeks prospective students that are looking for vocational training. In 2017, Whitney also committed to granting $80,000 per year for three years to fund a faculty position at the Whitney Center for the Arts. The grant was used in 2018 to fund the employment of an art instructor to provide continuing education to Sheridan College students and local school district students in visual and performing arts.

Computer programming focus of Whitney projects

In 2016, the Whitney Board agreed to participate in several projects that would improve computer skills for Sheridan and Johnson county students over a three-year commitment. Whitney Benefits created the opportunity for all Sheridan County school districts to participate in computer program training and equipment upgrades. Whitney’s commitment for this project was $346,145 in 2018. This includes the salary and benefits for a Sheridan College instructor to teach computer programming with the opportunity of participation by all Sheridan County School Districts and to support and strengthen computer programs offered through Sheridan College to Sheridan County school students. The support from Whitney Benefits will allow the school districts, along with Sheridan College, to align computer programming and computer science programs with the nationally recognized curriculum and teacher development model, “Project Lead the Way.” PLTW will strengthen existing programming classes (large focus on computer coding) and provide a connection between secondary and post-secondary programs. Two classrooms on the main Sheridan College campus will be equipped to support the program. One room will be for use by secondary students; the second will support college students pursuing a degree.

Ag pilot project

In 2018, Whitney Benefits approved funding for a three-year agricultural educational pilot project at Sheridan College. $55,667.73 was gifted. This project will allow agriculture students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in several different project aspects.

Whitney Benefits receives Research / Outreach Partner Award

Whitney Benefits received the 2018 University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’  Research / Outreach Partner Award for its collaborative efforts to create and strengthen agricultural paths for students seeking advanced education. The foundation’s agricultural efforts include the following: $1.3 million in 2014 toward building the Forrest Mars Agriculture Center at Sheridan College, $1.25 million in 2007 for a collaboration between Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming to strengthen the college’s agricultural curriculum for an enhanced degree program, $750,000 in 2016 for an endowment to fund the Edward A. Whitney Agricultural Instructor position at Sheridan College which was filled by Assistant Professor Sadanand Dhekney in the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming and $1.475 million in 2017 for agricultural positions including an agriculture instructor position, an agriculture business instructor, a new rangeland management instructor position and a new seasonal farm assistant to support student and faculty member laboratory work. Whitney Benefits has also granted a 50-year no-fee lease to Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming for the Whitney owned Adams Ranch immediately south of Sheridan College. This will provide a space for educational  experiences and hands-on training to local college and high school students.

Whitney Benefits commits $25.3 M to Sheridan College

In 2014, Whitney Benefits committed to the largest gift in the history of Sheridan College in the amount of $25.3 million. In 2018, Whitney continued to fund this extraordinary gift with a grant of $2,129,005. The commitment from Whitney Benefits to Sheridan College included the necessary $1.3 million required to complete the $8 million Mars Agriculture and Science Center renovation project, $16 million to support the renovation and expansion of the fine and performing arts wing of the original Whitney Building, $2 million to support infrastructure and parking improvements on the main campus and $6 million for approximately half of the Tech Center renovation and expansion project.

Continued support of high-demand programs

In March 2013, Whitney Benefits announced the creation of the Jobs, Education, and Technology (JET) Program. The program is a partnership with Sheridan College and other potential sponsors and will include funding four new instructor positions for five years. The positions will be in areas where there is tremendous demand for educated, skilled workers. The total cost to add four full-time teachers is approximately $400,000 per year or $2 million over five years. The total pledge from Whitney Benefits is one-half of the $2 million, or $1 million, toward this effort. The agreement is meant to allow SC to expand the offerings in such high demand areas as machine tool technology, diesel technology, welding technology, agriculture / horticulture, and performing arts. In order to fully realize the plan, Whitney Benefits trustees looked to others in the community to match their pledge. The City of Sheridan matched the yearly pledge for the machine tool technology faculty position and the Perkins Foundation matched the yearly pledge for the welding technology faculty position. An anonymous donor matched Whitney’s yearly pledge for the general arts / visual arts faculty position and a second anonymous donor funded the agricultural science faculty position. Whitney Benefits would like to extend a special thanks to these donors for their support of Sheridan College!

Whitney Community Advisory Group

The Whitney Community Advisory Group was created in 2004 to provide input from various community members about current Whitney projects and events. The group helps to oversee operations at Whitney Commons and Whitney Plaza. The current community members include Steve Carroll, Mark Demple, Pete Eliason, Bill Gatley, Judy Stallman, and John Standish.

City of Sheridan

THE GIFT OF WATER

In 2018, Whitney Benefits gifted the city of Sheridan in excess of 50 million gallons of stored Park Reservoir water to assist in watering Sheridan’s 13 parks, pathways, and greenways, including the Sheridan Recreation District's Thorne-Rider Park, Oatts Baseball Complex, Dan Media Field, and the elk pasture irrigation and restoration project at Kendrick Park. Additionally, Whitney contributes water to the University of Wyoming Science and Research Center located at Whitney’s Adams Ranch for students and educators with experimental test plots, grape vineyards, and crop irrigation.

Continued support of high-

demand programs

In March 2013, Whitney Benefits announced the creation of the Jobs, Education and Technology (JET) Program. The program is a partnership with Sheridan College and other potential sponsors and will include funding four new instructor positions for five years. The positions will be in areas where there is tremendous demand for educated, skilled workers. The total cost to add four full-time teachers is approximately $400,000 per year or $2 million over five years. The total pledge from Whitney Benefits is one-half of the $2 million, or $1 million, toward this effort. The agreement is meant to allow SC to expand the offerings in such high demand areas as machine tool technology, diesel technology, welding technology, agriculture / horticulture, and performing arts. In order to fully realize the plan, Whitney Benefits trustees looked to others in the community to match their pledge. The City of Sheridan matched the yearly pledge for the machine tool technology faculty position and the Perkins Foundation matched the yearly pledge for the welding technology faculty position. An anonymous donor matched Whitney’s yearly pledge for the general arts / visual arts faculty position and a second anonymous donor funded the agricultural science faculty position. Whitney Benefits would like to extend a special thanks to these donors for their support of Sheridan College!

Whitney Community Advisory

Group

The Whitney Community Advisory Group was created in 2004 to provide input from various community members about current Whitney projects and events. The group helps to oversee operations at Whitney Commons and Whitney Plaza. The current community members include Steve Carroll, Mark Demple, Pete Eliason, Bill Gatley, Judy Stallman, and John Standish.

Sheridan College and Whitney

Benefits

Whitney Days at Sheridan College

Sheridan College hosted the second annual Whitney Days event week at Sheridan College to honor Mr. Edward A. Whitney and his legacy of expanding and contributing to higher education in Sheridan County that the Whitney Benefits foundation has continued. The week included a combination of informative, educational, and fun events that incorporated service learning and civic engagement, which were central to Mr. Whitney’s life. During the week of Sept. 19-26, 2018, Sheridan College hosted a cupcake collage, tie dye T-shirt class, campus recreation kick ball, the Great Outdoors in Your Backyard, piano performance by Fei-Fei, a lunch trip around the world with Whitney, panning for sapphires, Lady Generals volleyball matches, Pat Hamilton Memorial Rodeo, Hypnotist Lizzy, a s’mores bar, and a block party barbecue with music and inflatables, among other activities.

Second Century Legacy Grant

boost programming

Mr. Edward A. Whitney died 100 years ago. To mark the occasion, Whitney Benefits held a celebration in the Sheridan College Technical Center and announced a gift of $11,369,000 to Sheridan College. In 2018, $745,000 was paid. The gift is to support faculty in several academic areas including: agriculture, machine tool technology, welding technology, diesel technology, general and visual arts, the CNA program, and music. These programs were all selected as potential growth areas and align with regional economic development priorities. Also included in the grant is support for marketing and recruitment as well as funding for the creation of a student success program modeled from the current TRIO program at Sheridan College. This program will improve student persistence and completion by utilizing a contemporary mentoring model that goes beyond traditional advising to include comprehensive service, from selecting a career path through acquiring the first job upon completion. The old Technical Center building, built in the 1970s, is in the process of being completely renovated. The new building will be over 50,000 square feet, almost doubling the original space. The welding, machine tool, and diesel departments will all receive significant makeovers, each gaining roughly 40 percent more space. Weatherby was very impressed with the machine shop when they visited Sheridan in the process of deciding where they would like to relocate. Former Whitney Benefits Board President Tom Kinnison said that we, as a community, have a unique asset in Sheridan College. He highlighted the funding challenges the college faces by showing a chart of funds provided from mill revenue, which shows a steep decline in recent decades due to the collapse of the local coalbed methane industry. Kinnison said that the Whitney Second Century Legacy grant will add 18 fulltime positions and one part-time position.

Agriculture position helps grow

program

In January 2016, Whitney Benefits committed to grant $250,000 for three years to fund an Endowed Agriculture Instructor position at Sheridan College. This position was created to keep pace with increasing enrollment, educational excellence, and educational research at Sheridan College. The Mars Agriculture Center, a 15,000-square- foot state-of-the-art facility that is located on the south end of Sheridan College’s main campus connecting to the existing Science Center, has also increased prospective students interest in agriculture and sciences. The center focuses on providing real-world experiences for students. In addition to high-tech classrooms, a herbarium, a greenhouse and a soils and agroecology lab, the new center includes a computerized commodities trading floor classroom for students studying in the ag- business program.

Sheridan College to expand

housing options

In 2008, Whitney committed to gifting $750,000 per year for 10 years as part of its $7.5 million gift to Sheridan College for on-campus living facilities. The final disbursement for this gift was donated in 2018. The 150-bed suite-style student housing units have vastly expanded Sheridan College’s ability to recruit and house new students. The Whitney Lofts also added a new food court area in the Hayes Building and a recreational lounge area in the Williams building. The new housing at Sheridan College provides a new and unique opportunity for students to grow, foster educational opportunities and enjoy their college educations. In 2018, Whitney Benefits also granted $400,000 to Sheridan College to demolish an outdated building and prep the area for future student housing. The gift also included architecture and engineering fees for construction of the upcoming Centennial Hall Dormitory.

New art positions funded at

college

In 2016, Whitney Benefits committed to funding three new positions at Sheridan College for three years. In 2018, $200,000 was donated for these three positions. An $80,000 contribution allowed Sheridan College to continue to employ an  additional dance instructor. Dance is a growth area in the Performing Arts program at Sheridan College and an additional instructor will allow additional growth. A $60,000 contribution was made to continue to employ a theater technician. This position assists as both an educator within the Center for the Arts building and helps with new community productions and events to be held in the Center for the Arts. The third position is a recruiter for technical programs for $60,000. This position is a specialized recruiter that seeks prospective students that are looking for vocational training. In 2017, Whitney also committed to granting $80,000 per year for three years to fund a faculty position at the Whitney Center for the Arts. The grant was used in 2018 to fund the employment of an art instructor to provide continuing education to Sheridan College students and local school district students in visual and performing arts.

Computer programming focus of

Whitney projects

In 2016, the Whitney Board agreed to participate in several projects that would improve computer skills for Sheridan and Johnson county students over a three-year commitment. Whitney Benefits created the opportunity for all Sheridan County school districts to participate in computer program training and equipment upgrades. Whitney’s commitment for this project was $346,145 in 2018. This includes the salary and benefits for a Sheridan College instructor to teach computer programming with the opportunity of participation by all Sheridan County School Districts and to support and strengthen computer programs offered through Sheridan College to Sheridan County school students. The support from Whitney Benefits will allow the school districts, along with Sheridan College, to align computer programming and computer science programs with the nationally recognized curriculum and teacher development model, “Project Lead the Way.” PLTW will strengthen existing programming classes (large focus on computer coding) and provide a connection between secondary and post-secondary programs. Two classrooms on the main Sheridan College campus will be equipped to support the program. One room will be for use by secondary students; the second will support college students pursuing a degree.

Ag pilot project

In 2018, Whitney Benefits approved funding for a three-year agricultural educational pilot project at Sheridan College. $55,667.73 was gifted. This project will allow agriculture students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in several different project aspects.

Whitney Benefits receives

Research / Outreach Partner

Award

Whitney Benefits received the 2018 University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’  Research / Outreach Partner Award for its collaborative efforts to create and strengthen agricultural paths for students seeking advanced education. The foundation’s agricultural efforts include the following: $1.3 million in 2014 toward building the Forrest Mars Agriculture Center at Sheridan College, $1.25 million in 2007 for a collaboration between Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming to strengthen the college’s agricultural curriculum for an enhanced degree program, $750,000 in 2016 for an endowment to fund the Edward A. Whitney Agricultural Instructor position at Sheridan College which was filled by Assistant Professor Sadanand Dhekney in the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming and $1.475 million in 2017 for agricultural positions including an agriculture instructor position, an agriculture business instructor, a new rangeland management instructor position and a new seasonal farm assistant to support student and faculty member laboratory work. Whitney Benefits has also granted a 50-year no-fee lease to Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming for the Whitney owned Adams Ranch immediately south of Sheridan College. This will provide a space for educational  experiences and hands-on training to local college and high school students.

Whitney Benefits commits $25.3

M to Sheridan College

In 2014, Whitney Benefits committed to the largest gift in the history of Sheridan College in the amount of $25.3 million. In 2018, Whitney continued to fund this extraordinary gift with a grant of $2,129,005. The commitment from Whitney Benefits to Sheridan College included the necessary $1.3 million required to complete the $8 million Mars Agriculture and Science Center renovation project, $16 million to support the renovation and expansion of the fine and performing arts wing of the original Whitney Building, $2 million to support infrastructure and parking improvements on the main campus and $6 million for approximately half of the Tech Center renovation and expansion project.

Continued support of high-

demand programs

In March 2013, Whitney Benefits announced the creation of the Jobs, Education, and Technology (JET) Program. The program is a partnership with Sheridan College and other potential sponsors and will include funding four new instructor positions for five years. The positions will be in areas where there is tremendous demand for educated, skilled workers. The total cost to add four full-time teachers is approximately $400,000 per year or $2 million over five years. The total pledge from Whitney Benefits is one-half of the $2 million, or $1 million, toward this effort. The agreement is meant to allow SC to expand the offerings in such high demand areas as machine tool technology, diesel technology, welding technology, agriculture / horticulture, and performing arts. In order to fully realize the plan, Whitney Benefits trustees looked to others in the community to match their pledge. The City of Sheridan matched the yearly pledge for the machine tool technology faculty position and the Perkins Foundation matched the yearly pledge for the welding technology faculty position. An anonymous donor matched Whitney’s yearly pledge for the general arts / visual arts faculty position and a second anonymous donor funded the agricultural science faculty position. Whitney Benefits would like to extend a special thanks to these donors for their support of Sheridan College!

City of Sheridan

THE GIFT OF WATER

In 2018, Whitney Benefits gifted the city of Sheridan in excess of 50 million gallons of stored Park Reservoir water to assist in watering Sheridan’s 13 parks, pathways, and greenways, including the Sheridan Recreation District's Thorne-Rider Park, Oatts Baseball Complex, Dan Media Field, and the elk pasture irrigation and restoration project at Kendrick Park. Additionally, Whitney contributes water to the University of Wyoming Science and Research Center located at Whitney’s Adams Ranch for students and educators with experimental test plots, grape vineyards, and crop irrigation.