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.
An Educational Foundation by the late Mr. Edward A. Whitney
Community Projects
Whitney Benefits supports community projects including the Whitney Community Advisory
Group, Sheridan College, and City of Sheridan.
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!
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Phone: 307-674-7303