THE HONORABLE RANDALL B. LUTHI
Randy Luthi believes that every student should have the opportunity to get a good education at an affordable price. He created three endowments to make that opportunity a reality for Lincoln County students. The scholarships he created support a general scholarship fund, the law school, and athletics.
“What we need to do is educate our workforce, and they need to be educated at a price that they can afford,” says Randy. “Once they get out of school, then they’re not spending the next 20 years trying to pay off that education. If there’s anyway a small scholarship such as what we have can help, we’re glad to do it.”
Randy graduated from UW with a BS in administration of justice in 1979, then he earned a law degree in 1982. His education at UW served him well in his life and his career, and he wants to be able to give that same experience to Lincoln County students.
“The University of Wyoming has educated at least two or more generations of members of the Luthi family from Lincoln County,” explains Randy. “We have a relatively long history and certainly a fruitful history at the University of Wyoming, and we’ve all been pleased with the education and the experience that we received.”
Randy decided to fund three different scholarships at UW so he could help a greater amount of students. When Randy was in school, he explains that it took him 2 to 3 years to decide on a major, so he created the general scholarship fund to give students a chance to figure out what they want to major in but not build up debt in the process.
The scholarship for the College of Law was created because as Randy exclaims, “We can always use more good attorneys,” and he believes that they can get a great education at UW. This scholarship helps them afford their classes.
Randy has always been a huge Cowboy and Cowgirl fan, and he makes it to Laramie to watch games as often as he can. He wants students-athletes to be able to do their best in sports and in the classroom, so he created a scholarship to help students-athletes be successful in both.
Randy was born and raised in Lincoln County. There are several universities that are closer than UW for students who live there, but he feels that they don’t get the same education at the same value. He wants to encourage more Lincoln County students to go to UW, and he hopes these scholarships will accomplish that.
One of the aspects that Randy believes makes UW a great value—aside from the low tuition cost—is the close-knit and small community feel of campus. Because UW is a smaller university, students have the opportunity to be close with their fellow classmates and get one-on-one time with their professors. The atmosphere on campus is also friendly and community oriented—much like that of the entire state of Wyoming.
“Access is not going to be a problem at the University of Wyoming,” explains Randy. “They’re going to have access to a lot of different programs, as well as equipment and research facilities. UW offers a real bargain for a quality education.”
The scholarships he created also qualify for state match, so every dollar Randy donates is doubled. This helps him make an even greater impact on students and furthers the ability for them to receive a great education.
Many of UW’s key gifts are doubled through the state’s matching program. This program, unique to the State of Wyoming, began in March 2001 with the mission of providing additional support to the University of Wyoming by encouraging private donations. Under this program, endowment gifts of at least $50,000 and facilities gifts of at least $25,000 are matched dollar for dollar.
“The Legislature of Wyoming is actually committed to its citizens and its students and the University of Wyoming, which is why they passed the state match in the first place,” says Randy.
Randy is a rancher and attorney from Freedom, Wyoming. He is a former speaker of the Wyoming State House of Representatives, and he served as the Director of the Minerals Management Service at the Department of the Interior from July 2007 through January 2009. Before being in this position, he was the deputy director for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Service. As a state legislator, he served on the Judiciary Committee, Management Audit Committee, and Management Council.
He served as an intern for Congressman Dick Cheney, and he was a legislative assistant to Senator Al Simpson. On March 1, 2010, he became the president of the National Ocean Industries Association, which is the position he still holds today.
Randy is grateful for the education he received at UW. It has served him well in life, and he wants to give others the same opportunities. With the scholarships he created, he will make an impact on Lincoln County students’ lives and give them opportunities to become critical thinkers and leaders.