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Western Newsroom

Latest University News

Siebrase Media Photo Credit Ben Siebrase
News

The Mari Sandoz legacy lives on: Nature Writing Student Jamie Siebrase awarded scholarship

Longtime Denver journalist, trained naturalist, and environmental writer Jamie Siebrase has been awarded the 2026–2027 Mari Sandoz Nature Writing Scholarship to attend Western Colorado University’s…
In a crowd of people, a graduate holds up a W with her hands.
General

Western Receives $1.25 million Grant from Reisher Scholars Program
Ma'alaea Lawrence and Conrad Kaul discuss the data.
News

Fast-moving wildfires leave forests less able to recover, Western study finds
A young athlete in a helmet and jersey raises a lacrosse stick high on an indoor track, with other players practicing nearby.
News

Western Welcomes Nearly 8,000 Visitors for Summer Camps and Conferences
MEM alum, Brenan Bloyd, leads a stream resoration workshop next to Tomichi Creek on the Coldharbour ranch for the Headwaters 2025 Conference.
News

Three Western Colorado University graduate students earn national River Studies and Leadership Certificate
Students pose with Dr. Suzanne Taylor at NASA.
News

Western Colorado University students join NASA-led exoplanet research during summer internship

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Explore past stories that highlight Western's milestones, achievements, and moments that shaped our community.

Photo of Film faculty, Julian Rubenstein, and student manager, Reed Juarez Welsh, standing behind the counter at the Mountaineer Cinema,

Mountaineer Cinema Revives Film Culture at Western Colorado University

When the journalist and filmmaker Julian Rubinstein first arrived at Western Colorado University in the fall of 2023 to take a position as the University’s…
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Julian Rubinstein accepts his award on stage.

“The Holly” Wins National Emmy

The Holly, a documentary written, directed, and produced by Julian Rubinstein, Filmmaker and Journalist-in-Residence at Western Colorado University, won the national award for Outstanding Regional…
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Western Colorado University Professor Julian Rubinstein Wins Emmy Award for Documentary “The Holly”

Western Colorado University Professor Julian Rubinstein Wins Emmy Award for Documentary “The Holly”

A documentary filmmaker who opened the eyes of many Colorado residents to the unsavory realities hidden away in the state’s capital city has added yet…
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Highlights from The Westerner Alumni Magazine

Taking Flight
A student operating a drone control.

Taking Flight

Students and faculty are using drone technology to conduct environmental research, map terrain, and capture aerial data, opening new opportunities in fields like environmental science, geology, and media production.

Taking Flight
Panels of Possibility
Students carry a solar panel.

Panels of Possibility

Students partnered with Gunnison County Electric Association and Powerfield Energy to build a nearly 1 MW solar array, gaining hands-on construction, installation, and industry experience while helping advance clean energy in the Gunnison Valley.

Panels of Possibility
CHESS Match
A student operates a control in the field.

CHESS Match

Students teamed up with scientists to support the Colorado Headwaters Ecological Spectroscopy Study (CHESS) by collecting leaf, drone, and airplane-based sensor data that will help track water, soil, and vegetation changes across the West.

CHESS Match
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The Press Room

Your source for official news and media resources from Western Colorado University. Find recent press releases, access our media kit, view official statements, connect with experts and our communications team for interviews and inquiries.

Press Room

Mountaineer Minute

Student news, all in one place.

From athletic wins to research projects, the Mountaineer Minute brings students the latest stories that matter. We’ve pulled together news from across campus, including student media, official university announcements, and video highlights, so you don’t have to hunt for what’s happening. It’s student-centered, easy to navigate, and updated regularly.

 

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MSE student Phoebe Roberts holds up the soil core sample retrieved at a site for her graduate project.

Western In the News

August 23, 2026

Bigger, Hotter Fires Are Slowly Erasing America’s Great Forests

The New York Times

Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.

 August 20, 2026

Colorado’s Ride has a Western Colorado University connection

Gunnison Country Times

Colorado’s Ride, a five-day road cycling tour celebrating the beauty, challenge and camaraderie of riding in the Rocky Mountains, passed through the region with stops in Gunnison and Crested Butte on Aug. 14 and 15.

 August 17, 2026

Fast-moving fires can scorch forests. They may never grow back, research finds

CPR News

Fast-moving wildfires have ripped through millions of acres of North American forests in the last decade. New research shows that those fires change landscapes so severely that forests may never grow back.
In the News