Catholic College Won’t Build at Broken Anvil Ranch
Wyoming Catholic College will not build a permanent campus at Broken Anvil Ranch. In a quarterly meeting on August 30th, the school’s Board of Directors decided that a location closer to Lander would be better than the 600-acre parcel that was donated in 2005.
“Ultimately, the Board decided that the lower cost of building a campus closer to town, coupled with the benefit of the College’s continued integration into the Lander community, outweighed the advantages of locating the permanent campus at the ranch,” said Chairman Andrew Emrich. Utilizing the site at Broken Anvil Ranch would have required at least $50 million in infrastructure improvements, and the total construction cost would have exceeded $200 million.
Over growing concerns about religious liberty, the Board of Directors decided last February not to participate in federal grant and student loan programs. Through the recently-created Thomas More Fund, the College has raised more than half of the $1 million necessary to fund student scholarships and grants each year.
“We are focusing our efforts primarily on expanding our student body, hiring and retaining excellent faculty and staff, and meeting the financial goals of our strategic plan,” said President Kevin Roberts. “In short, we are living out our mantra that ‘schools are people, not buildings.’”
Wyoming Catholic College will retain the donated portion of Broken Anvil Ranch, but the Board of Directors wants to see a permanent campus that is closer to the city of Lander so that it can play a more vital role in the community. The College currently leases several spaces throughout downtown Lander, and is contemplating options for a campus site both in and around the city.