As Commencement 2026 Celebration Begins, President Washut Announces Launch of College’s “Grit and Grace” Campaign
On the evening of Sunday, May 17th, Wyoming Catholic College hosted its annual President’s Dinner, held each year for its graduating seniors and their families as part of the Commencement Weekend celebrations. But this particular evening was a bit different than in years past, as Wyoming Catholic’s president, Fr. Dcn. Kyle Washut, announced the public launch of the College’s ambitious “Grit & Grace Campaign.”
“Wyoming Catholic College forms graduates capable of engaging the modern world with courage, humility, wisdom, and faith,” said President Washut. “In an era when American higher education faces mounting criticism, this extraordinary institution offers something radically different: an integrated formation that challenges students intellectually, physically, and spiritually, producing young people of ‘grit and grace’ who are prepared not simply to think well, but to live well and to act on what they’ve been taught about the True, Good, and Beautiful. This campaign will allow us to continue to grow our vital work.”
The $30 million initiative, which is the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in the College’s history, has already secured $18 million in gifts and pledge commitments to date. It seeks to elevate the College’s unique educational approach into a flagship model for higher education for the whole nation—demonstrating how classical liberal arts education combined with outdoor experiential learning can form young leaders who will restore communities across the country.
The Grit & Grace Campaign is built upon five “pillars” or areas of support, which will enable Wyoming Catholic College to:
- Grow enrollment in both its undergraduate and affiliated programs, helping to to reach and influence even more young Americans
- Increase student aid to eliminate tuition as a barrier for students who would thrive at Wyoming Catholic
- Elevate the College’s profile to ensure its status as a leading Catholic institution of higher education
- Invest in COR Expeditions in order to enroll 500+ additional students in life-changing outdoor wilderness experiences annually
- Enhance campus facilities to create indoor spaces thoughtfully designed for the needs of faculty and students
“We are in a fight for the soul of our nation and of the West” said President Washut, “and the formation our young people receive here at Wyoming Catholic College prepares them to take on the challenges that lie ahead. We believe that truly transformative education must be tested against the reality of the world around us, whether it be by grappling with the original ideas and texts of the world’s greatest thinkers, or by being challenged and humbled by some of the world’s most glorious and demanding outdoor environments. And the results are striking. Our graduates emerge ready to do their part in a society desperately in need of leadership, in the sciences, medicine, policy, education, religious life, and much, much more. Our graduates are ready to do difficult and important things because they have received an education that has rooted them in reality, and they are prepared to lead a world that in the midst of confusion and propaganda, needs the witness of what is real.”
“We are humbled by the support we have already received from some of our dearest friends and most generous benefactors,” Washut continued. “But we’re eager for the opportunity to share the College’s extraordinary vision and growing success with a wider and wider audience through this public phase. An education of ‘grit and grace’ is exactly what our world needs, and I’m convinced that Providence has placed us at this moment for a reason. Now is the time for Wyoming Catholic College!”
Wyoming Catholic College students spend their formative college years in an environment devoted to learning and preserving “the best that has been thought and said.” They learn what it means to be human not just by studying the wisdom of the Western tradition, but by immersing themselves in the natural world and refusing the ideological and digital fragmentation that affects so many young people today. The college’s unique approach includes a 21-day Freshman Orientation Trek, where incoming students lead their peers, work as a team, and face real challenges in the wilderness. This style of embodied learning continues throughout their four years at the College, and produces graduates who carry a distinctive combination of grit and grace born from Wyoming Catholic’s transformative educational model.
For more information about the Grit & Grace Campaign or to make a gift, contact Joseph Susanka, the College’s Vice President of External Affairs at 307-332-2930, ext. 1126 or jsusanka@wyomingcatholic.edu.
