Daring to be different isn't just a catchphrase at the University of Wyoming. It's a way of life.

The University of Wyoming, nestled on Wyoming's high plains between the Laramie and Snowy Mountain ranges, is one of the most unique institutions of higher education in America.

The cosmetic attractions of Wyoming's state university are obvious. UW offers an outstanding education in beautiful surroundings. It offers the cultural advantages of one of the top universities in the U.S., and is set in a small, friendly college town. It has the advantages of a rural community, yet is just over two hours away from a major metropolitan area, Denver.

But the University of Wyoming offers much more than a small, friendly atmosphere. Consider:

• U.W. is the only four-year school in the state, which gives it the advantage of drawing on all of Wyoming's resources - including human resources - in striving to offer its students an increasingly excellent education;
• Wyoming's residence hall area is the most densely populated area in the state, accommodating 2,499 people on one-and-one-third acres of land;
• June Etta Downey, one of U.W.'s early faculty members, was the first woman to head an academic department in the U.S.;
• Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, when filled, becomes the third-largest city in the state, and the Double A basketball arena becomes the fifth-largest city;
• White Hall, a dorm on the U.W. campus, is the tallest building in the state;
• U.W. is the "highest" four-year school in the nation at 7,200 feet, and boasts the "coolest" summer school in America, with temperatures rarely ranging into the 90s.

From its roots as a railroad community in the middle-1800's, Laramie has grown to become one of the friendliest and most progressive cities on the western frontier, but one which has not become too big for its heritage.

So here sits Wyoming's university, high on the Laramie plains, a school dedicated to excellence and to meeting the challenges facing the state today and tomorrow.