The University of Wyoming hit national news last week after about 30 professors threw a hissy fit over the new marketing campaign planned for this fall. Their biggest beef was that the word Cowboy is sexist, racist, and antiquated. Needless to say, many UW alumni and fellow Wyomingites were not amused by their politically correct shenanigans. 

Here's an obnoxious development from my home state: Students are claiming the University of Wyoming's marketing campaign ("the world needs more cowboys”) is racist and sexist. https://t.co/Rae1bwjiy7

— Jillian Kay Melchior (@JillianKayM) July 9, 2018

Is it just that some people's entire existence is to be offended and create controversy around every little thing? https://t.co/1B9GFtkqSS

— Cameron Olthuis (@factive) July 15, 2018

Short answer, yes it is. And, as we’ve seen countless times over the last few years, the colleges that cave to this politically correct nonsense and let tinfoil hat wearing social justice warriors have their way, end up losing alumni support and see student enrollment crater. Just look at University of Missouri and Evergreen State as two of the many examples of this.

Yet a few professors couldn’t get past their own social justice view point and instead stomped their feet insisting this new campaign be stopped in its tracks.

So, what did the University of Wyoming do? They bucked the PC trends BIGLY.

On Thursday the UW Board of Trustees voted unanimously to go ahead with the marketing campaign and debuted the primary campaign ad now instead of in September!

“Drawing upon Wyoming’s proud heritage, this campaign redefines what it means to be a Cowboy in this day and age, distilling it down to the inner spirit of curiosity and boldness that all who call themselves Cowboys and Cowgirls can identify with — no matter their race or gender, or whether they’re students, employees, alumni or other supporters,” UW President Laurie Nichols says. “The Cowboy spirit is what the University of Wyoming helps instill in students, giving them the skills and support they need to make the breakthroughs that benefit our state and the world.”

Check out the video.

I’d like those 30 professors to answer these two questions posed in this quite brilliant ad.

When did we stop thinking up new questions and daring to chase down their answers?

should we blindly follow predetermined paths when they don’t lead us to anything new?

I have sincere doubts that they’ll be able to step outside their SJW bubble and answer either one of them honestly.

Yes indeed. Wyoming has bucked multiple systems since 1886. Most notably by giving women the right to vote well before the 19th Amendment was even considered, and electing the first woman governor in the nation.

University of Wyoming's #TheWorldNeedsMoreCowboys slogan is great marketing. But administration's refusal to cave to PC demands over the campaign is even better branding. Here's how you win over parents & prospectives who want a serious education. https://t.co/rildBFKk7I

— Jillian Kay Melchior (@JillianKayM) July 13, 2018

And what does the Wall Street Journal have to say?

These supposed scholars ignore cowboy culture’s diverse history. The rodeo stars range from black cowboy Myrtis Dightman, who was ranked the world’s top bull rider in 1967, to Maggie Parker, the first woman to win Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association cash while competing against men. Then there are the men and women who still do tough ranch work with no public acclaim.

The extraordinarily positive response led UW to move the timeline up on the campaign.

“Wyoming’s and UW’s iconic bucking horse and rider, along with the university’s Cowboy mascot, show strongly that the state and UW are proud of our Western heritage,” Baldwin says. “The campaign builds upon that heritage and shows that a modern Cowboy can be anyone. A Cowboy isn’t what you are, but who you are.”

Market research conducted by UW garnered this feedback regarding their perceptions of cowboys after seeing the video.

Everybody can be a cowboy

Cowboys aren’t just males. A cowboy is anyone who is strong, smart, persistent.

A cowboy is someone blazing a new trail and seeking new experiences.

A cowboy is not just some guy in a cowboy hat.

The video helped me understand that the school is much more modern than I imagined.

In other words, the young people who saw the video had exactly ZERO problems with the word Cowboy. I bet that just chaps the professors’ hides.

Fearless independence, unbendable optimism, unyielding courage, and relentless curiosity epitomize all that is admirable about a Cowboy and are sub-taglines that UW will be using during the marketing campaign.

Kudos to UW for standing their ground and refusing to cave in to political correctness.