Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy shuts for now due to staff shortage (update 1)
Sep. 15—CHEYENNE — A type of military academy in Guernsey that's affiliated with the government is drastically scaling back operations, according to a stakeholder and an announcement from the Wyoming Military Department.
The latter cited a shortage of staff, something employers throughout the state and country have been facing. The Wyoming National Guard has also warned of such issues, including in testimony at the state Capitol.
According to a two-page news release emailed Wednesday evening after the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's inquiries, the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy "will shut down for an indefinite amount of time based on the inability to recruit and retain staff." The release said "shutdown procedures are underway" and indicated the organization has operated for almost 20 years.
The teenage attendees of the academy, who are called cadets, are going back home, according to the government and to an adult who has been working with someone who has been a student. All of the youth will be returning home by Oct. 1, the military department said.
The Wyoming Military Department, which said it has oversight of academy, "has dedicated administrative staff, as well as Wyoming National Guard members on state active duty, to make up for staffing shortages, particularly in the cadet care and management section." Since July, when the current class of attendees began, "continued staff attrition" led "to an inability to maintain the 24/7 residential program," the announcement said.
"The critical staffing shortage" is considered "to be unsustainable for the long term," it added. According to the announcement, the current cadet class has almost 60 members, and almost 1,500 have graduated from the program over the years.
"We understand the hardship this places on families and cadets, but we simply cannot sustain our current program given our staffing issues," said Maj. Gen. Gregory Porter, the adjutant general of the Wyoming National Guard, in the prepared statement. "We are committed to helping the cadets achieve their educational and individual goals, and will work with them to find alternate means to meet them."
Representatives of the Wyoming Military Department and of the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy have not provided additional details to the WTE beyond the news release. The priority on Wednesday "was to notify the families of Cadets and the staff of Cowboy Challenge," a spokesperson for the state military department wrote in an email to the WTE. "That is why we were delayed in getting the public release out."
Following what is described as a five-month-long residential academy, there is a year-long "mentorship program, designed to provide structure, instill discipline, and help young men and women recognize and achieve their potential in a quasi-military training environment," the release said. "All cadets volunteer to take part in the program." The goal is for "non-traditional learners" ages 16 to 18 "to improve their educational level and employment potential and become responsible productive citizens of" Wyoming.
Jonathan Make is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's assistant managing editor and editor of the Wyoming Business Report. He can be reached at jmake@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3129. Follow him on Twitter @makejdm.
