At its regular business meeting today, the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees extended President Tom Buchanan's contract through June 30, 2012. His current contract was set to expire June 30, 2011.

"The Board wanted to ensure that Tom Buchanan would be UW's president for at least three more years," UW Board of Trustees President Chuck Brown said. "We're delighted with the progress UW has made under Tom's leadership, and we're confident that progress will continue, even in these difficult economic times."

Given the recent budget cuts, Buchanan requested his compensation not be changed. "The board honored that request," Brown said. "But both the board of trustees and President Buchanan agreed that extending his contract one year was appropriate."

Buchanan's contract is for $350,000 annually.

"I'm delighted to continue as UW's president during these challenging times," Buchanan said.

Despite the state's fiscal challenges, UW is working on extraordinary initiatives that will benefit Wyoming's economy over the long-term.

"The NCAR Wyoming Supercomputing Center, the High Plains Gasification- Advanced Technology Center partnership with GE Energy and several major carbon capture and sequestration initiatives put UW in the national forefront of research," Buchanan said. "These projects provide a foundation for a tremendous educational experience for our undergraduates."

Buchanan has been president of UW since 2005.