The University of Wyoming hosted Lakshuman Khanal, consul general of Nepal in San Francisco, and his team for a campus visit on April 24-25.
Khanal’s visit marked his first official trip to Wyoming since the establishment of the San Francisco consulate in 2025. The event highlights ongoing connections between Wyoming and Nepal, particularly through higher education opportunities for Nepali students at community colleges and the university.
During their time in Wyoming, Khanal and his delegation met with Governor Mark Gordon in Riverton before arriving at the university. At the University of Wyoming, they held meetings with administrative and academic leaders including President Ed Seidel. The discussions focused on established areas of collaboration such as student mobility, faculty-led research projects, and targeted student recruitment efforts. Both sides emphasized shared interests in rangeland and wildlife management, forest ecology and production, water resources and hydrology, energy development, and restoration of disturbed landscapes.
The meetings also explored ways to connect academic programs with Nepal’s infrastructure development needs. Potential cooperation related to the Millennium Challenge Corporation Nepal Compact was discussed as a way to reinforce interdisciplinary partnerships between institutions from both regions.
Khanal concluded his visit by delivering a public presentation about Nepal and discussing how working with partners in Wyoming could support new initiatives under Nepal’s reformed government. The Friends of Nepal student organization at UW hosted a community social event to celebrate the occasion.
