UW Business Lecturer Livingston Receives Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award

Creative, effective teaching approaches and a genuine concern for his students are among the trademarks of University of Wyoming College of Business Assistant Lecturer Greg Livingston, his colleagues and former students say.

In fact, says Assistant Professor Molly Burchett, those characteristics are cited regularly in student evaluations of the courses taught by Livingston.

"His instructor quality ratings consistently exceed departmental benchmarks, even among highly regarded faculty. Students routinely describe him as their favorite professor at UW," wrote Burchett, a colleague in the Department of Management and Marketing. "They seek him out for mentorship beyond the classroom. They express genuine disappointment when his courses conclude … Not a week passes without a student referencing Greg in a conversation with me -- speaking about his teaching or the way his class changed how they think about leadership and management."

Livingston is one of 10 recipients of the 2026 John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award at UW. The award was established in 1977 by businessman John P. "Jack" Ellbogen to "foster, encourage and reward excellence in classroom teaching at UW."

A UW graduate himself -- with bachelor's and master's degrees in Spanish -- Livingston has been teaching at UW for 30 years, even during most of his 17 years of work in UW Procurement Services, when he also taught for Laramie County Community College. In recent years, his courses have been in management, marketing, leadership, negotiations, conflict resolution and organizational behavior.

"What truly distinguishes Greg's teaching is its highly experiential nature," wrote Chase Thiel, the Department of Management and Marketing's Rile Chair of Leadership. "His classes are built around simulations, applied projects and immersive learning experiences that bridge theory and practice."

For example, in his capstone leadership course, Livingston partnered students with members of the community in a service-learning project aimed at improving campus and community life. And, in his negotiation courses, Livingston integrates high-stakes negotiation simulations drawn directly from his professional experiences.

"These exercises provide students with an unusually realistic and challenging environment in which to develop their negotiation skills," Thiel wrote. "Students are not merely learning concepts -- they are practicing leadership, influence and ethical decision-making in situations that mirror the complexity of real organizational life.

"More than anything, however, Greg is a mentor. His impact extends far beyond the classroom," Thiel adds. "Students regularly seek him out for guidance on career decisions, personal challenges and professional development."

Additionally, Thiel credits Livingston with helping grow the college's leadership minor, as he serves as a primary instructor in its core courses and helped shape the curriculum into one of the most popular programs at UW.

Current and former students attest to Livingston's impact on them.

"Over the course of my four years at Wyoming, I spent three of those years with Greg as my professor in a wide range of courses -- from introductory management to leadership and negotiation classes. Regardless of the subject, Greg's impact was consistent and undeniable," wrote Annabelle Pierson, a 2024 UW graduate. "As someone who sat through many 8 a.m. business classes where students were half asleep, Greg's classes stood apart. There was never a student who wasn't alert, engaged and participating. Students weren't just taking notes -- there was clear attentiveness, particularly when Greg connected course material to real-world experiences or shared lessons beyond the classroom."

"In my career as a conscious student, I've had approximately 50 different instructors who have taught a variety of different, complex subjects. Very few have ever come close to achieving the way I felt engaged in Greg's classes," wrote Hayden Hassinger, a 2023 UW graduate. "Whether it was a creative way to illustrate organizational behavior with paper airplanes, or a layered negotiation with extensive role-playing, Greg has an astounding ability to engage, intrigue and educate."

Livingston's previous honors include UW's Promoting Intellectual Engagement Award, the College of Business's Impact Award/Professor of the Year and the John P. Ellbogen Graduate Assistant Teaching Award.