The University of Wyoming has received a major gift from UW alumnus Paul Turner and his wife, Karleen, who have pledged $1 million to support faculty members in the department of economics in the college of business.
The gift will be matched by the state of Wyoming to $2 million to create the Paul and Karleen Turner Faculty Fund in Economics.
The endowed fund will provide financial support to faculty in the department of economics, with preference given to creating a named department head, chair or professorship. The fund may be used for other areas of faculty support, including research, travel, equipment, conference attendance, continuing education or faculty awards.
“The late John Tschirhart, who was my thesis adviser and friend, had a significant impact on how I think about economics,” said Turner, who serves on UW’s College of Business advisory board. “John’s impact on my life cannot be understated and figured prominently into the decision that Karleen and I made to start contributing to UW.”
The department of economics has a rich history of excellence in applied microeconomics, particularly in the areas of environmental, experimental and energy economics. The department’s graduate programs have received high marks in national and worldwide rankings. The master’s degree program has been recognized by TFE Times as No. 23 on its 2025 Best Master’s of Economics Programs list.
The doctorate program in economics has been ranked in the top 5% of programs worldwide by IDEAS, a prestigious worldwide organization that disseminates economics research. The organization compared graduate programs based on the research record of their graduates.
The Turners are both from small agricultural communities in east-central Illinois. Although born and raised just 60 miles apart, they did not meet until 1992, when Paul was a student at UW working on his doctorate in economics. Paul and Karleen were married in 1995.
Paul graduated from UW in 1996 with his Ph.D. in environmental and natural resource economics and regulatory economics. He then started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Chicago. After working as an energy consultant, he now oversees domestic and international business development for Hecate Energy.
Karleen graduated from Maryville University in 1989 and worked as a physical therapist for over 30 years.
The Turners split time between Naperville, Illinois; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Laramie. They have two grown children, Will and Ana.
In addition to the faculty fund, the Turners have established two scholarship funds at UW. They created the John Tschirhart Graduate Scholarship in Bioeconomics in 2019 to facilitate and support bioeconomic research in the spirit of Tschirhart’s research. In 2023, they created the Paul and Karleen (Zerrusen) Turner Scholarship in Memory of Tucker Schwengel. The scholarship provides support for graduates of specified high schools in Illinois to attend UW.
