No Smartphones. No Screens. Just the Wilderness and the Western Canon. Inside Wyoming Catholic College.
What happens when a Catholic college tells incoming freshmen to leave their smartphones at home—permanently—and head into the backcountry for three weeks before they ever open a textbook?
Meet Wyoming Catholic College—a boldly countercultural Catholic liberal arts college in Lander, Wyoming, that has reimagined what Catholic higher education can look like. Founded in 2007, this small college at the edge of the Wind River Range has earned national attention for its uncompromising commitment to the Great Books, the Catholic intellectual tradition, and the radical belief that young people need to encounter both the wilderness and the Western canon to become who God made them to be.
Born at the Edge of the Wild
Wyoming Catholic College didn't emerge from a boardroom or a strategic planning committee. It grew out of a conviction: that the modern Catholic university had drifted too far from its roots, and that something new—and ancient—was needed.
In 2007, the college welcomed its first class to the small town of Lander, Wyoming, population roughly 7,500, situated where the Great Plains give way to the foothills of the Wind River Range. The location was deliberate. The founders believed that the grandeur of creation itself was an essential teacher, and that placing students at the threshold of genuine wilderness would shape their souls in ways no classroom alone could.
The Diocese of Cheyenne supported the venture, and from its earliest days, Wyoming Catholic College attracted students and families who were looking for something radically different.
The 21-Day Expedition
Before a single lecture begins, every incoming freshman at Wyoming Catholic College embarks on a mandatory 21-day wilderness expedition in the mountains of western Wyoming. Led by experienced outdoor instructors, students hike, camp, climb, and navigate through some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in North America.
This is not a recreational camping trip. It is a deliberate crucible—physically demanding, mentally challenging, and spiritually transformative. Students learn to depend on each other, to confront their limits, and to encounter God in the silence of the high country. Mass is celebrated in alpine meadows. Prayer happens under open skies.
By the time students arrive on campus for their first day of classes, they have already formed deep bonds with their classmates and gained a kind of self-knowledge that most college students never acquire.
The Great Books and the Catholic Mind
In the classroom, Wyoming Catholic College follows a Great Books curriculum rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Students read Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Shakespeare, and the other foundational texts of Western civilization—not as historical artifacts, but as living conversations about truth, beauty, goodness, and the meaning of human life.
Every student takes the same core curriculum. There are no electives in the early years. The college believes that a shared intellectual experience creates genuine community and equips students with the philosophical and theological foundations they need to think clearly about anything.
Seminars are small and discussion-based. The Socratic method prevails. Students are expected to wrestle with texts, defend their interpretations, and engage with ideas that challenge them.
No Smartphones on Campus
Perhaps nothing about Wyoming Catholic College has attracted more attention—and more debate—than its smartphone policy. Students are not permitted to have smartphones on campus. Period.
The policy is not punitive. It is liberating. The college argues that constant digital connectivity fragments attention, erodes the capacity for deep reading and reflection, and undermines the face-to-face community that is essential to genuine education.
Students can use basic cell phones for calls and texts. They have access to computers for academic work. But the dopamine-driven scroll of social media and the endless distraction of the smartphone are simply absent from daily life.
The result, according to students and faculty alike, is a campus culture of remarkable depth. Conversations are longer. Friendships are richer. Attention spans are restored. Students rediscover what it means to be fully present.
Outdoor Leadership as Formation
The wilderness doesn't end after freshman year. Wyoming Catholic College maintains an outdoor leadership program that runs throughout a student's four years. Students learn backcountry skills including horsemanship, rock climbing, mountaineering, and winter camping. The program is not extracurricular—it is woven into the fabric of the education.
The college sees outdoor leadership as a natural extension of the liberal arts. The virtues cultivated in the backcountry—courage, prudence, fortitude, teamwork, humility before creation—are the same virtues cultivated through the study of great texts and the practice of the Catholic faith.
Small by Design
Wyoming Catholic College is intentionally small, with enrollment numbering in the hundreds rather than thousands. This is not a limitation but a feature. Small class sizes ensure that every student is known by name, mentored by faculty, and integrated into a tight-knit community of faith and learning.
The campus in Lander offers immediate access to world-class outdoor terrain, while the town itself provides a grounded, down-to-earth community far removed from the noise and distractions of urban university life.
Why This Matters
When you support Wyoming Catholic College, you are investing in:
- A radically countercultural model of Catholic education that takes formation of the whole person seriously
- The Great Books tradition kept alive and integrated with Catholic faith at a time when classical education is under pressure
- Young people's freedom from digital addiction through a community that proves life without smartphones is not only possible but joyful
- Wilderness-based formation that builds virtue, resilience, and awe before God's creation
- A small community with outsized impact producing graduates who are thoughtful, courageous, and deeply rooted in the faith
How You Can Support
- Visit their website at wyomingcatholic.edu to learn about their programs, admissions, and campus life.
- Spread the word to families with high-school-age children who are looking for a genuinely Catholic and genuinely different college experience.
- Consider a donation—as a small, independent college, Wyoming Catholic relies heavily on the generosity of supporters who believe in its mission.
- Follow them on social media to see stunning photos from wilderness expeditions and campus life.
- Pray for their students and faculty as they continue to build a community of faith, learning, and adventure at the edge of the wild.
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Would you send your son or daughter to a college with no smartphones and a 21-day wilderness expedition? What do you think about this approach to Catholic education? Let us know in the comments!
Wyoming Catholic College
- Location: Lander, Wyoming
- Website: wyomingcatholic.edu
- Phone: (307) 332-2930
- Facebook: Wyoming Catholic College
- Instagram: @wyomingcatholic
- DCB Listing: Find Wyoming Catholic College on Discover Catholic Business
Sources: Wyoming Catholic College, Discover Catholic Business