[Vision2020] The UI Friday Letter

[The UI Friday Letter]

University of Idaho
Office of the President
Moscow, Idaho 83844-3151
Phone: 208-885-6365
Fax: 208-885-6558

The Friday Letter
A Newsletter for University of Idaho Alumni and Friends
May 21, 2004

Here's the latest news at the University of Idaho:
* UI honored students earning bachelor's, master's, doctoral and 
law degrees at its 109th commencement ceremony here last Saturday 
morning, but it was the 34 students commissioned into the U.S. 
Armed Forces who received the loudest accolades. As the name of 
the last new officer was read, the entire audience as well as all 
of the graduates rose in a standing ovation and extended applause. 
The students, who sported formal military dress uniforms instead 
of the traditional caps and gowns, were commissioned as second 
lieutenants or ensigns after completing Reserve Officers' Training 
Corps requirements.
            
Altogether, 1,878 students earned their degrees, according to UI's 
Interim President Gary Michael, who congratulated and thanked the 
institution's student body. "I have been energized by their 
enthusiasm, excitement and vision for the future," he said. Michael, 
too, was honored with the UI Alumni Association's most prestigious 
award - the Distinguished Idahoan Award - for serving as interim 
president without compensation for the past year. He is just the 
seventh person to receive that award since its inception in 1978.

Michael welcomed UI's incoming president, Tim White, who also 
participated in the commencement ceremony. The new president, who 
assumes his new responsibilities in July, said commencement is "the 
most important day on the academic calendar." White told the 
graduates to "be grateful, be proud and be powerful. I know you 
will give to society with high integrity, high passion and high 
compassion."

Sharon Allen of Los Angeles, an accounting alumna and CEO of the 
international accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, was the featured 
speaker. The first woman to hold that position, she was named one 
of the Top 100 Most Influential People in 2003 by Accounting Today. 
Allen also was one of four honorary doctorate degree recipients. 
Other recipients included: Scott R. Simplot of Boise, chairman of 
the board of the J.R. Simplot Co., a leading agribusiness company 
for potatoes, turf grass and cattle; Karen Stedtfeld Offen of 
Woodside, Calif., an historian, scholar and authority on women's
history and European and American feminism; and James E. Rogers of 
Las Vegas, a champion of excellence in higher education and 
philanthropist recently named interim chancellor of the Nevada 
higher education system.

* Jay D. Kenton, a finance professional with more than 20 years of 
experience in higher education, is UI's new vice president for 
finance and administration. Kenton has served at Portland State 
University for 16 years, the past two as vice president for finance 
and administration. He is president-elect of the Western Association 
of College and University Business Officers and a member of the 
Board of Directors of that organization and the National Association 
of College and University Business Officers. "Jay brings a wealth 
of experience and a deep understanding of higher education finance 
and public policy to this position," said President-designate Tim 
White. "He has been successful in helping Portland State University 
work through issues similar to those facing the University of Idaho. 
We have worked simultaneously on higher education issues in Oregon, 
and I appreciate his energy and no-nonsense approach to innovative 
and strategic problem solving. Dr. Kenton will be a key member of 
the leadership team as we attract, align and responsibly distribute 
our resources for academic excellence. I look forward to launching 
my administration with him as part of the team."

For more information about these items, please contact University 
Communications and Marketing at (208) 885-6291 or
uinews@uidaho.edu.

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