[Vision2020] The UI Friday Letter from UI President White (July 8, 2005)

[Tom Hansen]

Copied and pasted below is today's (July 8, 2005) UI Friday Letter from UI
President White.

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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 July 8, 2005

Dear Friends,

The innovative, world-class corps of researchers at the University of Idaho
has brought great distinction to the university and the state. 
But for the University of Idaho to continue to compete with our peer
research institutions, we must stay abreast of the ever-changing world of
technology. Therefore, I have formed a President's Commission on Research
Enhancement through Improving Information Technology Infrastructure. It's a
long title, but it describes the focus of its work. Professor Mike
Laskowski, director of the Idaho IMBRE program has agreed to chair the
14-member commission.

The commission will take a universitywide view of our technology needs out
to the year 2025 to position our research efforts for continued leadership
and competitive success. It will make recommendations for short-, medium-
and long-term actions, funding mechanisms and partnerships that address
technological infrastructure needs. 

In order to share research information between the Moscow campus and our
centers in Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls, Boise and Idaho Falls, along with the
Idaho Nuclear Laboratory in Idaho Falls and the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory in Richland, Wash., state-of-the-art technology infrastructure is
required. Our researchers also depend on high-speed communication to use
high voltage electron microscopes in San Diego and Japan, regional
supercomputers in San Diego and Illinois and to access digital brain images
at the National Institutes of Health. The commission's work is vital for our
future, and follows the priorities of the University Vision and Resources
Task Force and the Plan for Renewal.

Tim White
President

Here's the latest news from the University of Idaho:

~ "V-Mobile," a mobile computing initiative created by the Associated 
Students of the University of Idaho with the help of UI's Information 
Technology Services, launches its first phase this fall with an optional 
laptop computer lease program. The initiative offers UI students two 
IBM models and two Apple models from which to choose. Each laptop comes 
pre-loaded with Microsoft Office and Symantec antivirus. Pricing for the 
laptop program begins at $500 per semester. At the end of the 
four-semester lease term, the student will be able to purchase the laptop 
for only $1. V-Mobile will provide hardware and software support for the 
four laptop models that are offered, and also will offer loaner laptops 
to students if their computer cannot be repaired immediately.

~ The 2005 edition of "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities 
and Colleges" will include the names of 48 UI students who were selected 
as national outstanding campus leaders. Campus nominating committees and 
editors of the annual directory have included these students based on their 
academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in
extracurricular activities and potential for continued success. For a
listing of UI students, go to Today at Idaho news archives,
www.today.uidaho.edu.

~ Sixteen high school students from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Colorado 
have completed the Scripps Howard Multicultural High School Journalism 
Workshop at UI. The students spent a week working with media professionals 
and UI journalism students and faculty. Students learned reporting, writing 
and editing skills that they can take back to their high schools, as well 
as strategies for including more diverse voices in their stories.

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Take care, Moscow.

Tom Hansen

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they
are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say
about their cause, but what they say about their opponents."

-- Robert F. Kennedy