[Vision2020] The Friday Letter from UI President White (April 21, 2006)

[Tom Hansen]

Today's (April 21, 2006) 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 April 21, 2006

Dear Friends,

Last year I announced that we would invest resources in new
multidisciplinary programmatic areas as we position the University of Idaho
for greatness ahead. This week, we announced five significant, integrative
initiatives that were competitively selected to share in a five-year, $5.5
million strategic investment program. The investment comes from prioritizing
and re-directing existing general funds, and we will seek to find
supplemental resources through grants, contracts, and private gifts and
endowments. 

I am tremendously excited about these worthy and strategic initiatives that
will help the University, the state and beyond meet the emerging needs of
the 21st Century. They will improve the economy, help enable a sustainable
environment, and enrich people, community and society by developing a
culture to help other individuals succeed.

The initiatives were recommended to Provost Baker by the university's Blue
Ribbon Committee, and were judged to hold high promise to advance excellence
in key thematic areas identified last year in our Plan for Renewal. Each
proposal was read, ranked and discussed by the 11-member committee, and
critiqued by three peer reviewers from outside the University of Idaho.

Five highly meritorious programs were funded out of forty-three proposals
that were initially received. The funded initiatives and team leaders are:

~ "Water of the West: Towards a Sustainable, Interdisciplinary Water
Resources Program," $1.6 million over 5 years to a team of 25 faculty, led
by Jan Boll, associate professor of Agricultural Engineering, to launch a
water resources graduate program.

~ "Nanomaterials for Basic and Applied Cell Biology," $1.6 million over
5 years to a team of seven faculty, led by Dave McIlroy, associate professor
of physics, to establish an interdisciplinary program to integrate
nanomaterials research with cell biology and bioscience research.

~ "Building Sustainable Communities: A New University and Community
Partnership," $1.6 million over 5 years to a team of 13 faculty and staff,
led by Steve Drown, professor of landscape architecture and chair of the
Landscape Architecture Department, and Steve Hollenhorst, professor of
protected area policy and chair of the Conservation Social Sciences
Department. The initiative will establish an academic program in bioregional
planning and community design; outreach to communities with sustainable
community planning and development; and training for elected officials and
professionals to plan and manage community resources for sustainable
futures.

~ "Sustainable Idaho: Learning Together, Leading the Way," $90,000 annually
for five years. Maxine Dakins, associate professor of environmental Science
and Chris Dixon, academic and administrative coordinator of the
Environmental Science Program, will lead a team of faculty, staff and
students to bring institutional sustainability to the university and to
communities throughout the state.

~ "Idaho Professional Ethics Initiative," $45,000 annually for five years to
Douglas Lind, professor of philosophy and chair of the Philosophy
Department, to coordinate a campuswide interdisciplinary program related to
professional ethics, diversity and social justice.

Tim White
President

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

Two finalists have been selected in the College of Business and Economics
dean search. They will interview in Coeur d'Alene, Moscow and Boise in the
coming weeks. James Payne, from Illinois State University, will visit the
University of Idaho April 19-21. Jatinder N.D. "Jeet" Gupta, from the
University of Alabama at Huntsville, will visit the University of Idaho May
3-6. Candidate vitas and complete itineraries are available at
http://www.provost.uidaho.edu/default.aspx?pid=87453.

Utah Pioneer, the middle of three University of Idaho mule clones born in
2003, will make a guest appearance at Nampa's Idaho Horse Park, next to the
Idaho Center, from 3 to 8 p.m. today, and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday. Utah Pioneer's visit is sponsored by the Idaho Horse Council. 
The other two mule clones will be off to the races in Winnemucca, Nevada on
June 3-4 at the Winnemucca Mule Races. Idaho Gem, the world's first equine
clone, will test his speed with Idaho Star, his fellow identical triplet
brother.

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Take care, Moscow (you, too, Vandals).

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
UI '96

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails." 
- Unknown