[Vision2020] BYU-Idaho Enrollment

Wed Oct 4 23:53:39 PDT 2006

Donovan,
You have great points.  For a little perspective, our family hosted Murali 
Reddy, a gifted student from India.  Murali received a MS in chemistry for 
UI.  Nick Geier knows Murali and his wife Brinda well.  Brinda received her 
Phd in microbiology from UI.  Both are brilliant and very productive.  Nick 
has visted theri families in India.  Recently, Murali has become an 
American citizen.  He is the lead chemist at AVI Biopharma in Corvallis, 
Oregon.  I wish they could have stayed here.

President White is familiar with AVI Biopharma.  What this small 120 
employee company has done is outstanding.  They have developed NEUGENE 
Antisense drugs.  They received $11 million from the Bush administration 
Jan.06 to start human clinical trials in conjuction with Stanford 
U.  Antisense compounds block selected gene targets. The trick is to have 
the antisense penetrate the cell, not hurt the host and deactivate the 
virus. They work  on such things in non human primates on SARS, EBOLA, 
Avian Flu, Hepatitis C, West Nile, Dengue and a host of other RNA 
virus'.  Our community needs to awaken to UI/WSU's potential and the folks 
such as this couple we "export." The market for these drugs in a multi 
Billion dollar affair.  Murali believes this break through is the 
equivalent of the development of anitbiotics.  Last time I checked in, 11 
clinical trials have been completed and 4 more are ongoing.  They have also 
developed therapies for Anthrax and ricin toxin.   Moscow has to make the 
choice for moving forward or  accept decline.  Jerry

At 02:30 AM 10/1/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:
>Jerry,
>
>I couldn't agree more. The Stalwarts of Moscow find an excuse to stop 
>every business and bit of growth in Moscow that it can.
>
>Moscow needs to develop all the land between Troy Highway and Palouse 
>River Dr., it needs to develop all the space between Wal-Mart to northern 
>Moscow, and all the area between Moscow and Genessee, taking advantage of 
>the new highway.
>
>UI has lost a great deal of students for two reasons. First, the job 
>market is strong with more jobs available then workers making higher 
>education and debt unnecessary. The second is that most of our foreign 
>exchange students are not coming to the US because countries like India 
>and China are building their own state of art colleges and universities.
>
>
>I think the best way to boost enrollment would be to create a Indian 
>Institute of Technology Satellite Branch here in Moscow as part of UI. 
>There are 8 IITs in India. Those eight are the leading technological 
>institutes in the world. If we built a branch here, we would automatically 
>become the leading technology school in the West. That could boost our 
>enrollment another 3,000 students, easily, and plant the seeds for 
>technology based businesses in the community because they would have the 
>workers here already. Technology based businesses usually are much cleaner 
>and pay better than other types of businesses. Further, it would turn UI 
>in the leading technology research institute in the West.
>
>Most Indian graduate students, and those familiar with IIT agree with this 
>would be a huge and productive step for UI and the local economy. I just 
>don't see it happening though because UI and Moscow are so against any 
>type of growth and productivity.
>
>Best,
>
>_DJA
>
>Jerry Weitz <gweitz at moscow.com> wrote:
>UI needs a boost with a business/ed research park similar to say Chapel
>Hill, N.C.. WSU/Pullman/IU/Moscow are the assets. As Ed Schweitzer
>said, we live in a sea of land and a declining population. Schweitzer
>Engineering has a challenge in recruitment and expansion due to the lack of
>housing and population. Schweitzer has said that his company in not in the
>real estate business, yet had to develop over 90 acres for housing. The no
>growth folks are hurting the UI, our area's potential, and Schweitzer.
>
>The UI is down 737 students state wide, with a decline of 628 at the
>Moscow campus. BSU is up 277 to 18,876 (BSU has increased enrollment 9 out
>of the last 10 years). BYU/Idaho is up 1220 students. Within five years,
>at present growth rates, BYU/Idaho will see 20,000 students and within 10
>years 30,000. Recall, BYU/Idaho with President Kim Clark, the immediate
>former dean of Harvard Business School, has three imperitives: 1) Vastly
>increase enrollment, 2) vastly improve educational quality, and 3) keep
>relative educational costs down. Note that BYU/Provo turns away
>qualifiedsutdents-- about as many that apply.. I would guess: one of the
>church's motives for expansion. BYU/Provo is a high educational quality
>school. UI will most likely benefit at the graduate level due to BYU/Idaho
>enrollment increases and mostly likely will see a decline in LDS kids at
>the undergraduate level.
>
>ISU has lost about10% this year ( a decline of over 1200 ). UI officials
>anticipated that its Twin Falls campus would suffer large declines and made
>the right move to transfer out. Presently, UI's commendable response is
>to place a lot of effort into recruitment and quality, however all Idaho
>Public Universities will following suit and the competition will be
>strong. The result may be little net gain.
>
>There will be a push by UI to have a strong presence in CDA. Presently,
>for example, CDA has been begging UI for a MBA program in their
>area. Money is the issue.. Gonzaga has filled the MBA role so far and is
>expensive. The MBA needs to be tailored for the working professional.
>
>Here is the challange: If the community keeps up with its petty politics,
>such as stopping safe highways, serving an eviction notice to the
>Alternative High School, not dealing with water and other
>infrastructure..schools, losing its commerical base to the Pullman
>corridor, then the UI will have to accept declines in status, funding, and
>enrollment. It will be like Ohio University vs Ohio State University in
>dealing with BSU. All of higher ed will now have to compete with k-12 if
>the economy softens due to the sales tax shift.
>Boise will get a community college and should.. adding more competition for
>the ed dollar.
>
>Yet, there exists a tremendous potential here on the Palouse for a robust
>economy and thriving Universities. Think of the possiblities in
>alternative energy, global warming solutions (after all the ozone layer has
>almost been restored), agriculture, water, etc. and the spin off's. Think
>of how much value Schweitzer Engineering has added to humankind and this
>area. Think of how the UI's reputation would be enhanced..the MIT of the
>west. The Palouse Universities have the potential of being defining 21th
>Century institutions. The community must embrace growth and change (the
>only constant).
>
>Now Tom, what are you going to do and what postion are you going to
>take? Jerry
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 04:12 PM 9/26/06, Tom Trail wrote:
> >Visionaires:
> >
> >One should keep an eye on the enrollment trends in S.E. Idaho. The
> >enrollment at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg is over 15,000, and experts predict
> >that within a few years it will overtake BSU and thus become the largest
> >institution of higher learning in Idaho. The 9% drop in enrollment at
> >ISU may be partially attributed competition with BYU-Idaho.
> >
> >Rep. Tom Trail
> >--
> >Dr. Tom Trail
> >International Trails
> >1375 Mt. View Rd.
> >Moscow, Id. 83843
> >Tel: (208) 882-6077
> >Fax: (208) 882-0896
> >e mail ttrail at moscow.com
> >
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