[Vision2020] The UI Friday Letter from UI President Tim White (January 26, 2007)

[Tom Hansen]

Copied and pasted below is the UI Friday Letter from UI President Tim White
for January 26, 2007.

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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 Jan. 26, 2007

Dear Friends,

At Tuesday's Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) presentation in
Boise, the University of Idaho delegation brought powerful stories and
statistics about the quality of the University's programs, people, outcomes
and impact to state legislators. I want to share some of those points of
pride with you here. Please share these distinctive strengths of Idaho's
only land-grant institution in your conversations around the state and
nation.

The University of Idaho:

* is the only university in the state, and one of just five in the region
and 103 in the nation, classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching as a research university with "high" research
activity;

* researchers expended more than $100 million in the last year;

* through its contributions, including research, has quantified a $1.5
billion economic impact on the state;

* has enrolled 14 of Idaho's 15 new National Merit Scholars who are among
the top 1 percent of students in the nation;

* has enrolled 367 Presidential Scholars who represent the top 4 percent in
the nation for scores on the ACT and SAT;

* saw a 23 percent increase in the number of degrees granted (2,694) this
year;

* has a six-year graduation rate of 57 percent for all students, which is
significantly higher than other state institutions;

* leads all state institutions in retaining students after their freshman
year with a 78 percent retention rate;

* attracted 37 percent of its freshman class this year direct from high
school as first- generation college students. This is a particular point of
pride for me as the son of immigrants and as a first-generation college
graduate myself.

In addition, we presented our FY2007-08 budget priorities to JFAC. The
priorities include faculty and staff compensation, funding to maintain
current operations, deferred maintenance and life safety funding, student
financial aid and research support. You can view the entire JFAC
presentation online at http://www.president.uidaho.edu/InTheMedia.
 	
Tim White
President

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

Recent College of Engineering graduate Matthew Benke '03, '05, is the
National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology's (NIATT) Student
of the Year. He was chosen for his excellence in research, academic
performance, professionalism and leadership. Benke earned bachelor's degrees
in mathematics and computer science and an honors program certificate in
2003 and a master's degree in computer science in 2005. He continued his
research with NIATT on secure intelligent transportation systems into 2006.
Benke was honored at the annual Council of University Transportation Centers
banquet Jan. 21 in Washington, D.C. He received a cash award and an
expenses-paid trip to the Transportation Research Board meeting.

The University has implemented new policies and practices to improve
computer security university-wide. The University's Computer Use Policy has
been amended to make it clear that all sensitive personal information used
by employees in the course of their work shall be stored only on secure
network drives and that no employee may store such personal information on
hard drives, absent specific approval consistent with the policy. The
University also will be examining the use of personal information by offices
and will require the installation of encryption programs on computing and
storage devices as recommended by ITS. The amended Computer Use Policy may
be viewed at http://www.uihome.uidaho.edu/default.aspx?pid=84815.

Virginia "Ginger" Minor Rankin '06 has established an endowment to provide
scholarships to deserving minority students in the Theatre Arts program.
Ginger, a 2006 M.F.A Theatre Arts graduate, recognizes the University's
commitment to a diverse student population. It is Rankin's feeling that
theatre has the unique opportunity to move through time and space, to cross
barriers of gender, race, ethnicity and age, and to glean the best of all
worlds. "We are richer as a people when we are inclusive. We are mutually
richer as individuals when we share what we have," said Rankin. For more
information about giving to Theatre Arts, please contact Jennie Hall at
jenniej at uidaho.edu, (208) 885-5013 or visit www.uidaho.edu/givetoidaho.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Take care, Vandals.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
UI '96

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

"Here We Have Idaho"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/HWHI.mp3

"I-D-A-H-O Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Vandals.mp3