[Vision2020] The UI Friday Letter for September 7, 2007

Fri Sep 7 05:32:07 PDT 2007

Copied and pasted below is the UI Friday Letter for September 7, 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 September 7, 2007

Dear Friends,

Today I focus on the leadership role the University of Idaho holds in
research and creative activity, and the implications of this attribute for
our students, the economy and society. This attribute is at the core of the
current phase of the University's brand marketing campaign theme, "Leading,"
and is integrated with, and complementary to, the three other leading
attributes of education, community and outcomes I presented in last week's
Friday Letter.  

Our funded research portfolio expends nearly $100 million in research grants
and contracts each year. We are proud that the University of Idaho is the
only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation
ranking for high research activity. Of equal importance are the faculty and
students whose creative activity and research does not align with the
interests of funding agencies and foundations, but provide great value to
our society nonetheless.

Our students - undergraduate, graduate and first professional - have the
unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from creative and innovative
faculty in the classroom, studio, laboratory, clinic and field. Our students
are exposed to new ideas years before the knowledge appears in textbooks and
other instructional media. From this cacophony of creative activities come
the ideas and innovations that provide solutions to the problems that
confront society in the global economy. And it is these experiences that
provide our graduates the "Idaho Advantage" as they enter the workforce.

Here is a sampling of the tapestry of the University's leadership in
research and creative activity:

* Three members of the creative writing faculty will publish new books in
2008, including novels by Kim Barnes and Mary Clearman Blew. Professor
Barnes is teaching a course never before offered at the university, in which
second- and third-year Master of Fine Arts students will produce 300-page
working drafts of their own first novels. 

* The College of Law is connecting scholarship with teaching through a major
federal tax law treatise, co-authored by Professor Jack Miller, and through
books and law review volumes, co-edited by Professor Russell Miller. 
Miller's volumes grew from the College's international law symposium.

* Deborah Stenkamp, associate professor of biology, participated in the
formation of the university's Neuroscience Graduate Program. Her research
model uses the development of the eye of zebrafish, and this model recently
has been used by a doctoral student in her laboratory to study the effects
of alcohol on developmental events. 

* Carolyn Hovde Bohach, professor in microbiology, molecular biology and
biochemistry, has produced some of the best data available on E. coli
O157:H7.  Her research focuses on the relationship between healthy cattle
that carry the pathogen and human infection.

* David Giese, professor of art and design, will have his  ninth one-person
exhibition at the O.K. Harris Gallery of Fine Art, a nationally recognized
gallery in New York City. The exhibition, "Recent Excavations from the Villa
Bitrricci: I santuari dei compagni fedeli" will open on December 1 and run
through the first week of January 2008.

* Reactive filtration water treatment technology, developed by Professor
Gregory Möller in environmental chemistry and toxicology, has been cited as
one of "25 Innovations That Changed the World" (2006, Association of
University Technology Managers) and as one of 15 examples of "how Americans
can benefit from their investment in university research through scientific
advances" (2006, The Science Coalition). 

* A team of engineering students is taking "rocket science" to a new level
by competing in the NASA Space Elevator competition, and another group of
students is refining their design for a better monitor to help prevent
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

* College of Business and Economics faculty provide cutting-edge pedagogical
research that advances management education.  Business cases written by
business faculty have been published in leading textbooks and journals, and
faculty are recognized for their work in behavioral aspects of business
decision making and financial markets.

* Michael Kroth assistant professor of adult and organizational learning and
author of "The Manager as Motivator," has been disseminating his research on
leadership development and workplace motivation  through brown-bag lunches
with the Boise business community.  

* Conservation-minded landowners throughout the country are reaping benefits
from a full array of ecological services on their lands thanks to
cutting-edge research on targeted grazing by Professor Karen Launchbaugh in
the College of Natural Resources. Her research, done in partnership with
students, allows landowners to accomplish ecological goals like invasive
species control, reduced fire hazard and improved water quality in streams,
as well as increased profits and long-term sustainability of their lands and
operations. 

A tip of the hat - a proud Vandal hat at that - to all of our colleagues and
students who engage in research and creative activity for providing this
distinctive, leading attribute of our University. I invite you to learn more
about the depth and breadth of our research and creative efforts through the
University's new Web site, www.uidaho.edu.

Tim White
President

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

Fall Semester Enrollment -Statewide enrollment for the University of Idaho
is 11,636, down nine-tenths of 1 percent. On the Moscow campus, enrollment
stands at 10, 549. The university has strong appeal to Idaho residents:
approximately 71 percent of undergraduates and 63 percent of graduate
students come from Idaho.

* New freshmen enrollments are up 1.4 percent, compared to this time last
year;

* New graduate enrollments are up 2 percent;

* New non-degree student enrollments are up 19.1 percent;

* Enrollment at the Coeur d'Alene Center is up 18.7 percent;

* Total students of color enrollment is up 3.75 percent.

For more information, go to www.today.uidaho.edu/details.aspx?id=3966.

Vandal pets can strut their stuff on the catwalk and in the dog run this
year. The Bookstore is adding a more robust line of gear for pets to its
offerings. For Shelby Silflow, assistant manager and buyer with the
University of Idaho Bookstore, the opportunity to add pet gear made sense.
"Companion animals are taking on a new role in family structures," she says.
"For many people, pets are like additional family members. And pet owners
are looking for ways to include their four-footed companions in all aspects
of their lives, including a display of loyalty to one's alma mater." Among
the companion pet-focused gear available at University of Idaho Bookstore
outlets: tees, sweatshirts, jerseys, food dishes, collars, leashes, dog tags
and chew toys. For more information about ordering, call (208) 885-6469 or
visit online www.uivandalgear.com.

Dr. Brian '65 and Gayle '65 Hill of Portland, Oregon, have made a $50,000
gift commitment to the University to provide research fellowships for
undergraduate students in the College of Science. The fellowships will fund
research projects by undergraduates working with faculty members. Dr. Hill
says, "Gayle and I had the opportunity to work with professors in our fields
during our time at the University. It was an invaluable experience for us
and we would like to give other people that opportunity." Scott Wood,
interim dean of the College of Science, says, "We are delighted to accept
the Hills' gift; one of the goals of the college strategic plan is to expand
and improve the opportunities that we offer our majors for transformational
experiences via undergraduate research. The Hills' gift helps us kick off
this strategic initiative with a bang." For more information, contact Eric
Bennett at 208-885-9106 or ebennett at uidaho.edu.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
UI '96

>From the north came a tribe brave and bold . . .

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

"I-D-A-H-O, Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
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