[Vision2020] The UI Friday Letter for February 1, 2008

Fri Feb 1 05:40:52 PST 2008

Copied and pasted below is the UI Friday Letter for February 1, 2008 -

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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
February 1, 2008

Dear Friends,

This week I am delighted to highlight our 2008 inductees into the 
University of Idaho Alumni Association Hall of Fame. These Vandals have 
achieved remarkable national and international distinction through their 
career and leadership accomplishments. We'll induct these great Vandals 
into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony on May 9 as part of our May 
Commencement celebration:

* Dr. Todd Kuiken  - is associate dean of Academic Affairs at the 
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Feinberg School of Medicine and 
director of the Neural Engineering Center for Artificial Limbs at the 
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. As a physician-scientist, Kuiken has 
been a leader in the design and implementation of new prosthetic systems. 
His achievements have improved, and continue to improve, the quality of 
life for amputees. Kuiken majored in biology and mechanical engineering at 
Idaho from 1978-81.

* Otis Livingston '91 - is remembered by Vandal fans for his leadership on 
the basketball court. He helped lead Idaho to the 1990 NCAA Men's 
Basketball Tournament. With his degree in telecommunications, Livingston 
became a sports broadcaster and now is sports anchor for "Today in New 
York" on WNBC-TV in New York. He also has contributed to NBC Sports 
coverage of the NBA and Stanley Cup finals, the World Series, the U.S. 
Open tennis championship and the Athens and Torino Olympic Games.

* Dayaldas T. Meshri '68 - is founder, president and chief executive 
officer of Advanced Research Chemicals based in Catoosa, Oklahoma, and 
with facilities in Mexico and India. The company is one of the world's 
largest producers of custom fluorine-based chemicals. A native of India, 
Meshri earned his doctoral degree in chemistry at Idaho. He also serves on 
the board of directors for the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of 
Science and Technology and is an active philanthropist.

My admiration and congratulations go to these alumni, who embody the 
University of Idaho's "legacy of leading."

Much of the nation has been suffering from large storms this winter, and 
Idaho is no exception. On Thursday, Jan. 31, we closed the University for 
the first time since 1990... we try and avoid closing at all costs. As I 
write this letter, it is not yet clear if additional days of closure will 
be necessary. Our Web site will communicate updates by 6:00 a.m. on 
Friday, Feb. 1.

Our first priority as a student-centered university is to think of the 
impact of such storms on the health, welfare and educational opportunities 
of our students, and of the safety and welfare of our dedicated employees. 
Health and safety issues such as interruptions in heat, food service, 
transportation, parking, etc. - not only on campus but in the surrounding 
community, where employees and some students live and from whence they 
commute - must all be taken into account. Throughout Wednesday night 
information from state and city police, Facilities staff, senior 
university leadership, and weather reports from NOAA (National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration) and other sources were consulted. Once the 
decision to close was made, it was communicated as quickly as technology 
allows, using e-mail, the Web site, the news media and phone calls to 
administrative offices and residence halls.

I want to express my gratitude, on behalf of all the students, faculty and 
staff, to the hard-working staff members who are keeping abreast of this 
storm, as they have all winter long. Our Facilities personnel are 
particularly challenged by this weather, and we want them to know that we 
deeply appreciate their efforts. 

Tim White	
President

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

Jacob "Jake" Leachman '05, '07 has received the 2008 Western Association 
of Graduate Schools (WAGS)/University Microfilms International 
Distinguished Master's Thesis Award. Leachman's thesis, "Fundamental 
Equations of State for Parahydrogen, Normal Hydrogen and Orthohydrogen," 
develops formulations that advance research in hydrogen as an alternative 
fuel. "This award demonstrates that Idaho has first-class faculty with 
first-class research," says Leachman, who worked with mechanical 
engineering professors Richard Jacobsen and Steve Penoncello. Leachman was 
a Richard B. Stewart Scholar at Idaho and earned his bachelor's and 
master's degrees in mechanical engineering. He now is pursuing his 
doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Originally from 
Lewiston, Leachman came to Idaho on a football scholarship.

The National Medal of Arts presented to the Lionel Hampton International 
Jazz Festival is on display in the University Library. The display 
includes a life-sized sculpture of Lionel Hampton standing before his 
actual set of Musser vibraphones. The sculpture is flanked by the 
festival's 2007 National Medal of Arts and Hampton's personal National 
Medal of Arts awarded to him in 1996. Rounding out the display is a 
listening station, which features signature Hampton musical selections 
provided by the University's International Jazz Collections. The display 
is on view Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to midnight through February 18. 
It will be on view in the Kibbie Dome during the jazz festival, February 
20-23. Also, if you would like to be a festival volunteer, contact 
Mickelle Strom at (208) 885-0114 or jazzvolunteer at uidaho.edu. Volunteers 
are needed to help register student groups and manage student performance 
sites. 

Carl '68 and Kirby '68 Dyess of Beaverton, Oregon, recently made a 
generous major gift to the University of Idaho to establish the Dyess 
Faculty Fellowship Endowment
in the College of Science. The endowment will benefit students by helping 
to ensure that the college retains outstanding faculty members. Kirby says 
they made the gift because "having top-notch public universities is 
critical to the future of Idaho and the nation; retaining excellent 
faculty is key."  Carl earned an economics degree at the University and is 
an attorney and business owner. Kirby earned a physics degree and runs her 
own investment firm. She also currently serves as thepresident of the 
Oregon State Board of Higher Education. She was inducted into the 
University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame last May. For information about 
giving to the College of Science, contact Eric Bennett at (208) 885-9106 
or ebennett at uidaho.edu.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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

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