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February 2012
Volume 24
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Boise, Idaho
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First issue free
Top Stories
Sell yourself
Funding troubles solved by selling tissue to donation centers.
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Vote or Die
Voting because it’s the “in” thing is not in our country’s best interest.
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Searching for answers
mct campus
The National Transportation Safety Board examines the wreckage of Steve Appleton’s aircraft at the Boise Airport .
Mourning the loss of a legacy Christina Marfice & Mallory Barker Journalists
Lobos bite Broncos on their home court Saturday, 65-49.
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In a statement released Friday afternoon, Boise State President Bob Kustra lamented the loss of “one of (Boise State’s) own,” Micron Chairman and CEO Steve Appleton. “(Appleton) played a critical role in transforming Boise State into a research university serving the tech economy of Idaho,” Kustra said. “I valued his friendship, his generous support and especially the advice and counsel he provided me personally as we navigated our way through the recent recession.” Since graduating from Boise State with a business management degree in 1982, Appleton has not forgotten his alma mater. Micron and Appleton himself have made numerous contributions to the university
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Micron and Appleton have shown a vested interest in promoting excellence at Boise State and have proven this even beyond monetary gifts. As one of the leading internship providers for Boise State students, Micron has employed 85 students for internship credit in the last five years, said Anne Evans, the assistant director at Boise State’s Career Center. “A lot of our students had or have wonderful careers through Micron and Steve Appleton,” Evans said. In addition to internships, Micron partners with Boise State’s Extended Studies program to offer classes at its facilities. “Extended Studies works with Micron to identify courses which have direct application to Micron’s workforce,” said Larry Bierle, coordinator for Micron at Boise State Extended Studies. The classes are offered at
times convenient for Micron employees to attend, and having classes on site at Micron saves students the time it would take to travel to campus. Micron also offers assistance paying tuition for its employees who study at Boise State, further promoting higher education for its workforce, and according to Micron’s Education Program Coordinator, Paula Smith, employees are taking advantage of the incentives to study. “This semester we have three BSU classes onsite,” Smith said. “In the three BSU classes, 19 of the 33 students are Micron employees.” Flying small planes had been a longtime hobby of Appleton’s and a desert crash in 2004 caused many to wonder how his potentially dangerous hobby might affect Micron. Appleton played as hard as he worked, a contributing factor in his death in the crash of
a small plane at Boise Airport. Following the 2004 accident, in which Appleton sustained minor injuries, the Idaho Statesman reported that Micron executives had a plan in place to ensure a smooth transition in leadership should it ever become necessary. According to a statement on Micron’s website, “(Mark) Durcan, in his role as president of the company will assume the responsibilities of CEO until a successor is appointed by the Board of Directors.” Durcan announced last week that he intended to resign from his role as president in August. When asked whether Micron already had a plan in place addressing succession of leadership within the firm, Micron representatives declined to comment, saying only that the company would release further information as soon as it became available.
Boise State is going abroad Amy Merrill
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and from the Appleton Tennis Complex to the Micron Business and Economics Building, his legacy can be seen from one end of campus to the other. In May 2011, Micron donated $13 million for the development of a docotorate program in the engineering department, marking the largest single charitable gift in Boise State’s history. “We really appreciate the ongoing support Micron and Appleton have given to Boise State University,” said Amy Moll, interim dean and professor of the materials science engineering department. “I appreciate Steve Appleton and Micron’s contributions to the program,” said Kosette Leperi, an 18-year old freshman majoring in materials science and engineering. “He will live on through all those who have or will benefit from his generous donations.”
Four of Boise State’s own are packing their bags and taking off abroad. They are this year’s recipients of the Faculty International Development Award (FIDA). Sponsored by University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), the four staff members will receive a grant covering tuition, field trips and a stipend up to $1,500 to cover air travel. FIDA encourages university faculty and staff without language experience to apply to foster language studies. Upon returning to Boise State, the travel recipients will share their experiences with students through brown bag lecture series and conversation encouraging others to become involved with the study abroad program and the benefits it provides. Michael Porter, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities will be studying in Luneburg, Germany. He emphasized his craving to make new connections. He said he hopes to meet people who can help foster more travel in the music de-
partment and create opportunities for students. “The world is much larger … to actually physically see that, to physically smell what it’s like in this beautiful church … it helps humble students and gives them a greater appreciation to their place in humanity,” Porter said. Porter briefly discussed Boise State’s study abroad program, calling it fantastic. He encourages students who feel financially held back to discuss their options with the study abroad program. “They won’t regret it,” Porter said. Kathleen Tuck, assistant director, publications for the department of communication and marketing is going to be spending five weeks in Viterbo, Italy. She will set up a blog for the travelers to post updates and experiences from their travels. Tuck said students can check Update on BroncoWeb for blog information in the future. Tuck discussed her reasoning behind her selection of Italy by expressing a vibrant love for history. “(I wanted) to get a sense of
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Assistant Professor of art Dan Scott won a travel grant to Viterbo, Italy. time and monumental things happening … to be able to walk on streets that are over a thousand years old and to go to Rome and see the Coliseum and the Vatican,” she said. For Tuck, these are the places she must experience, which led to her decision to study in Italy. Dan Scott with the department of art will also be heading to Vertibo, Italy for the first session and has been using Rosetta Stone to try to pick up some Italian. He joked that “it’s terrifying” and explained that coming from Texas he has a “lazy
southern tongue” making Italian very difficult for him. He is reveling in the thought of filling the role of a student while abroad and dedicating his time to learning. He cautions students of the danger of putting things off for the future. “You never get the same opportunity again,” he said. “Regret is toxic.” Don Warner, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry will be studying in Bilbao, Spain. He has tried to place himself in the shoes of a student, not only when selecting Bilbao, but in his consider-
ation for class selection as well. Warner didn’t completely expect to be an award recipient and his reaction was a mix of nerves and excitement as he contemplated his summer. “When I was trying to think about study abroad I was trying to think about it from a student’s prospective … what would a science major do? So I selected a place that offered science-related classes,” Warner said. For more information, students can visit the campus office in the Academic and Career Services Building, 1464 University Drive, room 114. arbiteronline.com