Here We Have Idaho - Fall 2017

Here We Have

FALL 2017

GO ON, IDAHO

UI transforms how students access education

90%

of UI students have a job or plans for continuing education by graduation.

—The Outcomes Survey

UI offers more top-ranked programs than any other university in the state. And while we’re incredibly proud of that, we’re equally proud of what our students do after they graduate. They find meaningful careers, make new scientific discoveries and change the world for the better. Learn more at uidaho.edu.

Moscow | Boise | Coeur d’Alene | Idaho Falls

University of Idaho magazine | Fall 2017

Here We Have

On the cover: University of Idaho President Chuck Staben and ASUI President McKenzie MacDonald lead new students from the Kibbie Dome to the Administration Building during the traditional Vandal Walk on Aug. 20, 2017.

Photo by Melissa Hartley

In Every Issue 3 4 40

From the President News Gems Meet the New Leadership 41 Class Notes 49 Vandal Snapshot

Features

6 IKEEP 10 Higher Education, One Click Away

13 Veronica Bridges 14 A Competitive Edge 16 Distance Learner Gives Back 18 Making Law School Dreams a Reality

20 Training Future Advocates 22 Global Perspective 23 Selso Gallegos 24 A Chance at Success 27 Meeting Students Where They Are

28 Voices of Idaho:

Emma Atchley

29 Gabriella Garcia 32 The Idaho AD Club Surges On 34 Her Best Self 36 Raising the Pennant 38 Ericka Rupp

uidaho.edu/magazine

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Here We Have Idaho The University of Idaho Magazine Fall 2017 • Volume 34, Number 1 President Chuck Staben Vice President for Advancement Mary Kay McFadden ’80 Executive Director Communications and Marketing Stefany Bales ’96 Executive Director Office of Alumni Relations Kathy Barnard ’81 Alumni Association President E. Whitney Johnson ’80 University of Idaho Foundation Chair Karen Gowland ’81, ’84 Editor Savannah Tranchell ’08 Creative Director Emily Mowrer Class Notes Editor Annis Shea ’86 Writers and Contributors Brad Gary Brian Keenan Kate Keenan Amy Calabretta ’03 Holly Funk Christina Lords ’09 Joshua Nishimoto ’09 Jamie Wagner ’94 Photography UI Photo Services Melissa Hartley Joe Pallen ’96 Drew Nash Mark Vandersys, Pixellight Right: The sun rises over the University of Idaho campus in July 2017.

Photo by Joe Pallen

For detailed information about federal funding for programs mentioned in this magazine, see the online version of the relevant story at uidaho.edu/magazine.

The University of Idaho is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and educational institution. © 2017, University of Idaho Here We Have Idaho magazine is published twice per year. The magazine is free to alumni and friends of the university.

For address changes and subscription information, visit uidaho.edu/alumni/stay-connected.

Contact the editor at UIdahoMagazine@uidaho.edu.

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From the

PRESIDENT ver the past year I’ve had the opportunity to visit Idaho high schools and talk with students about going to college. I heard a lot of excitement about the future — young women and men looking forward to the adventure of growing as people, gaining new skills and launching themselves into a fulfilling career. I’ve also heard trepidation, mostly centered on things like cost and confusion about process. That’s not surprising — the state of Idaho lags in college-going rates, and the challenges that drive those rates pop up when talking to our secondary students, even the most well-prepared.

Why does that matter so much to the University of Idaho? Our role as a great research university with a land-grant heritage and mission means we have a special charge to serve the students of Idaho and beyond. That means being a leader not just in academic excellence and in graduate outcomes, but also in access and affordability so that more students can benefit from that excellence. Postsecondary education is the pathway to a great future for most people in this day and age — whether a professional certificate or a four-year degree, extended training is the ticket to lifelong success. Higher education is also a more affordable

investment than many realize, one that pays off many times over throughout a lifetime.

UI has placed renewed focus on communicating the value of the college experience — and the degree that comes with it — while making our processes easier to navigate. You’ll read about some of that work in the pages of this issue of Here We Have Idaho magazine: the Direct Admissions program in collaboration with the State Board of Education, the creation of our Student Success Initiative, the focus on non-traditional learning and the expansion of key programs statewide.

Knowing that Vandal excellence doesn’t stop at the state line, we’re reaching out beyond Idaho with a partnership to increase our international footprint, as well as expanding the Western Undergraduate Exchange program for Washington, Oregon and Alaska residents. Our alumni are joining us in these efforts, sharing their UI experience and professional success with potential students and their families.

Importantly for me, in this issue you’ll meet some of our students who faced their own challenges and hurdles in getting to college. But they persevered, and I am proud that our institution rewarded their courage. I hope you’ll find their stories as inspiring as I do. If we keep working hard, and keep thinking outside the box, I am confident that in the near future we’ll be reading the stories of some of the young people I met in Moscow and in Sandpoint. I am confident they will be joined by many others, from Meridian or Soda Springs, Mountain Home or St. Maries, and from all of our 50 states and abroad.

Chuck Staben, President

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NEWS GEMS UI launched its first-ever

CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM in 2017 to help fund student projects and programs. U&I Give raised over $35,000 and completely funded each student-led campaign. Look for another round of student-led crowdfunding campaigns in need of your support coming this fall. Learn more at uidaho.edu/uandigive.

Are you in the

VANDAL VIRTUAL CHOIR? Check out our video of alums giving it their all for the UI fight song, and be sure to join in next year! uidaho.edu/govandalsgo

The Department of Theatre Arts won

NATIONAL AWARDS from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for the production “Medea: Her Story.” Awards included a special achievement in performance for faculty member Kelly Quinnett. uidaho.edu/theatre

Senior Dylan Champagne wrote and directed a new score for the 1925 silent film “Phantom of the Opera.”

The composition was performed live with the film in Spokane in April. uidaho.edu/music

UI awarded former governor Dirk Kempthorne an honorary doctorate for his service to the state and nation. uidaho.edu/class

In 2017, UI celebrated the

50TH ANNIVERSARY Buzzfeed ranked our Moscow campus the

MOST BEAUTIFUL college campus in Idaho. #GoVandals

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of the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival with thousands of students on campus for workshops, competitions and world-class jazz musicians. uidaho.edu/jazzfest

News and feature stories from around the state. Read more articles at uidaho.edu/news or follow the University of Idaho on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

1,500 Congratulations to the nearly

VINTAGE VANDAL

University of Idaho Vandal graduates who crossed the finish line this spring. We look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future — go for the gold! #GoVandals #Commencement facebook.com/uidahopresident

Are you ready to #RaisetheBar with the Vandal football team this fall? Don’t miss a moment!

Govandals.com

A cutting-edge, interdisciplinary partnership between the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and the University of Idaho Library brought 21st century digital technology to the hands and minds of faculty, staff and students in the 2016-17 academic year through the Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning, which is aimed at providing and advancing digital scholarship resources and opportunities. cdil.lib.uidaho.edu

In September, UI dedicated a portion of the Paradise Path bicycle trail through campus in honor of alumna and Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong Savola.

Armstrong was named a 2017 Idaho Business Review Woman of the year, along with 11 other Vandal alumni. uidaho.edu/ed

Joe Vandal was able to get in on the livestock judging competition! #uicals

Last spring, UI received its first

LEED GOLD

certifications for sustainable design for two building projects: the $52 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) and the $17 million College of Education renovation.

uidaho.edu/news 5

In d i ge n o u s K n ow l e d ge fo r Ef fe c t i ve Ed u c at i o n Prog ra m

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College of Education program helps indigenous teachers use their culture to improve learning outcomes for Native students

By Brad Gary | Photos by Joe Pallen s a young girl in elementary school, JayLynn Rogers was proud to count to 10 in her native language.

But as an Iñupiaq Eskimo in Alaska, Rogers grew up in classrooms filled with mostly white students and white teachers, and that pride in her language wasn’t always shared.

Being discouraged from speaking her native tongue was one of many experiences that spurred her desire to teach music education to Alaska Native students in the villages that make up the 49th state.

“Growing up, I didn’t have role models who were Native,” said Rogers, 19, a sophomore music education major in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) at the University of Idaho. She wants to better herself so she can be the best example possible for her fellow indigenous students.

Jessica Matsaw has a similar goal. A senior finishing her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology in CLASS, Matsaw wants to take what she’s learned at UI

and apply it as a teacher on the Fort Hall Reservation in southeastern Idaho.

Rogers and Matsaw are among a small group of Native American students at UI who are learning the best ways to serve Native communities through a cultural lens as part of the Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program (IKEEP), run through the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS).

Eight IKEEP students spent time in Moscow last summer – working with Native students, building trust among each other, studying the research on indigenous education and meeting with representatives from the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce tribes. The four-week Indigenous Pedagogies Summer Institute focused on teaching with cultural and linguistic strengths in mind so Native students can one day serve tribal communities.

The summer institute was just the beginning. Rogers, Matsaw and the rest of the students in their cohort will meet regularly for the rest of their college careers to discuss education in Native communities.

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An Iñupiaq Eskimo from Alaska, JayLynn Rogers wants to help young children feel proud of who they are.

Embracing Culture

Jessica Matsaw, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe, wants to teach secondary education in art.

Rogers, a second-generation Vandal, is proud of where she came from. She wants others to feel the same way.

“This program, it’s embracing my culture,” she said.

“And it’s getting to know my culture and getting to know the people in the community.”

During a trip the cohort made to a fourth-grade class at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal School in De Smet, Rogers was able to see firsthand the positive reaction from tribal students to having a Native teacher.

“After I left, I felt really good about what I did that day, and what I was able to do,” Rogers said of the visit, where she worked with the students and helped administer a spelling test. “I was looking at their textbook. I had the kids explain to me what they were doing. I was there to make sure they knew how to solve the math problem.”

The IKEEP students receive loans to cover tuition and expenses through a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education. The loans are forgiven if the students work in an indigenous education program for the equivalent of 22 months.

Vanessa Anthony-Stevens, an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in CEHHS, is one of the co-principal investigators of the program.

To join, the students must be a member of or descendant from a federally recognized tribe, as well as demonstrate a commitment to culturally responsive education.

Most tribal youth go to school off their home reservation or in a facility not controlled by a tribal government, 8

IDAHO | FALL 2017

Anthony-Stevens said, so it’s important those students see Native teachers in their classrooms — and that those teachers create curriculums for the individual schools based on local cultural language, values and history.

One goal of this program is to contextualize education.

Instruction is not just the discussion and multiplication of fractions — it’s about learning how and why different skills and ideas matter in the world around us, Anthony-Stevens said.

“Allowing communities and students to engage in articulating why education matters for them helps contextualize learning for all students,” she said.

Rogers and Matsaw agree the one-size-fits-all way they were taught doesn’t necessarily fit the cultural values of each tribe or Native community.

“We have this idea that education has to be a certain way,” Matsaw said, even though all classrooms are different.

Each of the students in the cohort is from a different community, bringing a differing perspective on how best to embrace a tribe’s individual culture while teaching concepts all students must learn.

Honoring Students

Matsaw is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe and sees the concepts she’s learning through IKEEP as tools for her “tool belt” when she begins teaching. The 30-year-old

Providing Access to Education Being a good mother and good relative to my tribal community is my life’s work.

Jessica Matsaw

will earn her bachelor’s this fall and plans to pursue a graduate degree in education with teaching certification. She wants to teach secondary education in art.

“I feel like art is a nice place to highlight our cultural backgrounds as well,” she said. “Our culture is art. That’s the best way I can honor my students.”

Matsaw also feels drawn toward sociology and social work, which are areas of expertise she wants to take back to her tribal community. There is a big call within the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe for the youth to go out and earn degrees, then return for the betterment of the community.

For those leaving the reservation to pursue education, Matsaw said her tribe’s elders challenge them on two things: “One: They remind us to come back home. Two: What knowledge will I bring back that will help our tribe?”

The first member of her family to graduate college, Matsaw wants to be there for her four children and her community as a teacher in Fort Hall.

“I am invested in the education system because I am a mother and member of my community, and education impacts both,” Matsaw said. “Being a good mother and good relative to my tribal community is my life’s work.”

She’s also realizing that she doesn’t have to compromise who she is as a teacher, or the education itself, as she incorporates Shoshone-Bannock culture into her teachings. They complement each other.

“I’m learning all these things, I’m really excited to go back home,” she said.

IKEEP is one of many programs offered by the University of Idaho to help Native American students gain access to a college education. Others include: n Helping Orient Indian Students and Teachers into STEM (HOIST) is a sixweek college preparatory program held each summer for 15-20 Native American high school students who have demonstrated potential in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields.

Students learn through project-based math, English and science classes, as well as activities and presentations put on

by UI researchers, instructors and other professionals. n The Indigenous Mentors Program in the College of Graduate Studies supports Native American and Alaska Native students seeking advanced degrees in STEM fields. The program helps train mentors at UI who work with Native students in culturally relevant practices. n Indigenous STEM Research and Graduate Education or ISTEM, is supported by a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant aims to create a national network of institutions that collaborate to increase the number of Native American students who enter and complete master’s and doctoral programs in STEM fields.

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[HIGHER EDUCATION, ONE CLICK AWAY]

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With more than 30 online degree programs, UI is helping students achieve their academic goals from wherever they may be

By Savannah Tranchell | Photo by Drew Nash

andi Thompson got her first email address in 1995. It was her student email at the University of Idaho.

Today, Thompson is working toward her master’s degree from UI in a program that is completely online. It’s a long way from where she started.

“I was really nervous about the whole concept of online education,” she said. “To have my entire master’s experience be web-based — I had a really hard time understanding how that would even work. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to interact with classmates and professors.”

Thompson is one of the thousands of Idahoans who want to start or continue their education without moving to Moscow. To meet that demand, UI now offers 31 online degree programs, nine bachelor’s programs and 22 graduate programs, as well as six online certificates.

Thompson is among the first cohort of students enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program, one of the only online MPA programs nationally to focus on rural governments and towns, said Professor Brian Ellison, MPA program director in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS).

That’s just the type of education Thompson needs in order to pursue her goal of working in city administration. She has worked as the grant and community relations manager for the city of Twin Falls since 2013. Her husband owns a law practice in Twin Falls and the couple have three young boys.

Moving to Moscow to earn an MPA wasn’t an option, and Thompson said other online programs that focused on state and federal government didn’t appeal to her.

“I appreciate that the university recognizes the changing landscape of higher education and the value of online programs to nontraditional students. I would have not been able to pursue my master’s at UI any other way,” Thompson said. “I am a Vandal at heart and love being a student again, even if it’s completely different than the first time around.”

Supply and Demand The university is being deliberate about which programs to develop online, and CLASS has been leading the charge in developing programs in response to industry and community demand, said Andrew Kersten, college dean.

The college launched six online programs last year: five bachelor’s and one master’s. CLASS now offers seven online programs total.

“Growing our enrollment is about meeting the students where they want to be met. For some, that is on campus, for others it’s in the farm fields in southern Idaho,” said John Wiencek, provost and executive vice president.

To develop the Master of Public Administration program, Ellison met with city supervisors and managers across the state to find out what their needs were and how UI could offer a program that would help city employees advance their careers.

“I just started meeting with people, piecing together what it is we can do; what kind of service we can provide the state,” Ellison said. “The reason I wanted to come to this university is I’m committed to the land-grant outreach mission.”

The program’s specialization on rural community needs makes it unique and competitive in the online marketplace.

“We designed a program specifically for place-bound, small community supervisors and managers in counties and cities,” he said. “There’s a huge opportunity for us to do something relevant that’s important for these places.”

The creation of the online sociology bachelor’s degree emphasizing criminology also is in response to community demand. The state lacked any fully online criminology baccalaureate programs, said Joseph De Angelis, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology who helped create the program.

“One of the things that Idaho is doing a good job at is finding ways to get students into community colleges to finish their associate degrees,” he said. “But one of the difficulties that the state faces is that it’s hardest for their students to finish their bachelor’s degree in a field related to criminology. So we thought there was a space where we could create an online criminology degree that would reach people who can’t afford to relocate or uproot their families to move to Moscow.”

People who could benefit from a bachelor’s in criminology include working police officers, investigators or victim advocates who would like to seek a promotion or higher-paying position but don’t have a four-year degree.

Some cities are also looking at helping employees cover the cost of their degrees in order to decrease job turnover, Kersten said.

The city of Twin Falls offers assistance to those wanting uidaho.edu/class/online 11

to continue their education, said City Manager Travis Rothweiler. He encouraged Thompson to pursue her MPA. “Anytime we can take those extra steps to invest in our employees, they return that investment in time, in knowledge, in skills, in ability enhancement. Really, it’s a small investment on our part. We often get back much more than the few dollars we put toward their education,” Rothweiler said.

umbrella.”

Kersten is excited to see online The University of Idaho offers nine offerings expand at UI. Over the online undergraduate degrees, 22 past year, the college has been online graduate degrees, and six busy tweaking its new programs in online certificates. response to student feedback. The college also hired new faculty to Bachelor’s degrees are offered in: support the programs, as well as advin General Studies sors specifically for online students. n Psychology To help faculty members transin Sociology – Criminology tion to the new model, CLASS offers emphasis an Online Teaching Academy that n Organizational Sciences helps faculty adapt their classes and n History teach in an online environment, in which the faculty member acts more Master’s degrees are offered in the as a facilitator of knowledge than a colleges of: lecturer. n Letters, Arts and Social Sciences “We have faculty members who n Natural Resources grew up in the era where you didn’t Offering more alternative methods n Science take online classes. That’s changing,” for earning a college degree at the n Engineering Kersten said. “The wonderful thing undergraduate and graduate level is n Education, Health and Human about teaching in college is that the a key part of UI’s strategic plan and Sciences classroom’s your refuge. You lose statewide mission as a land-grant n Art and Architecture yourself in it. You have that call and institution. response. With an online class, you “The different kinds of delivery have to think out every minute of opportunities for education are the class and prebuild it. Instead of important — from online opportunities to distance educaa sage guiding a group of students through material, you’re tion, and having our centers in Coeur d’Alene and Boise and actually leading from the rear. You’re trying to foster what’s Idaho Falls. We are able to go to where our students are, happening in front of you.” and be able to serve them and not expect everybody to have As more students enroll in the courses, CLASS also is to come to Moscow,” said Dean Kahler, vice provost for adapting to make the programs fit the needs. For example, Strategic Enrollment Management. “That’s really important.

Kersten said, the college will be offering a part-time option When a student maybe has a great job opportunity in Idaho for students interested in the MPA program to be more flexFalls straight out of high school, they don’t want to pick up ible for those who may be working full time or have other and move to Moscow. For us to be able to deliver courses at a commitments. distance or online, that’s a really important thing for us.”

Being an online student, mother and employee is a “Online education offers our working professionals an challenge, said Thompson, who is taking two classes per option that meets them where they are — both in terms of semester and will complete her degree after three years in place as well as time, given their busy schedules and family the program. demands,” agreed Wiencek.

“You have to be committed and understand that you’re As UI expands its online offerings, the university is also going to sacrifice your own time and time with your family,” considering how to organize the programs in a way that Thompson said. But despite the sacrifices, she’s still enjoying makes sense for students. the program and what it means for her future. “I think it “We’re putting a lot of work into online programs. It’s sets a good example for my kids. It’s teaching them that it is got to be that one stop where prospective students can go never too late to learn. I earned my bachelor’s 17 years ago, to a UI distance education portal and see what programs and while going back was scary, it has also been extremely are available and get all the services that they would need,” rewarding. I am a totally different student, with a lot of life Kahler said. “They need to go to that portal, see what’s availexperience to enhance what I am learning in my classes. I’m able, see how to get admitted, get financial aid, how to get excited to see how this will affect my career and the opporadvised and register. All of those things need to be under one tunities it will create.”

Expanding Opportunities

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uidaho.edu/class/online

EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN PATH, AND WE’RE ALL ON OUR JOURNEYS. THIS IS MINE.

By Savannah Tranchell | Photo by Melissa Hartley

W

hen Veronica Bridges began classes at the University of Idaho this fall, the academic junior was 38. But the San Francisco native and first-generation college student wasn’t about to let age be a barrier.

“I don’t really feel like I fit whatever an almost 40-yearold person should be like,” Bridges said. “I still feel pretty youthful myself.”

Bridges is a transfer student into the College of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources program, and her educational journey has been as broad as her geographic one.

Bridges’ parents are from El Salvador, and she and her husband of 10 years, Matthew, have lived along the Pacific Coast from Baja, Mexico, to Northern California to Alaska, where Matthew works three-week-long shifts in the oil fields. Bridges always had an interest in working with animals. She worked on an Alaska Department of Fish and Game project to reintroduce wood bison to the wilderness. As part of the veterinary team, Bridges monitored the sedated animals’ vital signs.

“After that, I realized I wanted to work with wildlife, maybe in conservation,” Bridges said. She enrolled at the University of Alaska, and transferred to an online program at Oregon State after the couple moved to Hagerman in recent years.

She applied to UI to get a more hands-on educational experience. She got a financial bonus, too.

“I didn’t know when I was applying, but learned after that UI offers transfer students scholarships depending on your GPA,” said Bridges, who has paid for all her schooling out-of-pocket. “To possibly graduate debt-free is huge for me.”

She is excited for the opportunity to focus full time on schooling and pursue her dreams, wherever they may take her next.

“I’ve done a lot of really cool stuff so far, just in the different places I’ve gotten to live,” Bridges said. “Here I am now. Everyone has their own path, and we’re all on our journeys. This is mine.”

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A COMPETITIVE EDGE

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By Kate Keenan

Dual-credit computer science course brings in-demand training to high schoolers statewide

orth Idaho’s high-tech industry is swelling, with startup companies and Silicon Valley offshoots opening in the region in droves.

It’s an exciting transformation for the state’s panhandle, which has traditionally relied on the natural resources industry and tourism to fuel its economy.

But for Idaho’s tech industry to thrive, it needs a skilled workforce.

This fall, the University of Idaho is leading an effort to engage those potential workers earlier than ever, with a new computer programming course for high school students statewide.

As an added benefit, those students will receive college credit for the course without paying a penny in tuition.

The Course

CS 112: Computational Thinking and Problem Solving was designed in 2014 for UI computer science majors in the College of Engineering, while also providing basic programming knowledge to interested non-majors.

Computer science faculty decided the entry-level course was also a good fit for high school students, and in 2015, faculty members led a training at UI Coeur d’Alene on how to teach the dual-credit course.

Among the participants in the class was Nanette Brothers, a Sandpoint High School math teacher. After going through the UI Computer Science Department’s certification process, she enticed 11 Sandpoint students to enroll in the class.

This summer, UI expanded its CS 112 workshops, offering weeklong training sessions statewide. Twenty-six educators participated in the training, taught by UI computer science Associate Professor Robert Heckendorn and Professor Terry Soule. The instructors received stipends from the Idaho STEM Action Center, along with professional development credit paid for by the Linda and Greg Gollberg Dual-Credit Scholarship Fund. Brothers will facilitate the course online through the Idaho Digital Learning Academy.

The goal is to better serve underrepresented populations, giving high school students in rural and urban pockets alike access to quality computer science education.

“This is a very big aim of the program,” Soule said. “We try to include high school teachers from all parts of the state.”

The online availability of the course also means that cashstrapped high schools won’t have to stretch resources to hire more teachers.

UI Dual-Credit Programs

Dual credit became a state mandate in 1997 as a way to increase college go-on rates by making the transition to higher education less intimidating and more accessible.

“The dual-credit opportunities are ones where we can really show high school students that college work is something that they can do, and actually it can be pretty fun and exciting,” said Dean Kahler, vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management at UI. “We’re trying to enhance the amount of dual-credit opportunities that are in high schools; that gives students the opportunity to get a taste of what higher education is all about. Dual credit really opens up their eyes to, ‘Hey, college is not such a scary thing after all.’”

Idaho’s Department of Education Fast Forward program is progressive in its funding of dual credit, which is part of a larger initiative called Advanced Opportunities, said Charles Buck, UI’s associate vice president and executive officer of UI Coeur d’Alene. Currently, the program sets

aside $4,125 for every public school student in grades seven to 12 interested in dual-credit courses, college entrance exams or online overload courses.

“When the state’s paying for dual-credit courses, maybe a student can get through 15 or 30 credits during those high school years,” Buck said. “And that reduces their cost of attending a university down the road.”

Plus, Idaho high school students who take dual-credit courses have higher college GPAs. According to the State Board of Education, the average cumulative GPA for dualcredit students is 2.99, compared to 2.63 for non-dual-credit students.

Dual-enrollment students also have higher college retention rates. In 2016, nearly 80 percent returned to college their second year, while the retention rate for non-dualcredit students was 63 percent, according to the board.

The Internet of Things

The opportunities provided by concurrent enrollment are immense, and the availability of the computer science course is a bonus.

“CS 112 is an important step in helping students enter Idaho’s high-tech industry,” Soule said. “The programming skills taught are fundamental to a wide range of high-tech fields and the course is designed to encourage the kind of creativity that motivates entrepreneurship.”

Last year, Idaho had 1,767 technology-related job openings, according to the 2017 CompTIA Cyberstates report, which gives an annual analysis of the U.S. tech industry and workforce. This created a sizable gap in supply and demand, as the state’s higher education institutions reported 436 computer science graduates during the 2016-17 academic year.

Stakeholders hope that the CS 112 course will pique student interest in the field and help the Idaho economy prosper.

It doesn’t hurt that Idaho’s average tech industry worker earns $83,400, a whopping 114 percent more than the average worker’s salary of $39,100, according to CompTIA. “We hear from scores of companies that need talent in software engineering,” Buck said. “So we’re hoping that exposing high school students to a rigorous course like this will stimulate a percentage of them to major in computer science and engineering to create the workforce that companies need.”

According to Brothers, the dual-enrollment program is a good way to achieve this goal.

“There are so many available jobs out there, and we need to be filling them with people coming out of our universities,” Brothers said. “Otherwise, people don’t have jobs because they haven’t been appropriately trained.” uidaho.edu/engr 15

DISTANCE LEARNER GIVES BACK In the 1970s, Marion Patterson became one of the first UI students to earn a degree via distance education

By Joshua Nishimoto

Photo courtesy of Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

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Helping future students who may be struggling financially warms our hearts. ~Marion and Richard Patterson

arion Patterson left her mark on the University of Idaho as one of the first students to earn a master’s degree in physical education through distance learning, a feat she completed in the 1970s, before the university had an established distance-learning program.

“I was on the Moscow campus for just one semester, and then wrote my thesis from Kansas,” Marion said. “This was back when everyone had to handwrite, type and mail documents to their advisor, who made comments and returned the process. People today are amazed that I was able to successfully complete the thesis work this way. UI proved to be flexible. Dr. Cal Latham, who was my corresponding professor from the physical education department, was outstanding in this.”

She worked with College of Natural Resources (CNR) faculty member James R. Fazio and what is now known as the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS) to pilot an outdoor education program.

Marion ’77 and her husband, Richard “Rich” Patterson ’71, live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Since graduating from UI, Rich used his fishery degrees from CNR in various seasonal positions in Alaska, providing data about the impact of the Alaska pipeline on fisheries, and Marion has led environmental programs over the years. She applied her basic movement sciences background (health, physical education, recreation and fitness training) in various positions, including public education.

The Pattersons have two children, Daniel Patterson and Nancy Patterson ’06, ’09. Nancy earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish, Latin American studies and international studies from the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and her master’s degree in resource recreation and tourism from CNR. Rich and Marion continue to make annual gifts to the university and have also included UI in their estate plan to benefit the CEHHS Excellence Fund and CNR’s Excellence Fund.

“Our means are modest,” Marion said. “We would love to give the university millions of dollars, but we can’t. However, the endowed fund we created will generate an annual cash stream to help Idaho students forever — and we’re proud of that.”

As an executive director in charge of fundraising for a privately funded nature center for 39 years, Rich has seen firsthand the need for donor support.

“Generous donors supported my salary, family and organization,” he said. “I believe strongly in giving back.”

While attending UI, Rich had a Rotary Foundation Scholarship from the Rotary Club in New Jersey and had a monthly stipend from the Army. Their daughter, Nancy, also received scholarships to support her studies at UI. “We are strong believers in education,” they said. “Helping future students who may be struggling financially warms our hearts.”

To learn more about ways to support UI student scholarships and other giving options, go to uidaho.edu/giving

uidaho.edu/giving 17

MAKING LAW SCHOOL DREAMS A REALITY Three-year program in Boise puts legal education within reach of students who want UI’s expertise but can’t pull up roots in the Treasure Valley

By Christina Lords | Photo by Mark VanderSys

icole O’Toole wants to be a lawyer, but she doesn’t yet know what kind.

As a mother of three young boys — including one with special needs — she’s interested in the processes of medical law. As a 33-year-old small-business owner, her entrepreneurial skills could lend themselves toward helping others establish businesses of their own with a business-focused law degree.

Or maybe she’ll go a different direction and become an estate planning attorney.

O’Toole is sure of one thing — she is eager to get started.

This fall, O’Toole is one of 60 students who entered their first year of law school at the University of Idaho’s College of Law program in Boise. It’s the first time students will be able to take their first-year courses in both Boise and Moscow.

Moving from Boise to attend law school wasn’t an option for O’Toole, even though it’s a dream she’s always wanted to pursue. Her husband, Mike, is an IT manager at Micron Technology. She runs her own business managing an online clothing and jewelry boutique. And the family has found the right fit for their sons — 9-year-old Liam and 5-year-old Landon — as well as the right supportive therapy services that fit the needs of 7-year-old Lucas, who has autism spectrum disorder.

“To be able to do all three years in one place, especially here in Boise, really made the difference for me,” she said.

“I feel the continuity will enable invaluable relationships with fellow students, professors and potential employers.”

18 IDAHO | FALL 2017

A 20-Year Vision

The three-year law program in Boise — located in the Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center in the historic Ada County Courthouse — is the culmination of a strategic planning process that began in the late 1990s, said former college Dean Don Burnett, an emeritus professor of law who also served as interim president of UI. In 1999, then-UI President Bob Hoover formed a blue ribbon committee to study the future of the college and how to meet the legal education needs of the state, under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE).

In 2001, after faculty review of the blue ribbon report, UI hired Lee Dillion to expand the law program’s outreach statewide. He started small, establishing an externship program to connect students in their third year with handson opportunities in public agencies, prosecutor and public defender offices, and judicial chambers across the state.

Planning continued, and in 2008 UI officials went before the SBOE with a proposal to create a branch program in the Treasure Valley. They had two things in mind.

“One was to impress upon the board and others that the University of Idaho takes seriously its statewide mission in legal education — and this requires a presence in the state capital,” Burnett said. “The second was a unique opportunity to work with the Idaho Supreme Court in establishing the Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center.”

The state board initially approved a program allowing students to take their third-year courses in Boise beginning in 2010. In 2014, the program expanded to offer second-year classes, and first-year courses were approved to begin in 2017.

Now the associate dean for Boise programs, Dillion is

Not only do I not have to move out of Boise, I can go to a fully accredited law school with no question marks there. ~Nicole O’Toole

Nicole O’Toole stands in front of the Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center in Boise with her husband, Mike, and sons Lucas, Landon and Liam.

proud to see the full three-year program in Boise come to fruition.

“To finally see this, after my 16 years, and to get to this point, I can’t tell you what that means to us,” Dillion said. “If someone says to you, ‘It will take nearly 20 years to develop and implement a plan,’ some people would say, ‘I’m going to go do something else.’ Luckily, we didn’t.”

One College. Two Locations.

As legal education continues to evolve, students in Moscow and Boise can expect continued partnerships through face-to-face teaching, as well as distance learning with faculty and the legal community in both cities, College of Law Dean Mark Adams said.

The vision was never to have duplicate law schools in both locations, Burnett said, but to instead have different areas of emphasis and draw upon the complementary strengths of faculty in Moscow and Boise.

Students in Moscow are exposed to many opportunities for interdisciplinary study and concurrent degrees, including programs that specialize in Native American law, natural resources and environmental law.

The Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center, which is also home to the Idaho State Law Library, is located in the heart of the governmental and economic hub of the state, allowing students there to gain exposure to governmental and entrepreneurial studies, as well as intellectual property.

Directly adjacent to the Idaho Statehouse, the Idaho State Bar and the Idaho Supreme Court, Adams said the learning center is a place where students can regularly interact with

the lawyers, judges and state lawmakers regularly walking through its halls.

“It’s a truly unique setup,” Adams said.

That’s something that stood out to O’Toole as she was selecting a law program. She enjoys that her fellow students and educators will come from an array of life experiences.

“I like to say I’m an introverted extrovert,” she said. “I work a lot from home, but I’m really excited to meet new people and my professors with different backgrounds. I’m excited to make new friendships and connections in this location that I just don’t think I would have gotten at another school.”

Idaho Court of Appeals Judge Sergio Gutierrez said UI’s presence in Boise also helps fulfill another of its statewide missions: ensuring nontraditional students, women and minorities — who are more likely to be place-bound with family or job ties — have an opportunity to go to law school.

“Law school has always posed an obstacle for some people,” he said. “It’s so much better to have the two options for families to make the decision that’s going to be right for them. With all three years now available here in Boise, we’re able to see more Latino students be able to achieve those dreams as well.”

As a nontraditional student, O’Toole said UI’s statewide connections and its perception in the community helped her make the decision to enroll at UI rather than another private law school.

“I just don’t think you can compare with the reputation or history the University of Idaho has in this state,” she said.

“Not only do I not have to move out of Boise, I can go to a fully accredited law school with no question marks there. It answered our prayers, really.” uidaho.edu/law 19

TRAINING FUTURE ADVOCATES Alumnus Dylan Hedden-Nicely takes over as head of Native American Law program

By Christina Lords | Photo by Melissa Hartley

A

n enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, Dylan Hedden-Nicely has been a proud advocate for Native resources, water rights and legal education all of his professional life.

Now he’s ready to broaden that scope even more. Hedden-Nicely joined the University of Idaho’s College of Law this fall as an associate professor and head of the college’s Native American Law program, a program he himself graduated from when it was under the direction of Professor Angelique EagleWoman.

“To me, if you want to live in Idaho, and you want to work and advocate for Native tribes and people, this is the ultimate position,” he said.

UI’s approach encourages law students to work on concurrent degrees in law and water or natural resources, which is one of the things that attracted him to UI. He graduated with his Juris Doctor in 2011, and also earned a master’s degree in 2012 through the water resources graduate program.

While attending his first year of law school, he met EagleWoman, who was a driving force behind establishing the school’s Native American Law program and student association. EagleWoman took the position of dean of the Lakeland University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law in Canada in 2016.

The UI law faculty, especially EagleWoman, showed Hedden-Nicely how openness, collaboration and face time with faculty can make a difference for students in the program. He wants to continue the tradition of being available for mentorship to his students.

“Because of the value it has provided, I am very much 20 IDAHO | FALL 2017

invested in making sure it continues to make a difference,” he said. “I want it to be as excellent as it was under Angelique.”

College of Law Dean Mark Adams is confident in Hedden-Nicely’s firsthand experience with the Native American Law program and his experience representing the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Hedden-Nicely has litigated nearly every aspect of the Spokane River Basin Adjudication for Howard Funke & Associates, a prime example of how the Native program’s reach extends into real-world applications.

Hedden-Nicely’s ties to Pacific Northwest tribes and beyond are invaluable to other students who may be interested in practicing Native law in their future, Adams said.

“It’s a really nice fit for us for him to lead our Native law programs,” Adams said. “It gives us a lot of instant credibility not only with the nearby Coeur d’Alene Tribe, but also the other tribes throughout the state and region.”

Hedden-Nicely wants the Native American Law program to continue to attract students who are tribal members and nonmembers alike, ensuring they have access to an education and foundation in Native law that will bring them success in their careers.

Any attorney working in the West can benefit from learning more about Native law, he said, and he hopes to continue the program’s outreach to high school students to show them law school is an attainable goal.

“The opportunity to develop those bonds and to help recruit and educate Native advocates is the ultimate thing for me,” he said. “As an individual advocate, I could only do so much in my life, but if I can help train the next generation of advocates, that will be much more significant.” uidaho.edu/law

THE VERNON BURLISON MEMORIAL FUND IMPACTS DIVERSITY AT UI

H

uman and social justice issues — diversity, empowerment, access to education, peace — matter to John Burlison ’76, just as they mattered to his late father, Vernon Burlison ’43.

John established the Vernon Burlison Memorial Fund in 1997 in memory of his father, a professor emeritus in the College of Natural Resources. Through scholarships and educational programming, this fund gives critical support to underrepresented communities at the University of Idaho, including ethnic, racial, gender, religious and sexuality minorities.

“These resources are dedicated to making a difference in education and broaden understanding by bringing diverse and controversial ideas to the campus community,” John said.

For 2017, John decided to more than double his annual contribution, as well as give a substantial “current use gift” this year, which significantly

Learn more about the University of Idaho’s Loyal Donor Program by visiting uidaho.edu/loyaldonor

This photograph from 1953 shows Extension forester Vernon H. Burlison passing out trees and tools during the Harrison School project.

Photo courtesy of the University of Idaho Publications Dept.

increases his funds available to support key resources.

“John’s vision and support make a permanent difference for the LGBTQA community,” said Julie Keleher, coordinator for UI’s LGBTQA Office.

John received his bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Media in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, and had a successful career with Hewlett-Packard and IBM. John often returns to campus to speak at LGBTQA graduation ceremonies in order to provide guidance, confidence and education to the graduating class.

“I always wanted to help educate and build bridges for the next generation,” he said.

Support from funds like the Vernon Burlison Memorial also help cover costs for LGBTQA programming, scholarships and leadership conferences.

“LGBTQA opportunities would be limited if not for John’s support,” Keleher said.

Loyal Donor 21

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Navitas partnership brings more international students to Moscow

T

By Savannah Tranchell | Photos by Joe Pallen

his fall, the University of Idaho welcomes a new population of international students to its campus. The students, which represent nearly 30 countries, are part of a new partnership with Navitas.

Navitas is a global higher education partner with more than 25 years experience increasing international students’ access to higher education and preparing them for future success.

The partnership, which started in January 2017, is an important step in making a UI education accessible to students around the world, said Dean Kahler, vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management.

The United States is the destination location for students, Kahler said, and the marketing environment is highly competitive. Navitas has recruiters in more than 80 countries and has partnered with over 30 universities in two decades.

“The power of a Navitas is the ability to reach those areas that are out of reach for Idaho. Navitas has 170 recruiters on the ground. It’s incredible. It’s an incredible network that we will now leverage,” said Andrew Brewick, executive director of the Navitas Global Student Success Program (GSSP) on the Moscow campus.

Through the partnership, students recruited through Navitas spend their first year at UI in the GSSP, known as a pathway program. The pathway prepares international students for success at UI by providing an integrated, structured program, focusing on academic course content, intensive English language instruction, study skills development and enhanced support services.

UI benefits from Navitas’ 23 years of international education experience. The partnership provides intercultural training, teaching and learning strategies, plus a global educators network and overseas support to faculty and staff.

Courses are taught by university faculty for UI credit, but the pathway provides additional time and instruction to help the students adapt to an American learning style, Brewick said.

“It’s this holistic group, with Navitas hosting specific courses designed to meet international students’ unique needs,” Brewick said. “We make sure that we are also connecting students with their home colleges and their departments, helping them to build relationships that they will use to be successful as they move toward graduation.

22 IDAHO | FALL 2017

The success rates are phenomenal. The students who work through the pathway program are overwhelmingly able to move into and then complete a degree.”

After completing the first year in the GSSP, the students transition into their second year at UI prepared for the U.S. academic classroom. The GSSP continues to serve as a home base and support structure, complementing existing university resources such as the International Programs Office and student support services.

Brewick is familiar with UI’s academic structure already; he served as the director of Advising Services for the university for seven years before transitioning to Navitas last summer. He has a had a passion for working with international students since he and his wife, Mary Ellen, spent a year as assistant language teachers through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.

“It was so much fun to work with an international student population, to understand and experience cultural differences in that way,” Brewick said.

Both Brewick and Kahler emphasize that increasing the number of international students attending UI does much more than increase enrollment — it’s also an extension of UI’s land-grant mission. Exposing Idaho students to other cultures and ways of thinking helps them become better global citizens, more tolerant of other viewpoints, as well as better future employees.

“In order for our graduates to be globally competitive in the career world, they need to have some intercultural competence that comes from having firsthand engagement with individuals from very different backgrounds and cultures,” Brewick said. “These experiences help prepare our graduates to be global citizens and be globally competitive and celebrate a global perspective. We also know from employers that those are precisely the kinds of skills they are looking for from new professionals who will be successful in jobs and careers.”

With the high demand for an American education, the partnership also offers many benefits to the international students who come to campus.

“We have a warm, caring nurturing environment; a safe community that is welcoming to international students,” Kahler said. “This is a perfect place for internationals students to come and study.” uidaho.edu/sem/gssp

I FELT A LOT OF TIMES THAT ENGINEERING WAS OUT OF REACH. ... IT’S NOT.

By Kate Keenan | Photo by Melissa Hartley

E

very summer from age 11 to 18, Selso Gallegos worked as a farm laborer in Idaho’s Treasure Valley.

He picked cherries and apples, detasseled corn and weeded onions alongside his family.

Time after time, he experienced the inefficiencies of equipment and harvesting practices that affected the owners’ bottom line and the laborers’ ability to make a living wage.

“Everything we were doing, I always saw better ways of doing it,” said Gallegos, a Parma native who graduated with his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering last spring.

In June, he started a job at Intel outside Phoenix. Gallegos will improve the way Intel’s semiconductor chips are made, ensuring the manufacturing process doesn’t introduce defects to the chips.

As a high school student, Gallegos assumed he would pursue a two-year technical degree for auto mechanics, as many of his peers did. Then he attended the Vandal Challenge leadership conference in 2012 and 2013, sponsored by the university’s Organización de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, which showed him what an engineering degree could offer.

At UI, Gallegos got hands-on experience in his field, including a project to automate the process for burnishing turrets for high-precision riflescopes made by Orofino-based company Nightforce Optics.

He also became a STEM tutor for students like himself who are supported by UI’s College Assistance Migrant Program, and joined the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

Society members attend conferences, do professional development, and perform outreach by visiting high schools to promote engineering in the Hispanic community.

“There weren’t many people targeting the Hispanic community when I was growing up,” Gallegos said. “I felt a lot of times that engineering was out of reach, but I want to let them know that it’s not.”

uidaho.edu/engr 23

in scholarships awarded annually

students registered to iGrad, UI’s financial literacy program in 2016-17

of undergraduate students receive scholarships

average scholarship awarded to Idaho residents

of undergraduates receive financial aid (including grants and loans) 24 IDAHO | FALL 2017

in grant money awarded to projects focused on increasing Idaho’s go-on rate through the Vandal Ideas Project

A CHANCE AT

SUCCESS

By Savannah Tranchell

Student support services, financial aid and enrollment management combine efforts to give more Idaho students a chance at a college education ean Kahler admits he was initially a terrible student — unfocused and with poor time-management skills, more interested in his social life than in

studying.

“Eventually I needed to pay for college, and so I got a job or two, and I was really distracted from being a successful student,” Kahler said.

“Finally, at one point, I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

And like many students who struggle with academics and the burden of paying for school, Kahler dropped out of college to work full time.

Thousands of students drop out of college Dean Kahler every year in the U.S. The outcomes for those students — many of whom are saddled with student loans for a degree they didn’t receive — are less than sunny.

Kahler, now the vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management at the University of Idaho, wants to help more students overcome financial, social and academic hurdles so they can succeed in higher education — and life.

“I don’t want people to struggle. I want people to have access to college. I see so many who don’t have that opportunity, and they struggle through life. I want to help open that door for as many people as possible,” Kahler said. “When students start school, I want them to be successful and finish.”

Kahler decided to return to college when he realized the immediate-gratification job he was in wasn’t something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He finished his bachelor’s and went on to earn his master’s in public administration and a doctorate in educational administration in higher education from Southern Illinois University.

Kahler joined UI’s leadership team in September 2016, and has jumped in with both feet to help the university meet its

strategic goal to make education more accessible for students in Idaho and across the Pacific Northwest.

He sees UI and the state as perfectly positioned to work in tandem to increase the number of Idaho high schoolers who go to college, graduate and go on to have more meaningful careers with higher earning potential — up to $1.2 million more over the course of a lifetime, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“That’s the rising tide that lifts all boats,” Kahler said. “It’s a great environment for Idaho and for the University of Idaho. It’s great for our society. We have a bright future ahead of us.”

From Cradle to Career

UI Provost and Executive Vice President John Wiencek restructured the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) in summer 2016 to create a holistic unit that oversees a student’s journey at UI: from recruitment through enrollment, retention and graduation, and into their career.

Several departments that formerly fell under the Division of Student Affairs or other areas have moved into SEM — including Distance and Extended Education, Career Services and Academic Support Programs. Kahler refers to it as an interdisciplinary, nonacademic environment.

“The provost has a really good understanding of student success and of enrollment management. I think that he saw the opportunity to realize a synergy between a diverse makeup of offices,” Kahler said. “It’s all about serving students from very early on in their educational careers and serving those lifelong learners over the course of their lifetime.”

One new initiative coming out of SEM is the Idaho Go On, 25

Number of participants reached at 53 events attended by Better Education about Money for Students (BEAMS) program in 2016-17

Students reached by BEAMS presentations to classes and other groups

One-on-one financial coaching sessions with students and alumni by BEAMS in 2016-17

or I Go, pilot program. Through I Go, new graduates will be hired and placed in high schools in districts across the state with traditionally low rates of students attending college.

The advisors will work with students and their parents to increase financial literacy, help fill out the U.S. government’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and college admission applications, as well as assist with identifying and applying for scholarships. The goal isn’t to recruit more students to UI, Kahler said, but rather to break down barriers and assumptions that prevent students from thinking college is accessible for them.

“The program is focused on helping the student to be college-ready and understand that this is an opportunity that they can have access to,” he said. “We aren’t interested in saying, ‘You need to go to the University of Idaho.’ The college go-on rate is a statewide challenge for us. We need to all be working together to eliminate the hurdles preventing students from continuing their education.”

The advising model is used in several states nationwide and is quite effective, Kahler said. The UI program received some initial startup funds through UI’s Vandal Ideas Project, which awarded more than $300,000 in grant funding to projects aimed at improving Idaho’s college attendance rate.

Increasing Affordability

The cost of a college education gets a lot of headlines, but Kahler would rather focus on the outcomes.

“The U.S. Census Bureau is showing year after year that students who graduate from college are significantly enhancing their earning ability over the course of a lifetime,” Kahler said. “There’s no doubt that education pays.”

At UI, about one-third of students graduate with no debt.

Of those who do take on debt, the average is about $26,000, Kahler said. That $26,000 might include the costs for their room and board for four years, meal plans and the tuition costs — but statistics show that the investment results in 26 IDAHO | FALL 2017

significantly higher wages and more career opportunities.

“That’s a great investment when you consider you’ll also spend the same amount of money on a car,” he said.

“The return on investment on a car is zero. But the investment in your baccalaureate degree with that same debt level provides great returns.”

UI students pay a lower annual cost for their education, graduate at higher levels compared to Idaho’s other four-year public institutions and go on to earn higher salaries after graduation, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Kahler and the offices in SEM are working to help make college even more affordable.

For the 2017-18 academic year, UI increased the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program for qualified students from Oregon and Washington. WUE offers more than $11,000 in savings each year over full out-of-state costs.

In September, UI expanded the WUE program to Alaska.

“We definitely saw that price was a real serious obstacle for students from Oregon and Washington, so we thought WUE would be a helpful thing to help those students gain access to our university,” Kahler said.

UI is widely recognized as an exceptional value with good scholarship and financial aid programs to support students. For Idaho students with a 3.9-4.0 GPA, UI offers the Go Idaho! Scholarship Program, which awards $4,000 for a minimum of three years. Students with a 3.0-3.39 GPA can get a $1,000 scholarship. There are also scholarship programs available for non-resident students.

Once students are in school, UI offers them the Better Education About Money for Students (BEAMS) and iGrad programs to help them become more financially literate and manage their finances and debt load. Kahler also wants to reach parents earlier and encourage investment in 529 college savings accounts.

“We know that the price of college is going to keep going up. But what we’ve got to do is start talking to students and parents to help them be more prepared to finance and make college more affordable,” Kahler said. “Students need to study hard in high school and to maximize scholarships.

If a student works hard and is academically and financially prepared, then UI can be a great value for them.”

Changing the perception about college affordability and the value of investing in a bachelor’s degree won’t be easy, Kahler admits.

“There’s a tremendous amount of perception out there that school isn’t affordable, that prices are going through the roof, and our press is depicting scenarios where students are graduating with huge amounts of debt,” Kahler said. “We’re going to keep working with it. It’s not an easy answer. It’s always been a challenge. The value and the return on the investment is worth it still. The key is to start talking early.”

Despite the challenges facing today’s students, Kahler continually emphasizes the value of staying in school, and counts himself fortunate that he didn’t stay a college dropout. He tries to use his experience to guide students to make better choices.

“Sometimes when you exit from school, it’s really tough to get back in. I was really fortunate that I was able to get back into school because it is so hard to leave that paycheck and overcome those bills and invest in a better future,” he said. “I don’t want other students to fall into those traps.” uidaho.edu/sem

MEETING STUDENTS

WHERE THEY ARE

By Savannah Tranchell

Student Success Initiative uses decentralized approach to help students be academically successful and career-ready

T

his fall, students at the University of Idaho have a new guide in their higher education journey.

But it’s not a person, a department or even a place that will help UI students reach their educational and career goals — it’s a mindset dedicated to taking student support services across campus and meeting students where they are, physically and in their academic journeys.

UI Provost & Executive Vice President John Wiencek launched the Student Success Initiative in January 2017. Led by Strategic Enrollment Management Vice Provost Dean Kahler, the initiative’s focus is on helping students graduate Chris Cook from UI, going on to have successful lives and careers.

One of the central components of the initiative is the Vandal Success Center on the third floor of the Idaho Commons. Opening this fall, the center serves as home base for tutoring and academic support, supplemental instruction, the Writing Center, Career Services, the Honors Program, Ravens Scholars, Veterans Services, and other programs. But the initiative goes beyond reorganizing offices, Kahler said.

“The Student Success Initiative is wrapped around a common space, where students can go study in a lab, have a resource room, talk to an employer, interview for a job, learn how to write a resume,” he said. “Then, it’s really important for us to take that entire wraparound service model and be able to provide it all over the campus. The more we can provide it all over campus, the better.”

Career Services is playing a central role in the initiative.

Under Director Chris Cook, Career Services is reaching out to students in new ways — from embedded career advisors in colleges, to an increase in employer visits and workshops, to traveling to UI’s centers statewide. Through that effort, Cook said Career Services saw a 37 percent increase in student engagement.

“We’re committed to going to where those students are,” Cook said. “It’s easy to push messages out electronically, but individual, face-to-face interaction is at the core of our

educational mission.”

UI is using a new software by Starfish Retention Solutions, which allows advisors across campus to track a student’s progress and identify students in need of academic intervention. It’s all part of bringing industry standard best practices for student services and retention to UI, as well as emphasizing career readiness and successful outcomes.

“We’re going to be looking at how do we best serve our students in getting them started into their careers,” Kahler said. “The end result will be from the day that we start recruiting a student, we’ll be talking about career paths and salaries and making good decisions about where they want to go. We’re looking at connecting them with employers early in their college careers, so they can write good resumes, go to career fairs and talk with employers.”

Too many students wait until their senior year to engage with Career Services, Cook said. The new approach will show them how the office — along with UI’s other student support services — can help Vandals explore their options earlier and learn skills that will prepare them for life after graduation.

“Career exploration and finding your occupation is a journey. It’s not a static or one-time outcome. You’re always going through phases,” Cook said. “We’re trying to create awareness, and hopefully that leads to engagement and positive outcomes for all. Career Services’ goal remains steadfast in helping UI students and alumni connect to the next transition in their life.”

The initiative’s goals speak to Kahler’s own passion for helping students find success in life.

“When we admit somebody, we are committed to that student — to graduating that student and helping them reach their educational objective. When they drop out, then we fail. And I can’t have that,” he said. “The Student Success Initiative is all about addressing that — taking every student seriously and helping them reach their educational objective.” uidaho.edu/careerservices 27

VOICES OF IDAHO

WHY “GOING ON” MATTERS TO IDAHO

By Emma Atchley

I Emma Atchley is a 1968 graduate of the University of Idaho and has sat on the State Board of Education since 2009.

She served as president of the board in 2014-15 and 2016-17.

28 IDAHO | FALL 2017

n 2010, the Idaho State Board of Education set a goal that 60 percent of Idaho residents age 25 to 34 will have a degree or certificate. Why do we have that goal, and why is higher education important in Idaho?

The viability of our state relies on the employability of Idahoans. A study conducted in 2013 by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce concluded that by the year 2020, 68 percent of the jobs in Idaho’s economy will require a postsecondary degree or certificate. We must have a welleducated citizenry if we want good jobs for Idaho citizens.

Postsecondary education increases opportunities for individuals on many levels, including financial success, community involvement and personal satisfaction.

Whether participating in academic or career-technical programs, higher education makes individuals more employable.

This is supported by recent job statistics. Of the 11.6 million jobs added since the Great Recession, 11.5 million — or 99 percent — went to workers with some form of postsecondary education. In 2014, degree and certificate holders age 25 to 34 had median earnings 66 percent higher than those with only a high school diploma, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Despite the well-documented benefits, we are not yet where we need to be. By the end of 2015, 42 percent of our residents age 25 to 34 had a postsecondary degree or certificate, and only about 50 percent of Idaho students go on to college within one year of graduating from high

school. Our 60 percent goal is formidable.

The State Board, in working with the Legislature and Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, has taken several steps to address college and career support for students, which will ultimately lead to more Idahoans attaining a postsecondary education. From eighth grade through high school, all public school students are receiving college and career advising. The state appropriated $5 million in FY2017 and $7 million in FY2018 to support this important work.

We have also launched www.NextSteps.

Idaho.gov to serve as a one-stop shop for going to college in Idaho. This user-friendly website has resources geared toward students, families and educators to help students pursue a higher education degree or certificate.

The State Board has also streamlined the acceptance process for all public high school seniors through the Direct Admissions initiative. This fall, every public high school senior in Idaho will be accepted to at least six public colleges in Idaho, and some will be accepted to all eight public colleges and universities in our state.

Acceptance is based on high school grades and SAT or ACT scores.

We are also mindful of higher education costs. The State Board is awarding a total of $10 million per year to students through the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship. This scholarship is intended to fill the gap (up to $3,500 per year for four years) between cost and what a student can afford. It is worth noting that postsecondary education costs in Idaho are generally less than in surrounding states.

Higher education is a critical part of Idaho’s future. It is an investment by our state and our citizens that will yield great returns to both. Together, we must continue to insist on higher levels of postsecondary completion. We will all reap the benefits of the opportunities it creates.

I AM PROOF THAT AN EDUCATION IS POSSIBLE.

By Holly Funk | Photo by Mark VanderSys

S

Gabriella Garcia sits in a chair she designed in honor of her father, Adam Garcia, titled “My Father’s Story.”

ome of Gabriella Garcia’s earliest memories are of her father, Adam Garcia, developing blueprints and meeting with clients at his architecture firm.

“He was self-taught, and the way he talked with clients and other architects always seemed so impressive to me,” said Garcia, a Caldwell native and senior at the University of Idaho.

Despite a lifelong struggle with dyslexia, Garcia never questioned her desire to also pursue a degree in interior design.

“I knew I wanted to be a designer — I was born to do this,” she said. “My dad said UI had a strong design program and after looking at other schools, I chose UI because they made it easy financially.”

As an architecture and interior design student in the College of Art and Architecture, Garcia’s dyslexia became harder to manage. As a sophomore, her GPA fell well below 2.5. She knew that if she didn’t turn things around, she wasn’t going to be able to complete the program.

“I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it. My father kept telling me, ‘It’s hard now, but it’s temporary,’” she said.

“Those were the words I needed to hear to try.”

With her ambition and the support of her professors, Garcia is now on the dean’s list with a GPA over 3.5.

“Gabriella has always had a strong desire to improve her abilities and has gone the extra mile with a tremendous amount of effort and perseverance,” said Minyoung Cerruti, an instructor in interior design.

“She has made a very positive impact on her peer group with her patient personality and willingness to share her experiences with cheerful encouragement.”

With support from her family and the university, Garcia has continued to shine. As a junior last spring, she won the People’s Choice award at the Interior Designers of Idaho’s regional Chair Affair design competition, and spent the summer as an intern with Office Environment Company in Boise, where she hopes to work after she graduates in spring 2018.

“I am proof that an education is possible,” she said.

uidaho.edu/caa 29

30 IDAHO | FALL 2017

A THEATER OF OPPORTUNITY

W

hile earning her Master of Fine Arts from the Department of Theatre Arts, Ginger Rankin ’06 was inspired to provide opportunities for Native American students to attend the University of Idaho. Now, she and her husband, Dave Rankin ’62, are putting that inspiration into action with a scholarship endowment benefitting Native Americans and other minority students.

“While working on my MFA, a group of theater students and I decided to bring Native American middle school and high school students from Coeur d’Alene to Moscow for a UI campus tour,” Ginger said. “This was the inspiration for my starting the scholarship, to provide encouragement for Native Americans and other minorities to attend UI.” The Rankins met at Westminster College in Pennsylvania and were married in 1959. Two weeks later, the couple moved to Moscow; Dave had received a scholarship to study political science at UI. Ginger taught fifth grade in what is now the 1912 Center. The Rankins left UI in 1962, pursuing opportunities throughout the U.S., Grenada and New Zealand. They retired to Moscow in 1999. In her early 60s at the time, Ginger entered the MFA program in the Department of Theatre Arts in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.

“I had been a teacher for many years, and suddenly I found myself writing plays and seeing some of them performed,” she said. “My work in the theater department opened up the opportunity for me to work in the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce communities, where I conducted playwriting workshops for young people.”

In 2013, the Rankins included UI in their wills to benefit the Ginger Minor Rankin Scholarship Endowment. This perpetual endowment fund provides scholarships for Native American students who might not otherwise be able to attend the university.

Dave and Ginger have collectively attended a total of seven universities as full-time students. They chose to include UI as part of their legacy because of the transformational experiences they had here.

“We understand that education is a human right,” Ginger said. “No one should be denied the joy and the advantages that higher education brings. Our hope is to let the young people know that we believe in them.”

Office of Estate, Trust, and Gift Planning

Learn more about the University of Idaho’s Estate, Trust and Gift Planning opportunities by visiting myuidaholegacy.org

31

THE IDAHO AD CLUB SURGES ON A small gamble results in decades of support for Vandal Athletics

By Joshua Nishimoto and Jamie Wagner The Idaho AD Club in the Idaho Hotel on North Main Street in Moscow in the early 1950s. The local Elks and Moose Lodges also had slot machines at the time.

Photo courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society

AD Club trustees Bob Steele and Jerry Meyerhoeffer met in Moscow to attend the Silver and Gold football game in spring 2017. Meyerhoeffer’s stepfather Art Crossler was among the founding members.

Photo by Joe Pallen

32 IDAHO | FALL 2017

The documented members of the Idaho AD Club from its inception through today: Founding members: Clifford O. Armstrong George Benson Art Crossler, manager of the Idaho AD Club gaming facility Earl David Tom Felton Laurence H. Huff Milburn Kenworthy Joe McCown H. Eugene Slade Ray A. Tate R. B. Ward Subsequent trustees: Bill Anderson Bob Felton Jack Hayden Current trustees: Mike Felton Sr., son of founding member Tom Felton Jerry Meyerhoeffer, stepson of founding member Art Crossler Jim Pilcher Bob Steele

Idaho Ad Club founding member Eugene Slade.

Photo courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society

T

he Idaho Arena received a funding boost this year with a $500,000 pledge from the longstanding Idaho AD Club — a group of alumni and athletics enthusiasts that has spent decades committed to supporting the university and its student-athletes.

The club’s origins date back to the 1940s, when a group of 11 Moscow businessmen joined together to find a way to use the profits from slot machines to support the university. At the time, gambling via slot machines was legal in Idaho, as long as the proceeds went to nonprofit causes.

The businessmen formed a nonprofit corporation, appointed a board of directors and pledged $300 each to acquire three apartments in the Idaho Hotel in downtown Moscow. The apartments were renovated into a social club with slot machines, and the Idaho AD Club (which most trustees think stood for “Athletic Development”) was born.

Adults could apply for membership, socialize and play slot machines. While college students weren’t allowed to join, the club did employ several student-athletes.

“Our mission has not changed,” said Bob Steele, current AD Club trustee and retired executive director of Trusts and Investment Management for the University of Idaho and the University of Idaho Foundation.

Since its inception, the group has made annual contributions to the Vandal Scholarship Fund, supported several Kibbie Dome expansions and restorations, and supported the men’s basketball team’s trip to China in 2016. In 2011, the Idaho AD Club was inducted into the university’s 1889 Society, which recognizes donors and partners with a lifetime giving total of $1 million or more.

The group’s members were enthusiastic about supporting the university’s planned court sports and events arena.

“Being loyal Vandal Boosters, we think it’s a good project,” Steele said. “The university needs a standalone facility for basketball, volleyball and other events. It makes a lot of sense.”

When the state of Idaho declared slot machines illegal in the early 1950s, the club’s board of directors dissolved the nonprofit corporation and created The Idaho AD Club Memorial Scholarship Trust to continue to support athletics. Thanks to the investment expertise of founding member Eugene Slade (UI Business Manager Emeritus and recipient of the Alumni Association’s Silver & Gold Award and Idaho Treasure Award), the trust has grown substantially over the decades, all to the benefit of student-athletes. In addition to investing the trust’s assets, the trustees created an endowment with the University of Idaho Foundation in 1999. The endowment is invested by the foundation and its annual earnings are used to provide scholarships for UI student-athletes.

To remain true to its mission, the AD Club has required all trustees to have a detailed understanding of Vandal Athletics, along with investment, accounting, business and/or legal expertise. The four current trustees carry on that tradition: All are UI alumni, three grew up in Moscow and two are related to the original members who created the Idaho AD Club in 1941.

“We love the environment of Moscow,” said trustee Jim Pilcher, a certified public accountant who also sits on the advisory council for the university’s Operation Education Scholarship Program. “And we love the University of Idaho.”

Learn more about the Idaho Arena project by visiting uidaho.edu/idahoarena uidaho.edu/idahoarena 33

HER BEST SELF Vandal Scholarship Fund offered junior volleyball player the financial support she needed to be successful, on and off the court

By Brad Gary | Photo by Joe Pallen

34 IDAHO | FALL 2017

I

n a way, volleyball is the perfect outlet for DeVonne Ryter.

The fast-paced nature of every spike, dig and serve prevents the 20-year-old University of Idaho middle blocker from focusing on any one aspect of her game and pushes her to grow.

“The sport itself, physically, is so fast-paced,” she said. “If you make a mistake or something happens, you have to move on.”

It’s a framework Ryter has learned to live by. A junior from Sedona, Arizona, Ryter credits her coaches and other supporters — including financial support from the Vandal Scholarship Fund — with her growth as a person and athlete, especially when the hard reality of life was volleyed in her direction.

Ryter’s father, a U.S. Army veteran, committed suicide when she was 2. Her mother remarried and divorced several times, moving Ryter and her older brother, Jake, to houses that were often colored by alcohol and abuse. In the sixth grade, after missing an entire month of school to care for her family, Ryter’s grandparents took her in.

Her home life eventually settled down, and Ryter moved back in with her mother and stepdad, Daryl Abbott. It was Abbott who provided the direction and the motivation for Ryter to take up volleyball her freshman year of high school.

“He encouraged me to get involved with volleyball,” she said, even paying for training and camps.

She was an awful volleyball player at first, the result of beginner struggles and an awkward growth spurt, she said.

But practice and constant work paid off. By the end of her freshman year, the 14-year-old was invited to join the 17-yearold club team on a trip to the national competition in Florida.

“I focused in on volleyball,” she said. “That’s when I really started developing as a real player. I’d step up on the court, and I’d leave reality off the court.”

Volleyball kept her afloat when turmoil returned to life.

The family moved from Flagstaff to Sedona after her sophomore season and Abbott and Ryter’s mother divorced the next year. The family limped along, but Ryter had volleyball, her coaches and teammates to lean on.

She moved out of the house again, and eventually Abbott adopted her.

“That was a huge blessing,” Ryter said.

The teen’s on-the-court success was noticed by UI volleyball coach Debbie Buchanan, who offered Ryter a full-ride scholarship through the Vandal Scholarship Fund to come to Moscow.

In addition to gaining self-confidence, Buchanan said Ryter has contributed as an outstanding member of the Vandal volleyball team. She works hard for the team and in the classroom.

“In life, she’s growing. She’s not even the same person from when she got here,” Buchanan said. “I’m super proud of her.”

Now a junior studying organizational sciences in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, with a minor in communications and interior design, Ryter hopes to go into the dental field — something she never dreamed possible had she not been offered a scholarship.

Ryter graduated high school in December 2014 at age 17, and she found her new home in Moscow the next month.

“That’s when I started growing the most is when I started gaining in my independence,” she said. “The coaches at the University of Idaho helped build me, both as a person and as a player.”

That first year away from her home state was tough. Ryter said she learned a great deal about life in her first semester, but also got a full slate of classes under her belt before her freshman season. Volleyball became a full-time job, to which she dedicates several hours a day.

In her sophomore year at UI, major family issues began to arise again in Arizona, but Ryter worked hard not to let negativity influence her, relying instead on the drive that comes from being the first member of her family to attend college.

“I stuck through it because I knew a lot of people were counting on me to get my bachelor’s,” she said.

She’s grateful for the constant encouragement she receives from her coaches, as well as the hope she finds in her Christian faith and through the Idaho families who treat her as one of their own.

“They taught me to be the best version of myself, both on and off the court,” she said.

About the Vandal Scholarship Fund Student-athletes like DeVonne Ryter are granted scholarships to the University of Idaho through the Vandal Scholarship Fund, the result of gifts from approximately 1,600 donors each year. The fund supports 206 scholarships to approximately 300 student-athletes.

Gifts through the VSF cover about half of the cost of those scholarships. Learn more about VSF and donate at uidaho.edu/vsf.

uidaho.edu/vsf 35

Vandals share their passion for UI with future students

By Whitney Schroeder

n a bright summer day in a hotel conference room in Pleasanton, California, a group of Vandals are singing the fight song.

As the clapping swells and fills the room, complete with enthusiastic fist pumps and cheering, the audience of high school students and their families gets swept up in the University of Idaho spirit.

It’s just another day of sharing what it means to be a member of the Vandal family.

“It was so funny to watch all the attendees in the room 36 IDAHO | FALL 2017

look at us like, wait, they’re going to sing? And not only sing, but sing with gusto?” said alumna Lois Long ’00. “By the end of it they were bobbing their heads and clapping along.”

The crowd was made up of attendees at one of many Meet the Vandals events, which connect prospective students and their families with UI employees and alumni. At first, Long said, the groups are always a little confused, but singing the fight song is a way for alumni to show how much their experiences at UI still resonate with them 15, 30, even 50 years later.

Long attended the very first Pleasanton Meet the Vandals in 2012. Through the gatherings she has made new friends with other alumni and enjoys reconnecting with them each year.

“It is not very often we get to do Vandal things in the Bay Area,” she said. “So when there was the chance to do that, I wanted to take it.”

Long grew up in Highwood, Montana. She first set foot on the University of Idaho campus in 1995 as a senior in high

Get involved Find events near you and learn more about how you can connect with the Vandal family at

uidaho.edu/alumni/get-involved

school. She immediately loved the campus and the people she met, including women in the Greek system, prompting her to join the Delta Delta Delta sorority as a freshman.

“It was nice to have an instant family and a group of people you could come to if you needed support,” Long said.

“Everybody had something in common. We loved Idaho, we loved the Vandals and it created really strong bonds not just in college, but throughout alumni life as well.”

The sense of community and Vandal pride were valuable pieces of her experience that only enhanced the education she received at UI. The sense of community and family carried into the classroom and the group work she did while getting her degree in marketing from the College of Business and Economics. It was during her upper-division classes that she learned she really enjoyed working collaboratively, something that has shaped the rest of her life.

It is these types of stories — stories about community, camaraderie and expectations — that Long shares when meeting with high school students and their parents in Pleasanton.

“I think the greatest value really is the conversation that potential students and their parents can have with alumni and representatives from the university,” she said.

Like Long, alumnus Travis Jones ’99, ’02 of Portland has been active in recruitment events.

“I think having alumni involved, not just employees, makes a difference,” Jones said. “It makes it a more personal connection between the parents, the kids and alumni, and it is not just a speech from someone paid to give it.”

Jones grew up in Lostine in eastern Oregon. His older sister attended UI, and he visited a few times in high school, but UI was not his top pick. He applied to WSU, Pepperdine and UI, and was accepted to all three. When it came down to deciding, UI rose to the top. The scholarships offered and the responsiveness of the school were factors that tipped the scale in favor of becoming a Vandal, Jones said.

What started out as a practical decision quickly became the best decision of his life. Jones went on to receive a bachelor’s in agricultural business and a master’s in agricultural economics from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

“I was an out-of-state kid, one that was not naturally going to go to UI, but I did and it was the best decision I ever made,” he said. “I like being that voice in student recruitment that represents the out-of-state kid, to share why it was amazing to go to UI – here is why, here is how.”

Along with the enjoyment that comes from connecting with students and their families, re-connecting with alumni and sharing his personal story, Jones values the opportunity to give back to the university in a meaningful way.

“I want to do my part in giving back to the university and helping out when they want it,” Jones said. “And the best part about it is you feel really good about helping someone else have a similar experience to what you had.” uidaho.edu/alumni 37

I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK I GET TO DO.

38 IDAHO | FALL 2017

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumna Ericka Rupp dedicates her life to helping others succeed

By Amy Calabretta | Photo by Mark VanderSys

iving back to her community is an integral part of Ericka Rupp’s life, as a professional and as a volunteer. That passion for helping others encompasses much of her life, from her work in the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to her service on advisory boards for the United Way of Treasure Valley, Northwest Integrity Housing and the University of Idaho Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

“I’ve always believed that early childhood and strengthening families is the right thing to do to benefit the overall health and well-being of our community,” Rupp said. “I saw that, not only through my experiences in college, through my courses and my classwork, but also working within the communities in Idaho and working alongside community organizations and families and recognizing that what we do as a state and how we define our policies and practices, really does impact families lives. When we do that to the very best that we can, it only strengthens our overall system in supporting families and children.”

As program manager for the Department of Health and Welfare, Rupp manages the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care Development block grants. She maintains policy directives, implements federal policies and keeps state policies related to the two grants current.

“Both grants, to me, are looking at the systemic prevention focus of how we strengthen families and children’s lives in Idaho through workforce training and employment opportunities and high-quality child care experiences,” Rupp said. “I love being able to focus on strategies and initiatives that look at strengthening our current Idaho families, but also building a foundation for healthy families in the future.”

Rupp received a bachelor’s degree in child development and family relations from UI in 2000, followed by a master’s in family and consumer sciences in 2002. The Lewiston native started out as a psychology major, but an individual and family development course in the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences changed her direction.

“When I took that course, I think it encompassed what it was that I really wanted to do, which was to understand at a theory level how children develop, the science behind it and then how you apply that to a community,” Rupp said. “It just clicked with me. It was a momentous class in my life.”

The course was taught by Janice Fletcher, who soon

became an influential part of Rupp’s college studies and future career. Fletcher served as her major professor in graduate school.

“She nurtured my ability to lead with the skills I had and feel confident in those skills,” Rupp said. “She has a wonderful way of encouraging and seeing you for who you are. When Janice opened that door to grad school and I said yes to that – it changed my life.”

The personal connection with professors was one of the most beneficial aspects of UI for Rupp.

“I think the personal relationships with your professors is amazing,” Rupp said. “They are critical to your development as a human being, which makes you a better professional whether you are 22 or 42. They hold you to a caliber of excellence and they model professionalism at a phenomenal level.”

After graduate school, Rupp moved to Houston, Texas, to work for the Houston Area School District as a reading specialist before moving into the nonprofit sector. She developed children’s programming for a domestic violence and sexual assault organization, ensuring that children in the shelter were provided a quality education.

“I did a lot of training around domestic violence and trauma-informed care for children and families and how that affects their development and their social-emotional skills,” Rupp said.

Rupp spent three years in Houston before returning to Idaho. She accepted the community services director position with Community Action Partnership in Lewiston, where she spent seven years overseeing federal programs that address community poverty issues.

Throughout all of her professional experiences Rupp has kept one mantra in mind: Stay an eager learner.

“For me, it’s always being open to the possibility,” Rupp said. “When I am eager to learn that helps me grow as a person and as a professional. I try to be present and remain open and eager to learning new things that can challenge me.”

Rupp’s passion and dedication to her community earned her a spot on the 2017 Idaho Business Review Accomplished Under 40 list that honors 40 Idaho business and professional leaders who have achieved success before the age of 40.

“I was very humbled and honored,” Rupp said of the honor. “There are amazing community members all throughout the state, and I work with some very talented community partners. I am very grateful for the work I get to do.” uidaho.edu/cals 39

ALUMNI AWARDS MEET MeetTHE the NEW NewLEADERSHIP DEANS The University of Idaho is excited to introduce new members of our institutional leadership team

DEAN KAHLER

Vice Provost, Strategic Enrollment Management

“I feel very privileged to be able to work at such a remarkable university that has such a strong alumni network. I look forward to working with University of Idaho alumni around the world to continue to grow our university.”

Assistant Dean of Students, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life “It is a humbling experience to be invited to work with such a distinguished and historical sorority and fraternity community.”

GINGER CARNEY

Dean, College of Science

“I am honored to serve as the next dean of the College of Science at UI. The bold university leadership and ambitious growth path on which the university has embarked make this an exciting time to join UI.”

CHER HENDRICKS

JERRY MCMURTRY

“I look forward to being a collaborative member of the academic affairs team and devoting my time and energy to supporting initiatives that foster student success. While success in this area is an important part of reaching the goal of increased enrollment for the university, it also holds the promise of transforming students’ lives, and that mission is what drives my work.”

“My goal is to work with faculty to strengthen our graduate programs and create research and educational opportunities for our graduate students. As we are the state’s landgrant research university, I am looking forward to enhancing the visibility of our graduate programs across the state, nation and world.”

Vice Provost, Academic Initiatives

BOBBI GERRY

Assistant Vice Provost, Strategic Enrollment Management

“I am honored to be joining the University of Idaho and excited by the opportunity to work with Dr. Kahler, the administration, faculty, staff and greater community, to deliver on the ambitious growth laid out in our strategic plan.”

40 IDAHO | FALL 2017

SHAWN DOWIAK

Dean, College of Graduate Studies

JOY FISHER

Executive Director, UI Foundation

“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to lead the Foundation as we work in partnership with the university. Working together with our dedicated Board of Directors and generous donors we will continue to expand the largest university foundation in Idaho. Private dollars create meaningful impact for our students, faculty and the important work of the University of Idaho.”

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

uidaho.edu/alumni

Class Notes ’50s Julie Whitney Dawson ’58 has expanded her art business with 60 products made with her watercolor paintings, including scarves, neckties, ceramic tiles, pillows, pillow cases, aprons, T-shirts, bibs, onesies and items related to her Sillybillies Books.

They are available on her website, JulieDawsonArtist.com.

Leaders. Innovators.

Go-Getters. Vandals.

Who inspires you? Nominate a Vandal who deserves special recognition

The University of Idaho Alumni Association recognizes Vandals at every level, from student-leaders to those who have achieved international distinction.

“Recognizing the achievements of our fellow Vandals is important,” said Kathy Barnard, executive director of the association. “It helps to remind the individual that they have a 107,000-plus-member network that is paying attention to what they are doing and are pulling for them to succeed.”

One award in particular has special meaning for the Alumni Association. The Jim Lyle Award is named for the first UI alumni director and its recipients are often “our most vocal advocates for UI,” said Ben Rae ’83, UIAA past president and director of the North Idaho region. They support Vandal events of all types “for the pleasure they receive from giving back and the hope that generations in the future will have their lives enriched by the University of Idaho.”

Barnard encourages every alumni to consider nominating a fellow Vandal for recognition. Nomination packets need to include some specifics about the person, as well as information from other endorsers who can weigh-in on the nominee’s behalf.

Award criteria are available at www.uidaho.edu/alumni/awards, or you can contact kathybarnard@uidaho.edu or Marie Duncan at marie@uidaho.edu.

’60s William Fletcher ’66 received Faculty Emeritus status in 2016 at North Carolina Central University, where he served as professor and chair of the math department. He also received a certificate of appreciation from the Internal Revenue Service for 20 years of service through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Richard Bennett ’69 published an historical fiction novel in November 2016.

The novel, “Rock Creek,” is set between 1872 and 1888 and depicts the lives of early settlers in southern Idaho.

’70s Tom Andrews ’72 retired June 2016 after working as an architect, project manager and executive for 44 years in the design and construction industry for HKS & Partners, Morrison Knudsen Company and AECOM, the largest architectural/engineering company in the world.

ALUMNI | CLASS NOTES 41

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

uidaho.edu/alumni/get-involved

’80s Mary Elizabeth Ware ’72, chief of purchasing services for the California Department of Water Resources, received the Director’s Annual Award for Outstanding Management Excellence and Sustained Superior Accomplishment.

David Abo ’75 retired from the City of Boise, Planning and Development Services Department. He worked for 40 years in the field of municipal planning, including jobs with Ada County and Minidoka County.

He was active with the American Planning Association, Idaho Planning Association and served on the boards of the Idaho Chapter of Building Officials and Western Central Chapter of the American Planning Association.

James McIntyre ’76 was part of an expedition to Papua Province, Indonesia, in 2016. As part of the excursion, McIntyre genetically verified the existence of the New Guinea Highland wild dog, a primitive species believed to be extinct and not verified in over 60 years. The discovery was featured on the Huffington Post.

Larry Gilstad ’77 retired from the Veterans Administration on Nov. 1, 2016.

He had served as the chief of communications for the Miami VA health care system for 11 years. He moved to Miami in 1982 to serve as director of video services at the University of Miami.

Dell Hatch ’78 was promoted to principal with Bernardo|Wills Architects.

42 IDAHO | FALL 2017

’90s

Karen (Larson) Duddlesten ’82 has been named deputy city manager-chief of community services for the city of Las Vegas.

Hugh Hawthorne ’82 was promoted by the National Park Service to superintendent of the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Suzanne (Leonard) Harrison ’83 was installed as president of the American Medical Women’s Association on April 1, 2017.

Harrison is a professor of family medicine and rural health at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, Florida.

John Miller ’83, ’88, ’01, ’04 has been named president of Williston State College.

Brian Royster ’83 was promoted in July to business sales manager at Cable One for the entire state of Idaho. Brian will lead a team of seven account executives providing businesses with internet, phone and video solutions. Brian is an avid Vandal booster.

Jane (Kessel) Button ’85, director of budget and financial analysis at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, was recognized and awarded the Mission Award in recognition of her outstanding service to Gonzaga and the university’s mission areas of faith, justice, service and ethics.

Bill Rauer ’85 has joined Cornerstone Design in Boise.

Rauer has worked as a consultant and business coach with companies throughout the Treasure Valley. Rauer is president of the board for The Arc of Idaho and past-president of the board for the Professional Business Coaching Association of Idaho.

Major General Erik Peterson ’86 has been selected as the Commanding General of Division West, First Army at Fort Hood, Texas. His most recent assignment was as the director of Army Aviation on the Army staff.

Charles Horgan ’87 was promoted to associate principal with Bernardo|Wills Architects.

Tracy Scott ’87 has been named the Student Services Administrative Employee of the Year and the Council of Administrative Personnel Employee of the Year for 2016.

Scott is the director of student development at Western Illinois University.

Tammy Everts ’91, a certified business advisor in Spokane, Washington, was inducted into the Washington SBDC Million Dollar Club at the statewide conference in April 2017. Everts was recognized for assisting her clients in accessing more than $2.2 million in small business capital investment in 2016 and for her dedication in serving the small-business community.

Michael Lee ’91 has been appointed associate vice president for instruction for arts, sciences and program development at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington.

Liza Morris ’92 has been named associate director of architectural planning within the Facilities Department’s Office of University Planning at Virginia Tech.

Luisa Havens ’93, ’99, ’08, currently the vice president for enrollment management and services at Florida International University, has been named vice provost for enrollment management at Virginia Tech.

Jason Karl ’96, ’98 has been hired by the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources as the first Harold F. and Ruth M. Heady Endowed Chair of Rangeland Ecology.

Aimee (Schendel) McAuliffe ’97 owns her own association management company, Associate Solutions Management, and is currently serving as executive director for Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon.

To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Class Notes, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format.

Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.

’10s Crystal Wilson ’97, ’04, ’09 has transitioned from president-elect of the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics board of directors to president. Wilson oversees nutrition and education programming at the Idaho Dairy Council.

Resources.

cial advisor.

Melinda (Harm) Benson ’98 was named the dean of the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Kevin Clouse ’98 joined RBC Wealth Management in Kirkland, Washington, as a first vice president and finan-

Terry Haldeman ’98, pictured left, was promoted to sergeant at the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 8, 2017, by Sheriff Ty Trenary, at right.

’00s

branch.

Chris Batt ’00 has been promoted to vice president and branch manager of Idaho Independent Bank’s Nampa

Tom Farrens ’01, AIA, has been appointed by Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead to serve on the state’s School Facilities Commission. Farrens will be finishing out the final two years of a vacated seat and will then continue to serve a full four-year term.

J. Ryan Zane ’01 was promoted to Associate principal with Bernardo|Wills Architects.

Tara (Lunde) Entringer ’02 completed the 2017 Boston Marathon.

Jonathan Parker ’02 of Holland & Hart LLP in Boise was elected chairman of the Idaho Republican Party.

Danielle Horras ’02, ’04 has been named one of the 2017 Idaho Business Review’s Women of the Year. She was chosen for her professional achievements, leadership, mentorship to other women, community service work and community leadership.

Mandy (Wood) Legarreta ’02 joined the Newsletter Pro as its marketing manager and head of partner development.

The Newsletter Pro made the Inc. 500 list and best places to work in Idaho for two years.

Barbara Grant ’04 is an oncology dietitian nutritionist at Saint Alphonsus Cancer Care Center in Boise, and has been elected to serve three years as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics representative to the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Grant was also the recipient of the Oncology Nursing Society’s 2016 honorary member award.

Kody Kraus ’04 has been appointed chief financial officer for Kount Inc., a leading innovator of solutions for fraud and risk management. He will oversee Kount’s accounting and reporting processes and lead the company’s continued growth efforts.

Mari Harris ’06, ’13, a teacher at Vallivue High School, has been named the 2017 Idaho History Teacher of the Year, an award presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education.

Amy Taylor ’06 is the regional manager for Goodwill Workforce and Family Services based in Moscow.

Anthony Wilen ’07 is a transportation engineer at David Evans and Associates Inc. of Bellevue, Washington, and was named an associate of the firm in March 2017.

Joseph Popplewell , J.D., LL.M. ’08, ’11 opened Popplewell Law Firm, PLLC on Aug. 1, 2017, in Twin Falls. The boutique law firm provides estate planning, tax, probate, business and real estate legal services.

Chelsea Schoenfelder ’09 is joining the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics board and will serve a two-year term as secretary. Schoenfelder is a health and wellness manager at the Idaho Dairy Council.

Renee Breedlovestrout ’11 has been appointed to the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. She will serve a two-year term.

Trevor DoBell-Carlsson ’12 has moved to Alaska to become the forest stewardship program manager for the Alaska Division of Forestry after four years working for the Texas A&M Forest Service as a forester.

University.

Katrina Colby ’13 is a fourthyear doctoral student in clinical psychology with emphasis in neuropsychology at Palo Alto

Todd Pinter ’13 works as a business analyst for Boeing.

Ava Isaacson ’14 has joined Idaho Rivers United as a conservation associate.

Murphy Olmstead ’14 has joined Wittmeyer and Associates, an Idaho public and government relations firm. He will focus on education issues.

To update your email and mailing addresses and submit career success, birth announcements or marriages, visit: uidaho.edu/class-notes

ALUMNI | CLASS NOTES 43

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

uidaho.edu/alumni/get-involved

Future Vandals

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Got a new Vandal baby?

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44 IDAHO | FALL 2017

Submit your birth announcement and baby photo to Here We Have Idaho, and the Office of Alumni Relations will send you a signed certificate and a free pair of baby booties. Submit your announcement at uidaho.edu/alumni/stay-connected, or email it to uidahomagazine@uidaho.edu.

To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Class Notes, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format.

Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.

* Audrey Monroe (8 months) and Eleanor Claire (3 years), daughters of Mark ’08 and Morgan Boatman ’07; granddaughters of Dennis ’76, ’81 and Georgia Boatman ’ 76, ’81

10. Isaac Alexander and Oliver John, twin sons of Caleb and Karen (Thiessen) Moyer ’06, brothers of Curtis Moyer, grandsons of Wayne ’62, ’65 and Peggy (Roper) Thiessen ’65

1. Evelyn, daughter of Thomas ’11 and Stephanie (Hale) Dillon ’16

11. Rosemary, daughter of Emily and Kevin Organ ’01, ’03

2. Lillian Hayes, daughter of Michael ’04 and Colleen Farrell

12. Bode, son of Brianne and Wes Pahl ’08, grandson of Julie and Greg Pahl ’84

* Cannon Lane, son of Eric ’11 and Jenna (Lane) Fletcher ’12 3. McCoy Lee, son of Taylor and Kristin Leigh (Royster) Foster ’11; grandson of Debbie and Brian Lee Royster ’83; nephew of Danielle and Justin Royster ’06 4. Axel Eugene, son of Brett and Nicolle (Jones) Gleason ’01; grandson of Greg ’74 and Ilene (McCall) Jones ’74 * Taylor Sabino and Nahia Elena, children of Tim ’04 and Surine (de la Concepcion) Greenway ’09 5. Grayson, son of Michael ’11 and Cydney (Cyr) Hayes ’11 * Yaeger Norval, son of Melisa and Josh Hauth ’04 6. Axel Wray, son of Joseph and Kayla Herriman ’09 7. Madison Jean, daughter of Kayla and Nate Ingram ’04 8. Audrey Emmeline, daughter of Fred ’05 and Erin Jessup ’05 9. McKinley “Mack”, son of Joseph ’09 and Melissa (Newhouse) Lowther ’08; grandson of Charles ’82 and Roberta (Knapp) Newhouse ’82; great-grandson of Robert ’56 and Gretchen (Holmes) Newhouse ’56; great-great-grandson of Robert ’34 and Margaret (Goode) Newhouse ’35; and great-great-great-grandson of John Ross Goode, 1906

* Colton, son of Heather and Sean Robertson ’11 13. Daniel, Emma and Stephen, children of Michael ’09, ’11 and Mary Sasala ’11

Marriages Heather Boydell ’03, ’05 to Jason Walter

Courtney Druffel to Todd Pinter ’13 Emmalee Kearney ’10 to Lt. Cmdr. Nicolaus Gruesen Samuel Koester ’14 to Jim Martinez ’14 Amy Taylor ’06 to Jeff Senkevich ’03 Jamie Wagner ’94 to Steve Corda ’93

14. Talin, son of Austin and Samantha (Gould) Shields ’10 15. Vivian Van Clief, granddaughter of Rebecca and Michael Bryant ’90; great-granddaughter of Kenneth Deal Sr. ’56; niece of Kenneth Deal Jr. ’86, William Deal ’90, James ’59 and Ann Graban ’59 and Mark Bryant ’81 16. Tenley Marie, daughter of Dominick ’14, ’15 and Cailin Ventresco ’13 17. Weston Alan, son of Christopher ’11 and Heidi (Lyons) Wagner ’12 18. Preston Norman, son of Austin ’10, ’12 and Samantha (Hendrickson) Welch ’11 19. Frederick “Freddie”, son of Aaron ’04 and Maria (Valente) Woodard ’03; grandson of Stephen ’74 and Paula (Houston) Woodard’74; great-nephew of David Woodard ’79; and nephew of Valerie (Woodard) Forster ’99, ’00 20. Leighton Grace, daughter of Brandon ’06 and Cassie (Kilgore) Naddell ’05

Let us know what you think about this issue of Here We Have Idaho!

Please take a few minutes to fill out a short survey about this magazine and tell us what you like or don’t like, and let us know what topics you want to read about!

Access the survey at: http://bit.ly/hwhi-survey This anonymous survey is being run through the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Questions about the survey can be directed to magazine editor Savannah Tranchell at uidahomagazine@uidaho.edu.

* No Photo

ALUMNI | CLASS NOTES 45

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

uidaho.edu/alumni/get-involved

Robert Brandt ’45, Tremonton, UT, May 11, 2017

Jack Bowman ’49, Payette, May 18, 2017

Raymond Stommel ’50, Seattle, WA, July 3, 2017

Edna (Herrington) Brooks ’45, Spokane, WA, May 11, 2017

Dean Foley ’49, Walla Walla, WA, March 20, 2017

Betty (Tellin) Weeks ’50, Fairfield, CA, Nov. 1, 2016

Cleon Burt ’45, St. Louis, MO, Dec. 9, 2016

Alan Grey ’49, ’50, Idaho Falls, Feb. 5, 2017

Billy Williams ’50, Centennial, CO, Feb. 11, 2017

Ora Durham ’46, Boise, Jan. 30, 2017

Sue (Smith) King ’49, Centralia, WA, Feb. 12, 2017

Helen (Denaven) Burrus ’51, Longview, WA, March 23, 2017

Harold Forbush ’46, ’49, Rexburg, April 10, 2017

Florence (Cooper) Lint ’49, Sacramento, CA, April 29, 2017

Bruce Egger ’51, Portland, OR, April 8, 2017

Eldred Stephenson ’35, ’42, Rexburg, March 14, 2017

Len Pyne ’46, ’57, Kennewick, WA, Feb 21, 2017

Barbara (Egbert) May ’49, Twin Falls, July 6, 2017

Richard Kenfield ’51, West Bend, WI, April 22, 2017

Harry Huskey ’37, Santa Cruz, CA, April 9, 2017

Evelyn (Fisher) Ferguson ’47, Kellogg, May 14, 2017

James May ’49, ’51, Twin Falls, June 11, 2017

Raymond Lockard ’51, Beaverton, OR, May 22, 2017

Kathleen (Bailey) Irwin ’37, Spokane, WA, May 25, 2017

Joseph Garner ’47, Mesa, AZ, May 23, 2017

Burke Sower ’49, ’54, Nampa, March 18, 2017

William Sacht ’51, Boise, Jan. 21, 2017

Alberta Hill ’39, Meridian, March 18, 2017

Ralphine (Strub) Greaves ’47, San Diego, CA, July 11, 2016

Yvonne (Whiting) Stephens ’49, Weiser, April 14, 2017

Richard Sprute ’51, Spokane, WA, May 7, 2017

Lorraine (Christensen) Guernsey ’47, Coos Bay, OR, Feb. 3, 2017

Samuel Vance ’49, Pittsburgh, PA, May 11, 2017

Owen Agenbroad ’52, ’56, Dayton, WA, Oct. 13, 2016

In Memory The University of Idaho extends its condolences to the family and friends of Vandals listed below.

’30s

’40s Robert Abbey ’40, Boise, May 6, 2016 Philip Kincaid ’40, Spokane, WA, Jan. 15, 2017 Venetia (Heidel) Vining ’40, Jerome, May 17, 2017 Mary (Cribbins) Bryson ’41, Boise, May 15, 2017 Alan Carron ’41, Boca Raton, FL, March 17, 2017 Clyde Culp ’41, Rochester, MN, Feb. 1, 2017

Roger Guernsey ’47, Boise, May 19, 2017 Maxine (Darrell) Hornfelt ’47, Post Falls, Jan. 14, 2017 Norman Logan ’47, Moscow, April 8, 2017 Robert Olsen ’47, Casper, WY, Feb. 22, 2017 Phyllis (Pickrell) Patrick ’47, Boise, Feb. 6, 2017 Marietta (Hanford) Unternahrer ’47, Pendleton, OR, Feb. 24, 2017

’50s John Barinaga ’50, Sonoma, CA, April 14, 2017 Donald Birchmier ’50, Lewiston, April 8, 2017 Richard Bross ’50, La Grande, OR, July 2, 2017 William Burns ’50, Frisco, TX, March 23, 2017 Russell Griffith ’50, Cleveland, TN, April 5, 2017

Donald Benscoter ’48, Lewiston, April 13, 2017

Lorin Grow ’50, Boise, Sep. 4, 2016

Louis Bunting ’42, Grangeville, Feb. 3, 2017

Shirley (Yenor) Christensen ’48, St. Maries, Dec. 26, 2016

Robert Hensel ’50, Wenatchee, WA, May 11, 2017

Winston Spencer ’42, Georgetown, TX, Jan. 30, 2017

Hollis Goff ’48, Lacey, WA, April 17, 2017

Maxwell Herrington Sr. ’50, Birmingham, AL, Jan. 27, 2017

John Carver Jr. ’43, Boise, Nov. 25, 2016

Alice (Taylor) Hayes ’48, Ventura, CA, May 11, 2017

Betty (Brittenham) Hull ’50, Walla Walla, WA, April 4, 2016

Merilyn (Burford) Lee ’43, Twin Falls, April 28, 2017

Sumner Johnson ’48, Nampa, Feb. 4, 2017

Richard Kerns ’50, Anchorage, AK, April 29, 2017

Erma (Nail) Shropshire ’43, Bozeman, MT, Feb. 12, 2017

Pierina (Truant) Miller ’48, Kellogg, April 24, 2017

Isobelle (Phelan) Manley ’50, Helena, MT, May 6, 2017

Catherine (Eldridge) Bethke ’44, Boise, July 1, 2017

John “Jack” Benscoter ’49, Pullman, WA, July 1, 2017

Robert McMurtrey ’50, Blackfoot, Feb. 7, 2017

Earl Chandler ’44, Boise, April 11, 2017

Robert Blandford ’49, Palm Desert, CA, Nov. 7, 2016

John Merten ’50, Elk Grove, CA, Jan. 6, 2017

Miriam (Schubert) Higgins ’44, Boise, March 9, 2017

Mary (Tovey) Borden ’49, Twin Falls, Jan. 14, 2017

Arthur Randall ’50, Coeur d’Alene, Feb. 17, 2017

Franklin Eldridge ’41, Lincoln, NE, Jan. 27, 2017

46 IDAHO | FALL 2017

Preston Bair ’52, Sandy, UT, July 13, 2017 Robert Hanson ’52, Stallion Springs, CA, Feb. 24, 2017 Vernon Hinckley ’52, Murray, UT, June 2, 2017 June (Sutton) Jameson ’52, Boise, April 17, 2017 Robert Johnson ’52, Dallas, OR, March 8, 2017 Beverley (Hayes) Koll ’52, Boise, Feb. 15, 2017 Wayne MacGregor ’52, Grangeville, May 21, 2017 Richard Newton ’52, ’53, Lindon, UT, April 27, 2017 Dorris (Jensen) Racely ’52, Great Falls, MT, April 13, 2017 William Shaver ’52, ’61, ’64, Sacramento, CA, Feb. 1, 2017 John White ’52, Kennewick, WA, March 17, 2017 Martha (Roberts) Wither ’52, Camas, WA, March 16, 2017 Jerry Asker ’53, Grangeville, June 10, 2017 Stowell Johnstone ’53, ’60, Anchorage, AK, June 5, 2017 William Mather ’53, Olympia, WA, May 16, 2017

To be profiled, mail information, including reunion/graduation year, to Class Notes, Office of Alumni Relations, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 3232, Moscow, ID 83844-3232 or email information to alumni@uidaho.edu. Photos can be emailed in a high resolution .jpg format.

Please limit your submission to no more than 35 words.

Bruce McIntosh ’53, Hot Springs Village, AR, April 16, 2017

Lee Allen ’57, ’72, Anchorage, AK, Feb. 21, 2017

Marjorie Erstad ’59, Sacramento, CA, April 18, 2017

Lyndall Williams ’61, ’72, Post Falls, April 20, 2017

Donald Oliason ’53, ’57, Seattle, WA, Sep. 24, 2015

Glenda (Hall) Becker ’57, Moscow, Feb. 12, 2017

Harold “Ron” Hilker ’59, Idaho Falls, Jan. 31, 2017

Mary (Douglas) Broom ’62, Spokane, WA, May 6, 2017

H. Roger Swanstrom ’53, ’56, Boise, July 1, 2017

Jean (Wiltse) Cook ’57, Palo Alto, CA, March 28, 2017

James King ’59, Kellogg, Feb. 18, 2017

Ted Cowin ’62, Moscow, April 30, 2017

Robert Vlack ’53, Elmwood Park, NJ, Feb. 12, 2017

Judith (Hodgins) Gibbs ’57, Fullerton, CA, March 10, 2017

Kent Marboe Sr. ’59, Wenatchee, WA, April 3, 2017

Sally (Haseltin) Harris ’62, New York, NY, Oct. 20, 2016

Marjorie (Moline) Waller ’53, Billings, MT, June 30, 2017

Morgan Moore ’57, Boise, April 7, 2017

George Mowry ’59, Nampa, April 9, 2017

Edward Jacquot ’62, ’67, Coeur d’Alene, Feb. 20, 2017

Kenneth Austin ’54, Palouse, WA, March 4, 2017 Jack Benham ’54, Grand Junction, CO, April 17, 2017 Jerrold Coolidge ’54, ’64, Idaho Falls, March 10, 2017 Ralph Hartwell ’54, Idaho Falls, June 19, 2017 Raymond Marshall Jr. ’54, Phenix City, AL, July 8, 2017 Jessie (DeKlotz) Olson ’54, Filer, April 5, 2017 Ramona Reineke ’54, Reno, NV, Feb. 21, 2017 Walter Ward ’54, Anchorage, AK, March 12, 2017 Barry Binning ’55, Lewiston, March 3, 2017 Darlene (Wamstad) Everson ’55, Moscow, July 12, 2017 Katherine (Morse) Mattsson ’55, Carmel, IN, March 23, 2017 David Powell ’55, Spokane, WA, July 6, 2017 Nanette (Nelson) Powell ’55, Spokane, WA, July 6, 2017 Ted Runberg ’55, ’63, Coeur d’Alene, May 30, 2017 Dean Bent ’56, Rexburg, May 13, 2017 Russell Boor ’56, Las Cruces, NM, June 4, 2017

Jerry Norbeck ’57, Garfield, WA, July 1, 2017 Myrna (Shaver) Peebles ’57, St. Anthony, March 7, 2017

James Sizemore ’59, Palmer, AK, July 3, 2017 Walter Smith ’59, Ridgecrest, CA, May 22, 2017

Varsel Peterson ’57, Idaho Falls, April 30, 2017

Harry Walrath ’59, Lewiston, Feb. 9, 2017

James Southwick ’57, Ammon, Feb. 20, 2017

’60s

Herbert Warriner ’57, Prosser, WA, March 3, 2017 Melvin Alsager ’58, Nampa, July 4, 2017 Lamont Anderson ’58, Idaho Falls, April 11, 2017 Jane (Bonham) Cammack ’58, Bend, OR, March 30, 2017 Gary Collier ’58, Morro Bay, CA, April 1, 2017 George Gaylord ’58, Kellogg, June 22, 2017 Marilyn (Nugent) Hendricks ’58, Kennett Square, PA, Dec. 22, 2016 Lorin Nelson ’58, Santa Ana, CA, April 29, 2017 Georgia “Anne” Reynolds ’58, Boise, Nov. 30, 2016 Edward Seielstad ’58, La Crosse, WI, April 8, 2017 Ruth (Grush) Turner ’58, ’60, ’67, Troy, MT, Nov. 23, 2016

Joseph King ’60, Oklahoma City, OK, June 4, 2017 Anna (Settles) Marshall ’60, Bend, OR, June 22, 2017 Robert Palmer ’60, Caldwell, Jan. 17, 2017 Kenneth Russell ’60, Belfast, ME, April 7, 2017 Dale Schumacher ’60, McMinnville, OR, June 18, 2017 Charles Skillern ’60, ’62, Vienna, VA, May 30, 2017 Joan (Brands) Thompson ’60, South Windsor, CT, Feb. 28, 2017 Harvey Waldron Jr. ’60, Bend, OR, Jan. 27, 2017 Denis (Morris) Wilde ’60, Portland, OR, April 27, 2017 Alvis Carder ’61, Redmond, OR, Oct. 20, 2014 Gail Cazier ’61, Rexburg, May 19, 2017

Katherine (Koelsch) Kriken ’62, San Francisco, CA, June 5, 2017 Anita (Johnson) Laveroni ’62, Belgrade, MT, March 12, 2017 Stanley Lehman ’62, ’63, Paso Robles, CA, Jan. 24, 2017 Robert Nelson ’62, Bellevue, WA, June 29, 2017 Gary Walker ’62, Lewiston, July 8, 2017 John Desimone Jr. ’63, Clarkston, WA, Feb. 17, 2017 Justin Friberg ’63, Chesapeake, VA, Feb. 2, 2017 Corwin Peter Groom ’63, Pocatello, March 31, 2017 Lee Holloway ’63, North Bend, WA, May 10, 2017 Sharon (Nonini) Kiilsgaard ’63, Alexander, AR, April 19, 2017 Edward Mooney Jr. ’63, Boise, May 4, 2017 Kenneth Steele ’63, Fortuna, CA, Feb. 20, 2017 Phil Woolwine ’63, Seattle, WA, March 24, 2017 Deanne (Hein) Barrett ’64, Spokane, WA, Feb. 21, 2017 Kurma (Durfee) Echevarria ’64, Boise, May 13, 2017 Garth Reece ’64, Nampa, April 5, 2017

Louis Hirschman ’56, Minden, NV, Feb. 24, 2017

Wayne Walker ’58, Boise, May 19, 2017

David Kohli ’56, Coeur d’Alene, March 20, 2017

Ruth (Mozo) Ball ’59, Columbus, GA, July 3, 2017

Diane (Dixon) Manweiler ’56, Boise, May 18, 2017

James Burt ’59, Emmett, May 28, 2017

Roy Lawrence ’61, Parma, April 6, 2017

Patrick Nunan ’56, Moscow, March 18, 2017

Cecil Chamberlain ’59, Roseburg, OR, April 30, 2017

Lee Lefler ’61, Spokane, WA, July 6, 2017

Annie (Furrer) Hickerson ’65, Colorado Springs, CO, May 13, 2017

Charles Adams ’57, Spokane, WA, March 7, 2017

Clifford Cook ’59, Lewiston, Feb. 13, 2017

Robert West ’61, Tucson, AZ, Feb. 22, 2017

Nicole (Dahmen) Katsilometes ’65, Pullman, WA, Feb. 23, 2017

Wayne Crook ’61, Salt Lake City, UT, March 3, 2017 Dohn Johnson Sr. ’61, Phoenix, AZ, Jan. 30, 2017

Harold Blauer ’65, ’81, Burley, Feb. 10, 2017 Bert Clegg ’65, Portland, OR, Jan. 19, 2017

ALUMNI | CLASS NOTES 47

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES Roger Konkol ’65, ’69, Mesa, AZ, April 11, 2017 Judy (Tuson) Martin ’65, Spokane, WA, May 20, 2017 Seley Moore ’65, Bremerton, WA, March 11, 2017

uidaho.edu/alumni/get-involved

’70s

Greg Wolf ’75, Sandpoint, March 12, 2017

’90s

Neil Garner ’70, Pinehurst, March 20, 2017

Kimberly (Stellmon) Farbo ’76, Moscow, June 5, 2017

Eric Slaathaug ’90, Pasco, WA, March 28, 2017

Hazel (Hill) Olson ’70, ’71, Garfield, WA, Feb. 4, 2017

Dorothy (Stevens) Thomas ’76, Moscow, June 23, 2017 Steven Tomlinson ’76, Portland, OR, June 30, 2017

Matthew Ingraham ’91, Arlington, VA, April 5, 2017

Thomas Neary ’65, ’70, Coeur d’Alene, Feb. 22, 2017

Douglass Barr ’71, Oro Valley, AZ, April 9, 2017

Charles Wright ’65, Riverton, WY, Oct. 3, 2015

Clifford Eidemiller ’71, Boise, Feb. 1, 2017

Kenneth Wrenn ’76, Idaho Falls, May 23, 2017

Susan (Lee) Buratto ’66, Vancouver, WA, Jan. 20, 2017

William Lloyd ’71, Brownsville, TX, May 8, 2017

George Ambrose ’78, Filer, May 28, 2017

Frederick Batt ’72, Parma, May 9, 2017

Russell Honsowetz Jr. ’78, Alamo, CA, April 22, 2017

Patricia McCullough ’93, Othello, WA, March 13, 2017

David Jaszkowiak ’72, Meridian, May 26, 2017

Robert Kirkham ’78, Blackfoot, May 14, 2017

Charles Pickett ’93, Youngstown, OH, Feb. 27, 2017

Richard Johnson ’72, Coeur d’Alene, Jan. 26, 2017

Ann (Hay) Richarz ’78, Moscow, Feb. 21, 2017

Darla Larsen ’95, ’96, Boise, April 25, 2017

Susan (Sizelove) Lyons ’72, Anchorage, AK, June 25, 2017

Linda Dartsch ’79, Portland, OR, April 25, 2017

Rusty Price ’95, Rathdrum, April 26, 2017

Bruce Greene ’66, San Diego, CA, March 11, 2017 Donnetta Halverson-Walser ’66, Monroe, WA, Dec. 22, 2016 Dennis McLaughlin ’66, Spokane, WA, June 20, 2017 Kendall Paynter ’66, Boise, July 1, 2017 Robert St. Clair ’66, Boise, Feb. 24, 2017 William Yarber ’66, Plano, TX, July 11, 2017 Ralph Byxbee Jr. ’67, Coeur d’Alene, March 5, 2017 John Foruria ’67, Boise, May 3, 2017 Tim Lavens ’67, Twin Falls, Jan. 5, 2017 Robert Karr ’68, Arco, April 3, 2017 Dorothy (Seney) MacPhee ’68, Coeur d’Alene, March 10, 2017 Roma (Smith) Slyter ’68, ’69, Kuna, Dec. 18, 2016 Janet (Hall) Starkey ’68, Corvallis, OR, March 25, 2017 Deborah (Howe) Christianson ’69, Whistler, BC, July 30, 2016

George Burcaw ’73, Tucson, AZ, March 11, 2017 Janet Robbins ’73, Bainbridge Island, WA, Feb. 8, 2017 Richard Slade II ’73, Carrollton, GA, May 13, 2017 Sue (Tibbetts) Warren ’73, Clarkston, WA, March 16, 2017 Jimmie Blair ’74, Boise, April 23, 2017 Robert Hook ’74, Moscow, Jan. 16, 2017 Walter Matson ’74, Idaho Falls, Jan. 23, 2017 Bruce McTaggart ’74, Rocklin, CA, Nov. 20, 2016 Steven Pidgeon ’74, Eagle, April 11, 2017 Elbert Tolman ’74, Boise, June 3, 2017 Michael Tremblay ’74, Kauai, HI, Jan. 19, 2017

’80s Thomas Matthews ’81, Rexburg, Feb. 27, 2017 Brian Sheehy ’81, Meridian, Jan. 25, 2017 Scott Anderson ’82, London, UK, May 12, 2017 Lowell Diller ’82, McKinleyville, CA, March 4, 2017 Carl Johnson ’82, Fairfield, CA, May 16, 2016 Julie (Cahill) Kerner ’82, Weiser, April 5, 2017 Richard Shrontz ’83, San Diego, CA, Feb. 4, 2017 Rickie Williams ’83, Lewiston, April 1, 2017 John Anderson ’84, Steilacoom, WA, Jan. 16, 2016

Wesley Moore ’69, Bremerton, WA, June 10, 2017

Nick Bode ’75, Moscow, June 6, 2017

Kathleen (Muscetti) Kearney ’86, Moscow, Feb. 28, 2017

Albert Myers ’69, ’71, La Habra Heights, CA, March 20, 2016

Cary Day ’75, St. Maries, April 29, 2017

Constance (Harman) Driver ’87, Moscow, Aug. 14, 2016

Robert Tyson ’69, ’72, Lewiston, March 16, 2017

Steven Russell ’75, Emmett, Feb. 19, 2017

Thomas Holden ’87, Boise, Jan. 11, 2017

Andrew Thomas ’75, Boise, July 1, 2017

David Browitt ’89, Ellensburg, WA, March 29, 2017

Pat Wells ’75, Moscow, March 14, 2015

Ralph King ’89, McCall, May 27, 2017

48 IDAHO | FALL 2017

Bruce Hoff ’92, Moscow, May 30, 2017 Alvin Nelson Jr. ’92, American Falls, Feb. 27, 2017 Tamara (McNabb) White ’92, Boise, April 9, 2017

David Weber ’96, ’13, Superior, WI, May 23, 2017 Evan Clements ’98, Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 15, 2017 Martha (Munoz) Armitage ’99, Coeur d’Alene, Jan. 31, 2017 Shannan Moore-Normington ’99, Coeur d’Alene, Feb. 4, 2017 Cindi (Ferro) Stockard ’99, Kendrick, May 28, 2017 Betty (Buckingham) Teichmer ’99, Spokane, WA, March 5, 2017

’00s Edwin Christensen III ’00, Boise, Feb. 12, 2017 Melissa (Simpson) Cothren ’02, Moscow, May 1, 2017 Travis Haase ’03, Nampa, Feb. 25, 2017 Kelli Russell ’06, Emmett, Feb. 11, 2017

’10s Samuel Torpey ’15, Plummer, May 21, 2017

Photo by Joe Pallen

FEELING THEIR WAY When Alana Leonhardy enrolled in Travis Cowles’ geography class, he faced a unique challenge: How to teach a highly visual topic to a student without sight.

Leonhardy, 23, was looking for another lab science to satisfy requirements of her bachelor’s degree in psychology and picked geography as a last-minute selection. She is completely blind without any light perception, so even largerprint graphics that are used by low-vision students weren’t useful to her.

“We had to think of other ways to get that in my brain,” she said.

Cowles met with employees of the University of Idaho’s Doceo Center and recruited some undergraduate geography students to research the best way to explain continental drift to someone who can’t watch the worldwide land shift take place.

Their results have proven that with a little creativity, along with a 3-D printer and some craft supplies, anyone can learn classroom-based lessons about the world’s lands and waters in a tactile way.

Read more about this story at uidaho.edu/magazine

49

Moscow, ID 83844-3232

The

IDAHO ARENA is an important part of continuing the tradition of student centered success at UI.

~ University of Idaho Alumni Association

n We’re almost there! The Idaho Arena is more than 2/3 funded

thanks to students, alumni, friends and the UI Foundation.

n By adding approximately 4,700 seats for lectures, concerts,

court sports and other special events, the arena enhances the Moscow campus and surrounding community.

n As a showcase for engineered forest products, the arena sets

new standards for energy efficiency, commercial design and renewable resources.

Groundbreaking is planned for spring 2018. Learn more at uidaho.edu/idahoarena or contact michaelcperry@ uidaho.edu, 208-885-1029 for giving opportunities.