January 18, 2007

Dear Friends:

Last week I delivered my Spring Update to Boise State’s faculty and staff, an annual event to kick off the semester. As you might imagine, the opening of the speech centered on the Bronco football team’s amazing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. As I said in my address, the impact of that game still reverberates, and Boise State football, as well as the entire university, will never be the same. Coach Chris Petersen and his coaching staff and players have given Boise State an unprecedented opportunity to highlight our many other areas of excellence — to shine the spotlight “Beyond the Blue.”

The university has benefited immensely from what the Broncos achieved on the field — certainly in terms of media exposure from coast to coast and record-breaking merchandise sales that support student scholarships. There will be many more intangible benefits, from increased student visits and applications to a boost in our fund-raising efforts. No doubt, the overwhelming community and statewide spirit generated for the Broncos is part of the momentum on which we must capitalize.

In my speech, I used the wonderful new 30-second spot — the one shown on network TV during the Fiesta Bowl — to provide a framework for all the great things happening on our campus. I think the text of this new ad bears repeating as it so perfectly captures all we are today and the unlimited possibilities for the future:

“Boise State University: Where you see Blue, we see Idaho’s largest
university, a metropolitan research university of distinction, located in
one of the West’s most dynamic cities. A place of science and business.
A place of nature and art. When you look Beyond the Blue, you see
the future: The new U, Boise State University.”

Among the exciting items mentioned in my Update:

• In the first week after the Fiesta Bowl, application inquiries to our Graduate College increased 10-fold and online inquiries to our Admissions Office jumped 135 percent.

• We are experiencing an unprecedented 100 percent occupancy in both the traditional and non-traditional residence facilities on campus, with a waiting list! Another residence hall is on the drawing board, needless to say.

• The Carnegie Foundation this fall selected Boise State as one of only 76 universities to receive its newly created Community Engagement Classification, in recognition of our efforts and contributions to our metropolitan area through partnerships, outreach activities and curricula that have a positive impact on the Treasure Valley and the university community. This recognition places Boise State among the ranks of the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of North Carolina.

• Boise State’s total sponsored project funding over the past decade has increased from $8.4 million in fiscal year 1996 to $23.9 million in FY ’06.

• Boise State retained its current A1 Moody’s Investor Service and A+ Standard & Poor’s bond agency ratings for upcoming bond issuances. The rating agencies expressed confidence in the university’s long-range plans, including anticipated success of the comprehensive campaign. Standard and Poor’s additionally cited the university’s continued enrollment, with good acceptance and matriculation rates, and a wide array of undergraduate program offerings.

• Our campus master plan is quickly coming into reality with the expanded Student Union Building and the Bronco Stadium suites expansion recently approved by the State Board of Education. In addition, plans for a new research building continue and a new parking garage is currently under construction.

• Our $14 million, four-story state-of-the-art Interactive Learning Center, currently under construction, is slated to open in June. It has the potential to revolutionize the way we teach at Boise State University.

I also warmly welcomed to the university Dr. Mark Rudin, our new vice president for research. Mark comes to us from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, where he served as interim vice president of research. Mark received his Ph.D. in health physics from Purdue University and we are delighted that he has joined us in this very important role for the future of Boise State.

I didn’t need to remind this audience that the history of Boise State is the story of facing adversity head on, fighting for academic respect over the years, and standing up for what is best for our students, our region, and our state. It is our tradition to have never given up in the face of overwhelming political odds over the years. I suggested that the “New U” in the advertising spot is really about the “new you,” working for the university. I encouraged our faculty and staff to settle for nothing less than excellence in all we do, and to take Boise State and its students to a place where our academic quality is known across the nation.

 

Best Regards,

Bob Kustra
President