February 23, 2007
Dear Friends:
We were recently reminded how precious life is — and how fragile and tenuous it can be — with the loss of three Idaho soldiers in the military conflict in Iraq recently, all of whom were also students at Boise State who had postponed their studies to serve in the military.
Army Reserve Pfc. Raymond M. Werner, 21, Spec. Ross A. Clevenger, 22, and Sgt. James Holtom, 22, were killed in a roadside bomb blast Feb. 8 in Iraq. They were members of the Boise-based 321st Engineer Battalion.
Raymond was a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. A graduate of Cole Valley Christian High School in Boise, he was married this past summer before he was deployed to Iraq. He had completed one year at Boise State in the auto body program and planned to return to school when he finished his tour of duty.
Ross was majoring in health informatics and information management in the College of Health Sciences. He had recently visited program faculty members while on leave to make plans to finish the rest of his degree when he returned. He was a graduate of Marsing High School.
James was the oldest of eight children from Rexburg who planned to become engaged when he returned on leave in May. He was an engineering student at Boise State until he joined the Army Reserve. He deployed to Iraq in September.
Words cannot express how deeply saddened we are by the loss of these young men. On behalf of the Boise State community, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to their families.
I have other news to share with you from our campus.
- As it has on several previous occasions, the Micron Technology Foundation has stepped forward with a major financial gift that will help Boise State reach new levels of excellence and allow us to work toward our goal to transform the university into one of the premier institutions of higher education in the Northwest.
At a press conference last month, Steve Appleton, Micron chairman, CEO and president, announced that the Micron Technology Foundation will contribute $12.5 million for a new College of Business and Economics building. The building will be located at the corner of Capitol Boulevard and University Drive, where the University Inn currently sits, and will serve as a gateway to the university from the west. Current budget projections are for a total project cost of $31 million. Micron’s gift includes $5 million in matching funds for additional donations to the business building.
Once again, Micron has proven that it is strongly committed to investing in the future of education in the Treasure Valley and the state of Idaho and we are delighted by the company’s generosity in helping us achieve our goals. A new building to house the College of Business and Economics is a top priority for the university. A state-of-the-art facility is essential in order for us to continue to meet the needs of today’s business environment, and will not only help retain our excellent faculty, but will help attract the best and brightest new faculty in the coming years.
The university announced the location of the new business building in June when it purchased the University Inn. We plan to seek approval for the project from the State Board of Education early this year. Pending approval and success in raising additional funds, construction could begin as early as spring 2008. Again, thanks to the Micron Technology Foundation for its generosity and vision.
- Speaking of new buildings, work continues on our 54,000-square-foot, four-story Interactive Learning Center, which is scheduled to open this summer, as well as a new parking garage at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and University Drive, which should be ready for the start of the fall 2007 semester. In addition, the State Board of Education sold bonds in January to finance the new Student Health, Wellness and Counseling Center/Department of Nursing Building and an expansion of the Student Union Building. Also, the Athletic Department held a ground-breaking ceremony Feb. 14 to officially kick off the addition of skyboxes, a press box and suites to Bronco Stadium.
- Boise State’s spring 2007 enrollment has set a another record: 18,178 students — 147 more students than last spring. It is the largest spring enrollment in state history and marks the second consecutive time the university has exceeded 18,000 students in a spring semester. The university’s Graduate College continues to grow, with a 14 percent increase in full-time graduate students and a 9 percent increase in graduate credit hours over last spring. In addition, the number of full-time equivalent, or FTE, students rose to 12,945. Spring enrollment numbers would have been even greater if not for Boise State’s record-breaking fall graduation numbers. The number of graduating students last fall was up 125 students, an increase of 14.9 percent. This ongoing trend that we are seeing in the increases in our enrollment every semester is a clear indication of the strength, desirability and quality of our academic programs.
- The significant growth in our graduate enrollment is a sure sign that we are heading in the right direction to meet the needs of our community with our new and developing graduate programs. With the addition of a master’s level nursing program, Boise State now offers 75 graduate programs — 71 master’s degree programs and four doctoral programs — along with our 95 baccalaureate programs and 12 graduate certificate programs.
- Another academic program of which we are quite proud is our Common Reading program, which will host Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 in our Special Events Center. Freshmen at Boise State have been reading Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World as part of the Common Reading Program. The students received their books before the start of the academic year, and the university has developed events around the book and is using it as a teaching tool. For more information about the Common Reading Program or about Kidder’s lecture, visit http://www.boisestate.edu/commonreading
As always, thank you for all you do for Boise State University.
Best Regards
Bob Kustra
President