April 17, 2007

Dear Friends:

Scholarships have long been a staple of universities, providing recognition and assistance for students to pursue their academic dreams. For many students, scholarships are the lifeblood of their education and help make those dreams come true. As Boise State’s academic reputation and stature have risen in the past few years, so too have the number and quality of the scholarships we offer.

In recent days, two scholarship programs have given more than 100 prospective Idaho resident students an opportunity to attend Boise State once they graduate from high school. At the same time, two current University students have been rewarded by a prestigious scholarship program for their academic performance at the University. I’d like to share with you a few details about these programs.

• In early April, the Boise State Capital Scholars program, now in its third year, presented 71 Idaho high school juniors with $1,000 renewable scholarships for matriculation to the university. Selection was based on college entrance examination scores and class rankings. All Idaho high school juniors who scored in the top 10 percent of the ACT, SAT or PSAT and ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class were recognized as Boise State Capital Scholars. Recipients visited our campus from cities and towns across the state, including Aberdeen, American Falls, Boise, Burley, Cottonwood, Council, Eagle, Emmett, Fruitland, Gooding, Grand View, Hailey, Homedale, Idaho Falls, Jerome, Kamiah, Lewiston, McCall, Meridian, Middleton, Nampa, Parma, Preston, Riggins, Ririe, Shoshone, Star, Terreton and Twin Falls.

Since the program’s inception, 170 students have received scholarships. The program, endowed by proceeds from the Boise State Bookstore, continues to grow with increasing participation rates among Idaho’s high school juniors. This year’s change to a renewable scholarship has added even more value and demonstrates Boise State’s commitment to helping students with merit-based aid.

• The second program for new students is the Presidential Civic Leadership Scholarship program. Thanks to the appearance of the Bronco football team in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, funding for the program was made available for first-year, in-state students entering Boise State in Fall 2007. Boise State is making an annual investment of $116,400 for the Presidential Civic Leadership Scholarship program.

The Presidential Civic Leadership Scholarship is offering 30 renewable scholarships annually ranging from $3,000 to $5,200 based on academics and civic involvement. The recipients will be awarded at two levels with different criteria and award amounts. Applications for any of Boise State’s Presidential Civic Leadership Scholarships must include an academic transcript, two recommendations, a 600-1,200 word essay, and a portfolio outlining the applicant’s resume of civic engagement experience. The deadline is May 11.

We are excited to create a scholarship program that recognizes and encourages civic responsibility and prepares our students to become Idaho’s future leaders in business, science, education and all walks of life. The program encourages students to become more engaged in the civic process through volunteering, internships, clerkships, service-learning and other activities. It is also designed to provide specific training in civic leadership and build cohorts of students outside of their fields of study.

• Regarding our current students, chemistry majors and Boise natives Alina M. Schimpf and Lisa J. Young are among only four Idaho students selected this year as Goldwater Scholars. They received the prestigious honor from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, which awarded them a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to $7,500. Schimpf and Young are the second and third Boise State students to earn this honor. Amber M. Hibberd, also a chemistry major, was named a Goldwater Scholar in 2004. Hibberd, who graduated in 2006, is now working on her master’s degree at Princeton University.

Goldwater Scholars are selected from a field of mathematics, science and engineering students nominated by the faculty on the basis of academic merit. The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986 to honor Sen. Barry M. Goldwater. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

It is vitally important that we work to ensure that young scholars such as Schimpf and Young, and the outstanding newcomers who will take advantage of the Boise State Capital Scholars and Presidential Civic Leadership Scholarship programs, do not bypass Boise State because of insufficient scholarship opportunities. Programs such as these are designed to help keep our best and brightest in Idaho and help them become part of the mosaic that continues to evolve on our campus as we become a metropolitan research university of distinction.

Speaking of scholarships, Boise State has established a memorial scholarship in honor of Brad Morse, a senior majoring in computer science who was found shot to death earlier this month on the grounds of the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department where he worked as a part-time custodian. Faculty in the Department of Computer Science began the scholarship drive by making pledges totaling more than $8,000. The scholarship will be offered to an undergraduate student majoring in computer science. Boise State will also be awarding a bachelor of science degree posthumously to Morse at its commencement ceremony on May 12 at Taco Bell Arena. Donations to the Brad Morse Memorial Computer Science Endowed Scholarship can be mailed to the Boise State University Foundation, 2225 W. University Drive, Boise, ID 83706.

On behalf of the entire Boise State community, I want to express my personal sadness and sincere condolences to Brad’s family and friends. As a campus community, we are shocked at this senseless act and the loss of such a fine young man to his family, his friends and our community.

Finally, the tragedy at Virginia Tech this week creates pause for all of us at Boise State, and we express our deepest sorrow and sympathy to our colleagues and fellow students on that campus. A tragedy of this proportion on a college campus is almost unthinkable. The incident has certainly focused our awareness on how prepared our campus is, and I want to offer my reassurance that Boise State takes the safety and welfare of our students, faculty, staff and visitors very seriously and we intend to take every precaution to keep the Boise State campus safe and secure.

Best Regards,

Bob Kustra