September 21, 2007

Dear Friends:

What a fantastic start to Boise State’s 75th year. As we commemorate the day in 1932 when Bishop Middleton Barnwell first opened our doors to 78 young men and women, it’s hard to ignore the evidence around campus of the furious pace we are keeping as we focus on the future.

This fall Boise State welcomed 19,540 students to campus, which is a new enrollment record for Boise State and all of Idaho’s higher education institutions. Walking the Quad this year are 2,280 freshman students, also a new record.

These numbers speak volumes about the caliber of our faculty, facilities and academic offerings – not just because of the quantity of our students, but also because of their quality.

The class of 2011 represents one of the most academically talented groups ever to enter Boise State. Among them are 12 National Merit finalists, 28 Presidential Civic Leadership Scholars, and 33 Boise State Capital Scholars. Their average high school GPA bests last year’s freshman class at 3.30, and their composite ACT score not only surpasses last year’s freshmen, but also exceeds the Idaho and national averages.

I’m also pleased that our goal of increasing the diversity of our student body is advancing hand-in-hand with our effort to ensure its quality. The number of underrepresented students on campus this year increased 6.2 percent and now accounts for 12 percent of our total enrollment. We saw particularly strong increases among African-American, Asian and Native American students.

None of this happened by chance. Our very highest priority is attracting the best academically prepared students possible while ensuring that our campus reflects the diversity expected of a metropolitan research university of distinction. We’re being more selective of the students we admit because we want them to be successful by earning a diploma. We’re doing more recruiting than ever before. Most importantly, we’re focusing on luring the best teaching and research faculty possible, creating a challenging slate of programs and curriculum, and upgrading and expanding campus facilities.

By strategically advancing our standards for those four pillars of Boise State’s future —students, faculty, programs and research, and facilities — we ensure our entire Boise State family has everything it needs to thrive now and in the generations to come.

Those four pillars, not coincidentally, are the main areas of focus for our $175 million “Destination Distinction: A Campaign for Boise State University,” the university’s first comprehensive campaign to raise funds through private support and the largest comprehensive campaign in the history of Idaho higher education.

At the heart of it all — the very reason for it — is the students.

The academic prowess of our newest group of Broncos is just one piece of evidence that our strategy is working. An improved retention rate among upperclassmen, higher numbers of transfer students coming to Boise State, and an increasing number of graduate students — up 9.6 percent — is further proof. It’s clear that our more selective standards and comprehensive focus on the entire academic experience at Boise State have made our university a priority destination for students and improved the value of a Boise State degree.

As always, thank you for your support of Boise State University. If you’d like more information about this fall’s enrollment numbers or our “Destination Distinction” campaign, please visit our website at www.boisestate.edu. Your support allows the students, faculty and staff of Boise State to pursue a course of unlimited potential.

Go Broncos!

 

Sincerely,

Bob Kustra

President