October 16, 2007

 

Dear Friends:

Boise State is making giant strides in almost any direction you care to look on campus these days. No single area of our success says more about our forward-leaning posture than our strategic creation and enhancement of academic and research programs that dovetail with the needs of the area’s economy.

It’s a central pillar of Boise State’s advancement as a metropolitan research university of distinction. By working closely with our partners in the private sector we invest in programs – health sciences, engineering and public policy, to name a few – that will generate tomorrow’s leaders in areas fundamental to the region’s economic health and identity.

In spite of Boise State’s annual setting of statewide enrollment records, our work in support of the region’s economy could be undermined by another, quite disturbing trend: Idaho isn’t keeping pace with other states in luring its young adults to higher education. In fact, Idaho ranks dead last in the nation with just 26 percent of its 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and its 2006 Measuring Up report. Michigan and Connecticut lead the nation with 42 percent.

I recently shared this statistic with members of Buy Idaho, a coalition of business, industry, agriculture, education and government entities that work together to promote Idaho products and services. They were rightly concerned since one of our state’s most valuable products is the well-educated, highly-skilled and professional workforce produced by our higher education system.

These leaders of Idaho commerce understand that until Idaho’s educational culture is one where the exception is a young person who doesn’t go to college, our state’s prosperity won’t reach its fullest potential. They know that a growing, well-educated and professional work force is the foundation for the corporate success and entrepreneurial innovation that allow a community and state to thrive on all levels.

Your support of Boise State already does more than you can imagine for Idaho. But we must roll up or sleeves to create a mind-set among our young people, their parents, and their elected officials that higher education is the key to a prosperous future for us all – no matter where the students enroll.

Best Regards,

Bob

President

 

A few other items of interest from Boise State University:

• Michelle Sabick, an associate professor in Boise State’s Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, and Ronald P. Pfeiffer, a professor in the university’s Department of Kinesiology, are teaming up with the National Football League to research athlete injuries related to the use of artificial turf on football fields. As co-directors of the Boise State Center for Orthopaedic and Biomechanics Research, they will lead and manage the one-year, $115,641 research contract with the NFL.
• Boise State will host its third annual Campus Sustainability Day on Oct. 24 to raise awareness about how students, faculty, staff and community can contribute to the university’s ongoing commitment to limit the local environmental impacts. A full slate of expert speakers, webcasts, presentations and discussions are scheduled throughout the day. For more information about Boise State’s sustainability efforts visit www.boisestate.edu/greenteam .
• John Gardner was recently named the university’s associate vice president for energy research, policy and campus sustainability. Previously a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Gardner took over responsibility for coordinating the university’s environmental stewardship and sustainability efforts. He will also be responsible for coordinating and promoting university research related to sustainability and coordinating outreach to state agencies and citizens related to sustainability and energy.
• Boise State was honored with three Hall of Fame distinctions on Oct. 12. President Bob Kustra joined Coach Chris Petersen and the Fiesta Bowl winning football team as inductees into the Idaho Hall of Fame. Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, a Boise State alumnus, and Fred Norman, a Boise State alumnus, professor emeritus of arts and theatrical writer-director-producer, was also among 12 Idaho leaders inducted into the Hall of Fame.  
• Judge Andrew Napolitano was on campus Sept. 24 to give the Brandt Foundation Lecture. His address, titled “The Constitution in Exile,” was delivered to a crowd of about 1,000 students, faculty and community members. Judge Napolitano appears daily on the national Fox news network.
• The 24th annual Frank Church Conference on Public Affairs was held on the Boise State campus Oct. 3. Former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart will delivered the keynote address. He and other speakers and panelist addressed how the President should balance national security interests under the Constitution
• Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, former U.S. secretary of health and human services under President George H.W. Bush, spoke as part of the Boise State University Distinguished Lecture Series on Oct 16. In his presentation titled “Healthcare 2007: Managing the Future,” Sullivan discussed how health facilitators must actively educate the American public about healthy lifestyles and making prevention a top national priority, and the role government can play to improve the overall system.