November 13, 2009

Dear Friends,

Boise State positively impacts our region in a wide variety of ways. But perhaps the most significant, especially in the current economic climate, is the way our research programs and the work of our faculty and students help businesses improve and innovate through access to knowledge and technology.

With each new quarterly report, Boise State seems to reach new heights as the fastest growing research program in Idaho and the investment is paying dividends for our community and state.

After shattering the record for research program grants in 2009, Boise State was awarded $16.1 million in external research grants during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 – the single largest quarterly total for research funding in university history. This was a 77 percent increase over July, August and September of last year.

Among the 94 grants are two fantastic examples of how the growing momentum of investment in Boise State research is driving economic development in the region.

The first is a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to our Office of Technology Transfer to access the commercial viability of patents held by Boise State faculty. Through this work, technology developed by Boise State research could inspire new innovations by local businesses or even entirely new companies.

More direct help for Idaho businesses facing a difficult economy will come from a U.S. Department of Commerce award to Boise State’s TechHelp office. Through this grant, TechHelp will continue providing professional and technical assistance and training that will strengthen the competitiveness of Idaho manufacturers.

In all, about 30 different entities provided funding for Boise State research, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – a clear indication that Boise State is a trusted partner as an advancing metropolitan research university of distinction.

As usual, thank you for all that you do for Boise State University.

Sincerely,

Bob Kustra

Here are a few recent or upcoming items of interest from Boise State University:

• Boise State will offer its first intersession term between the fall and spring semesters this year. The condensed session in December and January has 25 different classes ranging from one-credit workshops to three-credit upper-division and graduate classes. Courses will be available in general business and economics, criminal justice, communication, education, English, finance, geophysics, health, marketing, political science, management, philosophy and theatre arts. The intersession provides more scheduling options for students and makes more effective use of classroom space.
• Boise State received a $500,000 commitment from local business owner John D. Jackson to help construct the new College of Business and Economics building. Jackson announced his donation to the university this month during the annual Boise State Foundation board meeting on campus. The Micron Technology Foundation committed to a $12.5 million lead gift for the business building in 2007, with $5 million of it contingent on Boise State raising matching funds by the end of 2009. With the Meet the Match deadline quickly approaching, this donation puts the university within $1.5 million of the goal. For more information about the College of Business and Economics and Meet the Match, visit cobe.boisestate.edu or contact Cheryl Larabee at (208) 426-2039.
• The Distinguished Lecture Series returns to Boise State with Washington Post reporter Steve Fainaru, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Fainaru will speak at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Morrison Center. His lecture is free and no tickets are required. Fainaru will discuss his experiences covering the war in Iraq and the implications of a world without newspapers. Fainaru won the Pulitzer Prize for his 10-part series on private security contractors in Iraq that operate outside many of the laws governing American forces. More information on the series is at www.boisestate.edu/distinguishedlectures/.
• Boise State is meeting the needs of a growing number of students with expanded online and distance education programs. The university now offers 225 different online courses and 13 full academic certificates and degrees that can be completed entirely online, including five graduate degrees. The number of registrations in online offerings at Boise State grew 26 percent from fall 2008 to fall 2009. During the 2008-09 academic year, 7,163 Boise State students took at least one online or distance course, for a total of 15,093 registrations. For more information about distance education courses, visit www.boisestate.edu/distance, call Betty Miller at (208) 426-5622 or e-mail distanceed@boisestate.edu.
• Boise State broke ground in October on an approximately 17,000-square-foot aquatics complex on the south side of the Student Recreation Center. The $8 million project — opening fall 2010 — includes a six-lane lap pool, an 1,800-square-foot recreational pool, a 12-person spa, locker rooms, a classroom and a fitness room. The cost of the pool project is covered by accumulated student fees.