Director
of Athletics Gene Bleymaier (right) was named the 2007-08 AstroTurf Athletics
Director of the Year “Football Bowl Subdivision West” Region winner at the
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 43rd annual
convention on June 10 in Dallas.
College of Business
First E-MBA Graduates Establish Scholarship
Twenty-six of the region’s business leaders became the inaugural group of graduates from Boise State University’s two-year Executive MBA program in May. They have left a lasting impact on the university and community.
The class established — and each member contributed to — the “Executive MBA Class of 2008 Scholarship.” Their $5,000 contribution to the endowed scholarship was matched with an additional $5,000 by Boise State’s College of Business and Economics. Beginning in fall 2010, proceeds from the invested money will be awarded annually to a business student.
“The participants are already leaders in their companies, but the scholarship was about a call to leadership in our community, and leaving a legacy of giving,” said Trisha Stevens Lamb, an Executive MBA graduate. “This was a big theme throughout the program.”
Most members of the Executive MBA class have already received promotions during their participation in the program. Diverse in their backgrounds and roles — from vice presidents of large organizations to small business owners to up-and-comers — the group really came together with a cohesive vision for how they could give back, Lamb said. The scholarship was structured to allow future contributions from this class and their companies, and to inspire a tradition of giving for future Executive MBA classes.
Other class contributions include the students’ capstone projects with Treasure Valley-based companies, several of which are already being implemented, and the formulation of the idea behind Boise’s new high-tech incubator, the WaterCooler.
Boise State’s Executive MBA is a rigorous, two-year executive education program designed to prepare participants for increasing leadership and management positions. The program was launched in September 2006, and a second cohort of students will begin classes in the fall.
Service Learning
Students Devoted Record Time to Community Projects
Students assisted PT and OT therapists at Good Samaritan Society-Boise Village
A record number of Boise State University students participated in the Service-Learning program during spring semester. The 1,029 students contributed 25,090 hours of service at local non-profits, while applying concepts from their courses.
Service-Learning makes community involvement an essential part of class coursework and is offered in everything from social work to chemistry classes, and in every college at Boise State. It is designed to foster active citizenship and enhance learning through academically based community service. Many of the students who participate stay on with their community agencies long after their courses end and develop career paths, job experience, and community contacts.
“This is the first time the Service-Learning program has surpassed 1,000 students in a single semester,” said program director Kara Brascia. “It has steadily grown and our students are making a real difference in the agencies with the clients they serve.”
Whitney Elementary School’s Get Out and Learn after-school program
Among this spring’s projects were an art class taught by Anika Smulovitz that created art pieces for Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS), a biomechanics class taught by Shawn Simonson whose students assisted physical and occupational therapists at Good Samaritan Society-Boise Village, and a psychology class taught by Robert Sisco whose students served at Whitney Elementary School’s Get Out and Learn after-school program.
Just 10 years old, Boise State’s Service-Learning program is the largest in the state and is being used as a model to establish and grow similar programs at other universities. Sixty Service-Learning classes from 43 faculty members were offered in spring 2008. Faculty and students were paired with 66 community partners on 101 distinct service projects.
Since fall 2000, more than 10,000 students have contributed more than 235,000 hours of service to the Treasure Valley through Boise State’s Service-Learning program.
Service-Learning is practiced at more than 1,000 universities and by more than 2 million college students nationwide. For more information, visit servicelearning.boisestate.edu or call ext. 6-1004.
Research Matters
New ‘Research Matters’ Video Looks at Population Growth
A Boise State research project that could be used to help address the impacts of population growth in Southwest Idaho is the focus of a “Research Matters” video clip currently posted online.
The video features undergraduate economics student Dan Simenc and economics professor Scott Lowe. It can be viewed by going to the Division of Research home page, boisestate.edu/research.
The video highlights Simenc’s work to identify zoning designations in towns, cities and unincorporated areas in Southwest Idaho as part of a research project headed by Lowe. By comparing this data with other statistics, researchers can then identify where population growth is likely to occur – and where new roads, power grids, water supplies and other services will be needed in the future.
“Research Matters” is a continuing series of video vignettes presented by the Division of Research to highlight the impact of research conducted at Boise State.
Also new this week on the Division of Research homepage is an “In the Spotlight” article on criminal justice professor Mary Stohr and former graduate student Peter Collins. Stohr and Collins collaborated on a new book on criminal justice management, released this month by Oxford University Press.
Boise State Radio
Meet Host of ‘The Splendid Table’ at June 20 Book Signing
Lynne
Rossetto Kasper, host of the popular public radio food show “The Splendid Table”
will be in Boise June 20 for a dinner to raise funds for Boise State Radio.
Tickets are available at radio.boisestate.edu.
Kasper will also be signing copies of her latest cookbook, “How to Eat Supper,” from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. that day at Berryhill, 121 N. 9th Street in downtown Boise. Vista Books will have copies of the book on hand and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Boise State Radio.
“One on our objectives is to be more involved in the community,” said Associate General Manager Hy Kloc, “and one of the ways Boise State Radio strives to meet that objective is to bring public radio personalities here to allow our listeners to meet the ‘voices’ that they listen to every week and have come to consider a part of their life. If you’re into cooking, there’s no one better that Lynne Rossetto Kasper.”
Splendid Table is heard at 4 p.m. on Saturdays on NPR News 91. The show was named “1999 Best National Radio Show on Food” by the James Beard Foundation, and “2000 Best National Syndicated Talk Show” by American Women in Radio and Television. Kasper’s advice column, “Ask The Splendid Table,” is distributed by Scripps Howard News Service and her cookbook, “The Splendid Table,” is the only book to achieve the food world’s twin crown: Cookbook of the Year awards from both the Julia Child/IACP and James Beard Awards. Named “One of the 12 Best Cooking Teachers in America” by The James Beard Foundation, Kasper also lectures on food and culture in Europe and America.
CRIME LOG
Weekly
Crime Log
Boise City Police and Campus Security present the weekly crime report.
Biology
professor Greg Hampikian (right) recently presented his
lab's work on the Idaho Basque DNA project at the International
Society for Forensic Genetics Conference in Ancona, Italy,
as part of the bi-annual International Society for Forensic
Genetics meeting. His presentation highlighted the work of
graduate student Michael Davis. From Italy, Hampikian went
to France to meet with scientists from the French DNA Crime
lab at the university in Cergy-Pontoise, and to the University
of Paris to talk about his Nullomer project, which uses artificial
DNA sequences to safeguard forensic DNA samples.