Office of the President

The New U

With more than 19,500 students, Boise State University is the largest institution of higher learning in Idaho. It is located in the middle of one of the most vibrant and livable cities in America and the governmental and commercial center of the Gem State. During the celebration of its 75th anniversary last fall, Boise State announced the launch of “Destination Distinction,” the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, with a $175 million goal in private support.

Boise State has long been heralded as an institution devoted to classroom teaching, but a new dimension to its mission is emerging – that of a metropolitan research university of distinction. During Boise’s early stages of growth, it was sufficient for the university to play the role of the traditional comprehensive higher education institution with a strong teaching mission and a limited research role.

But as the Boise economy changed into a dynamic marketplace of ideas and products – especially with its highly sophisticated technology sector – and as the city became the heart of a major metropolitan area, it was a natural transition for the city’s university to become a metropolitan research institution.

Today, the breadth of programs and services Boise State offers and its unique location makes it one of the nation’s best places to live and learn. Boise State has baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs in seven colleges – Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences and Public Affairs – with a full-time faculty of more than 600.

General

Emerging metropolitan research university of distinction achieving its vision through academic excellence, public engagement, a vibrant culture and exceptional research
Reflecting the character of Idaho’s capital city – a center of business, government, technology, health care and the arts
Largest university in Idaho with 19,540 students – an all-time state fall enrollment record for the 10th time in 11 years

Academics

Offers undergraduate, graduate and technical programs in seven colleges with more than 190 fields of interest
Offers 74 master’s degrees and five doctoral programs
Offers Idaho’s first Executive MBA program
College of Engineering ranked in the U.S. News and World Report list of best engineering programs among public, comprehensive universities
College of Business and Economics is rated among the top third in the nation with its AACSB international accreditation
Largest undergraduate nursing program in the state
Only university in United States to offer a master of science degree in raptor biology

Faculty

Communication professor Heidi Reeder was named the 2007 Idaho Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation, marking the 11th time since 1990 that a Boise State professor had won this award
Art professor Larry McNeil was recognized in Washington, D.C., after his selection as one of five artists nationwide to contribute to the Art in Embassies program
Art professor Bill Carman won a Gold Medal at the New York Society of Illustrators 50th Annual Exhibition with his work titled “Fine Dining”
Dean of the College of Engineering Cheryl Schrader was one of 11 recipients nationwide of the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering mentoring

Students

Talkin’ Broncos debate and speech team won the 2005 national championship
A Boise State graduate won a full Clarendon Scholarship to Oxford in England in 2005
Students and faculty side-by-side, with undergraduate students involved in research, a student/faculty ratio of 19:1 and an average class size of 28 students
One of the largest internship programs in the Northwest with 1,300 job placements annually
More than $79 million awarded in financial aid for 2006-07 to about 12,000 students

Research

Received $26.8 million for research and sponsored projects for fiscal year 2007
Two professors are teaming up with the National Football League to research athlete injuries related to the use of artificial turf on football fields
Fastest growing biomolecular research program in Idaho supports researchers studying Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, artificial cartilage, chemotherapeutic drugs and other areas
Part of two new Federal Aviation Administration research centers with other universities such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard and Cal Berkeley
More than 50 centers and institutes on campus working for the common good of Idaho and beyond, including the Center for Health Policy, Idaho Council on Economic Education and Andrus Center for Public Policy
Conducts funded research for faculty and students in Asia, Europe, Greenland, South and Central America, and other countries

Campus Life

New residence halls and apartments increased campus housing capacity by 63 percent in 2004, including seven Ivy League-modeled residential colleges for faculty and students
Vibrant campus life with more than 200 student organizations
Award-winning $12 million Student Recreation Center with one of the largest collegiate climbing gyms in the United States (6,800 square foot rock wall)
Intercollegiate athletics features 18 sports, including a nationally recognized football program that competes on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium
More than one million people annually attend campus cultural, athletic and entertainment events

Facilities

175-acre main campus situated less than a mile from Boise’s bustling downtown
Main academic facilities include Engineering Complex, Applied Technology Complex, Albertsons Library, Communication Building, Kinesiology Building and Annex, Liberal Arts Building, Math/Geosciences Building, Business Building, Education Building, Science/Nursing Building, Public Affairs and Arts West Building, Interactive Learning Center and the Multipurpose Classroom Building
Entertainment and athletic facilities include Bronco Stadium (30,750 capacity), Taco Bell Arena (12,400), Morrison Center Main Hall (2,000) and Centennial Amphitheatre (800)

Community

Guest speakers on campus include illustrious figures such as Seymour Hersh, Mary Robinson, Kurt Vonnegut, Lech Walesa, Walter Mondale, Gloria Steinem, Danny Glover, E.O. Wilson, Peter Jennings, Ralph Nader, George McGovern and John Wooden
Annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival brings world-famous jazz artists to Boise
Hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration every January
Connected to Idaho community, serving more than 30,000 people annually in workshops, short courses, apprenticeship training and other non-credit programs
Outstanding alumni include Micron Technology CEO Steve Appleton and Hollywood filmmaker and Boise State’s first Rhodes Scholar Michael Hoffman