Planned Gift Will Create Scholarships in Biological, Health and Physical Sciences

Students of science and technology at Boise State University will have new scholarship opportunities that help them pay for their degrees, pursue careers in up-and-coming fields, and enhance the prestige of their alma mater.

“I just want to encourage the school and make it possible for more people to benefit from it,” said the donor, Nancy Ives.

Written into her will, her planned gift will establish the Nancy Wilson Ives Biological Sciences, Health Sciences and Physical Sciences scholarships in perpetuity, enabling more students to obtain degrees in those areas of study.

Ives grew up in the west, but spent 43 years living in Taipei, Taiwan, operating a boatyard. After retiring to Boise in 2007 to be closer to family, she plugged into the broader Boise State community through Boise State Public Radio and Boise Jazz Society memberships. The university’s role in civic, cultural and economic life impressed her, and she arranged her gift in 2016 to help more Broncos conduct research and find employment in cutting-edge industries.

“As I look at what’s happening in the world today, the scientific field is very important for the evolution of new products, jobs and materials,” she said. “These subjects are key to growth and knowledge in our country.”

Prof. Leslie Durham, interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, lauded the gift, saying the three scholarships the bequest establishes will put an education within the reach of more students.

“We know we provide the kinds of student experiences that are life- and world-changing, but without scholarship support, many of our best and brightest students wouldn’t have access to these opportunities,” she said. “Nancy’s incredible generosity and support makes our students’ dreams possible and our work, through them, more powerful.”