Mission
We partner with communities to listen deeply, plan collaboratively, and build lasting resilience—starting with trust and ending with action.
Vision
Our vision is to build lasting partnerships between universities, local leaders, and community-based organizations to ensure that every community—especially rural and under-resourced ones—can adapt, thrive, and recover from both chronic challenges and sudden shocks.
Our Story
We began in 2018 as a collaborative consortium, bringing together Boise State University faculty, students, and partners to tackle pressing hazard-related challenges. In 2020, we became a state-recognized institute—formally focusing on hazard and climate resilience—and quickly grew into a trusted resource for communities across Idaho.
Our early work concentrated on understanding risks and strengthening preparedness for hazards like wildfires, floods, and earthquakes. But as we partnered with more communities, it became clear that resilience is shaped by more than a single type of threat. Infrastructure, economic opportunity, social cohesion, leadership, and long-term well-being are deeply connected—and all play a role in how communities adapt and thrive.
In 2025, we renamed ourselves The Resilience Institute at Boise State University to reflect this expanded mission. Our new name centers resilience as a unifying and forward-looking framework—one that positions us to engage with partners and audiences at the regional, national, and global levels. It communicates that while we remain deeply committed to climate and hazard issues, we now address the full spectrum of interconnected challenges that influence a community’s future.
Today, The Resilience Institute serves as a hub for place-based collaboration. We partner with communities to identify strengths, understand vulnerabilities, and co-create solutions that are both practical and locally rooted. By connecting communities with the expertise and energy of Boise State faculty and students, we help translate ideas into action—building adaptive capacity, fostering trust, and shaping a more resilient future together.
Our Team
We are committed to helping our communities prepare for natural hazards and adapt to a changing world.
Members and Partners
Our members and partners share their knowledge and resources, connect with new colleagues, suggest topics to explore, share and participate in events, and engage in Resilience Institute research.