Institute Evolution Timeline

ISDI opened in January 2015 and focused on building a more inclusive STEM community at Boise State. Its work connected student support, faculty engagement, educational research, and campus and community partnerships.

• Built a growing portfolio of programs and services for students, faculty, and mentors.
• Supported undergraduate research, experiential learning, and grant-funded student opportunities.
• Expanded events and community-building efforts, including the Summer Research Community, the Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research, and RAISE.
• Provided faculty consultation, data support, and collaboration across departments and colleges.

These years built the relationships, programs, and infrastructure that later transitions could build on.

In 2020, Boise State proposed a transition from ISDI to IFITS. The shift reflected a broader vision for a university-wide institute that supported inclusive and transformative scholarship across disciplines, roles, and academic pathways.

• Expanded from a STEM-centered institute to a broader campus-wide portfolio.
• Served as the home of the Office of Undergraduate Research.
• Advanced programs such as ASSERT, VIP, student cohorts, faculty support, and data and consultation services.
• Aligned work with Boise State’s Blueprint for Success.
• Adapted programs and events during the pandemic, including opening the Summer Research Community to students across Idaho.

This period broadened the Institute’s mission and strengthened its role as a cross-campus support and coordination hub.

The Institute continued its work under the IFITS structure while preparing for its next chapter. Programs, partnerships, faculty support, undergraduate research infrastructure, and mentoring-related work continued to build on the earlier ISDI and IFITS foundation.

• Continued support for undergraduate research, mentoring, faculty development, and campus collaboration.
• Maintained the structures and relationships developed in earlier years.
• Marked an important leadership transition when Donna Llewellyn retired at the end of 2024.
• Began new leadership on January 1, 2025, when Jim became director.

These years provided continuity while preparing for a clearer institutional identity and structure.

During the Spring 2026 semester, the Institute became the Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Institute. This change clarified the Institute’s role as Boise State’s campus-wide hub for mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity.

• Brought research and mentoring functions together more clearly in one institute.
• Replaced a structure that treated undergraduate research as a separate office.
• Made the Institute’s purpose easier to understand for students, faculty, partners, alumni, and campus leaders.

The U.R.M. Institute gave a clearer public identity to work that had been developing across earlier structures for years.