This year we ring in our 51st annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. I’m proud to join our university community and music lovers alike in embarking on the next half-century of excellence. We have many reasons to be confident in the future of this signature University of Idaho event, starting with leadership. Looking back at the roots of the Jazz Festival, I’ve been reflecting on the privilege I’ve had to get to know Lynn “Doc” Skinner. He served as a leader of the festival for 35 years – 29 years as executive director – before his retirement in 2006. Skinner helped take the festival from a one-night, one-guest-artist show to a multi-night event with a premier lineup and participation from hundreds of schools. Lionel Hampton himself got involved in the festival under Skinner’s tenure — as did John Clayton, who continued the premier festival tradition after Doc’s retirement. Education and outreach were greatly expanded; the Jazz in the Schools program, which has reached thousands of area elementary students with what is often their first introduction to professional musicianship, started in 1995 under Skinner’s watch. In 2002, Doc Skinner was awarded the University of Idaho’s President’s Medallion, recognizing his contributions to the university. Doc’s example of leadership lives on in his son, Marc, a U of I graduate. Marc is now the executive officer of our Idaho Falls center, serving southeastern Idaho with innovative education and research programs. As a Vandal family, we’re lucky the apple has not fallen too far from the tree in the case of the Skinners. Today, a new generation of leaders is ensuring that our signature event provides a unique stage for musical performance and a teaching and learning laboratory for students of many ages. This year associate professor of music and saxophonist Vanessa Sielert helps steer the festival in her new role as director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music. Her excellence in her discipline, her service to U of I and her recent guidance at the festival gives us all great confidence in the direction of the festival, as well as the direction of the School of Music. Last year, the University of Idaho signed on to the American Council on Education’s “Moving the Needle” initiative to spur gender diversity in the ranks of university leadership. Sielert has been involved in that effort and in building a statewide collaboration among Idaho higher education institutions to advance such goals. I’m glad that as a university we’ve had her time and commitment in the effort to make leadership more representative and inclusive. Sielert has been a part of our efforts to refocus the festival, continuing to showcase leaders in the jazz world while emphasizing the one-of-a-kind educational experience for K-12 and university students. Over two days, the festival takes place entirely on campus, with main-stage performances all at the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center. A competitive track for K-12 students who wish to test themselves in that environment is now in its second year. Overall, we’re anticipating an increase in school participation to more than 4,000 students from 141 schools. The array of workshops, seminars and mentoring opportunities continues to be dynamic. In addition to the Jazz in the Schools outreach — led by our own faculty sextet, the Palouse Jazz Project — the Lionel Hampton School of Music offered a free bonus day to festival participants. Approximately 400 students were on campus yesterday for non-jazz-related workshops. The day was concluded with Hamp’s Gala, a concert showcasing U of I student ensembles. This concert is a return to the days when Hampton would host his “Hamp’s Gala” the evening before the festival started to show off all of the ensembles at his school to the guest artists. I know I join many Vandals and other Jazz Festival fans in appreciation for how the festival continues to shape lives. The lessons our visiting students receive go beyond music – they inform new perspectives, invite collaboration and respect for others, and offer a proving ground for personal growth. Our visiting students get a firsthand look at the U of I, too. That’s all in addition to seeing a great festival lineup. Building on our special history, and invigorated by a strong hand at the Jazz Festival helm today, future generations of leadership will have an opportunity to learn and thrive at Jazz Fest. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | Idaho State Bar Endowment Supports College of Law Tax Students The Idaho State Bar Taxation, Probate and Trust Law Section recently established an endowment that will provide an annual award for tax students at the University of Idaho College of Law. The mission of the section is to provide continuing education, training and networking opportunities and professional development for Idaho lawyers who practice in the areas of federal, state and location taxation, probate and trust law. The intent of the newly created annual award is to recognize and award students achieving high academic success, and to encourage students to volunteer with the Idaho State Bar and participate in section membership, volunteerism and leadership as they embark upon the practice of law in Idaho. If you would like to learn more about giving to the College of Law, contact Michele Bartlett at 208-364-4044 or bartlett@uidaho.edu. | | | U of I-Designed Scarves, Bandanas Help with Invasive Weed Identification Education and apparel design have joined forces at the University of Idaho to give the public smart new ways to identify invasive and noxious plant life. And look really good doing it. University of Idaho Extension educator Melissa Hamilton worked with Lori Wahl, an apparel, textiles and design instructor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences to create a set of bandanas and scarves with patterns reflecting invasive weeds in Valley County. Read more. | | Design-Build Program Connects Architecture Students with Real Clients When students think about being an architect, they often think of working in an office with computers, designing skyscrapers, said Randall Teal, associate professor and program head for architecture in the College of Art and Architecture. But architecture is more than that, and U of I’s Design-Build Program is hoping to change that assumption for students and the community. “Design-build opens up a new way of thinking about doing architecture. There’s the possibility to do design with my hands, somewhere between being a builder and an architect,” Teal said. “There’s something very concrete in the connection with the community when people see what architecture can do for a group and a community.” Read more. | | | | |