At the University of Idaho, our great strength is our people – faculty and staff members alike. They are teachers and mentors, helping students navigate complex topics and modeling curiosity and critical thinking. They are scholars, conducting research that makes a difference for Idaho and that often connects to the classroom and student experience. They are our highly motivated professionals and leaders within the university and in the community. Understanding the University of Idaho’s success starts with recognizing our faculty and staff members. At our University Awards for Excellence celebration this week, three U of I faculty members earned the university’s highest faculty honor, the designation of University Distinguished Professor. An international expert in water law, Professor Barbara Cosens has published widely, mentored countless students, and helped create signature U of I programs such as the Water Resources Program and the Waters of the West initiative. With more than 20 years at U of I, Professor Ron Hardy is one of the world’s leading figures in aquaculture. And Professor Rupert Machleidt, a prolific and highly cited figure in nuclear physics who has advanced the leading theory in his advanced field – called the “Idaho Potential” among fellow theorists – is deeply engaged teacher. In these three honorees, you have outstanding examples of Vandal faculty excellence. Committed and caring staff support the excellence of the university across our endeavors. Among many deserving honorees, I’d highlight the two “Outstanding Team” award winners. Our Coordinated Community Response Team, drawn from staff at the university and members of the community, helps proactively engage and resolve potential problems related to safety on campus. Our Idaho EPSCoR office team supports our research mission by providing support for programs that do things like understanding watersheds and addressing ecological questions in our state’s lakes. We couldn’t be the innovative, connected community we need to be without our staff. Three other examples of U of I excellence bear special mention. Both Lynn Baird, dean of the Library, and Kurt Pregitzer, dean of the College of Natural Resources, are retiring this year after long, distinguished careers. Over 44 years at U of I, Baird has driven our state’s largest Library to new levels of excellence, building capacity, transforming the library’s physical spaces, and leading innovative ideas such as digital scholarship. Pregitzer, dean since 2010 at one of the nation’s best values in natural resources education, has strengthened the college’s academic programs, built partnerships with industries, and enhanced its research impact. Vice Provost for Faculty Jeanne Stevenson, with U of I since 1985, has been a passionate steward of faculty development and student success, leading initiatives such as the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Leadership Academy. I’m deeply grateful to each for their service to U of I. If you’re a student choosing a college, or a parent assessing options, or an alumni staying connected to your alma mater, I hope you’ll share my pride in our people. The honorees I’ve mentioned stand out, but the commitment to excellence is broadly shared at U of I. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | It All Started at U of I Gene Luntey ’43 chemical engineering, and his wife, Beverly Weber Luntey ’45, journalism, experienced understandable culture shock when they moved to Brooklyn, New York, population 2.5 million, in 1947. A long way from Buhl, Idaho, population 2,500, where he was born and raised, Gene had accepted a position as a junior engineer at the Brooklyn Union Gas Company in New York City, never dreaming that he would one day command the huge company as president and chairman. Beverly was personal secretary to Mrs. William S. Paley and wrote for the Spokane, Washington, newspaper about life in New York. They raised one son. “I could not have had a better career or personal life, and it all started at the University of Idaho,” Gene said. In 2018, Gene honored Beverly and the U of I by making a gift in his will for the College of Engineering and the School of Journalism and Mass Media. For more information about making a gift in your will to the University of Idaho, contact Sharon Morgan, morgans@uidaho.edu or toll-free at 866-671-7041. Read more about Gene’s incredible life story. | | U of I Students Stand Out in Business Competitions University of Idaho student teams from the College of Business and Economics won first place in all three categories of the annual Northwest Entrepreneur Competition on April 17 in Spokane. Blue Collar Virtual Reality builds workforce training simulators, and team members Misty Blyleven, James Duram, Catherine Keenan and Christian Sandberg took home $10,000 and first place in the Open division. Team PickItUP, made up of Chase and Hayden Pratt, have made an app that connects users to drivers with trucks to move items; PickItUp won $10,000 in the Technology division. In the Traditional Business division, the $10,000 first-place prize went to The Donut Bar, in which members Dakota Decory and Jett Jones pitch a unique eatery space for students and community members. Idaho Entrepreneurs have already won more than $75,000 in competitions this spring heading into this weekend’s Idaho Pitch and Business Plan competitions. That includes the multidisciplinary team behind the Forever Shower, who traveled to Boston on April 6 and came home with $15,000 in prize money. | | U of I Study Helps Understand Idaho Family Forest Ownership About 1.7 million acres of forest land in Idaho is family-owned, representing about 36,000 landowners and 56 percent of all privately-owned forest land in the state. As much as 560,000 acres, or 33 percent of family owned forests in Idaho, are likely to have new owners within five years, according to a new survey released today. The Policy Analysis Group (PAG) in the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources conducted an extensive survey in 2016 of Idaho’s family forest landowners — forests privately owned by families, individuals, trusts, estates and family partnerships. “The objective of the study was to better understand Idaho family forest owners’ management decisions and preferences, and to compare the management activities of landowners who participated in forestry assistance programs with those who haven’t,” PAG principal researcher Philip Cook said. The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), which provides planning, technical and educational assistance to landowners through its Forest Stewardship Program, contributed primary funding to the study. | | | | |