Commencement is a special time. For many of us who work at U of I, these are the best days of our year. As each graduate crosses the stage, we see dreams being realized, hard work paying off, a future taking shape. Nearly 1,500 Vandals have their skills, experience and talent recognized with a degree that is increasingly essential for success. I’m proud of how each student has embraced opportunity and contributed to building a great University of Idaho. Our four statewide commencements celebrate all 1,500 of those graduates. In today’s letter, I want to celebrate a class of graduates often unrecognized — and even undercounted. In our federal graduation rate, U of I cannot include the success of transfer or part-time students. It’s a surprisingly incomplete picture that omits the accomplishments of many students and our university’s efforts to facilitate opportunities in higher education. In Coeur d’Alene, we’ve recently partnered with North Idaho College to offer a four-year baccalaureate degree in computer science, an opportunity for students who want to join the fast-growing tech sectors in the region. Students take two years at NIC then transfer to U of I Coeur d’Alene. This week Adrian Beehner, a Silver Valley native, became our first U of I graduate from the program. Having gained experience with robotics on his way to the computer science degree, he’s eager to get started in a career. Mellisa Clemons' path to a four-year degree also started at NIC. After earning an associate degree, she embarked on a criminal forensics major at U of I, making the commute to Moscow multiple times per week. She earned a position as a researcher in a U of I lab, all the while balancing raising four children and managing two online businesses. With a degree in hand, she wants to start a doctoral program at U of I and continue to do research. One last story: Bruce Berry is a single dad. Berry’s story is all about overcoming challenges — a tough childhood, periods of homelessness, addiction — and bettering himself in order to provide for his son. Like Adrian and Melissa, he earned an associate degree at NIC in Couer d’Alene before transferring to U of I in Moscow. Berry received the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship and U of I scholarships on his way to earning a history degree this spring. He plans to be a teacher — and he will be a good one. These are the kinds of stories I find incredibly moving. I congratulate Adrian, Mellisa and Bruce — and all other graduates who have taken a non-traditional path to completing a four-year degree. They are an inspiration to all of us, and hopefully to the students who may follow in their footsteps. I’d really like to see those stories reflected in official statistics. If you look at the College Scorecard, which I often point to, you’ll see U of I with the highest graduation rate among Idaho public institutions. But that’s without including the success of part-time and transfer students. With so many choices for higher education, data like graduation rates are key indicators for students and parents. As Congress debates the Higher Education Act, we have a chance to make this situation right. That doesn’t matter to Adrian, Mellisa and Bruce, or any of our other graduates, and it doesn’t need to. While we look at that from a policy level, we’re also really focused on celebrating the accomplishments of our Vandal graduates, from Coeur d’Alene to Boise to Idaho Falls to Moscow. I am looking forward to seeing what our 1,500 Vandal graduates do next. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | U of I Research Featured on NBC Nightly News | | | From NBC Nightly News: Nine international teams, including one led by University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Professor Greg Moller, are trying to find a solution to harmful algae blooms caused by agricultural runoff in a competition with big environmental implications. | | Vandals Win Spring Big Sky Championships Three University of Idaho Vandal Athletics teams earned Big Sky Conference Championships this spring, aided by standout individual performances. The men’s tennis team defeated Montana in the Big Sky Championship, 4-0, for the second year in a row at the Phoenix Tennis Center. The Vandals have now won three of the last four Big Sky titles and 13 championships dating back to 1966. Idaho women's tennis staked claim to its fifth consecutive conference championship, defeating top-seeded Northern Arizona, 4-2, for their fourth straight Big Sky title. Idaho has won the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in each of the four seasons since rejoining the conference; the Vandals also won the Western Athletic Conference in its final year in 2014. Sophie Hausmann, named the Big Sky Golfer of the Year earlier this week, won her second individual conference championship and teammate Michelle Kim finished runner-up to lead Idaho to the team title at the 2018 Big Sky Women's Golf Championships at Boulder Creek Golf Club. The second title in three years for both the Vandals and Hausmann included new tournament records for lowest scores by a team (2-over; 866) and by an individual (10-under; 206). | | Two U of I Faculty Members Earn National Recognition Two University of Idaho faculty members have received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award for early career scholars. Christine Parent, an assistant professor of biological sciences and member of the Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), and Eric Mittelstaedt, an assistant professor of geology and geophysics, both in the U of I College of Science, earned Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards, along with a combined $1.7 million in research funding. The goal of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER awards is to fund the research and education activities of early-career faculty. No more than 20 honorees are selected each year. | | | | |