Homecoming is a special time at the University of Idaho. I’m proud to welcome our alumni back for an exciting weekend of festivities, and I’m glad to see our students embrace the spirit of the weekend. While we enjoy the celebration, we also have some work to do – many alumni are participants on U of I advisory boards, lending their time, talent and treasure to drive U of I excellence and progress. There are many ways alumni contribute to success for students, to innovation and discovery that changes the world, and to engagement that sustains healthy and prosperous communities. I’ll talk to our advisory boards – the extended leadership network for our institution – about the progress we’re making on our Strategic Plan and the challenges we have to tackle. Each college or unit – like the Library or the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program – is in a position to take on a bite-sized piece of the Strategic Plan. We’ll need the advice and advocacy of our extended leadership to make that work successful. As our alumni gather on campus, I want to thank them for their generosity in financial terms to the University of Idaho. The support of alumni, as well as other friends of the university, industries in Idaho and elsewhere, and an array of other generous organizations, has meant another record year for giving to the university. In fact, FY18’s total of $42,666,652 represented a second consecutive annual record. A total of 10,437 donors contributed – every single one a vote of confidence in the life-changing work of the University of Idaho. We honored that generosity last night at our annual Silver and Gold Gala, including the recognition of 47 Vandal friends and alumni who joined our Silver and Gold Society. We have six inductees into the 1889 Society as well, recognizing a remarkable standard of generosity. They include Idaho Central Credit Union, who supported our arena project with a naming rights gift this past January; the University of Idaho Alumni Association; the University of Idaho Foundation; and the Associated Students of the University of Idaho. I’m also incredibly proud to recognize Priscilla Wegars as a member of the 1889 Society. Priscilla has dedicated her career to studying the historical archaeology of Asian-Americans in the West, especially as the volunteer curator for the Asian American Comparative Collection in the Laboratory of Anthropology. Her contributions help that great legacy continue. “I’m sort of in the giving back mode,” Priscilla said. “I started the Asian American Comparative Collection endowment 30 years ago, and it’s been added to by various people over the years.” Just as we appreciate her exemplary scholarship, we’re deeply grateful for Priscilla’s incredible generosity. Vandal excellence comes down to the hard work and personal investment of many people, in many different ways. As we watch the parade tomorrow – and welcome back grand marshal and newly minted Pro Football Hall of Fame member Jerry Kramer – and root for the Vandals in the game, we’re celebrating an annual renewal of our community. I’m proud of our extended Vandal family for staying close to the university and contributing to the success of this institution. Because it’s not about U of I, really – it’s about our students, our scholarship, and the communities across this state that we call home. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | University Gala Celebrates Donor Generosity and Impact Last night, the University of Idaho celebrated the generosity of our donors at the annual University Gala. U of I proudly inducted six new 1889 Society members – recognizing alumni, friends and partners with lifetime contributions totaling $1 million and more, as well as 47 new Silver and Gold Society members – alumni, friends and partners with lifetime giving of $100,000 to $999,999. The 2018 1889 Society inductees include the Idaho Central Credit Union, Priscilla S. Wegars, Howard E. and Sally J. Ahlskog, the University of Idaho Alumni Association, the Associated Students of the University of Idaho and the University of Idaho Foundation. The new 1889 Society and Silver and Gold Society members have been added to the university’s Legacy of Giving donor recognition display in the Administration Building foyer. The university is grateful to the 10,602 donors who contributed more than $42.5 million in the last fiscal year. That generosity allows transformational programs, projects and opportunities to continue inspiring new generations of Vandals. For more information on giving to U of I, including priority initiatives like the ICCU Arena and student scholarships, visit the Give to Idaho website. | | Native American Teaching Strategies Supported by Nearly $1 Million Grant A second class of future indigenous teachers will soon continue the mission of improving K-12 educational experiences for the region’s American Indian/Alaska Native youth with the assistance of a nearly $1 million grant to the University of Idaho from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Indian Education. New scholars will be accepted into the Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program (IKEEP) to complete elementary or secondary pre-service teacher education with a concentration in indigenous culturally and linguistically responsive training, beginning in summer 2019. The five-year program is designed so scholars meet requirements for full state teacher certification and job placement in regional schools serving high proportions of Native American students. The program builds capacity of indigenous teachers through structured opportunities to improve Native American school achievement, in collaboration with the Nez Perce and Coeur d’Alene tribes, the State Tribal Education Partnership Projects, indigenous teacher mentors, the Indian Education Committee at the Idaho State Department of Education and the American Indian Language Development Institute. | | Share Your Vandal Marching Band Story The Vandal Marching Band celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019. Band historian Shannon Kelly ’15 is collecting alumni stories, photos, videos and memorabilia for a special 100th anniversary book and collection. Help tell the story of the Sound of Idaho by sending your stories, images, gear, etc. to kellys@uidaho.edu by Nov. 1. | | | | |