This Sunday marks Veterans Day. The University of Idaho’s embrace of military service, and our historical and ongoing service to military personnel, affords the day some special resonance. We honor U of I community members who have made sacrifices for our country. We focus on supporting veterans and their families through unique programs and resources such as Operation Education. We welcome newly commissioned officers to the ranks of the service at every commencement as they matriculate through our Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC programs. That’s an enduring tradition of access, support and respect that we’re proud to build on this fall with a new deferred admissions policy – referred to at U of I as a “durable admissions” policy – that allows admitted students to postpone attendance at U of I for up to four years after admission. As U of I focuses on bringing more people into the college experience, we understand our obligation to students inclined to pursue military service directly after high school. Why does durable admissions matter? For would-be students who have spent four years serving our country, they won’t have to wade back through the admissions process – the transcripts, the test scores, the data entry. Here’s how I explain it to students. First, importantly, it applies to all students – military service members, those going on missions, students taking some time in the workforce. But consider it first from the point of view of someone enlisting in the military. We offered you admissions initially because you were qualified, and we wanted you to be here. You made the choice to serve our country – that’s an outstanding decision. Undoubtedly during enlisted service, you’ve only grown as a leader, as a thinker, as a human being. Why would you be any less qualified after four years? When you’re ready, and when you’ve completed the service you feel compelled to offer and for which we’re grateful, we will honor the promise we made. We’ll hold the door open for a smooth re-entry to higher education. The United States, but particularly Idaho, has a large number of students who participate in a life experience after high school, and who could benefit from knowing that they are welcome in higher education when they choose to return. A religious mission offers another example – many belonging to the LDS Church in Idaho, especially members age 18-20, complete a religious mission. Spread out across the world, many missionaries have limited contact home. The logistics of reapplying to the university for their return could be daunting, so we make the same offer to missionary students as we do to service members: You were qualified once, your ensuing life experience only makes you more qualified, so you’re in. The University of Idaho strives to be a diverse, inclusive living and learning environment. This durable admissions policy reflects and strengthens that commitment. We’re proud to serve those who serve their nation, their faith, their communities and their families. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | The Wright Stuff: Endowed Scholarship Support Virginia ’67 ’69 and Kenneth Wright ’72 have made a $50,000 bequest commitment to fund two scholarship endowments – one for students in education and one for students in STEM disciplines. Both scholarships will offer preference to students transferring to the university from North Idaho College. Virginia earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education and is a retired teacher. Ken earned a Ph.D. in chemistry and is a retired faculty member at NIC. The Wrights believe strongly in the importance of post-secondary education, especially for students considering education or STEM-related fields. "We both feel we were fortunate to have received a quality preparation for our respective careers,” Kenneth said. “We would like to give back to encourage a younger generation attending our favorite alma mater, the University of Idaho," Virginia said. For more information about giving to the university, please contact Stacy Rauch in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at 208-885-7053 or srauch@uidaho.edu; or Eric Bennett in the College of Science at 208-885-9106 or ebennett@uidaho.edu. | | U of I Researchers Examine Milk Production Disease U of I nutritionist Michelle “Shelley” McGuire and lactation physiologist and dairy researcher Mark McGuire will co-lead a $2.4 million project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the cause of mastitis in women and cows. Mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, is a major human and animal disease problem that causes discomfort for breastfeeding mothers and damages dairy industry productivity. The bacterial-related disease frustrates mothers who want to provide the best nutrition for their babies and causes millions in annual financial losses for dairies. The new study will look more closely at those bacterial communities in milk from healthy and unhealthy women and cows. Shelley McGuire is the newly hired director and professor in U of I’s Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences. Mark McGuire is a professor in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science and director of the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. The McGuires are married and have collaborated on similar projects for over two decades. | | Communication Degree Returns to the University of Idaho in Fall ‘19 The University of Idaho’s College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences aims to meet a growing demand for communication-related occupations by bringing back its degree in communication beginning in fall 2019. Data from Hanover Research projects a nearly 28 percent growth in communication-related occupations in Idaho by 2024 and the flexibility of employment opportunities with the emphasis makes it a highly sought after degree by employers. The university offered a degree in communication studies until 2008 and students have since been able to minor in the discipline. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the field, a Bachelor of Arts or Sciences in communication prepares students to enter a variety of high-demand occupations that are experiencing high-growth, including public relations, marketing, sales, editing and writing. Coursework for the degree includes classes in interpersonal, organizational and intercultural communication. The degree in communication is U of I’s sixth fully online bachelor’s degree. The other five are general studies, history, organizational sciences, psychology and sociology with a criminology emphasis. | | | | |