Next week, higher education institutions gather to make presentations before the Idaho Legislature in Boise. This is an opportunity for the University of Idaho to share our story with elected representatives, connect with constituents and celebrate our outstanding alumni. I welcome the spotlight on our success as a great public research university. The University of Idaho will update the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on university progress, goals and key needs. I’ll remind our representatives why the University of Idaho remains such as solid investment, an experience that brings return many times over for our students. As Idaho’s land-grant institution, we’re also focused on research and scholarship that makes an impact for our state’s pressing needs in everything from water to clean energy to agriculture and natural resources. Gov. Brad Little’s budget calls for continued investment in education. As an institution, we appreciate the commitment to a change in employee compensation (CEC) that will help us recruit and retain talented employees who shape the lives of students and contribute to communities. Continued investment in the Agricultural Research and Extension Service allows us to fulfill our historic and forward-looking mission in those critical areas as well. The governor has also called to increase the state’s Opportunity Scholarship fund. In our efforts to increase college-going, it has become clear the barrier that cost presents for would-be students. Even as we seek to provide a strong value proposition of affordability and educational excellence, many qualified students feel priced out. I share the belief that a robust aid program – building on the commitments Governor Otter and previous Legislatures made – can help more students reach their potential through postsecondary education, wherever they choose to attend, and that such an investment can bolster our state's long-term fortunes. Now, the university having worked with the State Board of Education to develop appropriations priorities, and the governor having issued his budget, my job going forward is largely to inform and advocate. The presentations next week – I’ll also go before the House and Senate education committees – are one piece of that work. Over the next several months, our elected representatives will do their best to balance the needs and priorities of publicly funded agencies against available revenue. I appreciate the spirit of service that informs that often unglamorous work. Next Thursday night, we’ll convene in downtown Boise at our annual Ada County Silver and Gold dinner. It’s a great honor to celebrate Silver and Gold winners Blair Wilson ’79 and Crystal Wilson ’97, ’04, ’09 (no relation). Blair is a College of Agricultural and Life Sciences graduate who has served Idaho agricultural communities for 40 years with Northwest Farm Credit Services. Crystal has built a long and impactful career in nutrition, health and wellness. Our Jim Lyle Award winner is Kelly Wood ’83, a first-generation college student whose career includes corporate leadership and financial advising. We’ll also posthumously award Honorary Alumnus status to William “Bill” Hamilton, who was always proud to be known as a Vandal. Congratulations to all on these well-deserved awards. I’ll enjoy seeing the silver and gold show up in force in our state capital. Thank you to the Vandals and to all our friends for making the week meaningful. | | Go Vandals! Chuck Staben President | | | Tafts Support College of Business and Economics Gene Taft ’84 and his wife Tammy’s support of the Harley Johansen Memorial Scholarship Endowment tracks back to Gene’s final year on campus. Johansen, the head of the Geography Department, encouraged Taft to pursue a graduate program in mineral economics, a turning point that led to lifelong success in business. Taft’s engagement with U of I also includes support of the Idaho Entrepreneurs Program in the College of Business and Economics, where he’s helped the program grow through financial contributions, service as a judge for the Idaho Pitch and Business Plan competitions, and volunteer work as an entrepreneur in residence to help coach student entrepreneurship teams. “Having started up numerous businesses, I appreciate the education, values and network provided by U of I in my own success,” Taft said. “I’m now able to use those experiences and rewards to assist budding Vandal entrepreneurs. The program encourages and incorporates coaching and mentoring from experienced graduates, which makes my contributions more personal and gratifying.” For more information on giving to the College of Business and Economics, contact Brian Mitchell at bdmitchell@uidaho.edu or 208-885-2634. | | 29th Annual Vandal Scholarship Fund Gala Returns Feb. 7 in Boise The largest fundraising event for the Vandal Scholarship Fund is the annual Gala, set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at Boise Centre – East. The Gala celebrates its 29th anniversary this year – thanks to the generous community members and businesses in the Treasure Valley. The event includes a cocktail and social hour, silent and live auctions, gourmet dinner and a program featuring Head Football Coach Paul Petrino. Purchase your tickets online today. | | U of I-Led Study Finds Evidence of Changing Seasons, Rain on Titan’s North Pole An image from the international Cassini spacecraft provides evidence of rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons. The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in the moon’s northern hemisphere. A team of scientists led by University of Idaho doctoral student Rajani Dhingra and Department of Physics Associate Professor Jason Barnes published their findings Wednesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Dhingra and her colleagues, who represent 12 other institutions and universities, identified a reflective feature near Titan’s north pole on an image taken June 7, 2016, by Cassini’s near-infrared instrument, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. The reflective feature covered approximately 46,332 square miles, roughly half the size of the Great Lakes, and did not appear on images from previous and subsequent Cassini passes. Analyses of the short-term reflective feature suggested it likely resulted from sunlight reflecting off a wet surface. The study attributes the reflection to a methane rainfall event, followed by a probable period of evaporation. | | | | |