Fall 2016 enrollment at UI increased 3.6 percent overall, bringing total enrollment to 11,780 students. UI’s Direct Admissions initiative in partnership with the state, offering automatic admission to public institutions for qualified high school seniors, helped open the door to a 6.5 percent increase in enrollment among Idaho freshmen. Among new freshman, 32 percent are first-generation college students. UI also made gains among transfer students, members of underrepresented groups, and dual-credit participants. | | | In fall 2016, UI continued to promote expanded access to affordable, high quality postsecondary education. UI built on the Direct Admissions initiative by eliminating the $60 admission application fee for Idaho residents; accepted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with “last year’s taxes” beginning in October; and began issuing financial aid awards as early as December. UI offers more than $24 million in annual financial aid. Since 2014 UI has expanded scholarship programs for Idaho residents, forged transfer agreements with Idaho community colleges, and delivered a new award program for tribal members. | | | The University of Idaho’s innovation impact surpassed $100 million in research expenditures for Fiscal Year 2016. That impact continues to grow. In 2016 UI joined a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Wood River Land Trust at 10,000-acre Rock Creek Ranch, outside Hailey, to study rangeland management and the intersection of cattle, recreation and conservation. On January 31, UI formally opens the Integrated Research and Innovation Center in Moscow, housing interdisciplinary research that explores key challenges such as infectious disease and fire science. The Center for Modeling Complex Interactions, recipient of a $10.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, is one of facility’s first selected occupants. | | | In October, UI unveiled plans to construct the Idaho Arena, a 4,700-seat, 70,000-square-foot home for Vandal men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. The arena will also provide a university community gathering place for academic events, concerts and meetings. Slated for construction on the north side of the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center, the arena will strengthen recruiting, rally fan excitement and improve the residential campus environment for students, faculty, staff and the larger university community. The arena project has received backing from a student fee, corporate sponsors and individual donors. Completion, dependent on fundraising, could be as early as 2020. In mid-February the State Board of Education gave approval to move into the planning and design phase of the project. | | | Governor Otter’s FY18 budget includes support for constructing the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE). Idaho’s economically important agricultural and food processing industries will be the focus of the new $45 million research and education initiative led by the University of Idaho. The governor recommended at $10 million FY18 investment in the facility. UI and other partners will identify funding for the other two-thirds of the project cost, planned in the Magic Valley near Twin Falls. The center will focus on environmental solutions, economic development and educational opportunities to ensure the sustainability of livestock and crop agriculture and food processing in Idaho. | | | The Idaho Vandals football team capped a winning season with a 61-50 victory over Colorado State University in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, held in Boise. UI alumni and fans came together from across the country to watch the Vandals win their third bowl game. The Idaho Potato Commission and Simplot were among sponsors of the event. Vandal student-athletes have recently won Big Sky Conference championships in women’s basketball (advancing to the NCAA tournament), men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, and soccer (regular season). | | | First-generation college student Leticia Garcia, from Glenns Ferry, Idaho, used her Vandal experience to explore the world and earn multiple degrees in international studies, Spanish and Latin American studies. Garcia navigated the journey to UI with the help of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). She participated in the Martin Institute curriculum, in her sorority, and as a volunteer in university and community projects. She plans to pursue non-profit service in her future career. | | | | | |