August 18, 2009
Dear University of Idaho Alumni and Friends:
The 2009-10 academic year begins on Monday, and a new group of students are making their debut as Vandals. I'm sure all of you remember the excitement and nervousness of leaving home and coming to the University of Idaho to begin life as a college student. It's one of the traditions we all share as Vandals.
Our traditions are important, and we've begun a new program for students called Tradition Keepers. At our welcoming event, Vandal Walk, new students will receive an "I Book" that describes our University traditions, past and present. By visiting campus landmarks like the I Bench and the Administration Steps, or taking part in campus events like the Borah Symposium, the Jazz Festival and Homecoming, students earn points toward becoming a University of Idaho Tradition Keeper. By completing 15 traditions, a student receives a silver Tradition Keeper lapel pin. After earning 35 tradition points, a student is awarded a Tradition Keeper medallion to wear at graduation.
Of course, to be a full-fledged Tradition Keeper, the last task is to continue the legacy of leadership that truly is an Idaho tradition. Alumni can purchase the book for $12 through the Bookstore.
Please join me in welcoming all our students back to campus for what I'm sure will be a most memorable year at the University of Idaho.
Steven C. Johnson '71
Executive Director of Alumni Relations
Vandal Booster Lunches Start August 20! Click here for all locations and dates
Thirsty Thursday in Twin Falls - August 20
Thirsty Thursday in Middleton - August 20
Sandpoint Alumni Chapter Cruise on Lake Pend Oreille - August 21
North Idaho Vandal Celebration in Coeur d'Alene - August 26
Baseball and fun with the Portland Beavers in Portland - August 27
Vandal Pride Days in Seattle - September 10-12
Celebrating 100 years of Forestry Education in Moscow - September 11-13
Vandal Legends Event in Seattle - September 11
Portland Bus Trip to Seattle for UW Football Game in Seattle - September 12
Alumni Event at Padres vs. Rockies in San Diego - September 12
UIRA Fall Luncheon in Moscow - September 16
Alumni Cheer Reunion in Moscow - September 18-20
First Vandal Golf-Divot Digger Reunion in Moscow - September 18
University of Idaho Night at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise - September 24
Boise GOLD Bus Cruise - September 26
Dads' Weekend in Moscow - October 2-4
Alumni Reception with President Nellis in Portland - October 19
Vandal Pride Days in Reno - October 23-24
Homecoming in Moscow - October 25-November 1
2009 Vandal Football Schedule
Event information for these and other social connection opportunities can be found at www.idahovandals.com .
Alumni Profile
Dawes Marlatt '96 and Golf Education
As general manager of the University of Idaho Golf Course in Moscow, Dawes Marlatt could gaze out his office window and see the rolling hills of the Palouse.
These days, the view from his office has changed - even more, perhaps, than his responsibilities.
Those rolling hills he had grown so familiar with as a longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest have been replaced by ...
"The spiny backs of alligators," the 37-year-old Marlatt said from his new digs at the PGA Education Center in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., where he now serves as the Director of Education for the PGA of America. [more]
Campus View
The University of Idaho Golf Course originally was designed by Fancis L. James and constructed in 1933 as a nine-hole course. It was redesigned in 1968 by Bob Bolduck as an 18-hole course. Nestled among the rolling hills of the Palouse, panoramic wheat land vistas change with the seasons from emerald green to amber gold against a mountain backdrop. This unique course is challenging and offers a variety of shots from uneven lies to elevated and recessed greens. The front nine provides scoring opportunities that feature three par 5's in an open grassland venue. The back nine tightens up into a narrow parkland theme and includes two difficult par 3's. The round concludes by running the gauntlet of the last three challenging holes known by locals as "Heartbreak Ridge."
You can read more about the history of the course here.
Faculty Focus
Raising Economies in Rising Temperatures
Scientists at the University of Idaho are preparing for the future by exploring how communities in the far north are coping with the effects climate change is having on their local economies.
Harley Johansen, professor and head of the geography department at the University of Idaho, recently secured a two-year, $174,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to compare statistics and interview economic planners from 71 municipalities north of 65 degrees latitude. [more]
Joe Knows...
...Northern Idaho Vandal Celebration
The Kootenai County Vandal Boosters and the Kootenai County Alumni Chapter are joining forces to host a Northern Idaho Vandal Celebration on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a cocktail reception; dinner is at 6:30 and the program begins at 7:30. Master of ceremonies is John Yarno, a 2007 inductee into the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame.
Special guests include President M. Duane and Ruthie Nellis; Athletics Director Rob Spear; Head Football Coach Robb Akey; Head Men's Basketball Coach Don Verlin; Head Women's Basketball Coach Jon Newlee; and Alumni Director Steve Johnson.
Cost for the event is $75 per person, and those under age 30 can purchase tickets at $50 per person. All proceeds from the celebration will benefit scholarship programs at the University of Idaho.
You can RSVP online here, or contact Shelley Robson of the Vandal Scholarship Fund at (208) 292-2548 or shellyr@uidaho.edu.