Presidential communication

Letter from the President

Office of the President, president@uidaho.edu | Oct. 23, 2026

Dear Vandals,

Emma Cuddy dreamed of seeing her art written about in national publications and posted all over social media. But she never dreamed her paintings would showcase athletes.

The unlikely pairing of Cuddy’s fine art and Vandal football — the brainchild of U of I Athletics’ Richard Pathomsiri ’21 — continues to create positive buzz for the university. Each game week this fall, a new painting by Cuddy is unveiled, promoting the upcoming Idaho football contest.

“I wasn’t very familiar with football, but now it’s a lot of fun going to the games and rooting for the team,” said Cuddy, who will graduate in December with a degree in studio art and design.

Since the first painting hit social media in August, Cuddy has done more than 20 media interviews about the project. One of the first requests came from The New York Times, which helped her art go viral. Cuddy was featured at a timeout during the ESPN+ broadcast of last week’s Vandal victory at Montana.

Cuddy calls this week’s homecoming painting her favorite so far. It features senior Layton Vining with a battle axe at his side. The Vandal Marching Band, the homecoming bonfire and the P1FCU Kibbie Dome are silhouetted in the background. Southern Utah’s mascot — the Thunderbird — looms in the night sky.

The Cuddy family will be busy this weekend. Emma will be signing prints at the Prichard Art Gallery before and after the parade. Her father Brad ’90 and mother Esther will be in town to spend time with Emma and her twin sister Maia, who is also in her final semester at the U of I.

Similar to Emma, Maia has fully embraced the U of I experience. She is an Idaho Governor’s Cup Scholar in environmental science. She was featured as a Vandal Explorer for her research in tree ring dendrochronology last year and was a student speaker at the 2024 U of I Gala.

Brad ’90 grew up in Orofino before majoring in finance at the U of I. He served as ASUI president in 1987-88. His father Chuck Cuddy, who was a Vandal Booster and football season ticket holder, served in the Idaho House of Representatives for 14 years. While Brad didn’t follow his father into state politics, he did inherit his father’s dedication to public service and support for education. He served for several years on the Lewiston School Board and helped lead the effort to build a new high school.

Brad points to his wife’s artistic genes for the source of Emma’s talent and says they always supported her creativity.

“Esther would be the one to get full credit for that,” Brad said. “She also provided a home environment that encouraged arts and crafts. Our basement was basically a big craft room, full of about every kind of art and craft supply you could imagine.”

Emma’s art will adorn the Cuddy house for years to come. Brad secured the first of her gameday posters in an online auction that raises funds for the Vandal athletic department.

“I wasn’t about to let anyone else get it,” Brad said. “I have a study at the house that I work out of where I will hang it and at some point it will become Emma’s again. But to have that really means a lot to me.”

Many artists go decades without gaining the attention Cuddy’s work has garnered over the past two months. She’s grateful for the canvas provided by Vandal Athletics and said she may work with other teams later this year.

“The people at the U of I have just been amazing,” she said. “I’ve developed great relationships. I can’t imagine what I’d be doing without this opportunity. A lot of people would probably never see my art.”

Emma’s journey speaks to the U of I’s commitment to hands-on learning, preparing students for professional careers by bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world application. When talent, passion, and opportunity converge, it creates a perfect venue for Vandals to shine.

Go Vandals!

C. Scott Green
President

Snapshots

Homecoming festivities continue through Saturday

The U of I Homecoming theme is “Vandal Odyssey: Homecoming of Heroes.” The student-led week features Vandalize Moscow, Jingles, a bonfire, fireworks and service drives. It culminates Saturday with the 118th parade, led by grand marshal John Yarno ’77, followed by a tailgate and the Southern Utah football game.
Explore Homecoming 2026.

U of I team takes first in chip design competition

U of I senior Lloyd Alcorn and assistant professor Zain Ul Abideen won first place in the GenAI-Guided Hardware IP Redaction and Red-Teaming Challenge at the 63rd Design Automation Conference. Their AI-assisted system hides sensitive chip design information without sacrificing performance. The project provided Alcorn a unique undergraduate experience in hardware security.
Learn more about the project.

Bellwood Lecture Monday in Moscow

Yale constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar will deliver the College of Law’s Bellwood Memorial Lecture Monday, Oct. 26, at the Bruce M. Pitman Center. Drawing on his book “Born Equal,” he’ll trace constitutional equality from the founding through birthright citizenship debates. The event is free and registration is requested.
Learn more and join the lecture.

Did you know?

The Vandal women’s basketball team hosts Saint Martin’s in the annual Education Game at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, at ICCU Arena.