Letter from the President
The University of Idaho has an impact in all corners of the Gem State. That effort is felt here on campus in Moscow and at our education and research centers throughout the state. It's found online, where our faculty are delivering classes remotely this spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also found in 42 counties where U of I has an Extension office to help our communities with their individual needs.
That outreach and research is not just important, it’s valuable. U of I’s efforts contribute $1.1 billion annually to Idaho. That’s 1% of the state’s GDP. Add that to our partnerships with the agricultural and natural resources industries, as well as federal and state agencies, and you’ll find an $8 billion contributor to our economy.
This issue of Here We Have Idaho Magazine takes a look at that impact. It’s found in the jobs Vandals do every day in the name of research, outreach and scholarship. It’s in the services our faculty and staff provide at Research and Extension offices throughout the state. It’s in the efforts of employers who love to hire Vandals precisely because they are well-prepared for the job.
We’re highlighting a few of those impactful stories here: a resurrected burbot fishery in North Idaho, aided by our aquaculture effort; the statewide simulation our students have created to combat electrical power system cyberattacks; the archaeology digs that take professors and students outside the lab and into the field to study Idaho’s early days.
That influence on lifelong learning continues even after students leave our campus. For example, our Project ECHO initiative, provided through the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program, is enabling continuing education for doctors treating both opioid addiction and behavioral health via telemedicine. It’s allowing our health-care providers to find outside-the-box solutions to their treatment problems.
The features in this issue of Here We Have Idaho highlight this great work and more. These projects educate our students and the community where they take place. They show the value U of I has on our students, both while they are here and after they’ve been trained for careers. This process is good for our state, it’s good for our students, it’s good for our future.
Enjoy these stories. They tell of the broad impact our land-grant mission has on Idaho. It’s a mission even older than the Gem State itself, and one that will continue for generations of Vandals to come.
Go Vandals!
C. Scott Green ’84
President
P.S.: As this magazine went to print, our entire spring semester was upended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope this issue is a reminder of all we are doing and will continue to do when we get to the other side of this historic event.
Published in the Spring 2020 issue of Here We Have Idaho.
