Presidential communication

Letter from the President

Office of the President, president@uidaho.edu | April 10, 2026

Dear Vandals,

When the University of Idaho’s new Meat Science and Innovation Center Honoring Ron Richard opens its doors, it isn’t just a ribbon cutting — it’s turning the page on six decades of doing more with less.

The gleaming new building on the west side of campus replaces a modest, aging facility from the 1960s. Four times larger than its predecessor and outfitted with industry-grade equipment, the center processes pork, lamb, poultry and beef. It will help boost Idaho's cattle industry — one that generated more than $3.8 billion in receipts last year — while preparing the next generation of meat science professionals for careers on the front lines of food production.

The new venue provides a prime space for Vandal Brand Meats. The U of I’s student-run business produces a variety of packaged products, including thousands of Vandal Dogs to fuel fans on football game days.

Brendan Negri spent 3 1/2 years working for Vandal Brand Meats in the old building before graduating and landing a job with True West Beef. While he gained great experience at the U of I, transitioning to an operation that processes 765 head of cattle each day was eye-opening.

“Coming from the previous meat lab to a large-scale processing facility was a completely different experience,” said Negri, who is a fabrication superintendent at True West’s Jerome facility. “I think this new facility will give students great insights into the process that we use. The size and scope are different, but students will be able to see some of the challenges we face in the industry.”

The U of I meat science program is striving to keep pace with workforce demand. Recent graduates of the program have a 100% job placement rate.

“The stakeholders behind this building really believe in the mission,” said Phil Bass, associate professor of meat science. “We will serve Idaho and the whole western United States with this new facility on campus.”

One of the first stakeholders to launch the idea of a new center was the late Ron Richard, longtime manager of Vandal Brand Meats. The new center bears his name.

For graduate students like Claire Shaw, the center presents excellent opportunities for her research on mitigating loss in the harvesting process.

“The old facility was great for what it was, but we had to get creative at times ─ doing good research often took extra steps,” Shaw said. “The square footage alone is a huge bonus, but the newer technology and equipment allow us to move faster and really resemble what we see in industry.”

The new space has already hosted meat science and UI Extension classes, along with the Northwest Meat Processors Association Convention in March.

The building includes covered, vented animal pens, a fully equipped harvesting room, giant refrigerated processing rooms and a packaging room all interconnected on the south side of the building. The 50-seat classroom includes a full-size kitchen perfect for product demonstrations and testing.

Investment from the U of I, private partners and the state of Idaho funded the center. U of I students, the flourishing cattle industry and consumers throughout the region will benefit for decades to come.

Go Vandals!

C. Scott Green
President

Snapshots

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Learn more about the event.

Online degree creates a world of possibilities

Students in the U of I’s online environmental science master’s degree program gain practical education and conduct impactful research, no matter where they live. They prepare for careers in a variety of fields, including waste management, environmental pollution, policy and law, water science, land use and energy systems.
Learn more about the degree.

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Learn more about the technique.

Did you know?

Vandal Giving Day on April 7-8 garnered more than 3,160 donations totaling over $1.8 million. Both totals are the most in the 10-year history of the event.