Presidential communication

Letter from the President

Office of the President, president@uidaho.edu | Aug. 21, 2026

Dear Vandals,

Campus is bustling once again as students move in and employees prepare for the fall semester. We also welcome students to classrooms across the state and into our growing online programs. 

We’re proud to be Idaho’s flagship, land-grant university. We’re built on tradition, but we’re also embracing change as we head into our 137th academic year. 

We welcomed outstanding new leaders this summer. Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Brooke Blevins stepped into her new role in June. She brings tremendous experience from the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (EHHS), where she served as dean. Julie Amadaor joins our leadership team as interim dean of EHHS. She’s served for 14 years as a faculty member and associate dean in the college. And Brian Kane ’97 began his tenure as dean of the College of Law. Brian brings many years of professional practice and teaching to the college and will help us strengthen relationships across the state. 

We’re committed to preparing our students to lead AI development in our workforce. AI is also a cornerstone for improving our internal operations. Ben Hunter, dean of U of I Libraries, is leading some of our most important initiatives in his additional role as chief data and AI officer. We continue building on our national reputation for developing homegrown AI solutions. 

We’ve made significant investments in our strategic plan and it’s producing tangible results. The U of I Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning hosted 30 faculty members at an AI bootcamp in June. They gained valuable insights and tools so they can apply AI solutions in the classroom and in their research.  

We’re launching several new online programs to meet the shifting higher education market. We enrolled our first cohort in our online doctor of education program this summer and we rolled out programs in business administration, geology and criminology. We’re also starting a new master’s degree in AI, available completely online.

These online programs help us serve place-bound working adults who are looking to upskill and increase their earning power. We also offer 96 certificate programs, spanning nine of our colleges that expand learning options for current students and adult learners.

In addition to academic changes, it’s also a semester of physical transformation for the U of I. Our new Vandal Village on the southeast side of campus welcomed students and their families this week. Long overdue deferred maintenance projects on Nez Perce Drive, Campus Drive and along Paradise Creek are well underway. The temporary disruptions will lead to a campus that is safer, more livable and more beautiful for decades to come. 

In the athletic arena, the Vandals are already making noise this fall. Our soccer team shut out Washington State 3-0 to open the season earlier this month. The football team kicks off the year at Cal Poly on Friday, Aug. 28, and the Vandals’ home opener is Saturday, Sept. 12, against Lamar. Our Vandal volleyball team was the Big Sky academic champion in 2025, and this year they’re looking to compete at the top of the conference. The first chance to watch Vandal volleyball in Memorial Gym is Thursday, Sept. 24, against Idaho State. 

We’ll welcome all alumni and the entire Vandal Family to Moscow for Homecoming the week of Oct. 18. Our Vandal football team hosts Southern Utah Oct. 24 to cap the festive week. 

The U of I community is invited to the State of the University Address and Vandal Family Picnic on Wednesday, Sept. 9, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The address will be streamed on U of I Live.

We’re looking forward to another excellent academic year at the U of I. Our commitment to put our students first and serve our state remains stronger than ever. We appreciate the steadfast support from our Vandal Family that makes us truly unstoppable. 

We value your input. Our newsletter each Friday serves to highlight university priorities and demonstrate to you the hard work we do to elevate our students and our state. If you ever have ideas, questions or concerns please email me at president@uidaho.edu.

Go Vandals!

C. Scott Green
President

Snapshots

U of I professor lands prestigious NSF Award

U of I Computer Science Professor Xiaogang “Marshall” Ma received the 2026 Jean’ne M. Shreeve National Science Foundation (NFS) EPSCoR Research Excellence Award for his exceptional work integrating data science and artificial intelligence to advance Earth and environmental research. This prestigious honor recognizes his leadership in elevating Idaho’s research profile while fostering the development of future scientists. 
Learn more about the award.

Ringtails confirmed as new Idaho resident species

U of I researchers documented the first scientific evidence that ringtails have expanded their range into southern Idaho, suggesting the secretive, cat-sized omnivores are now a resident species rather than just occasional visitors. A targeted camera-trap survey in the Rock Creek canyon system captured multiple detections. 
Read about ringtail research.

U of I archives preserve Idaho history for community understanding

Dulce Kersting-Lark, head of Special Collections and Archives at the U of I Library, explains how archivists preserve thousands of cubic feet of historical records to make primary sources accessible for understanding Idaho’s past. 
Learn more about the archives.

Did you know?

The Vandal women’s soccer team shut out Washington State 3-0 in their season opener. It was the Vandals’ second win over WSU in program history.