The University of Idaho Friday Letter August 23 Dear Friends of the University of Idaho, “All our lives through, we’ll go singing, singing of you, singing of Idaho.” For the Vandal family, these words -- often accompanied by the memory of melodic chimes emanating from the Administration Building tower – exemplify a unique bond between our university and the State of Idaho. The words are found in the official state song, adopted in 1931; yet they originated, as did the melody, in the chorus of our University’s alma mater, written by a University of Idaho student and sung proudly by Vandals since 1917. “Singing of Idaho” is, at once, an accolade to a beautiful state and to its founding university. For nearly 125 years, this university – Idaho’s national land-grant, comprehensive, constitutional university! – has established a legacy of leading in research, teaching, and outreach that extends across Idaho, the American West, and beyond. Our university truly is, in the memorable phrase of historian Rafe Gibbs, a “beacon for mountain and plain.” A new academic year beckons. In Moscow and at our other statewide campuses, there is a crackle of energy as nearly 13,000 graduate and undergraduate students – including nearly 3,000 new arrivals – open their books and iPads, engage our faculty (and each other) in a quest for discovery and understanding, and advance in personal pathways toward fulfilling careers. The students will make lifetime friends in classrooms and laboratories, in varsity and intramural sports, in clubs and residence halls and in a host of other gathering places. This is the Vandal experience. Today, as you read this Friday letter, we will be celebrating the new academic year with a convocation to welcome our students, faculty, and staff. Keynote remarks will be delivered by a recent graduate – Rayce Bird ’11 of Shelley, Idaho – who won a national competition that tested his creative skills in the Syfy television channel’s “FaceOff”. Rayce’s imagery and fantasy characters may be unfamiliar to older Vandals, but many of our students will recognize his work. They will learn how he credits the knowledge and skills he acquired as an undergraduate here for his remarkable early success in the arts and entertainment business. In his “beacon” book, Rafe Gibbs observed that the University of Idaho is purposeful but not pretentious; it is not known for cliques. “The future historian, diplomat, engineer, scientist, and educator walk together, sharing knowledge,” he wrote. “In fact, it is difficult to tell one from the other.” Because they live in such close proximity, each “graduate may be a specialized product, but without conscious effort, he has acquired a broadness that makes for adaptability in the changing world.” This, too, is the Vandal experience. The University of Idaho cultivates the whole person. To our new students we say, you have chosen well. Now, take advantage of every enriching opportunity our leading university provides. Study conscientiously. Live vigorously. Grow joyously. The song of Idaho is your song now. Sincerely, Don Burnett Interim President
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 00:16:42 +0000
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