Administration

College of Idaho President Marv Henberg delivered his first “State of the College” address on Thursday to an audience of faculty, staff, trustees and a smattering of students who arrived on campus early for the Fall 2010 term. President Henberg reviewed the College’s achievements over his first year as president and outlined three key future initiatives for the College—completion of a new strategic plan, membership in the Northwest Athletic Conference, and a reinvigorated capital campaign for the College.

CALDWELL – The National Science Foundation has awarded The College of Idaho a grant worth $1,320,939 for completion of the first phase of a major renovation of Boone Science Hall on the Caldwell campus. The NSF grant will be used to provide state-of-the-art research capabilities to C of I students and faculty.

The College of Idaho has received $20,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation for a scholarship that will benefit first-generation Hispanic students. Four $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to students based on the combination of high need and high achievement.

Located in Caldwell, The College of Idaho is uniquely positioned to meet the educational needs of Idaho’s growing Hispanic population. The College, which recently received national recognition from the Princeton Review for ethnic and class diversity, has built a responsive program for recruiting and retaining first-generation students.

“Given the Hispanic population of Caldwell, it is highly likely that these funds will assist local students,” C of I President Marv Henberg said. “I am grateful that Wells Fargo has become a partner in The College of Idaho’s efforts to increase the number of college graduates for Idaho’s workforce of the future.”

Thanks to the donation by the Wells Fargo Foundation, The College of Idaho can increase its efforts to provide a high-quality liberal arts education to first-generation students for whom college might otherwise be out of reach. Those efforts have already achieved success – the graduation rate for Hispanic students at C of I nearly doubles the national average.

Wells Fargo, Idaho’s largest bank in deposits, serves 255,000 households across the state. Wells Fargo & Company is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, consumer and commercial finance across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked #19 on Fortune’s 2009 rankings of America’s largest corporations.

College of Idaho alumnus Roy Kapicka and his wife, Chris, have dedicated most of their lives to education. Roy, a 1966 C of I graduate with a master’s degree from Florida State, taught math for 35 years at Boise High School and five more at C of I. Chris earned degrees from Boise State (bachelor’s), Washington State (master’s) and Nevada-Reno (doctorate) and then taught science and nursing in the Treasure Valley for nearly 30 years at West Junior High, Boise High and Northwest Nazarene University.

This year, the couple continued their lifelong support of learning with a generous donation that will benefit C of I students for years to come. The Kapickas, who gave $25,000 to establish the “Roy and Chris Kapicka Scholarship Fund” in 2008, now have pledged 10 percent of their estate to the College.

“I just have a love for this school,” Roy Kapicka said. “I owe something back. Somebody built this school so I could go here. Somebody helped me, so now it’s my turn to pay it forward and help the future generations.”

The Kapickas’ scholarship is awarded to junior and senior students studying math education, mathematics, computer science or physics. The Kapickas’ future pledge – which today is worth approximately $800,000 – will be added to the endowed “Roy and Chris Kapicka Scholarship Fund.”

“Roy and Chris Kapicka are living out their strong commitment to education,” said Barry Fujishin, director of development at C of I. “Although they are no longer in the classroom themselves, the Kapickas have ensured a lasting educational legacy through this gift.”

The Kapickas also fund the “Roy and Chris Kapicka Health and Science Scholarship” at NNU, where Chris still teaches some courses. That scholarship is awarded to single-parent science and nursing students.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three undergraduate minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

The College of Idaho has been named one of the “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News and World Report. C of I ranked No. 174 on the list, which was based on criteria such as graduation rate, class size and acceptance rate. The College also earned the highest marks of any Idaho school in several important categories.

The College of Idaho is the only Idaho school in the “National Liberal Arts Colleges” category. However, every four-year school in the state was ranked by U.S. News and World Report either as a “National University,” “Regional University” or “Regional College.” C of I led all Idaho schools – regardless of classification – in graduation rate (61 percent), classes with 20 or fewer students (61 percent), freshman retention rate (79 percent) and alumni giving rate (31 percent).

“If you read the US News data carefully, the connections become clear,” said Mark Smith, Vice President for Academic Affairs at C of I. “If you have small classes that facilitate close relationships between faculty and students, more students graduate in fewer years with the knowledge and skills not only to land jobs, but also with the kind of character that seeks to give back to the community.”

The U.S. News ranking is the third nationally-recognized honor The College of Idaho has received this month. C of I also was named one of “The Best 373 Colleges” in America by the Princeton Review and one of “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes magazine.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three undergraduate minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

Forbes magazine has ranked The College of Idaho No. 182 on its third annual list of “America’s Best Colleges.” Forbes, which ranked more than 600 colleges and universities based on a student point of view, gave C of I the highest marks of any Idaho school.

Forbes ranks schools based on a wide range of factors, including the quality of the education they provide, the experiences of students and how much graduates achieve. The magazine utilizes research from the Center for College Affordability & Productivity, which uses weighted factors to determine student satisfaction, postgraduate success, student debt, graduation rate and competitive awards.

The College of Idaho was the No. 1 Idaho school. BYU-Idaho (No. 200 overall), University of Idaho (318) and Boise State University (545) also made the list. Williams College, a private liberal arts school in Massachusetts, was No. 1 overall, followed by Princeton University (New Jersey), Amherst College (Massachusetts), West Point (New York) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

C of I ranked No. 8 among more than 150 schools on Forbes’ list with yearly tuition of $30,000 or less (not counting the five U.S. military academies). The Forbes ranking is the second national honor the College has received this month – it also was recognized as one of “The Best 373 Colleges” in America by the Princeton Review.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three undergraduate minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

Warren Barr Knox, who served as The College of Idaho’s sixth President from 1964 to 1973, passed away Saturday, August 14 at the age of 84. Knox had been living in Boise.

During his tenure, Knox helped establish several landmarks that distinguish The College of Idaho campus today, including Boone Hall science center, Hayman Hall dormitory, Terteling Library and the President’s Home. He also authored Eye of the Hurricane: Observations on Creative Educational Administration and presided over the College’s 75th anniversary.

The son of LaVerne and Bertha Knox, Warren was born in Whittier, California in 1925. He graduated from Whittier High and had a track scholarship to the University of Southern California, but instead enlisted in the U.S. Navy and fought in World War II. After the war, Knox returned to Whittier and married Nancy Chambers, his high school sweetheart. He graduated from Whittier College, earned a master’s degree from Claremont Graduate School and began his academic career. Knox and his wife retired in 1990 and moved to Ashland, Oregon, where Nancy passed away in 2003.

Knox is survived by his sons Charles and John, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three undergraduate minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

The College of Idaho is joining a small but growing group of schools to offer a textbook rental program. Thanks to a partnership between the College and the Barnes & Noble-managed Bookstore, students will have the money-saving option of renting many textbooks this fall.

The College of Idaho has hired Erika Noebel as its new Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations. Noebel joins the Office of Development, where she will write grants and perform research to help the College secure funding from grants, foundations, corporations and other sources.

The College of Idaho today was named one of America’s best colleges and ranked No. 10 in the nation in the category “Race/Class Interaction” by the Princeton Review in its annual publication “The Best 373 Colleges.” C of I has been a regular on both lists in recent years, a nod to the school’s academic reputation and thriving international student population.

Alumni and friends of The College of Idaho continue to show their support in the face of tough economic conditions. Even as giving to education nationwide declined for the second consecutive year – by an estimated $40 billion, according to the Giving USA Foundation – C of I set records for total annual fund dollars, alumni giving percentage and senior class giving.

Akiva Tor, the Consul General of Israel for the Pacific Northwest region, is coming to Idaho as part of The College of Idaho’s Judaic studies program, the Howard Berger Lecture Series. Tor, who is headquartered in San Francisco, speaks at 7 p.m. August 10 at the Community School theatre in Sun Valley. His lecture, entitled Middle East Peacemaking: The Iranian Nuclear Crisis and U.S.-Israel Relations, will be followed by a reception.

Alli Parrish and Katy Stewart live in a green house. No, not the kind you grow plants in. The kind where you do everything you possibly can to decrease your carbon footprint by conserving energy, recycling, gardening and generally striving to be as “green” as possible.

It can be a tough job, but Parrish and Stewart are up to the challenge. The College of Idaho sophomores are serving as sustainability stewards, which means they live in the school-owned “Eco House” (nicknamed Gaia, which is Greek for “Mother Nature”) behind campus. In exchange for room and board, Parrish and Stewart tend the College’s on-campus organic garden and a pumpkin patch in their backyard. They’ve also made Gaia more eco-friendly, installing energy-efficient light bulbs, adding an aerator to the kitchen faucet and buying all of their furniture at yard sales.

“Being green really is just about being responsible for what you take from and emit into the environment,” Parrish said. “Free housing isn’t my motivation for doing this; it’s just the right thing to do. And it’s giving me an opportunity to go above and beyond what I would be able to do in a dorm.”

The stewards plan to take their efforts even further. They soon will remove their dryer and hang-dry their clothes. They also want to outfit Gaia with solar panels, Energy Star appliances, a composting system and a graywater system that will reuse leftover bath and sink water for watering plants. Those plans hinge on budgets, but the stewards have shown an ability to help themselves financially, securing a $250 grant from Annie’s Homegrown organic food company to help fund next year’s garden.

“My favorite thing has been seeing how big the garden has grown,” Stewart said. “And we’ve done a lot with the house. Eventually, we are hoping to take it off the (power) grid.”
Parrish and Stewart also want to raise awareness on campus. They started a weekly organic garden newsletter, complete with recipes and fresh produce for sale. They also manage a blog (wormsmoothies.wordpress.com) and a website (www.wix.com/cofiorganic/sustainablecofi), all with the goal of raising the profile of sustainability at C of I, both now and for the future.

“We have plans for probably the next 5 years,” Stewart said. “Hopefully, future sustainability stewards will want to follow those plans and add their own ideas as well.”

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three undergraduate minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

The College of Idaho congratulates the students who made the Dean’s List for the 2010 Spring Semester. To receive Dean's List recognition, a student must complete at least nine graded credits and achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher for that semester. Spring Semester had 212 Dean’s List qualifiers, over 20 percent of the total enrollment at The College of Idaho.

The College of Idaho will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Finney Hall dormitory with a reunion for all former Finney residents the weekend of June 18-20 on The College of Idaho campus. The weekend’s events will feature a presentation on Finney Hall’s history by college archivist Jan Boles, a presentation on the college history by former professor Louie Attebery, a concert by Finney alumni, and other social events.

The College of Idaho Board of Trustees has elected new officers to serve designated terms. State Senator John McGee was elected chair and U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale was elected vice chair. They will each serve two-year terms. Former C of I faculty member Louie Attebery was elected secretary. His term is determined by the board. All three are graduates of The College of Idaho.

College of Idaho alumnus and Idaho native Christopher Farnsworth will read excerpts from his newly released book, Blood Oath, at Boise’s Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Saturday, June 12th from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

The College of Idaho officially breaks ground on the renovation of William Judson Boone Hall at 2:30 p.m. on June 7 with a ceremony on the C of I campus in Caldwell. Participants in the groundbreaking include The College of Idaho President Marv Henberg, Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas, incoming C of I Board of Trustees Chairman John McGee and trustee Jim Mertz, Hoffman Construction operations manager Dan Drinkward, CM Company President Dennis Robinson and Erstad Architects founder Andy Erstad.

The College of Idaho celebrates graduating classes of the present and past June 4-5 with its 2010 commencement ceremony and the reunions of six graduating classes, including the golden 50-year anniversary for the class of 1960.

The College of Idaho has named Petra Carver as its Vice President for Finance and Administration. Carver, who currently serves as VP for Finance and Support Operations at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, will join The College of Idaho in August.

The College of Idaho’s Class of 2010 will graduate clad head to toe in recycled plastic. Participants in the June 5 commencement ceremony will wear the GreenWeaver, a cap and gown set made entirely of recycled plastic bottles.

William Judson Boone Hall will have a new look when students return to The College of Idaho this fall. Renovation is set to begin June 7 on the 42-year-old building, which houses the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, the Whittenberger Planetarium and the bulk of the C of I science department.

CALDWELL – Internationally known author and College of Idaho alumnus Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity and The Living Universe, will visit The College of Idaho campus on Wednesday, May 19, to discuss sustainability issues with students and the public. Mr. Elgin will conduct a book signing at 7:00 pm in the Hendren Board Room of Sterry Hall, followed by a public forum from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.

This year’s conference has a bit of everything--from research on the soil preferences of Southern Idaho ground squirrels to the motivations behind compulsive shopping.

CALDWELL – College of Idaho President Dr. Marv Henberg will deliver the college’s annual liberal arts lecture on Thursday, May 13, at 6:30 pm in the Langroise Recital Hall. The title of President Henberg’s lecture will be “The ‘History’ of Natural History.”

CALDWELL – Internationally renowned Judaic scholar and historian, Rabbi Dr. Richard Freund, will visit Idaho on May 9 -11 to speak on his research on ancient archeology sites throughout the Middle East. Dr. Freund’s visit is part of the College of Idaho’s Howard Berger Lecture Series, a lectureship designed to promote greater understanding of Jewish traditions, culture, and philosophy in Idaho and the West.

CALDWELL – The College of Idaho has been selected as one of America’s best colleges for 2010 in the category “Best Value Private Colleges” by Parents and Colleges website, a resource for parents of college-bound students. The College of Idaho was ranked fourth in the nation by the Parents and Colleges advisory board for offering value and excellence relevant to students and their parents alike.

CALDWELL – The College of Idaho will mark the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day with a week-long series of events, culminating in a low carbon diet day on April 22 and a campus-wide tree planting on April 23. The Earth Day events are the combined efforts of the college’s Sustainability Council; TERRA, a student-run environmental group; the Environmental Studies program; and other campus groups, along with sponsorship from Bon Appetit Management Company, Ida-Gold Nursery, and Sysco Idaho.

CALDWELL – The College of Idaho will host school-age students from across the state for National History Day in Idaho on Friday, April 16. The annual event, sponsored by the Idaho State Historical Society, will take place in the Langroise Center on the college campus from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. An awards ceremony will follow in Jewett Auditorium beginning at 4:00 pm. Students have the opportunity to win a number of scholarships and awards, including several four-year College of Idaho scholarships worth up to $20,000.

 CALDWELL – Judge Candy Dale, chief magistrate judge for the U.S. District of Idaho, has been named the 2010 recipient of the Kate Feltham Award by the Idaho Women Lawyers, Inc. Judge Dale, who serves on the College of Idaho Board of Trustees, was chosen for her achievements in promoting equal rights and opportunities for women and minorities in Idaho’s legal profession and legal justice system.

The College of Idaho has announced that University of North Carolina at Greensboro associate head coach, Rod Jensen, has been named the 16th men's basketball head coach in modern program history.

CALDWELL, ID (31 March 2010) – Jill Pilote, director of special events and conference services at The College of Idaho, has received the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors International. Pilote received the award at the association's annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 24.

CALDWELL - The Music Department of the College of Idaho proudly announces a special performance by the College's music ensembles on April 6, 2010, at 7:00 pm in the Langroise Recital Hall on the campus of the College of Idaho. The concert is free and open to students and the general public.

CALDWELL, ID - The College of Idaho has hired Maggie Colwell as executive assistant to President Marv Henberg. Most recently, Colwell served as special assistant to Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas. She brings a strong background in public relations and public affairs to the Office of the President.

CALDWELL - The College of Idaho's Student Philanthropy Council is soliciting grant applications from nonprofits throughout the Caldwell area. This year the council is soliciting applications only from Caldwell nonprofit organizations in recognition of the great needs in their immediate community and in hopes of building strong relationships with local nonprofit organizations. Applications will be due back on April 20^th, 2010.

CALDWELL – The College of Idaho has named Susan Rowe its new director of marketing and communications. Rowe, an Idaho native, brings a broad background in marketing and communications skills to the college, having worked for two Fortune 500 companies, an Idaho governor, and a top brand marketing agency in Boise, Idaho. The College chose Rowe from among a field of 119 applicants for the position; she will begin work on March 1.

CALDWELL – The College of Idaho along with the City of Caldwell today launches a recycling effort that is the largest in the city of Caldwell to date. Both entities are officially kicking off their parallel comprehensive no-sort recycling programs. Allied Waste, which provides complimentary recycling dumpsters on the C of I campus, will act as the service provider for both programs. As a result of changes in service type and level, both the city and the College expect a modest reduction in their monthly waste disposal costs; those savings will only grow as participation increases. A conservative estimate suggests the recycling program will reduce waste from the College by roughly one-third.

CALDWELL – On Wednesday, January 20, The College of Idaho will be presenting its ‘Day at the Capitol' showcase on the 4^th floor of the Statehouse Rotunda in Boise. The event, which runs from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., will feature students and their faculty mentors displaying undergraduate research, as well as tables representing other aspects of The C of I experience, and a musical interlude over lunch.

CALDWELL – The College of Idaho named 174 students to its Dean's List for the fall 2009 semester. To receive Dean's List recognition, a student must complete at least nine or more graded credits and achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher for that semester.