The College of Idaho Department of Theatre & Speech Arts is set to present the inaugural C of I Play Reading Series, a sequence of four performances in which the actors read the dialogue in the script without the elements of scenery, costume or lighting. The series kicks off Jan. 24 with Poona the F*** Dog and Other Plays for Children (NOT a play for children), written by Jeff Goode and directed by Joe Golden, chair of the C of I theatre department. All readings in the series will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Langroise Studio Theatre on the C of I Campus in Caldwell.

The College of Idaho campus is home to a surprisingly robust international population, with 97 students from 46 foreign countries currently enrolled. This month, student groups including Senate and the International Student Organization are sharing the diverse talents and cultures present on campus by putting on the second annual Diversity Week, a series of nightly events which culminates Jan. 19 with the C of I Cultural Show. The Cultural Show will feature students performing poetry, music and dance from their homelands beginning at 7 p.m. in Jewett Auditorium.

The College of Idaho for years has strived to increase awareness and interest in Jewish culture and history throughout Idaho and the West. Those efforts continue this winter as the College hosts From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America, a traveling exhibition made possible by the American Jewish Historical Society and Jewish American History Month. The exhibition will run from Jan. 9 through March 19 inside the Langroise Center for Performing and Fine Arts on the C of I campus in Caldwell.

Every year, The College of Idaho’s Campus Ministries program participates in service both locally and around the world. C of I students continued that tradition and helped brighten Thanksgiving for Caldwell families by participating in the annual “Rake up Caldwell” event on Nov. 19. Campus minister Phil Rogers and assistants Cindi Duft and Phil Antilla were joined by nearly 50 students for the Saturday afternoon event, making “Rake up Caldwell” one of the best-attended Campus Ministries service projects of 2011.

The Feast of Carols is a longstanding College of Idaho tradition that rings in the holiday season with a musical celebration. This year, new choral director Dr. Brent Wells hopes to take the tradition to new heights. The Feast of Carols has been moved to Jewett Auditorium to accommodate a larger crowd, and Wells hopes to fill the building with guests both from campus and the Treasure Valley community for this year’s concert, which will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Admission is free.

A new library serving as an intellectual commons for The College of Idaho will be built with an estate gift that is one of the most significant in the history of Idaho’s oldest private college. The gift was made by Deborah Cruzen Murray, a former trustee of the College, and her husband Glenn Richard Murray, Jr. C of I President Marv Henberg said planning has begun for the future library, to be named the Cruzen-Murray Library, with the goal of creating a modern facility that promotes learning in all respects.

The College of Idaho will host the sixth annual Langroise Holiday Arts Fair on Friday, Nov. 11. This year’s fair is set to run from 4  to 7 p.m. in the foyer of the Langroise Center for Performing and Fine Arts on the C of I campus in Caldwell. The event, which is free and open to the public, presents an opportunity to view and purchase art created by College of Idaho students, faculty, staff and alumni.

For 20 years, graduates of Caldwell High School such as Kristen VanSchoiack have received a head start in pursuing their aspirations at The College of Idaho with the support of the Caldwell Foundation for Educational Opportunity.VanSchoiack, a freshman art major, and 20 other currently enrolled C of I students are recipients of CFEO scholarships, beneficiaries of a partnership that helps many of Caldwell’s most outstanding young people continue their education in the community where they were raised.

Award-winning author and social psychologist Dr. David Myers will visit The College of Idaho campus as a guest lecturer at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, inside the Langroise Auditorium. Myers’ lecture, “The Scientific Pursuit of Happiness,” is part of a Treasure Valley lecture series developed by C of I psychology professor Dr. Meredith Minear in collaboration with Dr. Eric Landrum at Boise State University and Dr. Benjamin Earwicker at Northwest Nazarene University.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the Canyon County Domestic Violence Task Force and The College of Idaho have collaborated to create “Why Hope?” a public awareness event that focuses on the journey victims of violence take as they move toward hope and happiness.  The event is set for Oct. 14 and 15 inside the Langroise Center for the Performing and Fine Arts on the C of I campus in Caldwell.