College of Idaho trustee Mary Smith and her husband, C of I alum and former trustee Dr. James Smith ’64, already showed their generosity to the College with a $1 million gift to complete the second phase of renovations at Boone Science Hall in 2012. But the Smiths’ generosity will not stop at Boone Hall thanks to yet another $1 million gift – this time to fund the construction of connected welcoming arches across the C of I’s campus.
Once again, The College of Idaho is included among the top 15 percent of America’s four-year colleges in The Princeton Review’s 2019 edition of The Best 384 Colleges, an annual publication highlighting the best colleges in the nation based on 138,000 student surveys.
Long-time Boise commercial real estate pioneer Winston Moore has committed a $1 million gift to The College of Idaho in support of student scholarships. Moore’s gift will establish the Winston Moore Scholars program that will directly benefit scores of C of I students over a period of five years.
Although most College of Idaho students are off campus for summer vacation, the learning is ongoing at the Whittenberger Planetarium, which is set to host a variety of shows this summer to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice as well as mythological tales from around the globe.
Since 2006, The College of Idaho’s Student Philanthropy Council has done its part to improve the Treasure Valley community via grant funding and investment earnings from the Seagraves Family Foundation. This year’s council has continued the 12-year tradition of giving, distributing $13,000 in funding to 13 local charitable organizations this month.
Following one of the council’s highest giving years to date in 2017, this year’s council supplied an even greater amount of funding this year, choosing 13 organizations to receive $1,000 each from a record 27 grant applications overall — double the number of applications the council usually receives each year.
According to statistics gathered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 75 percent of those affected by lifelong mental illnesses develop their conditions by the age of 24. It’s an especially resonant statistic on high school and college campuses, where the stress and pressure of studying and success can contribute to the development of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among students.
A group of six business students in The College of Idaho’s Enactus club — Hannah Dalsoglio, Ryan Elsberry, Kennedy Alvaro, Matt McLaughlin, Shawn Zhang and Monique Lopez — wanted to help bring greater attention to these issues and improve them, to demystify the stigmas and the struggles associated with discussions on mental illness. They wanted to provide more than just a new product — they wanted to start a social movement.
Since The College of Idaho began offering classes through its Community Learning program, over 1,000 individuals have enjoyed the variety of exciting activities the classes have hosted, from new skills like beer brewing and ukulele playing to educational opportunities in gender identity and religious icons.
This summer, C of I Community Learning is back for another season of classes geared toward fun, applying all the enjoyment of picking up new skills and hobbies without the added stress of grades, tests and homework. And between over 30 classes and summer camps offered in person and over 100 online courses to choose from, there’s a class available for every interest.
The College of Idaho will host a number of local media representatives to examine the changing landscape of the 21st century media in the wake of “fake news,” social media influence and anti-media attitudes. The forum is entitled “Mediated Lives: The Future of Media in American Society” and will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2.
Following a year of new school records and another individual national championship, the C of I cross country and track and field programs are coming together to celebrate with the 2018 Coyote Bolo Ball, set to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4 in the Basque Center in Boise, Idaho.
