University of Idaho

The University of Idaho (officially abbreviated UI, but commonly referred to as the U of I) is the State of Idaho's oldest public university located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state. UI is the state's primary research university, and enrolls more national merit scholars than all other institutions in the state combined. In January 2012, the university enrolled the highest number of National Merit Scholars of any school in the Northwest; more than the other flagship institutions in the region with significantly larger enrollments. The University of Idaho was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963, and hosts the University of Idaho College of Law, which was established in 1909, accredited by the ABA in 1925, and remained until 2012 the only law school in the state.

The university was formed by the territorial legislature of Idaho on January 30, 1889, and opened its doors on October 3, 1892 with an initial class of 40 students. The first graduating class in 1896 contained two men and two women. The university presently has an enrollment exceeding 12,000, with over 11,000 on the Moscow campus. The university offers 142 degree programs, from accountancy to wildlife resources, including bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and specialists' degrees. Certificates of completion are offered in 30 areas of study. At 25% and 53%, its 4 and 6 year graduation rates are the highest of any public university in Idaho, and it generates 74 percent of all research money in the state, with research expenditures of $100 million in 2010 alone.

As a rural land-grant university, UI has the largest campus in the state, located in the rolling hills of the Palouse region at an elevation of 2600 ft above sea level. The school is home to the Idaho Vandals, who compete on the Division I FBS (formerly I-A) level. The land-grant institution for the state of Washington, WSU, is located eight miles (13 km) west in Pullman. In addition to the main campus in Moscow, the UI has branch campuses in Coeur d'Alene, Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls. It also operates a research park in Post Falls and dozens of extension offices statewide.

Timeline
Timeline of University of Idaho

Campus
UI has one of the most scenic campuses in the western U.S.. The master plan for the UI campus was originally designed in 1908 by the Olmsted Brothers of Massachusetts, the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted; their landscape architecture firm designed the U.S. Capitol grounds, Central Park in New York City, and many other notable college campuses, particularly in the West. The Palouse region has rolling hills with rivers and lakes, with mountains nearby, offering a wide variety of recreational opportunities.

According to the UI Facts Books, the Moscow campus is an 1585 acre including 253 buildings with a replacement value of $812 million, 10 mi, 49 acre of parking lots, 1.22 mi of bike paths, 22 computer labs, an 18-hole golf course on 150 acre, 80 acre of arboreta, and 860 acre of farms.

There are several distinctive areas on campus.

Administration Building
The east-facing Administration Building, with its 80 ft clock tower and Collegiate Gothic-style structure, was built from 1907–09 and has become an icon of the university. The building holds classrooms, an auditorium, and administrative offices, including the offices of the President and Provost. Multiple expansions were made, with the north wing added in 1912, the south wing in 1916 (extended in 1936 for the library), and the functional annex in 1950, incorporated into the Albertson addition of 2002. The UI library was housed in the Admin. building until 1957, when the Library building was completed.

The original Administration Building, with a single tall spire reaching to 163 ft, was constructed through the decade of the 1890s and ultimately finished in 1899. Unfortunately, it was reduced to embers on March 30, 1906 (photo); the cause of the fire, which began in the basement, was never precisely determined, but was likely accidental. After the fire, there was debate whether to rebuild from the remains or start from scratch; the remaining structure (photo) was eventually deemed infeasible to recover and was demolished with dynamite (photo). The original building's steps were saved and currently climb the small hill immediately southeast of the south wing.

In the meantime, classes were held at various sites in Moscow; the Carnegie library, the Methodist church, and local lodge halls. Insurance policies paid $135,000, but the new building cost twice that. To appease the state legislature, the UI Regents decided to build Morrill Hall first, use it for classrooms, and finance the new administration building over three years.

The new Admin. building was designed by prominent Boise architect John E. Tourtellotte. He designed the state's Roman Revival capitol building in Boise and other buildings, both public and private. Tourtellotte modeled the new UI structure after the venerable Hampton Court Palace in England, and construction began in 1907.

The 1909 Administration Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, at age 69. Two years out of office, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt spoke outside the main east entrance of the new building on April 9, 1911, on a platform built of Palouse wheat (photo).

Hello Walk


"Hello Walk" is one of the best-known and traveled pathways on the Idaho campus. But more than being surrounded by trees and grass, it navigates through a rich history of statues, landmarks and traditions. It includes Presidential Grove, where historical figures, such as Teddy Roosevelt and his wife, planted trees; the Spanish War memorial statue who had his hands cut off but reconstructed by a handless sculptor and Administration Lawn that was designed by the same brothers who designed Central Park in New York City.

The walk was named after Alfred Upham, the president of the university in the 1920s. Upham insisted on saying "hello" to all those he passed on his walk from his house — on the site now occupied by the Campus Christian Center — to his office in the Administration Building. He requested that this act of kindness be required of all students and faculty on campus, which is how the walk acquired its name.

Hello Walk is still used, but the hellos that used to be mandatory are now not often vocalized to strangers.

Idaho Commons
The Idaho Candlewalk Commons, completed on January 10, 2000, is the heart of campus and contains a food court, copy center, bagel and coffee shop (Einstein's Bagels), Credit Union, and convenience store. Additionally, there is study space, wireless internet, laptop checkout, and many student services such as the offices of the Associated Students of the University of Idaho (ASUI), Academics Assistance, the University of Idaho Writing Center, and Student Support.

With the completion of the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) at the beginning of the fall semester of 2005, the second phase, the Commons gained classrooms and completed the vision of a common area where students could learn, study, relax and get university services all in one place.

Student Union Building
The Student Union Building houses Financial Aid, Admissions, New Student Services, the Registrar's Office, the office of the Graduate & Professional Student Association(GPSA) and student meeting rooms. There is also wireless access, laptops available for check-out, a student computer lab, and a movie theater. This SUB wa the primary student area until the Commons was opened in 2000. The SUB was originally the Blue Bucket Inn, purchased by the UI in 1936. The UI Bookstore, built in 1989 on a former parking lot, is located directly across the street to the east, formery adjacent to the south.

ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center
UI's multi-purpose "Kibbie Dome" is the home to Vandal athletics; it is the venue for football, basketball, tennis, and indoor track & field. Its Trus-Dek roof system, constructed in 1975, uses natural wood arches to span 400 ft at a height of 150 ft over the field's hashmarks. Built when Idaho was a member of the Big Sky Conference, the Kibbie Dome is the smallest stadium (as of December 2010) in Division I FBS football.

Previously on this site was Neale Stadium, which opened in 1937 as an earthen horseshoe with wooden sideline grandstands. After 32 seasons, its bleachers were condemned for structural inadequacies due to erosion in the summer of 1969. After an idle 1969 football season, it was destroyed (by suspected arson) on November 22, 1969. After two years away at nearby Rogers Field in Pullman, the new outdoor "Idaho Stadium" opened on October 9, 1971, with concrete grandstands; the 1971 Vandals responded with a victory over Idaho State, an 8-3 season, and the Big Sky title.

Tartan Turf, similar to AstroTurf, was installed in 1972 with the roll-up mechanism; the arched roof and vertical end-walls were completed in time for the 1975 football home opener on September 27, enclosing the stadium to become the Kibbie Dome. The seating capacity is 16,000 for football games, 7,000 for basketball games (in a configuration known as the "Cowan Spectrum" since 2001), and 7,500 for concerts. Its innovative roof won the Outstanding Structural Engineering Achievement award from the ASCE in 1976.

The original Tartan Turf was replaced with AstroTurf in 1990 and lasted until 2007, when it was replaced with "Real Grass Pro," an infilled synthetic turf (similar to FieldTurf). In 2009, the Kibbie Dome began a multi-phase renovation with millions of dollars of improvements, primarily for safety. The primary change was the entire west wall; its aged dry plywood panels were replaced with non-flammable translucent plastic (upper) and opaque aluminum (lower). New field-level exits were also installed. The east wall was replaced in 2011 and a new press box was built above the north grandstand; the former press box area above the south grandstand was converted to premium seating (Litehouse Center).

UI Golf Course
The UI Golf Course was established in 1933 on the southwest edge of campus, and opened as nine holes in 1937. It was expanded to 18 holes in 1970 and its current clubhouse was built in 1969. Due to its demanding rolling terrain and southwesterly summer winds, the par-72 course's moderate length of 6637 yd from the back tees yields a challenging slope of 135 with a scratch rating of 72.4.

Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Referred to as "Tree City" or "The Arb" by UI students, the Arboretum is a 65 acre site adjacent to the golf course which features display gardens, ponds, and a variety of trees and plants from Asia, Europe, and North America.

The original Shattuck Arboretum was conceived in 1910 by Charles H. Shattuck, the head of the forestry department. His efforts gradually turned a treeless slope southwest of the Administration Building into a dense forest grove. The aboretum was named for Shattuck in 1933, two years after his death. Until the late 1960s, this area provided the background for left & center field of the MacLean baseball field, whose infield was displaced by the construction of the new College of Education buildings, which were completed in 1968.

The newer portion of the arboretum complex is south of the Shattuck area, in the valley below the president's residence (1967), along the eastern edge of the campus' 18-hole golf course.

Student Recreation Center
Opened in April 2002, the 85000 sqft Student Recreation Center boasts a 55 ft freestanding climbing wall, as well as a weight training area, cardio, 6000 sqft of climbing area, jogging track, and two full-size gyms. The Rec Center hours are set to meet the schedules of users including students, faculty and staff. The Student Recreation Center offers a number of wellness classes including zumba, TRX, cycling, gravity, belly dancing and yoga. The planned Phase Two of the project includes adding a swimming pool, but has been delayed due to funding problems.

The recreation center is located on the corner of Paradise Creek Street and Line Street north of the Theophilus Tower dormitory, an area which formerly housed maintenance buildings.

UI Library
The UI Library is the state's largest, with more than 1.4 million books, periodicals, government documents, maps, videorecordings, and special collections. Included are those for Sir Walter Scott, and many famous Idahoans, including Ezra Pound, Vardis Fisher, Frank Bruce Robinson, and Carol Ryrie Brink of Moscow.

Directly north of the Memorial Gymnasium and built on the former site of tennis courts, the library opened in 1957, relocating from the south wing of the Administration Building. The UI post office station was formerly housed in its lower northwest corner; it was moved to the new UI bookstore in 1990. The UI Library was expanded by 50% in the early 1990s and rededicated in 1994.

Memorial Gymnasium
The Tudor Gothic-style Memorial Gymnasium is another UI icon, known for its whimisical athletic gargoyles perched along the brick building's ledges. The multi-purpose "Mem Gym" has a modest seating capacity of only 1,500. Opened in 1928 to honor the Idaho citizens who died in World War I (1917–18), the heavily buttressed structure was designed by the chairman of the university's architecture department, David C. Lang

Memorial Gym was the primary venue for men's basketball until the Kibbie Dome was enclosed in September 1975. The women's team hosted its home games in the gym until 2001, when the Cowan Spectrum (inside the Kibbie Dome) was completed. The gym is still in active use today as the home court for the women's volleyball team, and several early season basketball games. It is also used extensively for intramurals and open recreation, as well as for ROTC.

The MacLean baseball field was located directly south of the Memorial Gym, until its infield was displaced by the construction of the College of Education building in 1967. The catcher and batter faced southwest (towards the pitcher's mound); the right field line was just south of the gym, running east-west. The background of left and center field was the Shattuck Arboretum. The new baseball field (Guy Wicks Field) was relocated northwest, to the vast intramural fields near the Moscow-Pullman Highway, northwest of the Wallace Complex dormitories. The batter and catcher now faced southeast, toward campus, an unorthodox configuration resulting in a difficult sun field for the left side of the defense (the recommended alignment is east-northeast). Due to budget constraints, varsity baseball was dropped following the 1980 season, but continued for a while as a club sport. MacLean was also the venue for football until the opening of Neale Stadium in 1937.

The swim center and physical education building (formerly known as the "Women's Gym"), which both opened in 1970, are adjacent to the south side of the gym.

In 1977, the Memorial Gymnasium was added to the National Register of Historic Places after only 49 years.

Under the Elms
Rare Camperdown elms line the walkway between the Music building, Child Development Center and Administration Building. These "upside-down" trees have been on campus for over 80 years and are among few of their kind in the Northwest. The weeping branches and knotty trunk are formed by being grafted upwards.

Steam Plant
Built in 1926, the steam plant provides heat to UI buildings from a single location. Originally designed to burn coal, then oil, then natural gas, the plant was modified in 1986 to burn waste wood chips leftover from local sawmills. The use of wood has significantly reduced the emissions of the plant, as well as cut costs to heat the campus. The plant is shut down twice a year for cleaning and maintenance. As a side benefit of the heat generation, the steam pipes are routed underneath campus walkways and provide clean (and ice free) walkways throughout the north Idaho winter.

Student housing
Student housing facilities that have students with dependent children include South Hill Apartments and South Hill Vista Apartments. The Moscow School District serves residents. Moscow High School is the district's sole traditional high school.

Student life
UI is a rural, residential campus, with four residence hall communities to choose from on campus, as well as 27 housed fraternities and sororities. On campus residence is currently required for freshmen, and many other upperclassmen choose to live on campus in the Greek system or the residence halls.

Apartments on campus are available for families, married couples, graduate students, law students, and non-traditional students. The "Law Cluster" is a group of apartments reserved for law students, allowing for a community close to campus for law students, facilitating study groups.

Transportation
All students are permitted to have cars on campus, which is also served by public transportation. The nearest airport, Pullman-Moscow Regional, is 5 mi west, east of Pullman. Other nearby airports are Lewiston (34 miles (55 km) south), and Spokane International, 90 mi north. The nearest passenger train station (Amtrak) is in Spokane, and the nearest bus station is in downtown Moscow.

Student organizations
Many students participate in a wide variety of clubs and organizations. Clubs range anywhere from the sports to faith based, and everything in between. Palousafest is a fair that brings clubs and students together, and is a way for students to find out more about how to get involved with extracurricular activities. The fair is usually the weekend just before the fall semester starts. The prominent literary journal Fugue is published at the university.

Fraternity and Sorority Life
The University of Idaho is home to 18 housed fraternities, 10 housed sororities, and 6 multicultural Greek organizations that make up more than 20% of the student population, and over 44% of the students who live on campus (around 1,800 students). This fraternity and sorority community is unique in that it's one of the few that allow freshmen to move in first semester as a living option, as opposed to waiting until second semester or sophomore year. This system works very well for the University and the students, with the Greeks having the highest GPA for 9 consecutive semesters as of Spring 2011.

Housed Sororities - 10
(Panhellenic Council)

Housed Fraternities - 18
(Interfraternity Council)

Multicultural Greeks - 6
(Multicultural Greek Council)

Moscow
Moscow is a college town, with 23,800 residents as of the 2010 census. It is located in the rolling hills of the Palouse region of north central Idaho. The UI campus is adjacent to the southwest side of town; most stores, restaurants, and bars are within easy walking distance.

Degrees & Colleges
From 1896 through May 2011, the University of Idaho has granted 80,233 bachelor's degrees, 21,734 master's degrees, 2,694 doctoral degrees, 240 honorary degrees, 1,164 specialist degrees, and 3,654 law degrees.

The university is organized into ten colleges; two are exclusively for graduate students (Law & Graduate Studies).

In July 2002, the College of Letters & Science was split into two separate colleges: the College of Science and the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS). Concurrently, the College of Mines and Earth Resources was discontinued; its programs were split between the College of Engineering and the new College of Science.


 * College of Agricultural and Life Sciences - (renamed 2001, formerly Agriculture)
 * College of Art and Architecture
 * College of Business and Economics
 * College of Education
 * College of Engineering
 * College of Graduate Studies
 * College of Law
 * College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences - (2002, formed after split of Letters and Science)
 * College of Natural Resources - (renamed 2000, formerly Forestry, Wildlife, & Range Sciences)
 * College of Science - (2002, formed after split of Letters and Science, and dissolution of Mines and Earth Resources)

Demographics
Moscow enrollment (fall 2010)
 * Total - 11,180
 * Undergraduate - 9,330
 * Graduate - 1,850
 * includes Law - 349
 * Resident - 7,779
 * Non-resident - 3,401

Enrollment by college
 * Agricultural and Life Sciences: 1,250
 * Art and Architecture: 843
 * Business and Economics: 1,270
 * Education: 1,763
 * Engineering: 1,764
 * Graduate Studies: 115
 * Law: 349
 * Letters, Arts and Social Sciences: 3,420
 * Natural Resources: 737
 * Non-Degree: 716
 * Science: 1,016

Student demographics
 * Students enrolled from all 44 Idaho counties, 50 states and 73 countries
 * 489 international students
 * Student population is 54.3 percent male and 45.7 percent female
 * 69% In-state students
 * 31% Out-of-state students
 * 2% American Indian/Alaskan Native
 * 3% Asian/Pacific Islander
 * 1% African American/Non-Hispanic
 * 5% Hispanic
 * 84% White/Non-Hispanic
 * 1% Non-Resident Alien
 * 4% Race/ethnicity unreported
 * 80% had high school GPA of 3.0 and higher
 * 20% had high school GPA of 2.0 - 2.99

Activities

 * Associated Students University of Idaho (ASUI)
 * ASUI Center for Volunteerism and Social Action
 * Stellar Sportsmanship
 * Choral groups
 * Concert band
 * Dance
 * Drama
 * Environmental Club
 * Film
 * Fraternities & Sororities
 * Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA)
 * Jazz band
 * Lacrosse Club
 * Logger Sports Club
 * Literary Magazine
 * Marching band
 * Music ensembles
 * Musical theater
 * Opera
 * Radio Station (KUOI 89.3 FM)
 * Rugby Sports Clubs (Men's and Women's)
 * Student Activities, Leadership, and Volunteer Programs
 * Student Newspaper
 * Symphony orchestra
 * Technology
 * Television station
 * Vandal Friday
 * W7UQ Amateur Radio Club

Recognition

 * The University of Idaho is ranked 65th in the country among national universities in the 2012 edition of Washington Monthly's College Rankings.


 * U.S. News & World Report ranks UI 85th among the nation's best public universities and 160th among the best national universities.


 * The University of Idaho is included in the 2011 edition of Princeton Review's "Best 373 Colleges" and the 2008 list of Kiplinger’s 100 Best Values in Public Colleges. The Princeton Review also ranks U-Idaho as one of the nation’s top 286 environmentally responsible colleges.


 * Forbes ranks UI at 154th among national research universities.


 * The University of Idaho is ranked in the top 30 in the nation as "a great university to hit the books and backcountry" by Outside magazine.


 * Idaho Gem, the world's first cloned equine (a mule), was created by researchers at the University of Idaho and Utah State University.


 * Offers the first-in-the-nation doctorate degree in athletic training.


 * Named by the Corporation for National and Community Service to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts—more than 3,800 students volunteered more than 150,000 hours to community and service-learning. This is the fifth consecutive year Idaho has earned this highest federal recognition for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.


 * University of Idaho Master of Architecture program is internationally Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and Also National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Fight song
Go, Vandals, Go is the official fight song of the University of Idaho.

The song was originally written by J.M. "Morey" O'Donnell, a freshman at Idaho who later became a prominent attorney in the state. He submitted it for a contest held by the school's student government to choose a new fight song. Previously, the Vandals had used a variation of On, Wisconsin' as its fight song.

Most fight songs are hard to sing because of the fast beat used to make them sound spirited. However, O'Donnell wrote the song almost entirely with whole notes and half notes to make it easy for a large football crowd to sing. He also added a heavy drumbeat to carry the spirit.

For many years, it has been cited as one of the top fight songs in the United States. For example, 2002, Norm Maves, Jr. of The (Portland) Oregonian described it as "the once and future king of college fight songs, with a fanfare lead-in that could motivate a successful infantry charge."

Go Vandals

Came a tribe from the North brave and bold, Bearing banners of silver and gold, Tried and true to subdue all their foes, Go Vandals! Go mighty Vandals!

Go Vandals go, Fight on with hearts brave and bold, Foes will fall before your silver and your gold, The victory cannot be withheld from thee, So, all bear down for Idaho, Come on old Vandals, go!

I-D-A-H-O, Idaho, Idaho, Go! Go! Go!

The victory cannot be withheld from thee, So, all bear down for Idaho, Come on old Vandals, go! Let's go!