Boise State Adopts Action
Plan for Internationalization

Boise State has adopted a roadmap for advancing an international dimension throughout the university.

The Internationalization Action Plan plan is the result of two years of work by the Task Force on Internationalization, formed in December 2004, and a number of subcommittees that helped identify and address specific needs across campus. The work culminated in a final report titled “Making the Global Connection: Recommended Pathways to Internationalizing the Campus.”

Internationalization of higher education describes the process of integrating an international and intercultural dimension into the teaching, research, and service functions of an institution, said Sabine Klahr, director of International Programs. Ideally, it is an integrative process with multiple approaches to improve student learning and the institution’s global connections to enhance research and outreach. read more

MFA Reading Series Continues
This Spring With Poetry

The Boise State Readings MFA Reading Series continues during spring semester with appearances by five visiting poets. All of the readings are free and open to the public.

The MFA Reading Series brings nationally recognized authors and poets to the Boise State campus. Past speakers include Rick Bass, Chris Offutt, Rae Armantrout, Cole Swensen, Michael Palmer, Joy Williams and Denis Johnson. Recent works by the author will be available for purchase through the Boise State Bookstore at each reading. read more

Graduate student head count and FTE have seen cumulative growths of 24.5 percent and 44.3 percent, respectively, since 2000. Last fall, Boise State enrolled 533 full-time graduate students, up from 434 the previous year.

click here for a campus calendar of events

REMINDER - OIT PASSWORD POLICY

A campuswide e-mail sent last month by Stacy Pearson, vice president of finance and administration, announced new university information security policies and procedures. In accordance, OIT has implemented new computer system password requirements:

• All passwords will expire every 90 days
• All passwords must be a minimum of eight characters in length (with the exception of voice mail passwords)
• All passwords must contain at least one numeric character
• All passwords must contain at least one special character (a special character is any character that isn't a letter or number)

These changes took effect for faculty and staff Jan. 18.

Information on the various available methods of resetting your passwords, along with an example of how to apply these new requirements, is available at http://helpdesk.boisestate.edu/facstaff/passwords.shtml

For more information on resetting any system passwords, contact the Help Desk at ext. 6-4357, or contact your college or area network administrator.

FORENSICS TEAM WINS AGAIN

Boise State Forensics Team Triumphs at Clackamas Tourney

The Boise State debate and speech team extended its winning streak to 12 consecutive tournaments, winning the Clackamas College Invitational Tournament in Portland, Ore., last weekend. The Talkin’ Broncos scored 16 first- and second-place finishes in the tournament’s 12 events to secure the win, despite competing with only half the team present. The other half of the Boise State team will travel to the Webster University Invitational in St. Louis this weekend, a strategy designed to prepare the team for competition at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament in March. read more

JUST PUBLISHED

Boise State's Ahsatha Press has announced the publication of two new books of poetry; one is the winner of the 2006 Sawtooth Poetry Prize and the other a long-awaited publication by an award-winning poet.

“In No One’s Land” and “Bone Pagoda” are available from the BSU Bookstore; from Small Press Distribution (www.spdbooks.org); and directly from Ahsahta Press athttp://ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu. Subscribers to the 2006‑2007 season of Ahsahta Press books receive both books at a discount with free shipping; details are available at http://ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu.

read more

ON OUR CAMPUS

BGLAD Hosts Series of Public Speakers

The Boise State chapter of Bisexuals, Gays, Lesbians and Allies for Diversity (BGLAD) will host a series of speakers at its upcoming social meetings at 7 p.m. in the Cultural Center. All of the meetings are free and open to the public.

• Jan. 25: Wanda Viento will speak about “Gays and Lesbians as Allies”

• Feb. 8: Emilie Jackson-Edney will talk about “Understanding the Transsexual and other Ts”

• Feb. 22: Dan Hardin’s presentation will be on “Understanding and Processing Your GLBT Identity”

• March 8: Jeannette Ross will speak about “Framing a Response to the Language of Discrimination”

IN OUR COMMUNITY

Bald Eagle Days Features Raptor Viewing Along Boise River, Wildlife Film Fest, Gala Dinner and Auction

The public is invited to view bald eagles and other wildlife along the Boise River, watch award-winning wildlife films from around the world and attend a gala auction and dinner as part of the eighth annual Bald Eagle Days today through Saturday.

The annual event is presented by Boise State’s Idaho Bird Observatory in cooperation with a number of other public and private organizations. The main purpose of Bald Eagle Days is to raise local awareness, appreciation and support for the Boise River and its wildlife. read more

FROM PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION

Special Parking Arrangements Made for This Week’s On-Campus Activities

A number of public events are scheduled on the Boise State campus this week, which has necessitated a number of special parking arrangements. Following are the policies for this week’s events:

Thursday
At 7 p.m. today in the Morrison Center, Dr. Ian Smith, M.D., will be the keynote speaker at the “Body Success” presentation. Parking will be available in the Towers lots, and the Brady Parking Structure. The usual regulations for parking for the 7 p.m. men’s basketball game against Fresno State in Taco Bell Arena also will be enforced.

Thursday-Sunday
At 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, the Idaho Dance Theatre will present “Pure Passion” in the Student Union Special Events Center. The performance also will be staged in the SPEC at 2 p.m. Sunday. Parking will be available in the Liberal Arts and Library lots on Thursday and Saturday. Because of the George Strait concert in Taco Bell Arena on Friday, parking will be available on that date in the Administration Building visitors’ lot and the Brady Parking Structure.

Friday
George Strait with special guest Ronnie Milsap and Taylor Swift will be in concert at Taco Bell Arena at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Accessible parking will be available in the west stadium by entrance No. 2. There will be limited public parking in the west stadium lot, and concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early and park in the east stadium lot. Parking lots closest to the Taco Bell Arena are expected to be full by 6:30 p.m. Parking and Transportation recommends that concertgoers park in lots located south of University Drive, including the lot behind the Student Recreation Center, the lots located off of Michigan and Beacon, or in the Brady Parking Structure. Free shuttle service will be provided by the Taco Bell Arena from event parking lots to the arena both before and after the concert.

In addition, The Lowe Family will perform at the Morrison Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Parking for that event will be available in the Towers lots and the Brady Parking Structure.

Saturday
“American Voices,” presented by the Boise Philharmonic, will begin at 8:15 p.m. Saturday at the Morrison Center. Parking will be available in the Towers lots and in the Brady Parking Structure.

For more information, contact Nicole Bandas, Parking and Transportation Services, at ext. 6-4327.

HUMAN RESOURCES WORKSHOP

HR Offers Session on Creative Thinking

Human Resource Services has partnered with business professor Murli Nagasundaram to offer an exciting session on “Creative Thinking and Problem Solving.” The workshop is free and open to all faculty and staff. Taking risks is often a hard thing to do. This session aspires to create a safe place for participants to take risks and expand themselves. The session is designed to foster creativity. The workshop is for anyone who would like to realize his/her potential and live a fulfilling and enjoyable life. Nagasundaram is an associate professor of information systems who has been conducting creativity workshops for many years and enjoys sharing his love and joy for the subject with others. For his complete bio, visit his Web site at: http://murliman.googlepages.com/home.

FROM OIT

University Phone System Subject of Case Study

Boise State’s cutting-edge phone system is the subject of a case study published by Time Warner Telecom, the company that helped the university convert to the new system in fall 2005. Boise State is the first public university in the West to use a 100 percent VIOP and SIP trunk phone system (voice over Internet protocol and session initiated protocol).

The VOIP system allows your phone to communicate with your computer and will eventually allow you to right- click a number on your computer screen and have your computer dial it. The SIP service will eventually lead to free long distance, just as Internet users do not pay a distance charge for their data.

The new system has resulted in huge savings for the university in terms of administrative and maintenance costs and has proved to be a real time-saver for the systems engineers. Brian McDevitt, manager of telephone network services, says the new service will let the university connect the telephone with the computer in the near future to allow integrated applications between the phone system and the Web. Telephone connections are also clearer, with less static than the previous system, he said.

ASSOCIATION OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES

Meeting Minutes Available Online

The Association of Classified Employees (ACE) meeting minutes from this month, are available online at the ACE Web site, http://www2.boisestate.edu/ace/index.html. Previous minutes also can be found at the site. Departments with classified staff who do not have access to the Internet or e-mail are asked to supply a copy of current minutes or post the minutes to a general bulletin board area for staff review.

ACE meetings are open to all Boise State classified staff. The monthly meeting schedule for the year can be found on the Web site. The next meeting will be held from 2-3 p.m. Feb. 20, in the Student Union Gibson Room.

A SPECIAL THANKS

The Orientation Office would like to thank the employees who volunteered their time to greet students. During the first two days of classes, information tables were set up throughout campus and were staffed with volunteers ready with smiles and answers to all types of questions.  We appreciate all of your help making this program a success.

Academic Support:  Jessica Alger, Clay Cox, Kimber Shaw
Admissions:  Niki Callison, Nick Ludington, Katie Mills, Ramon Silva
Campus Recreation: Jesse Sears
Career Center:  Anne Evans, Andrew Millar
Disability Services:  Candida Mumford, Wendy Turner
Honors College: Rhonda Hughes
Housing:  Jeff Hale, Andy Kemp
Orientation Program: Jenny Brydon, Rob Dennis, Brian MacDonald
Registar’s Office:  Mark Damm, Cheryl Gerla, Billie Madison, Steve Woods
Vice President for Student Affairs Office: Stephanie Neighbors

Orientation Leaders:  Christa Brannan, Danielle Bryan, Emerald Douthit, Seren Horton, Brea Kofoed, Nicholas Meline, Callie Wiskus

Former Vice President and 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore delivered the keynote address earlier this week at the “Global Warming: Beyond the Inconvenient Truth” conference sponsored by the Frank Church Institute at Boise State. Gore spoke to a capacity crowd in Taco Bell Arena. John Kelly photo

Greg Hampikian, biology and criminal justice administration, was featured in several news reports on the release of a Georgia man who served 21 years for a rape he did not commit. Hampikian, director of the Idaho Innocence Project and DNA expert for the Georgia Innocence Project, worked with a student intern to use DNA samples to prove the man was innocent. The report ran on Channels 2, 12 and 6, and was featured in a Jan. 24 Idaho Statesman story.

Ed Baker, director of the Center for Health Policy, was quoted in an article in the special health insert in the Jan. 24 Idaho Statesman. Baker noted that the Treasure Valley offers a wide choice of doctors and health-care options, but that those choices come at a price.

Todd Shallat, Center for Idaho History and Politics, was featured in a Jan. 24 Channel 7 news report on the center’s new book, which he authored, titled “Ethnic Landmarks.” The story also was covered by Channels 6 and 12.

other news sources:
The Idaho Statesman - The Idaho Press Tribune - The Boise Weekly - The Arbiter - Boise State Radio