|
News Release Dec. 14, 2006
|
 |
 |
| Top: A
Boise State nursing student takes the blood pressure of a community member during a “La Buena Salud” health fair. The Department of Nursing and Terry Reilly Health Services offered free health services at migrant farm worker camps in the Treasure Valley. Below: Children crowd around a large vat and learn how to use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream during Family Engineering Day at Boise State. Boise State was recently recognized by the Carnegie Foundation with an award for its efforts to engage the community, and was one of 76 universities nationwide to receive the prestigious award. |
Boise State
University is one of 76 universities nationwide to be recognized by the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for outstanding efforts to engage the
community through partnerships, outreach activities, and curricula that have
positive impact on the Treasure Valley and the university community.
The Carnegie Foundation recently selected Boise State as a recipient of its
newly created Community Engagement Classification, placing the university among
the ranks of the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of
Pennsylvania, and the University of North Carolina. Boise State is the only
institution in Idaho to receive this honor.
Among the examples in Boise State’s application were research projects by Boise
State faculty and students that involve partnerships to develop and test
materials and processes to be used by local industry, to study threatened
species or habitats for local offices of federal and state agencies, and to work
with local health entities on basic research of human diseases and their cures.
Other examples were the contribution of close to 20,000 hours of community
service per semester by students in Service-Learning classes, the use of
cultural and athletic facilities by community organizations, free tax
consultations for local citizens provided by students, and the strategic
planning and other organizational development provided to local non-profit
organizations.
“This recognition by the Carnegie Foundation demonstrates Boise State
University’s commitment to its students, staff, and faculty, and to the Treasure
Valley,” Boise State president Bob Kustra said. “Community engagement is
integral to the university’s mission as a metropolitan research university of
distinction, and we are pleased that the Carnegie Foundation has acknowledged
our hard work.”
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies all
accredited degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. For
decades they have been used for comparison purposes, including for rankings such
as those by U.S. News and World Report. In 2005, the Carnegie Foundation
restructured its ranking system and added voluntary classifications, including
the Community Engagement classification.
“Community engagement is incredibly important to Boise State,” said provost Sona
Andrews. “We work to ensure that engagement permeates every aspect of the
university, from department mission statements, to our research initiatives, to
the classroom, and to the volunteer work done by students, staff, and faculty.”
Boise State’s community involvement is given high priority in the university’s
strategic plan, Andrews added. Emphasis has been placed on engaging students in
community-based learning, in linking its academic mission with its community
partners to address issues of mutual benefit, to foster a vibrant culture and to
provide exceptional research that has applications locally, regionally and
globally.
The Carnegie classification hinged on Boise State’s depth of involvement with
the community both in and outside of the classroom. The university had to
provide an extensive portfolio of how it engages students, staff, faculty and
those outside the university in its efforts. Additional examples include:
• Boise State partners with the 4th District Court in Boise to provide student
interns that mediate (and hopefully settle) small claims court disputes prior to
trial. More than 1,400 hours of work were provided in 2005.
• Bronco Stadium and Taco Bell Arena are used extensively for community athletic
events, including high school football games and track meets, as well as Police
and Fire Department training, concerts, and governmental events.
• Boise State partnered with Boise City, the Capitol City Development
Corporation and others to establish a wireless broadband access zone in the
major downtown corridor.
• Bilingual Education majors work in classes that contain a significant number
of underserved and minority students, and Boise State instructors teach English
as a Second Language classes to workers who need to improve their English skills
to obtain new jobs in the community.
• The Idaho Small Business Development Center offers free and low-cost
information designed to educate and support Idaho small business owners and
managers, inventors, and potential entrepreneurs.
• Construction Management students constructed “ball walls” at elementary
schools, an exhibit at the zoo, and an observation deck at Deer Flat Wildlife
Refuge.
• La Buena Salud Mobile Health Unit is a partnership of Boise State with the
Idaho Migrant Council and Terry Reilly Health Services to provide health
screening services to migrant farm workers in outlying areas.
• Treasure Valley Community Television is a partnership of Boise State with the
City of Boise, CableOne, and nonprofits to provide public access programming for
community groups.
• Students from the Department of Radiologic Sciences provide free patient care
and medical imaging procedures.
• Students from the Department of Music teach public school music classes and
participate in other forms of community education.
In addition to providing help to community members or ensuring that engagement
is included in classes across campus, Boise State also received recognition for
its cultural offerings. The majority of departments and programs on campus
sponsor conferences, lectures and workshops that are free or low-cost and open
to the public. Boise State also was recognized for providing free services to
community members, such as the International Business/Global Business
Consortium’s pro bono service to non-profits or the Department of
Communication’s Suicide Hotline of Idaho.
“Boise State students, faculty, and staff devote thousands of hours each
semester to better the community, often without any fanfare,” said Jim Munger,
Boise State associate vice president for academic planning. “This classification
reveals the innumerable ways that those people make a difference every day.
-30-
Contact: Jim Munger, Associate Vice President for Academic Planning,
(208) 426-4030, jmunger@boisestate.edu
Media Contact: Julie Hahn, University Communications, (208) 426-5540,
juliehahn@boisestate.edu
We’re proud to be the home of the undefeated, Fiesta Bowl‑bound Broncos, the
national champion student speech and debate team, and the nation's 12th‑ranked
engineering program among public, comprehensive universities.
The Office of Communications and Marketing
-
Boise State University
1910 University Drive -
Boise Idaho 83725-1030
Located in Capitol Village, 2225 W. University Drive
208-426-1577
(fax)208-426-4001
email communications@boisestate.edu
Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007
|
|