News Release

Dec. 20, 2006

FIESTA FEVER: In anticipation of the upcoming Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Boise State University’s Office of Communications has identified story ideas that would be of interest to the community. Following is one of these stories. Feel free to use as written, or contact the sources listed at the bottom for more information.

From Arbiter to Zabransky, Here Are Some Recent Examples of What Makes Boise State Great

Yes, we are exceedingly proud of our nationally ranked, unbeaten and Fiesta Bowl-bound Broncos. But our points of pride at Boise State University certainly aren’t limited to our teams’ athletic achievements. Here’s a sampling — from A to Z.

A is for The Arbiter. Our student newspaper was named one of the 20 best in the nation for the second year running.

B is for Bookstore, which in December surpassed all its monthly sales records for Bronco merchandise.

C is for concerts. Among the 2006 performances, pop superstar Elton John played to a sold-out Taco Bell Arena in September.

D is for diamond jubilee, which Boise State will celebrate in 2007.

E is for engineering. Our College of Engineering moved from 19th to 12th in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2006 list of best programs among public, comprehensive universities.

F is for forensics. Our debate and speech team is the defending champion of the biennial national forensics tournament and went unbeaten in ’06.

G is for governors past and present. Our alumni include former Nevada Gov. Mike O’Callaghan and Idaho Gov.-elect C.L. “Butch” Otter.

H is for housing. Student housing — featuring five apartment complexes and seven residents halls — filled to capacity in ’06.

I is for illustrious alumni, including Micron CEO Steve Appleton, Hollywood director Michael Hoffman, actor Earl Boen, NBA star Gus Johnson, and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Dave Wilcox.

J is for Jesse Jackson. The civil right leaders is among the high-profile guest lecturers — along with radio personality Garrison Keillor, former Vice President Al Gore, and former chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix — scheduled to speak at BSU in early 2007.

K is for King, as in our annual Martin Luther King/Human Rights Celebration, honoring the memory of Dr. King and his “dream.”

L is for largest student body among Idaho colleges and universities: 18,876 strong.

M is for master’s programs. Fifty-nine of them are offered at Boise State.

N is for nursing, the largest undergraduate program in Idaho and two new master’s programs offered beginning in fall 2007.

O is for organizations. More than 200 clubs, groups and organizations are offered to our students.

P is for prize-winning profs. Boise State is home to 10 Idaho Professors of the Year as selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Q is for Quintin Mikel, a defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles, one of five ex-Broncos currently playing in the NFL. (The others are the Jets’ Kimo Von Oelhoffen, Green Bay’s Daryn Colledge, Houston’s Jeb Putzier and Oakland’s Chris Carr.)

R is for research funding. Boise State received $23.8 million for externally funded research and sponsored projects in the last fiscal year, the second-highest total in our history.

S is for Special Olympics. Boise State will play a key role when Idaho hosts the Winter Special Olympics in 2009, which was announced earlier this year.

T is for Taco Bell Arena. Boise State’s 13,000-seat venue will host the 2009 first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, marking the eighth time that it will be part of “March Madness.”

U is for USA Today, which featured Boise State with a front-page story earlier this month.

V is for the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. The 2,000-seat venue is considered one of the finest of its kind in the country.

W is for wrestling champ. Bronco wrestler Ben Cherrington won the 2006 NCAA national championship at 157 pounds and finished the season 20-0.

X is for experts. Boise State professors have recently been interviewed for and featured in articles in publications such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Forbes and Newsday.

Y is for youth events, competitions and camps sponsored annually by BSU. The list includes Science Competition Day, Idaho Business Week, the International Economic Summit, Idaho Engineering Summer Camp, and Gene Harris Jazz Festival workshops.

Z is for Zabransky. Quarterback Jared Zabransky has guided the Boise State football team to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Go Broncos!

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Contact: Bob Evancho, University Communications, (208) 426-1643, bevanch@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