Inspiring Futures

The most ambitious campaign in University of Idaho history launched on April 28, 2012 in the Kibbie Dome. Hundreds of guests celebrated the launch of the campaign, named “Inspiring Futures: Invest in the University of Idaho” in the newly-renovated Kibbie Dome.

The $225 million effort will guarantee that the University of Idaho is positioned now and in the future to continue to offer internationally competitive education programs while also driving Idaho’s economic prosperity and addressing the most compelling issues of the day.

“We are positioning the University of Idaho for an unprecedented century ahead,” said President Nellis. “Our first 123 years was just the beginning. To reach our next level of success requires substantial private investment.”

The quiet phase of the campaign began in 2007. Since then, 28,403 donors have made gifts totaling $161.8 million –more than halfway to our goal. This early success shows the commitment of our alumni and friends.

For more than 123 years, the university has inspired futures. From the first class of 40 students to the more than 12,000 enrolled now, the future of each member of the Vandal Family has been inspired, challenged, and has ultimately contributed to our legacy of success and leadership.

We don’t take our ability to inspire lightly, which is why this campaign is a robust effort to shore up four important

$162 M cornerstones: catalyzing student success, leading innovation and discovery, creating distinction and impact through partnerships, and building a worldclass learning environment.

As a major research institution, the University of Idaho has more than 250 sponsored research contracts, employing nearly 70 percent of our undergraduate students in research and scholarly activities. We now have the largest number of National Merit Scholars in the Northwest: 17 new enrollments that total 74 scholars. Boise State enrolled one.

College of Education Campaign Goals

The College of Education’s campaign goal is $6 million. To date, it has raised $4.2 Million.

Alumna Gail Hanninen (’66, ’74) is one of our donors. She established an endowed faculty excellence fund to recognize and reward faculty members who have established a record of excellence in teaching and research in all disciplines within the College of Education. The Gail Hanninen Faculty Fellowship Endowment specifically assists leading faculty whose research is applicable to current issues within Idaho that can also be applied nationally. The faculty fellowship can also be used to recruit promising new faculty positions.

“How can we ask someone else to invest in our work if we don’t make our own investment in it?” asked Gail. “I am so passionate about our work at the U of I that I want to do my part to demonstrate that our work is meaningful, relevant, and valuable.”

To read more about the campaign and how you can give, visit www.uidaho.edu/ed and click on Inspiring Futures.

C&I Curriculum and Instruction

Ernie Biller Makes the Transition to UI Professor Emeritus

Ernie Biller, faculty member in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, retired in May 2012.

After several years on the teaching faculty at the Ohio State University, Biller joined the University of Idaho in 1992 and was tenured in 1995. Ernie’s original home department title (and office) in the College of Education changed several times over the last decade, but his primary role was always to prepare teachers and counselors in the skills of career guidance. Over the last decade he also served as coordinator of the counselor education program, first in the Coeur d’Alene area, and later as the statewide coordinator. Until recently, Ernie had served as coordinator for the Career and Technical Education program, which is now housed in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Ernie’s new office, beginning in May, is on the second floor of the College of Education building, just a few doors down from the very first office he occupied upon his arrival in 1992.

“I’m looking forward to getting the concentrated time to finish my sixth book on career guidance, which will have a focus on the historical aspects of my discipline,” he said.

Ernie reminisces about his time at the University of Idaho:

I would like to start with a fond and humorous moment my very first week on campus. Like any new faculty member, we all want to make a good impression on our college administrators, particularly our department chair. My first department chair was Jerry Tuchscherer, who is now retired. I can honestly say that by far Tuchscherer was the best department chair any new faculty member could have – but I got off to a very awkward start with him when I made the misguided decision to appeal a $15 parking ticket that I got my first day on campus. As part of the appeal process it was necessary to appear before the parking committee to state your case as to why you should have the ticket waived.

The first Monday following my first week on campus the parking committee met, so I showed up and waited to be called to make my case. As I entered the room I looked on in sheer horror as seated at the head of the appeal committee table sat my brand new department chair, Jerry Tuscherer.

It felt like my knees were buckling beneath me, and everything that I thought I would say in my appeal evaporated into thin air. I was so embarrassed to be bringing such a trivial matter as a $15 parking ticket to my new department chair. To this day I don’t even remember what happened to my appeal, only that I would never again appeal a UI parking ticket.

Before making a formal job application to the Department of Adult, Career, and Technology Education at the University of Idaho, I called Tuchscherer’s office and talked with his administrative assistant, Cary Manry. I mentioned to Cary that I wasn’t sure from the advertisement if this position was a tenure track or not, as I was sure I would not be interested in applying if it was not. To my surprise Cary said, “well I am not totally sure, but we can probably make it one if it isn’t.”

Initially, my main role in the department was to help the state division of Professional and Technical Education and the UI in teaching and promoting career guidance throughout the state. I taught more classes off campus than on campus, traveling weekly to Twin Falls, Boise, Lewiston, and Coeur d’Alene, where

I met most every professional technical teacher and counselor in the state who had responsibilities for career guidance. I was on the road 90 percent of the time for the first five-seven years, but I enjoyed it immensely as Idaho is a beautiful state and I have always loved driving through it. Fortunately, I already had enough grants and publications before I got here to get me through the tenure and promotion process, otherwise I never would have had time to do the necessary research and writing to achieve that goal.

Along the way, I have served three times as the president of the Idaho Career Guidance Association and once as the president of the Idaho Career and Technical Educators Association. Four people that stand out in support of me in all these undertakings were Jerry Tuscherer, who always supported me and my efforts no matter how stubborn I would become if I had a objection to some policy or event, Jim Baxter, who to this day remains my close friend and is still a major player in Idaho’s career and technical education arena, Jerry Fischer, who had faith in my abilities to lead UI’s counselor education program during its leanest years, and Andy Hanson, who had the courage to allow me to lead him in completing his master’s and doctoral degrees as well as to remain my close friend and constant lunch buddy.

What Now?

I believe in the saying “time flies when you’re having fun.” The elimination of my home department a few years ago did put a damper on my job being “fun,” but the transition has been smooth and I can truly say that career and technical teacher education is as strong as ever and is on the way up in every respect, thanks to a very supportive department chair, Paul Gathercoal, and a core of very vibrant and productive career and technical educators now being superbly led by John Cannon.

If I were to write my memoir, I’d say that life begins at retirement. I’ve had more fun traveling abroad these last three years, just enjoying life. If you’re paying attention to your life, you’ll develop wisdom – the kind that comes from seeking the advice of others, learning from mistakes, and working hard. And I am truly enjoying the fruits of my labor. It was Dr. Jerry Fischer that taught me to understand and appreciate the true meaning of “embracing a multicultural world” a lesson that I not only never forgot but has also led to the forging of a new lifelong relationship with a significant other from this multicultural world.

Deanna Gilmore Retiring at Home on the Palouse

If you ask Deanna Gilmore about her teaching career, she might tell you that she’s learned more from her students than she’s ever taught them. But that’s because she’s humble – a characteristic and quality that she exudes. It’s also because the things a teacher learns from a student are usually deeply personal and have a way of changing the way he or she views the world.

After five years of teaching at the University of Idaho, Deanna is retiring, although she will continue to teach some online courses. Her experience and expertise in children’s literature at the University of Idaho are just a short snippet of her teaching career, which began back at Eastern Washington University, where she taught speech while she was an undergraduate student earning her education degree. She loved teaching and dreamt of becoming a college professor one day – a dream that came true for her many years later.

Northern Lights

Deanna grew up in Plaza, Wash., a town of 56 people, where her father was a wheat and pea farmer. She attended a small two-room school and studied with older children. When she was 14 years old, her family moved to Spokane, where Deanna attended an all-girl Catholic high school, and where she “learned all the official minor things in life.” After high school, she attended an all-girl college for two years before transferring to Eastern Washington University.

After she was married, Deanna and her husband, whom she met at EWU, moved for a time to Orange County, Calif., then to Bellingham, where her husband attended Western Washington University.

“Then one day my husband came home and said to me, ‘let’s move to Alaska,’” said Deanna. “He said that we could make enough money to come back and buy a house. We decided to try it out for just a year, but we fell in love with the people.” Fascinated with native Alaska life, they stayed there for five years and had three children.

“It was the highlight of my life,” said Deanna.