Letter from the Editors

In 1979, Grace C.S. and Boyd A. Martin founded the Martin Institute at the University of Idaho. Since then, it has grown to be a center of learning for global affairs and international organizations. The Martin Institute has continued to be an inviting space for students, faculty, staff, and guests to research, collaborate, and learn from each other. As International Studies majors, there is no better place than the Martin Institute to come together and discuss our interests through conventional methods or informal activities.

The Martin Institute provides students with a high-quality education by helping them learn about the various aspects and levels of International Studies. Firstly, student’s pick a language to study. Then, they pick a region and topic to focus on. Subsequently, students base their choice of study abroad location on those decisions. This allows students to learn a country’s language and later improve those skills while experiencing a different culture. During their sophomore year, students participate in a course about the UN that is followed by going to New York City for the National Model United Nations Conference (MUN). Students participate in MUN by representing a country in a UN committee. Students and community members have continued to appreciate the opportunity to listen and talk with guest speakers, international leaders, and scholars that speak at Martin Forum or associated Borah Symposium. These are just a few of the many opportunities that International Studies students enjoy here on campus.

In addition to these activities, the Capstone program allows seniors the opportunity to write a white paper on a specific issue relating to their regional emphasis. The top research papers are published in the annual Journal of the Martin Institute. Since 2009, the journal has published students’ work on a variety of ongoing issues. This year’s papers covered especially pressing issues that editors found to be exceptionally relevant to current events Each research paper submitted was thoroughly reviewed, but those selected for the journal did an excellent job at communicating the importance of their issue and the proper solutions from governing bodies. We appreciate all authors who researched and communicated their findings on these important topics. Thank you for your commitment to excellence.

It now becomes necessary for us to put our major global problems into a socially relevant global framework.

Our world has become too complex, too interdependent, to answer these questions by simplistic answers.

These problems call for creative thinking...

– Boyd A. Martin, founder of the Martin Institute at the Institute’s inauguration, 1980