Volume 46 | Number 1 | Spring 2016

OPENING UPIN A CLOSED PLACE

Big News for ISU Tuition

227 11A&P Labs

Making a Difference in Idaho

Ambassador from India Visits for Frank Church

Symposium

This has been an exciting year of change at Idaho State University. In early March, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the creation of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, a private medical school located at the ISU–Meridian Health Science Center. Not only will this public-private partnership open incredible oppor-tunities for our students and faculty to expand programs and create a more diverse learning environment, it will also benefit all Idahoans. Having a medical school in our state will help us to improve Idaho’s doctor shortage and ensure that more Idahoans have access to quality medical care.

In April, Gov. Otter also announced that Idaho State University will enter into a pilot program this fall that will lock the cost of tuition for new freshman. Beginning this fall, new, first-time Idaho freshmen will be guaranteed the same tuition rate for four years. Finances are often a concern for college students across the country, and it’s important to me that we continue to attract Idaho’s best and brightest students.

Great things are happening at ISU, as we continue to grow and evolve to create the best learning experience for our students. Our students succeed when we work hard to ensure they have access to the latest technology, facilities and information, but they also succeed every day in our classrooms and laboratories, where our faculty are preparing them to become leaders in their fields. On page 24, you can read about Steven Hernandez, chief security information officer for the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Hernandez was trained by faculty in College of Business’s cyber security programs, which have not only trained today’s high-ranking government cyber security experts, but are researching and developing today’s standards for information security. It’s just one example of our many programs that are helping to make a difference, not only for our students, but for our communities and our economy.

I am proud of all that we have accomplished this year, and I am proud of the legacy that our Bengal family has created and continues to create.

Go Bengals!

Arthur C. Vailas, Ph.D.President, Idaho State University

A Year for Opportunity

FROM THE PRESIDENT

921 South 8th Ave., Stop 8265Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8265(208) 282-3620isu.edu

Dr. Arthur C. VailasPresident

Dr. Kent M. Tingey, ’97Vice President of University Advancement

Stuart Summers, ’10Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONSfranemil@isu.edu

IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE STAFF Editor Emily FrandsenContributors Glenn Alford Chris Gabettas Kayla Nelson, ’16 Andrew Taylor Scarlett Osborn, ’17 Stuart Summers, ’10Design Joey Gifford, ’03Photography Eric Gordon Julie Hillebrant, ’00Web Joe Marley, ’04 Dave Van Etten

OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONSK.C. Felt, ’71Director of Alumni Relations(208) 282-3755 alumni@isu.edu

IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONPauline Thiros, ’94 and ’99Associate Vice President for Development(208) 282-3470isufound@isu.edu

OUR COMMITMENTIdaho State University is committed to excellence, and dedicated to its four core themes: Learning and Discovery, Access and Opportunity, Leadership in the Health Sciences and Community Engagement and Impact.

ADVERTISINGIdaho State University Magazine is sent to more than 68,000 people in Idaho and around the United States. If you would like to advertise in the next issue, please call the Office of Marketing and Communications at (208) 282-3620.

POSTMASTERISU Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications at Idaho State University.

Send address changes to the Office of Alumni Relations at 921 S. 8th Ave., Stop 8033, Pocatello, ID 83209-8033

IDAHO STATEU N I V E R S I T Y

3SPRING 2016

Off into the Sunset: ISU alumnus Jared Allen retired Spring 2016, after a career playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. His last game was in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos. Allen totaled 136 sacks in his career, which is tied for 9th most in NFL history.Photo by Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez

On The Cover: Kevin Kempf on the grounds of the Idaho Maximum Security Institute. Read his story on page 20.Photo by Eric Gordon

4 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

IN THIS ISSUE

28

30

Learn about a workplace where man’s best friend helps run the show.

Alumnus Dirk Koetter earns head coaching assignment with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

3 President’s Message6 Idaho Gets a Medical School Research Center Created7 Tuition Gets Locked8 Influencing Change on the Portneuf Ambassador from India Visits ISU9 New Year’s Gala a Success Second Benny’s Pantry Opens11 Supporting ISU Made Easier Fulbright Awarded to Research in India10 New Technology Programs Added12 Intellectual Property Foundation Set13 Nursing Sim Lab Provides Realistic Situations14 A&P Laboratories Offer Opportunities15 Eddings Leaves His Mark 16 Bowyer Retires from Biological Sciences17 Pharmacy Teams Up in Alaska18 ISU Has Big Plans for Idaho Falls20 Alumnus Sticks with His Convictions24 Helping Keep the U.S. Secure26 Technology Receives Galactic Gift28 Working in a Dog House30 Koetter was Born to Coach32 Alumna Making it Big in Big City33 2016 Sports Hall of Fame34 Nuclear Importance35 Nursing Grad Earns Residency36 Alumni News

5SPRING 2016

With approval from the State Board of Education, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced a new public-private part-nership to create Idaho’s first four-year medical school at Idaho State University’s Meridian Health Science Center.

The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) will be led by Dr. Robert Hasty, founding dean and chief academic officer. The privately funded school will be governed by a board of trustees consist-ing of local and regional physicians and health care executives. The ICOM will undergo an accreditation process through the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, and classes are expected to begin in August 2018.

As part of the collaboration and affiliation agreement with ISU, the ICOM has agreed to a long-term land lease for its facility at ISU’s Meridian Health Science Center. Construction of a roughly 80,000-square-foot, $32 million building to house the medical school will begin by or in February 2017. ICOM also will pay ISU for medical school students to use shared campus space or services. In addition, ICOM will provide for sharing medical school space and service with ISU students. The agreement provides for joint

The Idaho State University College of Arts and Letters has opened a new center designed to encourage collab-oration for research projects institu-tion-wide.

The Integrated Research Center, which opened in December, was designed by faculty and staff members for students to have a designated space to collaborate on shared research interests and use advanced technology.

The center will be used to encour-age integrated research that bridges different departments in the social and behavioral sciences, humanities and fine arts. Collaboration with other areas at ISU is also encouraged.

The center is equipped with computers equipped with visualiza-tion and transcription software, a 3D printer, scanner/plotter, eye tracker, EEG cap to measure brainwaves, other software for data analysis and visual-ization and a conference room to meet for collaboration.

“Ultimately we are here for students to learn. The better technology that faculty have to do their research, the more that students benefit,” said Dr. Mark McBeth, associate dean of social and behavioral sciences. “The Integrated Research Center is also an attractive recruiting tool to get faculty and grad students alike to come to Idaho State and the College of Arts and Letters. The academic side of the Integrated Research Center cannot be stressed enough. Faculty can use the center for their classes. Giving students and faculty access to such technology is really what this all about in the end.”

Arts and Letters Creates Research Center

Idaho Gets Med Schoolappointments and shared faculty and joint research between ISU and the ICOM.

“Today’s announcement provides tremendous opportunities for Idaho State to partner with the Idaho College of Osteo-pathic Medicine on clinical research and academic programs,” ISU President Arthur Vailas said. “This partnership will benefit the state and contribute to ISU’s health care mission, core themes and strategic plan. We are excited to have a strong part-ner who will create future opportunities for our faculty, staff and students.”

Otter said the new school will provide both educational and economic benefits.

“I’m confident that this groundbreak-ing partnership will benefit the health and wellbeing of citizens throughout Idaho and the region by helping to address our shortage of primary care physicians – especially in Idaho’s underserved rural communities,” Otter said. “This is a golden opportunity for us to train more health care professionals to meet our statewide needs while also attracting more Idaho students into the growing healthcare field. It’s a once-in-a-generation chance for Idaho to address both our desire for better career opportunities for Idaho students and our need for more physicians.”

Dr. Mark McBeth

6 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and ISU Pres-ident Arthur Vailas announced in March the details of a pilot program that would ensure that base tuition rates for many undergraduate Idaho students remain the same for four continuous academic years.

Through the program, first-time, degree-seeking freshmen students who attend school for at least one semester and meet other criteria will have tuition costs locked at the same rate for up to four academic years.

“This new program will help students and their families better plan for their education and it gives students the incen-tive to complete their degrees in a timely manner,” Vailas said. “We’re pleased that Gov. Otter took the lead in this effort to help Idaho students pursue higher educa-tion knowing that their tuition will be locked as they complete their degrees.”

The pilot program will begin at ISU in fall 2016. Only tuition rates will be locked in and not student fees.

To qualify, a student must be:• an Idaho resident taking at least 15

credits per semester and maintaining a 2.0 GPA

• a degree-seeking, first-time freshman• continuously enrolled fall and spring

semesters, unless on active military duty, serving a religious mission or on humanitarian leaveStudents, who may start any semester,

must attend a semester to be eligible for the program. Idaho State University is the only institution in the state to pilot the program.

“I am thrilled to partner with Idaho State University to launch a Tuition Lock pilot,” Otter said. “This program will begin to give families the kind of financial certainty they need as they map out their higher education goals. It is my sincere hope, that as the program develops a track record it will also give lawmakers the kind of certainty they need to support the concept at all of our colleges and univer-sities.”

Tuition Gets Locked

For more information, contact the ISU Admissions Office, (208) 282-2475.

7SPRING 2016

By providing input and informational tools, Idaho State University researchers are assisting the citizens of Pocatello to create a new vision and plans for the Port-neuf River running through the city.

Now confined largely to a concrete channel as it flows through town, the Portneuf River may one day be freer flow-ing, bordered by walkways, parks or other improvements envisioned by planners.

ISU researchers active in the National Science Foundation’s Managing Idaho’s Landscapes for Ecosystem Services (MILES) project have lent their expertise and knowledge to the City of Pocatello’s Portneuf River Vision Study, a research project funded by U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

The Idaho State University International Affairs Council hosted welcomed Arun K. Singh, India’s Ambassador to the United States, as the keynote speaker for the 45th annual Frank Church Symposium. Other invited delegates included Dr. Rafi Ahmed, an ISU alumnus and National Academy of Sciences member, Dr. Fahim Rahim, a Pocatello kidney specialist and humanitarian, Retired Major General and ISU alumnus Tony Taguba and other distinguished speakers. Discussions covered a range of topics including health care, refugee movements and human rights, humanitarian crises, technology and environment, and access to education.

The International Affairs Council is a student organization dedicated to hosting the symposium each year to share view-points on international issues.

Influencing Change on the Portneuf River

Major Guests for ISU

The goal of the river vision project is to create a comprehensive plan for the Portneuf River from the Portneuf ‘Gap’ on the south edge of the city, downstream to the Fort Hall Indian Reservation bound-ary at Siphon Road. The project hopes to have a final project vision completed this summer to present to the Pocatello City Council in September.

The goals of MILES – a five-year statewide study in its third year being conducted by the state’s public institutions – and the Portneuf River Vision study go hand in hand.

“The ISU MILES researchers have been and continue to be integral players and have provided mapping resources,” said

Artistic concept of a proposed Portneuf River plan near Raymond Park

Hannah Sanger, City of Pocatello science and environment division manager and lead on the Portneuf River Vision Study. “The GIS (Geographic Information System) maps show the land ownership, where trails are and where the river used to be. Users can click on it and make comments and the public and everyone using the site can see it.”

ISU MILES grant leads Dr. Donna Lybecker, professor of political science, and Dr. Colden Baxter, associate profes-sor of biological sciences, are on the 26-member River Vision working group, comprised of members representing a wide variety of community organizations and interests.

“One of the goals of MILES is to connect people to ecosystem services,” Lybecker said. “One of the big ways to do this for us was to connect the Portneuf River to the community.”

Another of the big goals of the MILES project is to translate science findings into policy change for communities.

“And here we are, even before the MILES grant has ended, with an initial plan for the river and, if all goes well, by this time next year there will be an adopted long-term plan for the Portneuf River,” Baxter said. “We will have assisted with catalyzing this project, and this an example of what it is we are supposed to be doing; one example of what we hope will be many more of this type of application of our science to our local communities.”

Andrew Taylor

8 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

Benny’s Pantry Opens in Idaho Falls

• 22 programs available without leaving the Magic Valley

• 9 online graduate programs

• Six full-time staff members serve students completing programs in Twin Falls as well as those transferring or commuting to Pocatello

Discover your future at isu.edu

For more information: Student Services Offi ce Hepworth Building, Room 144, CSI Campus

isu.edu/twin • (208) 736-2101

SERVING THE MAGIC VALLEY

Pocatello | Idaho Falls | Meridian | Twin Falls Twin Falls

Benny’s Pantry, an ISU Food Pantry designed to assist ISU students, staff and faculty in need, has opened a loca-tion in Idaho Falls at University Place.

The pantry distributes non-perish-able foods in an effort to help relieve food insecurity in the ISU community. Clients may use their Bengal ID to shop the pantry without disclosing personal financial information.

The idea for an ISU campus food pantry was conceived by ISU First Lady Laura Vailas, a registered dietitian with professional experience in community nutrition.

“We know there are students and staff in Idaho Falls who could use the same kind of help Benny’s Pantry has provided to the ISU community in Pocatello,” Vailas said. “We don’t want anyone lacking adequate, wholesome food.”

Food donations to the Idaho Falls Benny’s Pantry can be made to the Information Desk at the Bennion Union. Tax-deductible monetary donations to Benny’s Pantry can be submitted through the Idaho State University Foundation at idahostatefoundation.org.

Idaho State University’s College of Arts and Letters’ third annual New Year’s Eve Gala on Dec. 31 raised $48,000 for student scholarships.

The gala event is held every year to raise money for students in the visual and performing arts. Students provide the entertainment for the evening, and allow guests to experience a night of elegance that they wouldn’t experience anywhere else in the area.

The night’s performances included a fashion show with costumes designed by ISU students, the ISU Jazz Band, an art gallery featuring student work, Stasia Acrobats and the Comedy Project. Fire

dancers Lava Fire Flow greeted guests as they entered the Stephens Performing Arts Center, and after they celebrated the New Year. Guests were able to mingle with students between performances and observe first hand how talented they truly are.

A custom necklace by ISU First Lady Laura Vailas, and artwork by Department of Art Chair Jeffrey Adams, were given away to two lucky attendees during the annual drawing.

For more information about the Gala, contact Heidi Jarvis-Grimes at jarvheid@isu.edu, or (208) 282-5362.

Gala Shines for New Year’s Eve

9SPRING 2016

Two new programs in the Idaho State University College of Technology will help students become better qualified for employment in a changing health care landscape.

With the help of a $1.5 million Department of Labor grant, the College of Technology will soon offer a three-semes-ter pharmacy technology program, and a two-year occupational therapy assistant associate degree program beginning in fall 2016. The grant funding is part of a larger partnership with North Idaho College and Lewis-Clark State College. The grant is also funding a vet-to-nurse program, which offers a streamlined nursing program for veterans who served in medical capacities during their military service.

“We’re excited and ready to create a larger portfolio for the College of Tech-

nology,” said Paul Peterson, chair of the Department of Health Occupations in the College of Technology.

Both programs will train students for careers in growing areas of health care, Peterson says. The Idaho Department of Labor estimates a 32 percent statewide job growth in the next 10 years in the occupa-tional therapy assistant field. For phar-macy technicians, the field is expected to grow 31 percent in Idaho over the next 10 years, requiring about 60 new technicians each year. Occupational therapy assistants make a median salary of $56,500, and average annual pay for pharmacy techni-cians in Idaho is $30,500.

Proposed federal legislation could mean that pharmacy technicians could require more education and certifications in the near future, and the College of Technology’s new program will help fill

the need, Peterson said. “This is going to really open up the

market,” he said. The programs will use a distribu-

tive model of education. Students will complete online, laboratory and face-to-face instruction. Faculty from the College of Pharmacy and the Master of Occupa-tional Therapy program will collaborate with the College of Technology, and the programs will share laboratory space, giving students access to the latest in equipment and knowledge.

We’re doing some super collabora-tion,” Peterson said. “We’re building career ladders and building bridges.”

Both the occupational therapy assis-tant program and the pharmacy techni-cian program will host their first students beginning in August, with between 12 and 15 students in each cohort.

Emily Frandsen

College of Technology Creates New Programs

isu.edu/ctech (208) 282-2622

START A NEW CAREER IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS.HANDS-ON LEARNING. HIGH CAREER PLACEMENT RATES. GREAT STARTING SALARIES.

96.3%

GRADUATES EMPLOYEDOR CONTINUING EDUCATION LAST YEAR

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY POSITIVE TERMINATION REPORT, 2015

AVERAGE STARTING SALARYOF LAST YEAR’S GRADUATES

AFTER TWO YEARS OR LESS OF AN EDUCATION

$38,37672CERTIFICATES/DEGREES

34PROGRAMS

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

10 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

Fulbright Heading to IndiaGiving is a Click AwayDr. Alan Johnson, professor of English at Idaho State

University, was recently awarded a second Fulbright Scholar grant to research and teach in India.

Johnson will travel to Chennai, in southern India, in August 2017 for nine months to research images of the envi-ronment and forest in Indian literature. He went to Mumbai, India, six years ago on a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and research literature and globalization for six months.

Being born and raised in India, Johnson has a strong connection to the country, and the majority of his research is focused on India.

After graduating high school, he left India to attend Southern Illinois University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in English. After teaching a year in Egypt, Johnson continued his education in English, receiving his master’s degree from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside.

“My personal reasons for this Fulbright are interwoven with the institutional need,” Johnson said. “These interna-tional exchanges are so important this day and age. Univer-sities are all about exchanging ideas and the diversity of ideas, so a Fulbright is a perfect opportunity to make those connections with scholars across the world and bring them back to ISU.”

For many projects at Idaho State University, it doesn’t take a huge gift to make a big difference, according to Kallee Valentine, director of annual giving at the ISU Foundation.

Community members have an easy way to support Idaho State University student clubs, departments and other groups. The ISU Foundation recently launched crowdfunding sites supportisu.org and supportbengalathletics.org.

Many fundraising campaigns at Idaho State University are for worthy, but smaller causes, such as a recent campaign by the Department of Theatre and Dance to help bring children and assisted living residents to see a summer performance.

Through the sites, visitors can read about different causes, and see how their money can make a difference. On the Depart-ment of Theatre and Dance campaign, $30 was enough to give 10 students the chance to experience theatre, and $100 was enough to sponsor a bus full of students.

The sites are made for projects with goals of $5,000 to $25,000. A recent campaign asked for gifts to create a scholar-ship in honor of former football coach Dave Kragthorpe, who coached the national title-winning 1981 football team.

Unlike traditional crowdfunding sites, there are no fees for gifts, and all of the money donated goes directly to the cause. People can also share the campaigns on social media.

“It’s a way for someone to give $5 and make a difference,” Valentine said. “Even if people can’t give, sharing is one of the things that makes these projects successful.”

The Rendezvous Complex recently got a makeover with a two-story tall “Bengal Eyes” installation. The window art is a 2016 class gift, courtesy of the newly founded 1901 Student Alumni Group. The club was organized last year to renew old Bengal traditions and to start new ones. The group unveiled the installation at a March 11 Founder’s Day Celebration with a free barbeque for students and the community. The “Bengal Eyes” will be a fixture on the building for the next eight years.

11SPRING 2016

Idaho State University’s entrepreneur-ial and economic impact will significantly increase by the creation of the ISU Intel-lectual Property Foundation, Inc.

The ISU Intellectual Property Founda-tion, Inc., which was set up at the first of the year and has been operational since early April, is a not-for-profit 401(c)(3) foundation independent of the University.

“The IPF will run much like a tradi-tional university tech transfer office, but with a slightly more focused purpose on job creation and economic development for Southeast Idaho, the entire state, and the region,” said Christopher Fasel, ISU director of technology and the IPF’s first CEO. “It will also promote collaboration with existing companies for collaborative research and technology development opportunities.”

The IPF’s board of directors is made up of ISU representatives, local and regional entrepreneurs and business people.

“It is a dynamic board and they are working very cohesively toward the goal of effectively finding a way to commercialize technologies developed by researchers, students and faculty here at ISU, as well as supporting entrepreneurial

activities in the Pocatello, Meridian, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and other areas where ISU has a strong presence,” Fasel said.

The IPF, however, won’t solely be focused on the financial interests of the University.

“What we see as our mission is taking the intellectual capacity of the University and creating products and services that will make life better for everyone, but obviously for the citizens of Idaho, as a direct focus,” Fasel said. “We are trying to create jobs and create new businesses that change peoples’ lives. Whether it is a new medication that cures cancer or healthier energy production for a more sustainable environment, our first focus is to change the world and make lives better.”

The IPF’s services are broad and can be applied to a variety of academic disciplines.

“Oftentimes people have a misconcep-tion that only the STEM areas can contrib-ute to commercialization, but that is not true,” said Dr. Cornelis Van der Schyf, ISU vice president for research and dean of the graduate school. “Ideas that can be patented or trademarked can come from the full spectrum of academic disciplines,

including – to use only a few examples – the humanities, or theatre arts or the College of Business.”

The new IPF has its website set up and is putting together intellectual property review panels.

“Right now we are crossing our ‘Ts’ and dotting our ‘Is’, getting initial startup funding in place and we are well on our way,” Fasel said. “We can immediately start reviewing new inventions for Idaho State inventors, determining which have the best possibility for achieving successful intellec-tual property protection as well as have a return investment from the market.”

The University is rich with intellectual property possibilities.

“We are looking at everything from sustainable energy storage to the biotech-nology and pharmaceutical areas, both central to ISU’s mission to provide leader-ship in the health professions and serving the region and the nation through its envi-ronmental science and energy programs,” Fasel said. “We have researchers working in so many different areas that we almost have more ideas than we are ready to handle. It’s a really exciting time.”

Andrew Taylor

Idaho State University Intellectual Property Foundation Sets Stage for Economic Growth, Entrepreneurial Activities

• More than 25 graduate and undergraduate programs in the health sciences offered at the ISU–Meridian Health Science Center

• Selected as one of the nation’s top 10 branch campuses by thebestcolleges.org

• Dental, counseling and speech language clinics open to the public

• Home of the L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories

HEALTH CAREIDAHO’S LEADER IN

(208) 373-1700 | 1311 E. Central Drive | isu.edu/meridian

Meridian | Twin FallsPocatello | Idaho Falls

12 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

When Todd Hillman was earning his information technology degree, he didn’t realize he would be spending part of his days shopping for wigs, or testing makeup to find the perfect tone to simulate bruises.

In addition to using his newly found skills in makeup artistry, Hillman, the IT specialist in the School of Nursing SIM lab, spends his days programming manne-quins that can bleed, talk, convulse and have rising or lowering blood pressure. Words like “trach tube” are now part of his daily vocabulary.

“Every day is different,” he said. “I had no medical background when I started. Now I can realize when the students are missing something. It’s really neat to see the students progress.”

The SIM lab, where students practice their skills on both mannequins and live volunteer patients, looks remarkably like a hospital. Rooms are equipped not only with beds, but with running water, work-ing oxygen, carts, monitors and IV stands to deliver medication. In the center of the lab is a nurses station.

The atmosphere allows students to practice basic skills, like filling out paper-work in a way that meets current patient

privacy standards, opening packages in a way that keeps them sterile, and moving around and working with real-sized patients in a real-sized hospital room. Cameras in each room allow students to review scenarios later to perfect their skills, or to share experiences with their peers.

In a nearby room, drawers filled with body parts line the walls. As they are learning new skills, students can begin practicing with just an arm or leg. There are also several levels of mannequins. Low-level mannequins are basically just bodies, Hillman says. Often, he uses them to add “family members” to a room during scenarios, so students can learn to complete their work with family members in a hospital room. Mid-level manne-quins can be used for certain scenarios, such as one mannequin designed to give birth. The most sophisticated mannequins can provide students with experiences they might not see during their clinical rotations.

From another room, Hillman and ISU nursing faculty can make the manne-quins talk or respond to medication. The “patients” have 14 pulse points, pupils that can react to light, and cry or moan

in pain. They also have veins, so students can insert IVs.

For students, the mannequins provide a safe place where they can learn new skills, and deal with serious situations before they encounter them in a real scenario.

“It’s much more realistic,” says Susan Belliston, a clinical assistant professor. “When they have a mannequin actively dying, they don’t have time to think. They’re able to make mistakes without hurting anyone.”

Nursing students do clinical rotations as part of their curriculum, but sometimes, especially in specialties that see fewer patients, students’ real-life experiences can be limited. Students might not see a specific illness or health condition. Along with more rare medical scenarios, classes have experiences such as a simulated Ebola outbreak.

“They can have experiences that they otherwise might not,” Belliston says. “We can guarantee students get to have a certain needed clinical experience.”

Emily Frandsen

Nursing SIM Lab Provides Realistic Situations

13SPRING 2016

Since January, high school and college students have gathered at the ISU-Merid-ian Health Science Center three nights a week to study anatomy in the new L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories.

Dubbed the After School Anatomy Club, the students meet in the 12-station cadaver lab—the largest and most sophisti-cated lab of its kind in Idaho.

Participants include students from Idaho State University, Boise State University, College of Western Idaho and College of Idaho; juniors and seniors from seven Treasure Valley high schools; and students who’ve completed an undergrad-uate degree and are awaiting entry into a professional medical or health science program. Ages range from 17 to about 60, said laboratories manager Lorinda Smith.

Instructors organize students into smaller groups called “learning pods” to foster collaboration.

“They are learning anatomy, dissection skills, teaching, presentation and commu-nication skills while getting experience

working in an interdisciplinary lab envi-ronment,” Smith said.

ISU physician assistant studies students—the first students to use the cadaver lab when it opened last fall—are using the After School Anatomy Club as an opportunity to get teaching experience and satisfy service requirements for their rigorous two-year master’s program.

“The value is immeasurable,” said physician assistant studies student Stephen Rivera, 27. Not only does the club reinforce what he’s already learned, but it provides an opportunity to view the same material from a different perspective.

An added bonus is the opportunity to work with high school students such as 18-year-old Julianna Lambright, a senior at North Star Charter School who also serves as a lab intern.

“I love it. It’s fun and a wonderful opportunity,” said Lambright, who plans to study pharmacy at ISU-Meridian after she completes her pharmacy prerequisites.

The semester-long Anatomy Club was the brainchild of Smith and laboratory specialist Noah Harper who participated

in a similar program at University of Utah where both taught before joining ISU last year.

Acceptance into the After School Anatomy Club is highly competitive. High school students, for example, had to submit a resume, letters of recommenda-tion from teachers or other professionals and write a cover letter explaining why they wanted to participate.

The club is just one of several programs offered at the Meridian labs and benefitting the community. Students from Meridian’s Renaissance High School have used the labs for lessons on the brain and nervous system. Other students have used the lab’s virtual technology tools to explore the structure and function of the human body.

Smith says many students who use the labs have aspirations to become doctors, nurses or other health professionals.

“It’s the only facility like it here in the Treasure Valley. We have something really special here, something all students can benefit from,” she said.

Chris Gabettas

A & P Laboratories Offer Learning Opportunities for High School and College Students

Members of the After School Anatomy Club gather for an anatomy lesson in the cadaver lab at ISU-Meridian.

14 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

In his more than 30 years at Idaho State University, ISU Diversity Center Coordinator Ram Eddings has helped thousands of minority and at-risk students succeed.

“I would have quit school if it weren’t for him,” said April Robinson, ’09.

When she came to college, Robinson was a 30-year old single mother. She met Eddings through TRiO, a federally funded program, which provides students with a variety of support services includ-ing advising, counseling and tutoring. To participate in one of the three TRiO programs, students must meet federal low-income guidelines, be a first-genera-tion college student and have documented physical, psychological or a learning disability. Eddings was her TRiO advisor, and from the beginning, he changed her outlook.

“I went to TRiO and he helped me with my schedule and listened to my fears about returning to school,” Robinson said. “He was very open and he listened and could relate to some of the obstacles that I’ve had.”

Eddings, 66, has memories of riding in the back of the bus when he was growing up in Alabama, Texas and other places his family lived. He also remembers sleeping in the family car with his parents, even when nearby hotels had their ‘vacancy’ signs on.

He doesn’t carry bitterness from those experiences. Instead, he concentrates on the lessons that his mother and his father, a career military man who worked in supply in the Air Force, taught him as the family moved from base to base during his childhood.

“I’ve always cared. That is how my parents taught me,” Eddings said. “When I grew up, I was always taught you are no better than anybody else and my parents constantly told me that.”

Listening is just one of Eddings’ skills as a counselor, according to Dr. James “Byrd” Yizar, associate director of ISU’s Student Success Center. Eddings was Yizar’s advisor when he was a student-athlete at ISU.

“When I was a student, he (Eddings) was hard on me, not necessarily a disci-plinarian, but he was a very on-task kind of advisor on the stuff that he saw that I needed to do to be successful,” Yizar said. “Watching him over the year I’ve seen that he has a multiple set of skills that he uses working with students. If he needs to be a listener, he’ll do that. If he needs to ride someone hard, he’ll do that. He’ll do whatever he sees is necessary to fulfill his role. I guess he can be an actor and play a variety of roles, or for a sports analogy, he is a player that can play a lot of positions.”

Although he found working with TRiO students satisfying, Eddings said he couldn’t pass up the chance to be the coordinator for ISU’s Diversity Resource Center. The Center’s purpose is to create and promote diversity programs and education for ISU students, faculty, and staff. Stacey Gibson, director of the ISU Office of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity, credits Eddings with

reviving the Diversity Resource Center.“When Ram came over here almost

two years ago, the center went from being lost and not having continuity, to becom-ing a significant piece on campus because of him and his leadership,” Gibson said. “He comes early and stays late, and the center has done a complete 180 due to his efforts.”

Eddings said he wants to see the Center continue to grow.

“We have a wide range of diversity on campus, but we need to be able to unify everybody and bring everyone together and we’re working to make that happen,” Eddings said. “We’re pushing to get the Center to be a hub for unifying the campus. Some people still don’t feel like it is a place they can come, yet, but it is a place for everyone, a place where you can meet people from all over the country and all over the world, and it’s a good opportunity.”

Andrew Taylor

Eddings Leaves His Mark

15SPRING 2016

In the late 1960s, the ocean waves off Ventura, California, nearly derailed retiring Idaho State University biological sciences ecology professor Dr. Terry Bowyer’s stel-lar academic career before it got started.

When he was attending Ventura Community College, he said, “It was better to go down to the beach than to class. It took me a while to grow up.”

He was told his grades weren’t good enough to go into science so he should go into another profession.

“The thing is, that in this country there are a lot of second chances in higher education and that just isn’t the case in many other countries,” said Bowyer. “Finally, I just decided I was going to do what I want and applied to Humboldt State, and got my B.S. in wildlife.”

After serving in the Army reserves, he earned his Master of Science degree in wildlife at Humboldt State University and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.

Bowyer, 67, who will retire this spring, spent the last 12 years of his career working at Idaho State Univer-sity, after 18 years at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and six years at Unity College in Maine. He has published about 210 academic works, including scientific papers and book chapters, specializing in the ecology of large mammals.

The quality of his work has not gone unnoticed. His vita lists 22 extramural and nine intramural awards, including several national and international honors.

More important to him than his research, however, are his students.

“What is exciting and what really matters is educating students,” said Bowyer, who mentored 33 graduate students during his career including 16 Ph.D. students. “I get more joy out of that than anything else. That is something I am going to miss.

Bowyer’s academic linage is impres-sive and his former students have pursued successful careers in academia and for wildlife management agencies.

University of Idaho Professor Janet Rachlow, who earned her master’s degree

under Bowyer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, complimented her mentor.

“I was his first graduate student and I cannot believe how incredibly lucky I was to work with him,” Rachlow said. “Terry and his wife, Karolyn, are like family and he has continued to be a mentor to me throughout my career.”

One thing that stood out about Bowyer to Rachlow was his curiosity.

“He is super creative,” Rachlow said. “His office was like a turnstile. Faculty and student would come in and ask a specific question or idea and leave with a whole suite of ideas.”

Bowyer and his students have studied a variety of big game animals, including moose, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, Dahl sheep, muskoxen, reindeer, caribou, mountain lions, grizzly bears, coyotes and bobcats.

He and his students studied these animals in some stunning environments, from coastal ranges in California, to forested areas of Maine to Denali National Park in Alaska, to name a few.

“I’ve been really lucky with the study areas I’ve had,” he noted.

One of his most memorial obser-vations of animals in the wild were of a battle between bull moose in Denali National Park.

“The first time I saw a real fight between two bull moose was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my life,” he said. “It’s not sparring. These are fights to the death.”

Another battle he observed ended with an older, alpha moose slipping and falling to the ground and then being gored to death by the challenger. After the big bull was down, other young bulls found the animal and continue to gore him long after the initial battle was over.

In his research, Bowyer said that he has always tried to mix the behavior and the ecology of animals into his studies.

“You should try to work at the inter-face of theory and application if you want to make an impact,” Bowyer said. “It is important you just don’t do applied work or you have to do it again and again, and it is a waste of time and money. You want to address questions about why things are happening and turn those around into potential applications.”

In retirement, he’ll continue doing research and writing, including plans to write a book on sexual segregation among big game animals. Bowyer plans to move to Estacada, Oregon, where he as purchased property near the Clackamas River.

Andrew Taylor

‘Second Chances’ Made for a First-Rate Career

16 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

When Idaho State University tapped Dr. Tom Wadsworth to run its new pharmacy partnership at University of Alaska Anchorage, he was thrilled — even if it meant a 2,700-mile move from Idaho.

“It’s been wonderful,” he said during a phone interview from University of Alaska Anchorage as he waited for his Pocatel-lo-based students to join him via a sophisticated video link. Thanks to distance-learning technology, Wadsworth is continu-ing to teach pharmacy classes in Pocatello and Meridian as he assumes his new role as ISU’s assistant dean of Alaska programs.

The partnership—more than seven years in the making— will enable UAA students to earn a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree without leaving Alaska. ISU will award the degree, and the Alaska students will pay out-of-state tuition to Idaho State.

UAA students will have on-site instructors and connect to Pocatello and Meridian lectures via distance learning and video conferencing.

“(Alaska) students must have the exact same experience as Pocatello and Meridian students” for accreditation purposes, Wadsworth explained.

“Our state has had a long-standing need for pharmacy education,” said Dr. Jan Harris, vice provost of UAA Health Programs. “UAA students leaving the state for pharmacy educa-tion may not return, and pharmacists from the lower 48 states often do not stay long term. This has been a particular burden to rural Alaska.”

The joint program will recruit six to 10 students in its inaugural class which begins in fall 2016, said ISU College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Paul Cady. Future classes will enroll up to 20 students, and ISU will hire more Alaska-based faculty as needs warrant.

UAA officials say they identified ISU as a good match because of ISU’s long history of pharmacy education, emphasis on rural health and experience in multi-site delivery.

Wadsworth is no stranger to Alaska. For four years, he worked as a clinical pharmacist in Fairbanks before returning to Idaho to practice pharmacy and teach at ISU-Meridian.

Both he and Cady say the partnership will help the College of Pharmacy expand its education base and deliver high-qual-ity advanced pharmacy education to an underserved region of the country.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to work with the UAA system,” said Cady.

For more information about the ISU-UAA joint pharmacy program, go to pharmacy.isu.edu/live/alaska.

Chris Gabettas

Pharmacy Partners to Offer Doctorate to Alaska Students

17SPRING 2016

Idaho State University is remodeling and renovating a nearly 10,000-square-foot building on its Idaho Falls campus to make room for more faculty and course offerings.

The repurposed space, in the Tingey Administration Build-ing, was formerly leased to the Idaho National Laboratory which housed a tech library for many years before the remodel. Construction began in late October and should be completed in time for fall 2016 classes.

When completed, the renovated complex will house 20 faculty offices, four lecture-style classrooms and student/faculty conference rooms, which will allow expanded course and degree offerings to ISU-Idaho Falls students.

“It’s a much-needed facility. When the tech library pulled out of the building, it was an easy decision to move forward with the idea to repurpose it,” said Dr. Lyle Castle, ISU’s vice provost of academic affairs and dean of academic programs at ISU-Idaho Falls.

Castle believes the additional space will make it easier to recruit and retain full-time Idaho Falls resident faculty, which in turn will make it easier to expand programs in Idaho Falls.

“We’re expanding ISU’s footprint in Idaho Falls, but that

expansion really demonstrates ISU’s commitment to improving facilities and access to higher education, not only in Idaho Falls,” Castle said.

The repurposing of the Tingey Admin-istration Building space is the first piece of the puzzle. Over time, the University plans to add 20 resident faculty to its Idaho Falls campus to create an interdisciplin-ary environment that will complement the Idaho National Laboratory and allow the campus to become more of an upper division and graduate institution, offering additional degrees that can be completed entirely on site.

“In addition to professors who teach the sciences—physics, engineering, chemistry—that complement the INL mission, we are planning to incorporate interdisciplinary, liberal arts faculty as well. For example, we would have an

Idaho State University Expands in Idaho Falls

Big Plans

18 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

English faculty member who specializes in communicating science to the general public, a political scientist who special-izes in energy policy and so on,” Castle said. “There will be a central theme to this group of educators, and with their collaboration will come a broadening and deepening of teaching and research opportunities that will enhance the learn-ing experience for students and faculty alike.”

Currently, approximately 10 under-graduate degrees, six graduate degrees and two doctoral degrees can be completed entirely in Idaho Falls.

“The list of specific programs we hope to offer here is still in the planning stage,” Castle said. “But the hope is to expand to approximately 25 bachelor’s degree programs and 15 to 20 advanced degree programs offered entirely on the Idaho Falls campus.”

The University is also planning to adjust course offerings and the frequency they are offered to make completing undergraduate degrees in four years more feasible for students.

“The other thing students are really going to gain from this expansion is access to their professors,” said Castle.

“Right now, students get access to their professors in class, but because those professors aren’t usually resident faculty, students have very limited access to them as well as limited access for undergraduate research and research opportunities. These are the things that will change and improve immensely.”

Additionally, the lecture-style classrooms in the complex will address another need on the Idaho Falls campus.

According to Doug Simpson, facilities services project manager and campus architect, “There aren’t many flat, lecture-style classrooms. Most are tiered, which is great if you have a large class that is purely lecture, but if you have an English or communications class that needs to break into small groups, tiered rooms don’t work well. The flat classrooms in the Tingey Administration Building remodel will address some of that prob-lem.”

The facility is being funded through the Public Building Fund Advisory Council, with a total budget of $838,894. The winning bid on the project was $631,920 from Barry Hayes Construction in Idaho Falls.

“We came in under budget, but if things come up that we haven’t foreseen, we’ll need to utilize some of that money. If those things don’t come up by the time we get near the end of the project, we’ve already identified some upgrades we’d like to incorporate to finish out the building,” Simpson said.

University administrators are currently working on a timeline and funding sources for the expansion plans for faculty and course offerings in Idaho Falls.

“I think it’s going to be a place where faculty members—and students—really want to be,” said Castle.

Samantha Chaffin

19SPRING 2016

20 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

Kevin Kempf walks the grounds of the Idaho Maximum Security Institute south of Boise on a bright February morning. He drops by a day room near E Block to visit with staff and inmates. He wants to know how they’re doing, if things are running smoothly and if they have suggestions for improvement.

Kempf’s visits are usually unan-nounced and can occur any time of day or night. No entourage. No fuss. It’s the way this former inside linebacker for the Bengals does business as director of the Idaho Department of Correction.

At the helm since December 2014, Kempf has made some big changes in the way the department operates, drawing praise from state and community leaders, lawmakers and IDOC staff. As director, he oversees the department’s 2,000 employ-ees, nine prisons, four community re-entry centers and seven probation and parole districts.

Not bad for a kid from Pittsburgh who struggled with academics and took special education classes through high school.

But Kempf was one very smart kid. He wanted to play college football, but didn’t have the grades to play for a four-year school. He could sit out a year and bring his grades up, but that wasn’t an option for the ambitious teen. He wanted to play now so he sent video tapes to Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), landed a spot on the team and moved to Rexburg sight unseen.

“I fell in love with Idaho. I say it all of the time … ‘I was homesick for about five minutes,’ ” he said.

Kempf began to thrive academically, transferred to University of Arkansas where he played a year for the Razor-backs, then returned to Idaho in 1993 to play his senior year at Idaho State University.

“Frankly, there was no other place I wanted to go. Idaho State has a very rich football history and a great reputation in the Big Sky at the time. It was a win-win for me,” said Kempf.

He enjoyed campus life, the community and his political science classes. When asked what he learned at ISU, he said leadership.

CORRECTIONS CAREERAs director of the state’s third largest agency, Kempf has

learned to handle the pressures of working with diverse inter-ests. A fan of social media, he takes to Facebook and Twitter to applaud employees for a professional achievement, solicit ideas or announce a new program. He’s also a formidable ping pong player who can recite the lyrics to most any song by British indie rocker Morrissey.

It’s really no surprise that Kempf chose a career in criminal justice. His two older brothers were police officers—one in Idaho and another who recently retired from the Connecticut State Police.

Kempf joined IDOC in 1995 as a correctional officer at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center and loved the job. He’s served the department in a variety of positions, including parole officer, investigator, warden, chief of prisons and deputy director.

Kempf finds the corrections industry fascinating and chal-lenging—given the fact that 97 percent of Idaho’s inmate popula-tion will walk the streets again.

“It’s our responsibility to do something with them while in our custody. We have to educate them, change the way they think. And then as much as we can, structure their re-entry back into the community so they don’t go back and commit crimes,” he said.

IDOC supervises 24,000 offenders including inmates, parolees and felony probationers.

Under Kempf’s leadership, IDOC is continuing to build on the strengths of the previous administration—including implemen-tation of the Idaho Justice Reinvestment Initiative to improve inmate success— while eliminating practices and treatment programs that research shows do not work.

DRAWING BACK THE CURTAINWhen Kempf took the director’s job, he vowed to run the

department as transparently as possible and he thanks Idaho Governor Butch Otter for letting him do so. Idaho lawmakers can show up unannounced any hour of the day or night, show their legislative badge and tour an IDOC facility.

Kempf says it’s an opportunity for lawmakers to not only witness a dedicated corrections staff and a hard-working offender population, but an opportunity for lawmakers to suggest ways to improve operations.

“That’s how we can make things better,” he said.Chris Gabettas

KEVIN KEMPF: HOW A FORMER POCATELLAN AND BENGAL BECAME IDAHO’S CORRECTIONS CHIEF

21SPRING 2016

22 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

The men and women at Simplot’s Don Plant produce crop nutrients that are used by farmers in every

state west of the Mississippi River. These nutrients enhance soil fertility and allow the American

grower to produce the abundant supply of healthy fruits and vegetables we all enjoy.

Many of these same folks have also been key in stimulating the growth of Pocatello and Chubbuck

as well. In fact, after nearly 70 years, you’ll now find second and third generations of Simplot

employees coaching little league and soccer, and picking up where their fathers and mothers left

off…helping their community wherever they can.

But, nowhere is the company’s bond with Pocatello felt

more passionately than in the Simplot Games. For 35

years we’ve worked hard together to create a world-class

high school track and field event that illustrates for young

and old alike that the future is what you make of it.

The Key To Long-Term Growth Is Sustainability

Bringing Earth’s Resources To Life

www.simplot.com

Fall ISU Mag Ad Full Page.ai 1 7/15/14 4:24 PM

In fall 2013, Crystal Douglas was laid up in her Idaho Falls home with a broken ankle. With her physical mobility hampered, she started following social media sites.

One discussion piqued her interest—the unsolved cases of four Pocatello girls, kidnapped and murdered three decades earlier.

Douglas was a child living in Pocatello at the time. She remembers playing in the same park where two of the girls vanished in 1978 and recalled when a third and a fourth girl went missing several years later.

“I started thinking more about the cases and what became of them,” Douglas said. She began scouring news archives, contacting law enforcement agencies for new information, and reaching out to families who carry the burden of uncer-tainty with them every day.

“It’s like a weight that never comes off of them. Some days it may be heavy,

other days it’s excruciating,” said Douglas, who graduated from Idaho State Univer-sity in 2001 with a master’s degree in counseling.

Her research took her beyond the Pocatello cases—to the discovery of dozens of unsolved missing-persons and homi-cide cases in Idaho. In a matter of months, Douglas had compiled a vast database of Idaho cases on her home computer and created a Facebook page to draw aware-ness to them.

In May 2014, she launched East Idaho Cold Cases, Inc., a website with back-ground on unsolved Idaho cases from 1954 through 2012, including the cases of the murdered Pocatello girls.

Douglas believes many cold cases are simply stuck and in need of a nudge to make them warm again. She hopes people reading eastidahocoldcasesinc.com will provide that nudge with new or unreported information and contact police directly.

COLD-CASE PLAYING CARDS Douglas’ work is gathering traction.

About a year ago, Idaho Department of Correction Director Kevin Kempf came across a Facebook post by Douglas in which she suggested playing cards featur-ing Idaho cold cases. Other states, which have cold-case card programs, have cred-ited the cards with helping solve crimes.

Kempf thought it sounded like a great idea, contacted Douglas and the two started working on card decks featuring cases from Douglas’ website.

In January, 2,500 decks of Idaho cold-case playing cards became available to inmates serving time in Idaho prisons and jails.

“We know that in most crimes some-one out there saw something or knows something and that includes our inmates,” said Kempf. “We’re hoping one of them will look at the cards and say ‘you know, I know who did this’ and have the courage to make a phone call to our anonymous tip line,” he continued.

The project cost just over $7,700 with the Department of Correction kicking in $5,700 and Douglas adding $2,000 from her own pocket. Inmates can purchase a deck for $2 in the prison commissary.

Each deck contains 52 cards with an individual case appearing on the face of each card. Douglas says most cases were assigned to cards at random with the exception of 14-year-old Linda Diane Smith, who vanished from her Pocatello home June 14, 1981.

Her younger brother told police he awoke late one night to see a man carry-ing her from the house, his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams. Her remains were found 11 months later near East Center Street.

“Linda Smith’s brother was just 9 at the time and his sister was always close to his heart. So it seemed fitting to put her on the Nine of Hearts,” Douglas said.

Chris Gabettas

ISU ALUMNA CREATES WEBSITE AND PLAYING CARDS TO HELP SOLVE IDAHO COLD CASES

23SPRING 2016

The men and women at Simplot’s Don Plant produce crop nutrients that are used by farmers in every

state west of the Mississippi River. These nutrients enhance soil fertility and allow the American

grower to produce the abundant supply of healthy fruits and vegetables we all enjoy.

Many of these same folks have also been key in stimulating the growth of Pocatello and Chubbuck

as well. In fact, after nearly 70 years, you’ll now find second and third generations of Simplot

employees coaching little league and soccer, and picking up where their fathers and mothers left

off…helping their community wherever they can.

But, nowhere is the company’s bond with Pocatello felt

more passionately than in the Simplot Games. For 35

years we’ve worked hard together to create a world-class

high school track and field event that illustrates for young

and old alike that the future is what you make of it.

The Key To Long-Term Growth Is Sustainability

Bringing Earth’s Resources To Life

www.simplot.com

Fall ISU Mag Ad Full Page.ai 1 7/15/14 4:24 PM

Less than 10 years after graduating from Idaho State University’s information assurance program, Hernandez, a Black-foot native, has achieved a General Sched-ule 15 civil service ranking, commonly known as a GS-15. This is equivalent to a one-star general ranking in the military and is the highest GS ranking – anyone ranked higher is in the Senior Executive Service.

His fast rise in his profession is testi-mony to the quality of ISU’s cyber security programs.

“ISU is a pioneer in the cyberse-curity field and I benefitted from this ground-breaking work,” Hernandez said. “My rapid career advancement is due directly to the education I received at ISU, which combines comprehensive technical knowledge with a business background.”

Hernandez first earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in electronic systems from the ISU College of Technology, and then earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in computer infor-mation systems in the ISU College of Business. Following that, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in information assurance and computer informa-tion systems from ISU’s Informatics Research Institute and National Information Assurance Training and Education Center.

“ISU gave me the options to address deep technical issues and then focus on cyber

Steven Hernandez, 36, is young to be the chief information security officer for the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, based in Washington, D.C.

24 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

security as a specialized field,” Hernandez said. “What really differentiated the program was its combination with the back-ground from the MBA from the College of Business. This unique mixture helps me take very complex security risks and technical issues and translate them into a business or mission impact for my stakeholders. It allows me to give my employers the strategic information they need.”

Hernandez is not alone in recognizing the quality of ISU’s cyber security programs. Other universities are emulating its curriculum, combining a technical and business education. Furthermore, last fall, the U.S. departments of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency again recognized Idaho State University as a National Center of Academic Excellence for Cyber Security.

ISU and University of Idaho have the longest-running information assurance and cyber security programs in the state, said Professor Dr. Corey Schou, director of the ISU Informatics Research Institute and National Information Assurance Training and Education Center. The

center was one of the first Centers of Excellence designated by the National Security Agency more than 15 years ago. The ISU program is the only one certified to teach all Commit-tee on National Security Systems and National Security Information courses at the advanced level.

The ISU cyber security programs are accredited in 10 different cyber security specialty areas. The institute and the center at ISU were also responsible for developing a variety of standards for security systems containing national security information.

ISU’s Informatics Research Institute and the ISU NIATEC’s ground-breaking research led to the most widely used common

body of knowledge for industry and government, Schou said. “Our teams help design safeguards to cyber security

threats, help train people and identify and deal with threats,” Schou said.

“Information assurance is to make sure the right people, and no one else, have the right information at the right time, for the right price. Information assurance is critical

to defending critical infrastructure.”There is high demand for the ISU cyber security program and

there is currently a wait list to get into it.“We’ve had 100-percent job placement rates for our graduates

since the programs’ inception, and recently, we have received more than $3 million for specialized scholarships to develop computer security experts for the federal government,” Schou said.

Students from ISU who earn a certificate in informatics focusing on cyber security along with their Master of Business Administration degree find employment for national agencies throughout the country.

“Some of our graduates stay in the region to meet their service requirements; many who leave the return to the intermountain area – includ-ing Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Rexburg. Most of our graduates come from within 250 miles of Pocatello, but this is not to say that we do not recruit nationally – we have students from all over the country,” Schou said.

A recent ISU cyber security alumnus who remained in Idaho is Ray Fox, who graduated in May 2014 and now works at the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Department of Homeland Security Industrial Control System–Computer Emergency Response Team.

“The NIATEC program at ISU provided me with a breadth of knowledge that I

continue to use in the ever evolving environment of information assurance,” Fox said. “Information assurance is critical to every system and networks risk management plan. Those responsible for providing uninterrupted services are acutely aware of the importance of information assurance. Others only become aware of it when there is a problem, like the OPM Breach or the Sony Hack.”

Since the graduates of the ISU program must work for the U.S. government they have access to experiential learning opportunities including handling classified material to cyber war simulations, which have been built by ISU students in the past decades, Schou said. ISU’s cyber security efforts are the basis for international professional certification. The IRI/NIATEC has also developed cyber security competitions for universities worldwide.

“The accolades are nice, but I am more proud of our students,” Schou said.

Andrew Taylor

“ISU is a pioneer in the cybersecurity

field and I benefitted from

this ground-breaking work. My rapid career advancement is due directly to the education I

received at ISU … ”– Steven Hernandez

25SPRING 2016

It wasn’t much to look at parked in a heap of dust and cobwebs. Five decades earlier, the rusted and abandoned vehicle was a spectacle to behold, but now, the classic car was almost unrecognizable.

A man had bought the 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner with hopes of restoring it, but was unable to finish.

So the car sat untouched for years, and was nothing more than shredded seats, dented fenders, rusted chrome and a few scattered engine parts by the time it came to Russell Butler, coordinator of the Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing program.

“It was in really bad shape and needed a lot of work,” Butler said.

In 1936, the auto collision program began at Idaho State, and to celebrate its 80th anniversary, the faculty and students were looking for a major project to mark the milestone.

“We wanted to showcase our ability to completely restore a car,” said Dave Treasure, chair of the Trade and Industrial Department. “We’ve been an auto body leader for eight decades, so a restoration project of this magnitude made sense.”

Central to the restoration project was William Eames, a 1957 graduate of the ISU College of Pharmacy. When Eames heard initial plans about

26 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

the anniversary project, he jumped at the opportunity to financially support ISU’s efforts. Eames, the son of a tradesman and a devoted friend to the ISU College of Technology, paid every expense related to the undertaking.

In addition to restoration-related costs, Eames also provided full tuition scholarships to each student working on the project. During an eight-week summer term, students spent their days in a special topics car restorations class. The class had been previ-ously cut a few years earlier due to limits on financial aid, but through the generosity of Eames, the students were able to have the unique experience of restoring a car from start to finish. The students earned college credits in addition to valuable industry-related skills.

During the eight-week class, seven students and two instructors focused their efforts on returning the corroded classic to its original glory. One of the biggest challenges of the restoration project was repairing the retractable hardtop roof. The 1959 Ford Fairlane has a complex mechanism to lift and retract the hardtop underneath the rear decklid. The entire process is done without the use of hydraulics, and it required a lot of assistance and local expertise to repair the intricate electrical components.

“This was an ideal project for the students in our

program. It required a lot of troubleshoot-ing skills and teamwork to complete. Each student gained hands-on knowledge that will positively impact their future employment,” said Butler.

Each student was responsible for an assigned section of the car to focus on during the eight-week course. The students directed the restoration of their specific area, with the help of community members taking the class as a hobby.

“Having this opportunity to work on the Ford Fairlane has taught me to undoubtedly pursue a career in the auto collision industry,” said Martin Zurita, a student in the auto colli-sion program. “I am grateful for the opportu-nity to pinpoint my career focus while still in school rather than out in the industry.”

The exterior of the Ford Fairlane was painted torch red and colonial white, and the interior received new matching uphol-stery. The final project made its public debut at the homecoming parade. Following the completion of the project, Eames pledged an additional gift to purchase tools and supplies for the auto collision program.

Stuart Summers

27SPRING 2016

In a south Boise office, canines are king but a Bengal is top dog.

Chris L. Middleton, who graduated from Idaho State University in 1988, is president of Pets Best Insurance, one of 13 companies in the country providing health insurance for cats and dogs.

“We sell policies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.,” said Middleton, who attended ISU on a track scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Business Administra-tion degree in management and organi-zation.

Middleton joined Pets Best in 2010 as marketing director after working 18 years in finance and marketing for Boise tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

Why Pet Insurance?Veterinary medicine has become

so sophisticated over the years that conditions once considered terminal or debilitating can be successfully treated, extending the quality of a pet’s life for years, say pet insurance advocates.

But vet bills for cancer treatments, surgery or disease management can be costly, forcing financially-strapped pet owners to put an animal down.

“Our mission is to stop economic euthanasia,” said Middleton. “We have a lot of flexibility in our products to allow consumers to get a product that matches their needs.”

How ISU alum Chris L. Middleton went from a high-tech marketing guy to insuring pets

ISU alum and Pets Best president, Chris L. Middleton, with dogs, Addie (left) and Otto.

28 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

Policies range from comprehensive coverage for accidents and illness, includ-ing heredity and congenital conditions, to wellness and accident-only plans. Custom-ers can choose reimbursement rates and deductibles. Pet insurance companies in the United States do not cover pre-exist-ing conditions.

Pets Best insures approximately 60,000 dogs and cats with the typical premium costing about $520 a year excluding well-ness coverage, said Middleton.

A Day at the OfficeThe American Pet Products Associ-

ation—a trade organization that keeps tabs on pet ownership in the United States—estimates that up to 47 percent of households own a dog and 37 percent have a cat.

Walk through the halls of Pets Best on any given day and you’ll witness that passion for pets firsthand. More than a dozen dogs (and an occasional cat) accompany their owners to work. They snooze on mattresses, nibble on snacks and attend staff meetings. A little dog named Moe—his back legs paralyzed when he was hit by a car several years ago—zips

around in a custom-made wheel chair. “It’s great being able to bring our pets

to work. Pets make the office more fun, and all those happy faces help to reduce stress,” said information systems director Paul Crane, who brings his dog Tobey to the office several times a week.

Crane, who graduated from ISU in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and computer information systems, is one of Middleton’s 63 employ-ees who navigate the complexities of pet insurance daily.

“It’s an intensely regulated business and navigating those regulations on a state-by-state basis is a very significant challenge,” said Middleton.

Although only 1 percent of cats and dogs in the U.S. are insured, pet insurance is one of the fastest growing insurance categories in the country.

A committed pet owner himself—his dogs Attie and Otto were at his side during the interview—Middleton enjoys the small-business environment of Pets Best.

“You get to come in every day, work with a great team and see directly how your efforts matter,” he said.

Chris Gabettas

ISU alumnus and Pets Best information systems director, Paul Crane, with dog, Tobey.

Moe—whose back legs were paralyzed when he was hit by a car—rolls around the office in a custom-made wheel chair.

29SPRING 2016

Local Koetter observers were not surprised at his selection as an NFL head coach. The oldest child of Jim and Barbara Koetter, Dirk has been a coach-in-waiting almost since infancy. Jim Koetter is one of the most successful and influential coaches in state history. He head coached Highland and Pocatello High Schools a total of 23 years, earn-ing many state titles. He coached at Idaho State University eight years--assistant head coach of the 1981 national championship team and head coach from 1983 to 1987. He will be inducted into the ISU Sports Hall of Fame in fall 2016.

“From my father I learned about what it takes to put in long hours towards achieving

weekly and season-long goals,” Dirk says. “I learned the fundamentals of quarterback play

and how to attack defenses with the passing game, two areas where my Dad was ahead of his

time. I also learned about loyalty, what I consider to be the number one characteristic of successful assistant coaches.”

The Koetter parents say Dirk’s coaching genes were obvious at an early age.

Dirk Koetter was born to be a football coach. From his beginnings organizing neighborhood games, Koetter recently reached the pinnacle of coaching when

he was named the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.

30 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

“He was probably 6 years old when he was the neighborhood organizer of all teams,” Jim said. “Any games played, he was in charge.”

“Dirk got the kids to play in our yard and he wasn’t afraid to tell them what to do and where to go,” adds Barbara.

Jim brought Highland game film home and Dirk studied it with him. After games the Koetters hosted get-togethers with the assistant coaches and Dirk would pay attention to their game analysis.

Dirk’s football career at ISU included playing on the 1981 championship team. After he graduated, he became head coach at Highland and in 1984, at age 24, his Rams won the state championship.

ESPN pro football analyst and ISU alum Merril Hoge had the distinction of playing for Dirk at Highland and Jim at ISU.

“When I talk about the great coaches in my life, I start with Chuck Noll, but two guys that I would use in the same breath that were innovators and great teachers were Jim and Dirk,” Hoge says. “The Big Sky Conference was using pro-style offen-sive concepts before any other conference in the country. When I was in high school, Dirk introduced these things and opened

my mind to the style of offense I would need to know in the NFL.”

Dirk joins former ISU teammate Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals as an NFL head coach, making ISU one of three universities, the others being Pacific and USC, with two NFL head coaches.

His Tampa Bay appointment high-lights a 33-year coaching career, 23 years as an offensive coordinator, 10 in the NFL and 13 in college, and 11 years as a head coach, nine in college and two at High-land High School.

Lewis was more than just Koetter’s teammate. He was a close family friend.

“I spent nearly every Thanksgiving at the Koetters from 1977 to 1983,” Lewis says, “as well as countless high school football games traveling with Dirk and Barb to see Jim coach and Brent Koetter play. I would travel most Friday nights of 1981 to high school games with Jim to look at players as a graduate assistant coach.”

Statistics can mean almost anything the person citing them intends. But when it comes to Dirk’s NFL coaching they are revealing. On the three teams where he coordinated offenses, every quarterback had the best results of his career.

Koetter spent five years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2007-11, and in 2007 David Garrard set the Jag record for pass-ing efficiency. In Koetter’s three years at Atlanta, Matt Ryan had the three highest passing yardage seasons in team history.

In 2015, Bucs rookie Jameis Winston threw for 4,042 yards, third most for a rookie in NFL history. Some of the credit has to rub off on Koetter, but he gives lot of it to Winston.

“The process with Jameis involved trying to play to his strengths and keeping him out of harm’s way as much as possi-ble,” he says. “He made great progress because he is a very quick learner, a fear-less competitor and an infectious leader.”

Dirk fondly remembers his years at ISU and wishes the same for all its alumni and students.

“To all the current and former Bengals, I would say that we should be thankful and appreciative of our time there. I was fortunate to come in contact with a lot of people who helped lay the foundation for not only my career, but also my non-foot-ball life.”

Dirk met his wife of 27 years, Kim, at ISU where she was an athlete and is a graduate.

Glenn Alford

Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the May 2015 Rookie Mini Camp at One Buccaneer Place. Photo by Matt May/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

31SPRING 2016

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Pocatello | Idaho Falls | Meridian | Twin Falls Graduate School

Idaho State University’s alumna Teaira Burge is thriving in her new city of Chicago. With both a bachelor’s degree in voice performance from ISU and her Master of Music degree from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University under her belt, there’s no telling what her future holds.

“I am so in love with Chicago and the opera community here,” Burge said, “I have some exciting gigs coming up and some even more exciting auditions.”

Currently Burge is a soloist for Opera on Tap Chicago as well as New Moon Opera. She also is the co-founder and general manager of The Song Set Chicago. The recital series, Song Set Chicago, is an event that takes place twice a month in a local coffee shop where featured singers can perform a 30-minute recital.

During her time at ISU, Burge appeared as Papagena in “The Mini Magic Flute,” Polly Peachum in “The Three Penny Opera” and Rapunzel in “Into the Woods.”

She was also a district finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the winner of the Idaho State Civic Symphony Young Artist Competition.

“The Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition was such an exciting experience,” Burge said. “I am so proud to have represented ISU well during its first year hosting such a fantastic competition.”

After graduating from ISU she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she studied with opera coach Ruth Dobson, a professor of music and director of opera at Portland State University. Dobson introduced Burge to the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

“When I was accepted it was a dream come true,” Burge said.

Burge then went on to graduate with her Master of Music degree in 2015.

“My time at Roosevelt taught me so much about resilience,” Burge said. “I truly learned to believe in myself and to push myself past the walls that I thought were built in my way. I learned a lot about myself as a person and as a performer.”

Burge’s future goal is to continue sing-ing wherever and whenever she can.

“One of the best things about Chicago is that so many of us young singers simply create our own opportunities,” Burge said. “So you really never know what fun proj-ect is coming your way next.”

Scarlett Osborn

ISU Alumna Soprano Making it Big in a Big City

32 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

HOMECOMING WEEKSEPTEMBER 19-24, 2016Thursday, September 22, 2016

Alumni Kickoff

Friday, September 23, 2016President's Alumni Recognition Dinner

Reservations required, $45 per person

Parade in downtown

Tailgating at the Holt Arena Alumni will be located on the East side of Holt Arena in a joint tailgate with the FAT group

Football game vs. Sacramento State

Corky FedericoOriginally from Twin Falls, Corky

Federico came to ISU in 1984 as a walk-on for the football team. His ISU career spanned 1984-1987. Federico was team leader in career rushing attempts, with 1,433 career rushing yards. He was named to the All-Big Sky Academic team and named Player of the Week three times. Federico is the owner of Eureka Construction in Twin Falls.

Story H. HolstonStory Holston played tennis for ISU

in 1990 and 1991. In 1990 she had a 15-6 singles record. In 1991 she was 19-5 in singles and 17-2 in doubles and was unbeaten 16-0 in conference play in both singles and doubles. Holston was chosen MVP of the 1991 team. Holston is currently teaching at Shoshone Bannock Jr./Sr. High School in Fort Hall. She coached at Highland High School from 1995 to 1997, was tournament director in tennis for the First Security Games and served as Pocatello Parks & Recreation head tennis pro from 1997-2003. She continues to compete in tennis league play in both Pocatello and Idaho Falls.

Paul LitchfieldPaul Litchfield distinguished himself

in indoor track and field as a Big Sky Conference and ISU pole vault record holder in both 2002 and 2004. He finished 15th in the pole vault at the 2004 NCAA Championships. In outdoor track and field, Litchfield was All-American in 2004, with a fourth place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Championships, ISU record-holder and Big Sky champion in 2002 and 2003, Big Sky champion in the decathlon in 2003 and Outstanding Field Athlete in 2002 and 2003. Paul competed in the U.S. Olympic trials in 2008 and 2012, placing 10th in 2008. He continued to train under former ISU Head Coach Dave Nielsen for several years after he graduated and was an assistant

New Sports Hall of Fame Class to be Inducted

coach from 2006-2011. Litchfield broke his back and was told he’d never be able to compete again, but through faith and perseverance he recovered and competed in the 2012 Olympic trials after not competing for three years.

Nick WhitworthNick Whitworth, known as the

“Mackay Missile,” was the first recruit signed by ISU coach Bruce Barnum in 1998. He is first in single-game yards gained at 273, sixth in career rushing attempts at 463, sixth in rushing yards at 2,353 and 10th in touchdowns at 16. He was named Academic All-Conference in 1998. Whitworth spent seven years as a coach at ISU for the Bengals football team (2003-2010) as special teams coach and recruiting and summer camp coordinator. He is now the special teams coach for Portland State University.

Lifetime Achievement AwardDirk Koetter- See page 30 for a full

story on Koetter.

33SPRING 2016

of the future,” he said. “We’re all about making sure our nuclear deterrent is effective for our nation and our allies. It’s a global security mission.”

Pantex and Y-12 are now tasked with protecting and maintaining the nation’s nuclear stockpile, as well as provid-ing training for security and defense professionals and other national security missions.

“I get a real sense of satisfaction. The work we do is important,” he said. “At the end of the day, I feel like I make a difference.”

Since 1999, Bohne has worked for Bechtel, a contractor that is currently the lead company in Consolidated Nuclear Security and manages several other Department of Energy sites across the country. He has held several positions at Bechtel, including managing public relations for the sometimes-controversial Yucca Mountain Project and then for its entire government services division.

Managing a team of 80 marketing and communications professionals in two states might seem a huge leap from his time as a student at Idaho State Univer-sity, but Bohne still remembers when he arrived at ISU and decided to enter the field of public relations.

His career has taken him to Chernobyl and Yucca Mountain’s nuclear waste stor-age facility. One day, Jason Bohne might find himself helping to arrange tours for important government officials, and the next he may be fielding media questions about nuclear weapons.

Bohne, ’98, is the director of commu-nications and public affairs for Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, managing public relations and communi-cations services for two National Nuclear Security Administration sites, the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. Being a public rela-tions professional for a government site originally built as part of the Manhattan Project, to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, seems like a daunting task, but Bohne says he likes the challenges and the rewards.

“It’s neat to be surrounded by the history, but I’m really excited to be a part

A Las Vegas native, Bohne met his wife, Yvonne, who is from Pocatello, and the couple returned to Southeast Idaho. Unsatisfied with his then career path, Bohne decided to return to school. He met with faculty member Jack Mauch, and decided he had found his calling.

“I still remember the day. I sat down with him and he laid down for me what it was going to be like,” Bohne said. “It was a great fit for me.”

Bohne still returns to ISU at least a few times a year. He is currently the volunteer media director for the Simplot Games, a national indoor high school track event, where he first served as a PR intern 19 years ago. Through the Simplot Games, Bohne has been able to mentor today’s communications students through intern-ships like the one he completed.

Finding opportunity is how Bohne sums up his experience at ISU. Bohne said he was surrounded by knowledge-able professors who cared, giving him the chance to find his career path.

“I came out prepared. I’ve found that to be true all along,” he said. “For me, it was about applying myself. ISU gave me the opportunity to create my own oppor-tunities.”

Emily Frandsen

An Alumnus of Nuclear Importance

34 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

We are here to assist veterans, military service

members and their families.

YOUR VETERAN AND

MILITARY CONNECT

ION

ISU.EDU/VETERANS

THE VETERAN STU

DENT SERVICES

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(208) 282-4245 | veterans@isu.edu

Veteran Student Services Center

Zamira Vasquez has wanted to be part of the medical field since she was young. Following in the footsteps of her father, Vasquez has done the impossible.

“The main thing is to study and go for what you love. If you are really interested in learning the material and are passionate about what you are going into, and what you’re going to become, everything comes easy.” Vasquez said. “Choosing what you really want to be and what you really want to put all of your energy into is the main step to success.”

Vasquez received bachelor’s degrees in both dietetics and nursing. In addition to her busy school schedule, Vasquez was part of the Idaho State University tennis team.

She grew up in Armenia, Colum-bia where she resided until high school. Towards the end of high school she received an opportunity for a full-ride scholarship to Idaho State University through tennis coach Bobby Goeltz.

Shortly after Vasquez arrived in the United States she was welcomed as family into the home of Dr. Julio Vasquez and Idaho State University assistant professor, Dr. Monica Mispireta. She has been part of the family for four years. Vasquez has attended family vacations and spends many holidays with Mispireta’s family.

“She is a very smart girl with a good heart. We invited her over to our house for dinner and my kids immediately connected with her,” Mispireta said. “They see her not only as an older sister, but a role model.”

Vasquez works to keep a good balance in her life between family, friends, school, tennis and work. Vasquez finished her dietetics degree in May and finished her nursing degree in December with a grade point average of 3.7.

Tennis was and continues to be a life-long hobby for Vasquez to relax and enjoy her spare time. Vasquez played tennis every day in Columbia. In addition, tennis

allowed her to meet her best friend Maria Tangarife. The two knew each other in Columbia, but were not close. Their travel to the United States and tennis brought their relationship to a lifelong friendship.

“I would have never thought tennis would bring me so many benefits, I just did it for fun,” Vasquez said. “It is a sport that is going to accompany me my entire life. Besides giving me my education it has brought me great friends. It definitely helped me as a person and to be more disciplined. It will be with me my entire life.”

Last year Vasquez was not able to play much because she was wrapping up her degrees and working towards grad-uating.

Today, Vasquez is a nurse at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the cardiovascular intensive care unit.

“Zamira is a ‘shining star’ for the School of Nursing. She has been accepted to a nurse residency program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville,” said Dr. Nancy Renn, interim director for the School of Nursing. “Based on her experience here at ISU, she will be an asset to the profession.”

Vasquez has centered her career path on following in the footsteps of her father, who passed away from a myocardial infarction (heart attack).

“My dad passed away two months before I decided to come to the United States. He was a surgeon, and I defi-nitely grew up with him putting the law of medicine into me,” Vasquez said. “He was the main force behind helping me to gather everything I needed to succeed in a different country.”

Kayla Nelson, ’16

Tennis Helps Alumna Realize Her Dreams

35SPRING 2016

1980sMary Jo Nyblad, ’81, was named vice president of commodity sales and marketing for wood products by Boise Cascade. Since joining the distribution side of the company in 1982, Nyblad has held a number of positions in wood products sales and became the commodity sales and marketing director in wood products in 2014. Nyblad received a bachelor of arts in psychology from Whitman College, and a Master of Business Administration from Idaho State University.

Mike Chatterton, ‘83, is retiring June 30 as Blaine County School District’s business manager, after working 29 years for the district.

1990sDr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, ’94, ‘96 has been selected as the next vice president for academic affairs at Arkansas Tech University. Abdelrahman has served as associate vice president for research and graduate studies at Texas A&M University-Kingsville since Novem-ber 2011 and as a member of the faculty there since August 2010. He will take office as the chief academic officer at Arkansas Tech in June 2016. Abdelrahman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electronics and telecommu-nications engineering from Cairo University in 1988. He went on to receive a Master of Science degree in engineering physics from Cairo University in 1992 and a Master of Science degree in measurements and controls

engineering from Idaho State University in 1994.In 1996, Abdelrahman earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nuclear science and engineering from Idaho State University.

2000sDeven Elison, ’03, is senior resident project representative at Stanley Consultants. Elison is a licensed professional engineer who earned a degree in civil engineering from Idaho State University.

Ross Castleton, ‘05, has been named warden of St. Anthony Work Camp. Castleton joined the department in 1997 as a correctional officer in Pocatello. In 2002, he became a drug and alcohol rehabilitation specialist. He is a graduate of Idaho State University where he majored in social work.

Jennifer Stokesberry, ’06, was recently named associate principal of Perrine and Sawtooth elementary schools in Twin Falls. She also earned a master’s degree in education leader-ship from the University of Idaho in 2011.

Jennifer Call, ’07, was recently named a deputy prosecuting attorney for Bannock County. Call earned a degree in social work from Idaho State University and a law degree from the University of Utah. Before coming to Bannock County, she worked as a public defender in Butte, Montana, and as a prosecu-tor in Billings, Montana.

ALUMNI NEWS

Kent Oram, ’83, Idaho Central Credit Union Chief Executive Officer, has been named 2016 Idaho Business Leader of the Year by Idaho State University’s Delta Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi. The business fraternity honors an Idaho leader who has demonstrated outstanding business and professional ethics while contributing to the community. Oram holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Idaho State University as well as Certified Chief Executive and Certified Credit Union Executive designations from the Credit Union Executive Society. He was presented with the Credit Union Executive Society Rising 100 Award in 2006, was recognized as the Credit Union Executive Society Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in 2013, and inducted into the Credit Union Executive Society Hall of Fame in 2014.

36 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

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David Rodriguez, ’08, an automotive service technology professor at College of Southern Idaho, was named the Mitchell 1 Educator of the Year for 2015 during the North American Council of Automotive Teachers conference in Joliet, Illinois. He received a $500 check and recognition certificate. The award is presented to instructors who demonstrate a commitment to educational excellence in the automotive repair industry. Rodriguez has taught at CSI for 14 years and had worked in the industry for ten years prior to that. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University and 15 ASE certifications as well as the level of World Class Technician from General Motors.

Ryan S. Hunter, ’08, has been added as an associate to the firm Naylor & Hales, P.C. Most recently, Hunter completed a two year clerkship for the Honorable John M. Melanson, Chief Judge of the Idaho Court of Appeals. He graduated from Idaho State University in 2008 with a B.A. in political science and interna-tional studies. He received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2013.

2010sAudrey Rush, ’10, an oncology-certified family nurse practitioner, has joined the team of providers at UC Health Cancer Care and Hema-tology in Greeley and Loveland as well as at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. She earned a master’s degree in the family nurse practitioner program at Idaho State University.

LeeAnn Morgan, ’10, was recently named associate principal of Pillar Falls and Oregon Trail elementary schools in Twin Falls. She is continuing her education through Boise State University and will graduate with her master’s degree in education leadership in May.

Brittany Casperson, ’11, was awarded the first Lallemand Forward Graduate/Ph.D. Scholar-ship, chosen over more than 100 submissions. Casperson received her bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University in zoology and microbi-ology and her master’s degree from the Univer-sity of Idaho in animal science. Casperson is

College of Arts and Letters - Social & Behavioral SciencesDr. Thomas “Les” Purce

College of Arts and Letters - Fine Arts & HumanitiesSen. Diane Bilyeu

College of BusinessDr. Kory Brown

College of EducationDr. Dani Moffit

College of PharmacyJudge Samuel A. Hoagland

College of Science and Engineering - EngineeringMr. Mitch Greer

College of Science and Engineering - Natural & Physical SciencesDr. Jeffrey K. Geslin

College of TechnologyMr. John P. Ritchie

Division of Health SciencesMrs. Susan Bistline

School of NursingMrs. Mary Ellen Kelly

2016 Professional Achievement Award Recipients

37SPRING 2016

the way you bankYour finances your way, on the go and on the spot.Grab your phone, PC or tablet and visit ICCU.com to explore everything we have to offer at your fingertips including:

• Online and Mobile Banking• Apple PayTM

• Free Checking• Low, Fixed-Rate VISA Cards• Auto Loans, and more

15-IdCe-630-JaialdiSponsorship_PrintAd_8.5x11.indd 1 2/10/15 12:37 PM

currently a third-year Ph.D. student, on track to graduate May 2017, at Purdue University in the Department of Animal Sciences.

Nick L. Grunenwald, ’11 was recently named an associate with Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville, Tennessee. Grunenwald earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He earned a M.S. degree from Idaho State University and a B.A. degree from Louisiana Tech University.

Chelsea Schoenfelder, ’12, joins the Idaho Dairy Council as the manager of health and wellness. Before joining that, Schoenfelder

worked as a clinical dietitian for St. Luke’s community outreach program. A registered dietitian, she holds a master’s of public health and a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Idaho State University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in science and nutrition from University of Idaho.

Jacqueline Fitch, ’15, has joined the Samar-itan Family Medicine Resident Clinic as a physician assistant. She will provide primary care to newborns, children, adults and older adults. Fitch earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Nazarene University and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies at Idaho State University.

Stuart Summers, ’10, most recently director of marketing and recruit-ment at the Idaho State University College of Technology, has been named associate vice president of the Idaho State University Office of Marketing and Communications. In 2014, Summers was nationally recognized for a social media promotion that he helped co-devel-oped on behalf of ISU. The social media initiative generated more than 180,000 entries and effectively communicated ISU’s mission to a national audience. Following its successful implementation he was the co-recipient of several awards from advertising and higher education organizations.

College of Arts and Letters - Social & Behavioral SciencesLaticia Joyce Herkshan

College of Arts and Letters - Fine Arts & HumanitiesKatie M. Nicholls

College of BusinessJenna Larson

College of EducationHope E. Gibson

College of PharmacyMichelle Wilkin

College of Science and Engineering - EngineeringEmerald Ryan

College of Science and Engineering - Natural & Physical SciencesChristian Thomas Borg

College of TechnologyChandra Price

Division of Health SciencesJordan Withers

School of NursingDanielle Zander

Graduate School: Masters RecipientAmanda Sue Poitevin

Graduate School: Doctoral RecipientDeepesh Poudel

2016 Outstanding Student Achievement Award Recipients

38 ISU.EDU/MAGAZINE

the way you bankYour finances your way, on the go and on the spot.Grab your phone, PC or tablet and visit ICCU.com to explore everything we have to offer at your fingertips including:

• Online and Mobile Banking• Apple PayTM

• Free Checking• Low, Fixed-Rate VISA Cards• Auto Loans, and more

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39SPRING 2016

921 S. 8th Ave., Stop 8033Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8033

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. Postage

PAIDPOCATELLO

IDPermit No. 42

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

CLARENCE W. AND VELMA A. BYRNESCHOLARSHIPThe thing that really excited my father, Clancy, and my late mother, Velma, about their scholarship fund was that it would help some wonderful young people get an outstanding education at ISU. Their family members agree, but also view the fund as a perpetual recognition of the loving sacrifices Clancy and Velma made for their entire family and their service to their country and the state of Idaho.

– Michael J. Byrne

INVESTING IN STUDENTS

“A college education means everything,” said Hope Gibson, a graduating senior in Secondary Education and History. Her passion is teaching and a college education allows her to teach others. But she couldn’t have achieved it without a dream, hard work, and the scholarships she received, including the I Love ISU Scholarship, which is funded by hundreds of donations each year. “I knew I was going to need help, and the scholarships I received allowed me to finish college.”

Travis Pattengale, a graduating senior in Finance, believes his university education means a better life all around, and receiving the Clarence W. and Velma A. Byrne Scholarship gave him that chance.

Both Travis and Hope agree scholarship donors make a bigger difference to the students than they realize because the donors make it possible for the students to do something special with their lives. “The scholarships meant the donors believed in me. It’s really encouraging,” added Travis.

For more information on investing in students by creating a scholarship or donating to an existing one, contact the ISU Foundation at (208) 282-3470 or e-mail thirpaul@isu.edu.

Pocatello | Idaho Falls Meridian | Twin Falls