[Vision2020] The UI Friday Letter

[Tom Hansen]

University of Idaho
Office of the President
Moscow, Idaho 83844-3151
Phone: 208-885-6365
Fax: 208-885-6558

The Friday Letter
A Newsletter for University of Idaho Alumni and Friends
June 18, 2004

Here's the latest news at the University of Idaho:

* UI international graduate student Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was acquitted
last week on three charges of conspiracy to aid terrorists and on three
charges of making false statements related to visas. Eight other
visa-related charges are still pending. "The happenings of the last 17
months certainly indicate the significance of three hallmarks of our
justice system: the presumption of innocence, the government's burden of
proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and the right to a trial by jury,"
said Provost Brian Pitcher. "As the case is ongoing, we should be patient
in our analysis of very complicated issues.

"Sami's case has reminded us that the First Amendment protects our
freedom of speech. It is a basic right regardless of whether we agree
or disagree," Pitcher said. "The right of free speech is a strength of
our society, and universities are strongly committed to it.

"The university community and the university experience are richer through
the multiple interest groups and many differences on this campus," he
added. "In this period of violent conflict and emotional response, we must
be objective in recognizing contributions from all segments of the
community, and we must avoid easy recourse to negative stereotyping.
This includes affirming the significant role of our international
scholars to the UI's instruction and research roles, and to our community
life. In particular, I note that Muslim faculty and students have a long
and continuing history of contribution to the success of the university."

* A team from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
(NWCCU) will be on the Moscow campus in early October for UI's 10-year
institutional accreditation visit. The team - composed of administrators,
faculty and staff from other higher education institutions in the region -
will review UI's self-study and conduct interviews with faculty, staff
and students Oct. 4 - 6. That data will become the basis for the
re-accreditation recommendation. UI's last full accreditation review was
in 1994, with an update visit in 1999.

Faculty-led committees developed the self-study, which addresses the
university's status and progress on a number of specific fronts. Public
comment sessions were held on the Moscow campus for each standard. NWCCU
invites written comments from faculty, staff, students, alumni and the
general public on the following standards: Institutional Mission and Goals,
Planning and Effectiveness; Educational Program And Its Effectiveness;
Students; Faculty; Library and Information Resources; Governance and
Administration; Finance; Physical Resources; and Institutional Integrity.
Comments can be mailed to NWCCU, 8060 165th Ave. N., Suite 100,
Redmond WA 98052. More information is available at
www.webs.uidaho.edu/nwccu.

* Forestry alumnus Finley McNaughton '42, has established the Finley and
Jean Chandler McNaughton Excellence Scholarship Endowment in the College
of Natural Resources. The purpose of this endowment is to provide
scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in
CNR and are interested in a career in public service. McNaughton had a
26-year career with the U.S.D.A Forest Service and also served in World
War II. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, his late wife, Jean, worked
in the UI President's Office and as the dean's secretary in the College
of Forestry. This gift honors their longstanding relationship with the
college.

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Take care,

Tom Hansen
UI '96

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
-Robin Williams