[Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho

[Carl Westberg]

I wanted to share these thoughts from a U of I alum in Boise, posted on Vandal Venue, regarding the current state of the University of Idaho.  While the immediate subject is athletics, the post is about far more than that.  He writes of an overall ennui surrounding the entire institution.  He gave permission for me to cut and paste.  I think he has some interesting thoughts.  In quotes, his post.....
"Those are interesting observations, and they
 seem to be consistent with what I sense is going on at the U of I.  
Nellis seems to be more of a caretaker president than one who is 
seriously pushing forward on anything.  I understand I only see a very 
small snapshot of what is actually going on up there, but if that’s the 
snapshot I’m seeing it says something about the perception the school is
 getting down here."

 "The “autopilot” characterization of the 
university is spot-on to me.  Not going anywhere.  Stayed.  Static.  
Unchanging.  I feel like the U of I has been on autopilot for a decade 
or more, and in the meantime it has substantially eroded its mantle and 
role in higher education in this state.  We have gone from being the 
undisputed leader to alarming irrelevance.  We are letting others 
control the discussion of what our school is and what it means to the 
state.  We are declining to show up for our own defense."

 "I 
think another poster said awhile ago that the biggest tragedy about University 
Place was that it didn’t get finished.  As much as the whole University 
Place caused havoc for the school (from which the school has not yet 
recovered and may not ever), the vision was right while the execution 
was wrong.  Hoover understood that if we didn’t grow we would die.  He 
understood that the new battle for higher education relevance in Idaho 
was taking place in the Treasure Valley.  He understood that if we 
didn’t make the school prominent here we would lose exposure, then 
relevance, and then the school as we knew it.  And that’s exactly what 
is happening.  Ever since the project got halted and the U of I was 
crucified in the media for the financial aspects of it we have lost any 
semblance of leadership at the school that actually wants to move the U 
of I forward."  

 
"The biggest reason why this has happened 
over the last 10 years is that the culture of the school has just given 
up.  There is no push from the base to move things forward, so the 
administration feels just fine not doing anything.  Those of us who post
 on these message boards are not the true representatives of the Vandal 
base.  No, the true representative of the Vandal base doesn’t really 
think much about Vandal football or athletics or even what is going on 
in Moscow anymore.  They live their lives, go about their daily affairs,
 and don’t really care about what is happening to the old alma mater.  
The base isn’t so much asleep as it has become the living extinct."
 
"There
 is no push from the base, so there is no push from the leadership.  The
 base doesn’t care, so the leadership doesn’t act.  The battle is raging
 and our school is essentially not participating.  There is no 
inspiration anymore."          End of his post......  



 		 	   		  
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