Boise State is Idaho’s metropolitan research university, located in the state’s population center and capital city, a hub of government, business, the arts, health care, industry and technology. The campus is home to 11 Idaho Professor of the Year honorees since 1990 and the 2005 national champion student debate and speech team. Boise State is the largest university in Idaho with an all-time state enrollment record of 19,667 students.
The university offers more than 190 fields of interest. Undergraduate, graduate and technical programs are available in seven colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences and Public Affairs. Students can also study abroad and participate in one of the largest internship programs in the Northwest.
Campus life offers adventure and activity. More than 200 student organizations, new residence halls along the Boise River Greenbelt and a state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center provide opportunities for both individual development and fun. More than one million visitors come to campus annually for Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning speakers, Bronco football, Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration and other events.
Boise State University is Idaho’s metropolitan research university, located in the state’s main population center and capital city, a hub of government, business, the arts, health care, industry and technology. The campus is the home of 11 Idaho Professor of the Year honorees since 1990, the national award-winning Talking Broncos s
tudent debate and speech team and the two-time Tostitos Fiesta Bowl champion Bronco football team. Boise State has the fastest growing research program in Idaho and is the largest university in the state, with an enrollment of about 19,000 students.
The university offers more than 165 fields of interest. Undergraduate, graduate and technical programs are available in seven colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences and Public Affairs. Students also can study abroad, participate in one of the largest internship programs in the Northwest, and work with professors on biomedical research to fight cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, among others.
Campus life offers adventure and activity. More than 200 student organizations, beautiful residence halls along the Boise River Greenbelt and a state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center provide opportunities for both individual development and fun. More than one million visitors come to campus annually for Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning speakers, Bronco football, the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration and other events. Boise State is located less than an hour from skiing, whitewater rafting and a host of other outdoor recreational opportunities.
GENERAL
- Emerging metropolitan research university of distinction, achieving its vision through academic excellence, public engagement, a vibrant culture and exceptional research
- Reflecting the character of Idaho’s capital city – a center of business, government, technology, health care and the arts
- Largest university in Idaho with about 19,000 students
- More than 70,000 alumni live across the United States and beyond
- Ranked among the nation’s and West’s “top up-and-coming schools” in the 2009 U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” issue
ACADEMICS
- Undergraduate, graduate and technical programs in seven colleges with more than 165 fields of interest
- Four doctoral programs — electrical and computer engineering, geosciences, geophysics and education
- Idaho’s first Executive MBA program, accredited by AACSB International, the gold standard for accreditation
- Students and alumni include two Rhodes Scholars, a Truman Scholar, a Mitchell Scholar, four Goldwater Scholars, a USA Today Academic All-American, several NCAA Academic All-Americans, several NCAA post-graduate scholars, and many Fulbright scholars and professors
- Customized education with Internet-based courses and classes available in Canyon County, Mountain Home, Twin Falls and Gowen Field
- Study abroad opportunities offered in more than 50 countries
- Formal international partnerships with the University of Cagliari in Italy, University of Calgary in Canada, Asia University in Tokyo, the Basque government in Spain, and more than 35 other institutions
- College of Engineering undergraduate programs ranked 15th in the nation among comprehensive public universities in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” issue
- College of Business and Economics is among 4 percent of business schools in the world and 20 percent in the nation with AACSB international accreditation
- Largest undergraduate nursing program in the state
- Only university in the United States to offer a master of science degree in raptor biology
- AfterWork program allows working adults to complete bachelor’s degrees in nine areas of study through a combination of evening, weekend and online classes without exiting their career tracks
- Innovative “Investigate Boise” course, held in a downtown storefront, incorporates community leaders, tours and investigation in a field school for urban affairs
- Academic partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory provides students and faculty access to unprecedented resources in the development of microelectronics
FACULTY
- Communication professor Heidi Reeder was named the 2007 Idaho Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation, marking the 11th time since 1990 that a Boise State professor had won this award
- Assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering Wan Kuang was honored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2009 with a $400,000 CAREER grant, NSF’s most prestigious award for early career faculty
- Adjunct English professor Alan Heathcock was named the 2009 Carol Houck Smith Scholar at the national Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the oldest writer’s conference in the country
- In 2010, Boise State faculty had two articles published in Science, the acclaimed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Dean of the College of Engineering Cheryl Schrader received the 2008 Hewlett-Packard/Harriett B. Rigas Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Education Society for positively impacting engineering education.
- Provide expert commentary for New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, New Scientist, The Economist, CNN and Newsweek
STUDENTS
- Student Construction Management Association has twice been named top chapter in the nation by the Associated General Contractors of America
- Team of engineering students earned second place in the 2009 international SAE Aero Design West competition
- Student teams have twice participated in NASA’s Microgravity University, which challenges undergraduates to design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment
- Student research team was honored as a runner-up in the 2009 Lunar Outpost Student Design Competition sponsored by the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) in Hawaii
- Three College of Engineering students and a recent graduate/staff member were selected to participate in NASA’s 2010 Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) Program
- Criminal justice students in Boise State’s Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society took home more awards than any other student chapter at the 2010 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society conferences
- Chemistry student Bryan Martin presented his research in Washington, D.C., during the Council on Undergraduate Research’s annual “Posters on the Hill”
- Faculty regularly work side-by-side with undergraduate students on research
- A student/faculty ratio of 21:1
- Students have recently won national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Kappa Sigma, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Environmental Health Association
- One of the largest internship programs in the Northwest with 1,300 job placements annually
- More than $103 million in financial aid awarded to about 13,000 students for 2008-2009
- Talking Broncos debate and speech team won the 2005 national championship and is a perennial contender for the title
RESEARCH
- Received $37 million for sponsored research projects for fiscal year 2009
- An interdisciplinary group received $940,000 in federal funding for West Nile virus vaccine research
- The Center for Health Policy researches the challenges of recruiting and retaining family medicine physicians in rural areas of Idaho
- Fastest growing biomolecular research program in Idaho supports researchers studying Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, artificial cartilage, chemotherapeutic drugs and other areas
- Part of two Federal Aviation Administration research centers with other universities such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard and Cal Berkeley
- More than 50 centers and institutes on campus work for the common good of Idaho and beyond, including the Center for Health Policy, Idaho Council on Economic Education and Andrus Center for Public Policy
- Recipient of $16.1 million grant along with sister institutions in Idaho from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Network for Biomedical Research Excellence
- Conduct funded research in Asia, Europe, Greenland, South and Central America, and many other locations worldwide
- Recipient of a $4.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a National Geothermal Data System
- Research team awarded a $630,000 grant to develop a novel propulsion system for NASA
- Biology faculty Kristen Mitchell awarded $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study liver regeneration.
- Biology professor Cheryl Jorcyk received a $720,000 American Cancer Society grant for breast cancer research
- Engineering faculty Amy Moll has garnered an impressive $18.5 million in research awards since joining the Boise State faculty in 2000
- Five grants awarded in fiscal year 2009 exceeded $1 million, including grants from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centers for three-dimensional technology in advanced sensor systems; the Department of Defense for reconfigurable electronics and non-volatile memory research; and the Department of Defense for molecular barcodes in the DNA Safeguard Project.
- Engineering faculty Maria Mitkova awarded nearly $1 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to study the unique properties of chalcogenide glass to create a sophisticated radiation sensor
- Boise State currently holds seven U.S. patents and has filed for about two-dozen more, well above the 2009 national average for the number of invention disclosures and patent applications.
CAMPUS LIFE
- Seven residence halls and five apartments, including eight Ivy League-modeled residential colleges and living/learning communities for students and faculty
- Vibrant campus life with more than 200 student organizations
- Award-winning $12 million Student Recreation Center with one of the largest collegiate climbing gyms in the United States (7,200-square-foot rock wall)
- Intercollegiate athletics features 18 sports, including a nationally recognized football program that competes on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium
- Host a variety of events each year, including Homecoming, Pow Wow, Earth Week, Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration, International Food, Song and Dance Festival, and more
- More than 1.1 million people annually attend campus cultural, athletic and entertainment events
FACILITIES
- 175-acre main campus situated less than a mile from Boise’s bustling downtown
- Main academic facilities include Albertsons Library, Engineering Complex, Norco Building, Communication Building, Kinesiology Building and Annex, Liberal Arts Building, Math/Geosciences Building, Business Building, Education Building, Science/Nursing Building, Interactive Learning Center, Public Affairs and Arts West Building and the Multipurpose Classroom Building
- Micron Business and Economics Building, at the corner of University Drive and Capitol Boulevard, to break ground in 2010 and open in fall 2012
- Five-story, 90,000-square-foot Center for Environmental Science and Economic Development (CESED) Building to open in 2011
- In last three years, opened or started construction on seven major new buildings encompassing a half a million square feet of classroom, laboratory, office, event and common areas
- Entertainment and athletic facilities include Bronco Stadium (33,500 capacity), Taco Bell Arena (12,400), Morrison Center Main Hall (2,000) and Centennial Amphitheatre (800)
- Student Union venues are the Grace Jordan Ballroom (1,000), J.R. and Esther Simplot Grand Ballroom (700) and Special Events Center (435) in addition to the Boise State Bookstore and Bronco Shop
- Additional education centers at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Gowen Field, Twin Falls and Nampa’s Columbia High School
COMMUNITY
- Guest speakers on campus have included illustrious figures such as Seymour Hersh, Al Gore, Mary Robinson, Kurt Vonnegut, Lech Walesa, Walter Mondale, Gloria Steinem, Danny Glover, E.O. Wilson, Peter Jennings, Ralph Nader, George McGovern, Cornel West, Barack Obama and John Wooden
- Annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival brings world-famous jazz artists to Boise
- Hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration every January
- Connected to Idaho community, serving more than 30,000 people annually in workshops, short courses, apprenticeship training and other non-credit programs
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institute partners with faculty and community organizations to offer its aged 50 and older members unique insight and experiences
- Largest Service-Learning program in the state has engaged more than 12,000 students in giving an excess of 285,000 hours of service to community organizations
- Unique partnerships with dance troupes Trey McIntyre Project and Idaho Dance Theatre bring quality performances to campus while offering educational opportunities to dancers
- In 2009, the Idaho Small Business Development Center, housed at Boise State, helped clients create 135 new jobs and save 838 others
CITY OF BOISE
- “Welcome to Boise, Idaho, the last great place in the American West – where housing remains affordable, Western culture still thrives, and access to the nation’s wildest state begins within city limits.” — National Geographic Adventure magazine, September 2006
- “Sitting at the junction of the arid plateau of the high desert and the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the capital of Idaho offers all the outdoor advantages of more ballyhooed Western towns but with less, well, ballyhoo.” – The New York Times, July 2006
- “The secret to living large affordably – do it in a small city like Boise…Despite its diminutive size, I conclude, this city has star quality.” — National Geographic Traveler magazine, March 2006
- “A rejuvenated downtown and a budding arts community mean that after a day of rafting…you don’t have to turn in once the sun fades.” — The New York Times, July 2006
- Top 10 places for outdoor activities — Sperling’s Best Places, October 2005
- No. 8 for best places to live — Money magazine, July 2006
- No. 4 for best walking cities in the U.S. — Prevention magazine, April 2006
- No. 1 for best places for business and careers — Forbes magazine, 2005
- No. 2 for best places for job growth — Inc. magazine, 2005
- No. 1 for best places to live and bike — Bike magazine, 2003
NOTEWORTHY ALUMNI
- Hollywood director and Boise State’s first Rhodes Scholar Michael Hoffman (’79) — his movies include “Restoration” (which won two Oscars), “One Fine Day,” and “The Last Station”
- Micron Technology CEO and chair Steve Appleton (’82) — joined Boise-based Micron after graduation from Boise State and helped shape it into one of the world’s top suppliers of memory chips and image sensors
- Civic and political leader Bethine Church (’43), widow of the late U.S. Sen. Frank Church
- Actor Earl Boen (’61) — appeared in television shows and more than 50 feature films, including “Terminator,” “The Man With Two Brains,” “9 to 5” and “Nutty Professor II”
- Former Nevada Governor Mike O’Callaghan (’50) — served as governor from 1971-78 and then as an executive and columnist for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper (O’Callaghan passed away in 2004)
- NBA players Chris Childs (’89), Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, and Gus Johnson (’62), Baltimore Bullets (Johnson passed away in 1987)
- Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter (’64) and his wife, First Lady Lori Easley Otter (’92)
- Football Hall of Famers Randy Trautman (’82), Calgary Stampeders (College Football Hall of Fame), andDave Wilcox (’62), San Francisco 49ers (Pro Football Hall of Fame)
Athletics
TACO BELL ARENA
Capacity: 12,380 Opened: 1982
» Taco Bell Arena SEATING CHART
“Home Sweet Home” for Boise State basketball is Taco Bell Arena. Recognized as one of the finest basketball arenas in the West, Taco Bell Arena has become one the toughest places for Bronco opponents to pick up a win.
Built in the spring of 1982 at a cost of $17.5 million, Taco Bell Arena (formerly known as The Pavilion) seats 12,380 people. In the last 20 years, Taco Bell Arena crowds have witnessed exciting college basketball from Boise State, as well as some of the top ranked teams in the country.
Taco Bell Arena hosted first and second round games for the NCAA Men’s Division I National Tournament on seven different occasions (1983, 1989, 1992, 1995,1998, 2001, and 2005). From victories by top-ranked Virginia and Ralph Sampson, to UCLA and Tyus Edney’s improbable 4.8 second coast-to-coast lay up to beat Missouri in 1995, to Hampton’s shocking upset of second-seeded Iowa State in 2001, Boise has become one of the most popular and respected NCAA regional sites.
In March of 2002, Taco Bell Arena hosted the NCAA Women’s West Regional Finals. Taco Bell Arena also hosted another major women’s collegiate championship in April of 2000 with the NCAA Women’s National Gymnastics Championships. Taco Bell Arena also hosted three conference championship tournaments while Boise State was a member of the Big Sky Conference. In 1994, Boise State won three straight tourney games on its home floor to win the Big Sky crown and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in seven years.
In 20 years of action in the Taco Bell Arena, Bronco basketball teams have averaged just under 12 wins a season and have picked up victories better than 75 percent of the time.
In 14 of those 20 seasons, Boise State has won no fewer than 10 games a season at home, including a perfect 13-0 mark in 1997-98. That marked the first time a Bronco team won every home game at Taco Bell Arena.
In Boise State’s last four seasons as a member of the Big West Conference, the Broncos led the league in attendance. During the 2000-01 season, the Broncos averaged 8, 448 fans per game to rank 57th nationally. In 1999-2000 Boise State averaged 7,657 fans per game to rank 67th nationally, while in 1998-99, Boise State averaged 7,988 fans per game to not only lead the league but rank 59th in the country. In 1997-98, a Big West best 7,040 fans per game turned out at Taco Bell Arena to rank the team 70th in the nation.
Between the Bronco basketball team and fans, Taco Bell Arena comes to life, making life hard on opponents and providing a “Home Sweet Home” for Boise State.
TACO BELL ARENA FACTS
- Ground Breaking: February 1980
- First Men’s Basketball Game in Taco Bell Arena: November 29, 1982 (vs. Michigan State)
- Total seating capacity: 12,380
- Men’s Basketball All-time attendance record: 12,649 (vs. Idaho, March 5, 1993)
- Women’s Basketball All-time attendance record: 11,558 (#21 Boise State vs. #20 Montana, January 29, 1994)
- All-time Taco Bell Arena attendance record: 12,897 (Neil Diamond concert, November 6, 1996)
- Men’s Basketball All-time Record, through 2006-2007 season: 282-100 (.738)
- Women’s Basketball All-time Record, through 2006-2007 season: 200-108 (.649)
- Street level 17,472 sq. ft. exhibition area accommodating 110 booths (10’x10′) with direct access from two loading bays
- 9,600 sq. ft. auxiliary gymnasium (80’x120′) for additional exhibition, staging or meeting space
- Deluxe green room, VIP blue room, two road offices and five performer dressing rooms
- World class rigging grid for record breaking load in and load out
- State of the art video board (Bronco Vision) over center court
NCAA 1st and 2nd Rounds in 2005
Packed House to See the Broncos in 2007
Bronco Stadium
“The Blue”
Capacity: 32,000 Opened: 1970
Athletics
Appleton Tennis Center
COURTESY: BOISE STATE SPORTS INFORMATION
RELEASE: 09/21/2006
Jackson Indoor Track
COURTESY: BOISE STATE SPORTS INFORMATION
RELEASE: 09/21/2006
Boas Tennis/Soccer Complex
COURTESY: BOISE STATE SPORTS INFORMATION
RELEASE: 09/21/2006
1507 S. Oakland
Bronco Gym
COURTESY: BOISE STATE SPORTS INFORMATION
RELEASE: 09/21/2006
Mtn. Cove Softball Facility
COURTESY: STAFF
RELEASE: 07/13/2010
Swimming & Diving Facilities
COURTESY: STAFF
RELEASE: 08/26/2010
Source: Boise State