Hundreds of students, staff and faculty crowded into the Idaho Commons Thursday to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the University of Idaho. The free Frisbees and cupcakes were a nice treat for all in attendance. However, the ceremony celebrated much more.
It was held to recognize the accomplishments and traditions UI had established over 125 years, traditions we should all be proud to be apart of.
This anniversary serves as a testament to what UI has meant, and will continue to mean to Idaho.
UI represents an opportunity to students in Idaho and around the world to further their education and themselves.
The $207 million that has been raised through the Inspiring Futures campaign is an example of the widespread alumni network UI has created. This type of giving is an example of their commitment to ensure that the UI tradition continues through student scholarships and research money, among other things.
UI serves as Idaho’s land-grant research institution that has been committed to funding research endeavors that hold significance to the state of Idaho and the Northwest. UI has attracted millions of dollars in research funds each year that allows it to grow and develop. These funds are an example of the quality of research done here.
As a student newspaper, and more specifically as an editorial board, we pride ourselves on criticizing UI when appropriate. However, we all recognize the tradition we are a part of, and the significance of UI in our professional and personal development.
Although remembering our history is essential, it is the current and future students, professors and administrators that will continue to make UI memorableand significant.
It was fitting that future UI President Chuck Staben was in attendance at the ceremony. Not just to recognize the milestone, but to also signal a new path for UI as it faces large challenges in the near future.
As the confetti fell, we all took a moment to recognize what UI has meant for those who came before us, and what it continues to mean to all of us today.
–RT