Construction for the Vandal Healing Garden at the University of Idaho will start this summer.
According to a memo from Dean of Students Blaine Eckles, The Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial will be on MacLean Field, north of Shattuck Arboretum, between the Physical Education Building and the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
The Healing Garden is a project to memorialize and remember all the Vandals who have passed away while enrolled at the University of Idaho, spurred by the murders of four UI students on Nov. 13, 2022.
Initial planning and fundraising for the Healing Garden began in January 2023. A committee of students and UI employees met weekly to work on the project. The committee was also able to raise $250,000 from donors across the state.
The project itself is driven by students. Students in the College of Art and Architecture landscape drew up design ideas and concepts for the garden. In addition to group presentations, the students also organized a design charrette that was hosted last September with over 100 students and UI employees participating.
In the memo, Eckles wrote: “I am pleased to share that construction of the Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial will start this summer, with completion estimated for late summer or early fall. At that time, we will host a ribbon cutting ceremony introducing this serene healing space to the Vandal Family.”
Ben DeWitt can be reached at [email protected] or on X @BenDeWitt321