Alumni & Visitor Center
Overview
Idaho State University has come a long way since its birth as Academy of Idaho in 1901. Over the past century, we have experienced a rich heritage that is the fruit of great people who went before us.
Bits and pieces of that history are scattered all over campus, without the proper home where they can be preserved and displayed for generations of students and alumni to come. To honor those people and to preserve and showcase the history of Idaho State University, the Alumni Association is raising funds to build an Alumni & Visitor Center on campus, near Holt Arena. This center will become the driving force on campus to protect our past, while welcoming the alumni of the future. It will be the gateway to the campus and the doorway to the University. Join other alumni in making a gift to the Alumni & Visitor Center and help create a place to save our past and brighten our future. The new Alumni & Visitor Center will be a tribute to those of you who have come before, but will also serve as a springboard for our future alumni. In the new Alumni & Visitor Center you will be able to visit with friends at meetings or reunions, thumb through Wickiups, see letterman jackets, trophies and scrapbooks, and revel in the campus experiences we all hold so dear. Potential new students will learn about the rich history of ISU that makes it a prestigious institution.
Students will use the space for meetings, campus recruiters will meet with incoming students and start campus tours from the Center.
The vision for this ISU Alumni & Visitor Center is that of "working elegance." It will be home to:
- The alumni and development staff who will continue to bring you Homecoming events, alumni awards, service projects and legislative updates
- Conference space available to alumni, students, faculty, and community members
- A beautiful grand hall with seating for up to 320 with a large reception space.
- Outdoor entertaining areas
- It will become the primary fundraising venue for scholarships and recruitment
Why a new Alumni Center?
Following the University's 100th birthday and the graduation of nearly 70,000 students, alumni activities and needs have outgrown the historical Magnuson Alumni House. To better respond to the desires of our alumni and encourage the education of future students, the Center will be built at the northeast entrance to campus on the corner of East Bonneville and Memorial Drive. This location, adjacent to Holt Arena, will bring visibility to the Alumni & Visitor Center and will also serve as an information point for campus visitors. The campus has no such central venue at present to showcase the rich history of ISU. Most students spend years on campus and never see or visit the present Alumni House.
Funding
Center construction must be funded entirely through private sources. The building will be built and maintained by alumni and enjoyed by all. The Center will be available for rental for public and private events, utilized for technology conferences, and open to all alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends. Construction will begin as soon as funds are secured. One of the most impressive projects of the entire plan will be the outdoor garden and bricked terrace. Alumni and friends will have the opportunity to purchase personalized bricks that will be placed in the terrace floor. Areas throughout the Center will honor and recognized distinguished alumni. Many naming opportunities still exist for those willing to provide monetary support to the project to both strengthen and make ISU more competitive in future years.
If you would like to join in this effort, please use the ISU Foundation Online Pledge Form to make a donation today!
Alumni & Visitor Center Campaign Cabinet
Dave Sanna, Chairman, Campaign Cabinet.
Past President, Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Email: david.sanna@rbc.com.
Ron Stephenson, Past President, Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Member of Idaho State University Foundation Board.
Email: ronbarbs@msn.com.
Dennis Moodie, Member, Idaho State University Foundation.
Past member, Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Email: dcmpkm@cableone.net.
Michele Pond-Bell, Past President, Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Email: mpbell_8@msn.com.
Michael J. Byrne, Past President, Idaho State University Foundation.
Email: mbyrne@prodigy.net.
Laura I. Vailas, Ph.D., Idaho State University, Special Advisor to University Advancement.
Email: vaillaur@isu.edu.
Bill Kobus, Executive Director, Office of Alumni Relations.
Past President, Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Email: kobubill@isu.edu.
Kent Tingey, D.A., Vice President, University Advancement.
Email: tingkent@isu.edu.
Donald J. Colby, Associate Vice President for Development,
ISU Foundation office.
Email: colbydon@isu.edu.
