ISU Magazine Fall 2026

From the President

As ISU celebrates 125 years, President Robert Wagner outlines our commitment to our students and to the state of Idaho.

Contract for Idaho

Idaho State University’s Contract for Idaho is a clear promise to the people of this state to provide empowering education, responsible stewardship, community engagement and measurable results.

Budget and Restructuring Update

Following permanent state budget reductions, the University developed and implemented strategic budget initiatives to address an estimated $8 million funding gap while positioning ISU for long-term success.

Theodore Turner:The Father of ISU

Considered the “father of Idaho State University,” Theodore Francis Turner was not only the founder of our institution, he was one of its greatest champions for several decades.

Bengal Triathlon

What was once just a few dozen friends running a race together quickly grew into what is now the 20th Annual Bengal Triathlon, one of the largest triathlon events in the Western United States.

A physical therapy student performs an adjustment on a patient's ankle

Celebrating 35 Years of Physical Therapy Education in Idaho

As the only institution in the Gem State with an accredited physical therapy degree program, ISU has been committed to training exceptional physical therapists for over three decades.

Bengals Who Roar

Artemis science officer, Angela Garcia, stands at the new SCIENCE console in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credits: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Shooting for the Moon

As one of the three science officers stationed at the SCIENCE console in Mission Control during NASA’s 10-day Artemis Mission in May 2026, Angela Garcia’s career has taken her as close to outer space as you can get without being an astronaut.

Alumni and Friends Awards 2026

Every Homecoming, ISU celebrates the people whose achievements, leadership, and service reflect the best of the Bengal community. These honorees represent the many ways Bengals shape their professions, strengthen their communities, and carry the University's legacy forward.

From ISU to Team USA

Going from knowing virtually nothing about skeleton to flying down an icy track three inches off the ground at 75-77 miles per hour just two weeks later, alumnus Andy Whittier’s (2018) path to Olympic training was certainly unique.

Sunshine Denney cared for the Artemis 1 Moon Tree to help establish more roots before planting in the Fall.

To the Moon and Back

Five species of tree seeds flew aboard the Orion spacecraft and orbited the Moon during the successful uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022. Now a seedling accurately nicknamed “Lunafir,” ISU will plant one of them on its historic Hutchinson Quad this fall as part of its 125th Anniversary.

Still Singing Together

Established in 2026, the ISU Alumni Chamber Choir brings together 39 singers spanning four decades, reunited under longtime emeritus ISU Choral Director Scott Anderson.

Bringing Care Home

After earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice from ISU in 2024, Cindy Calderon returned to southern Idaho as a family nurse practitioner in Twin Falls. She now cares for patients from infancy through older adulthood in the region she has always called home.

The Year that Changed My Life >>

Because Someone Stepped In >>

Bengal Bloodlines >>

A Broad Impact

A Powerful Partnership

One of the world’s most advanced nuclear reactors is set to be built on Idaho State University’s Pocatello campus as the first university in the United States selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Innovation Center Launch Pad USA program.

More than a Performance

Step inside the Stephens Performing Arts Center and hear from students and faculty as they share what makes our theatre and music programs so meaningful. Through collaboration, creativity, and hands-on learning, you'll discover how artists are inspired, challenged, and transformed every day.

Meeting Demand

When the Academy of Idaho opened in 1902, it established the foundation for what would become one of the region's most consequential workforce institutions. Now, the College of Technology is strategically positioned to serve Idaho well into the future by evolving in areas like nuclear energy and commercial aviation.

Chad Pope, professor of nuclear engineering (left), and Jay Kunze, emeritus professor of nuclear engineering (right), pose with the disassembled AGN-201 nuclear reactor on ISU’s Pocatello campus. The photo recreates a 1957 photo taken at the Aerojet Nucleonics facility in California.

Powering the Future of Nuclear Energy

Idaho State University’s on-campus reactor has helped Bengals lead the way in nuclear energy for more than 60 years. Now, this piece of 1950s-era tech will help guide the industry into the future.

Students conduct research at the Critical Materials and Energy Systems Innovation Center (CMESIC), a joint facility operated by ISU and Idaho National Laboratory.

A Growing Partnership of Innovation

The relationship between Idaho State University and Idaho National Laboratory began in 1949, when the lab was first established as the National Reactor Testing Station. Today, that historic bond has grown into a massive partnership that is boosting the regional economy while strengthening the future of American energy leadership.

Reece Foulkrod plays Lit-VR, a virtual reality game based in 17th-century London, while Farjana Eishita, assistant professor, observes on-screen.

Serious Gaming

Professors in the Department of Computer Science and Department of English have joined forces to develop a virtual reality (VR) game set in Renaissance-era London to help students learn about classic literary works by Shakespeare, Dickens, and Austen. With a working title of Lit-VR, the game isn’t a run-of-the-mill first-person shooter or survival game; Lit-VR is what’s known as a serious game.

Students in ISU’s education programs provide hands-on interaction with elementary-aged students in schools across Southeastern Idaho

Inspiring Educators

At Idaho State University, the School of Education works alongside school districts across Idaho to prepare the next generation of educators, while also supporting current educators through professional development, service initiatives, and collaborative partnerships.

Beyond Nursing

Housed on its Meridian Health Science Center campus, ISU launched Idaho’s first CRNA training program to address a statewide shortage of anesthesia providers. With the completion of its inaugural year, the program has completed its first step in training the next generation of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologists.

Summer Baldwin, Native American Student Services Coordinator

Learning on Common Ground

A growing partnership between Idaho State University and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes is already paying dividends in research endeavors and student and community support.

Bengal Legacies

Celebrating 70 Years

ISU’s 1956 nursing graduating class consisted of seven students who wore blue uniforms with white caps. Since then, nursing and nursing education have come a long way, with nurses now performing a wide variety of specialized care and continuing to drive patient health outcomes.

ISU pharmacy instruction in April of 1959

Taking the Lead in Healthcare

Following its core values of professional integrity, holistic health, collaboration, discovery and innovation, dedication, and excellence, the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences continues its mission of developing healthcare professionals who can both treat people with kindness and treat their injuries.

Sandee Gehrke, Raquel Reese Anderson, and Doug Crabtree, pose with other healthcare administration students and faculty.

Connections Through the Generations

The connections you make follow you through life, and that’s no more evident than for a trio of Bengals who followed a unique but similar pathway to a career in healthcare administration.

ISUs 2012 marching band playing at the Homecoming game

125 Years of Bengal Spirit

As Bengals, we set out all those years ago in 1901 to flourish, to innovate, and to be the architects of a bright future. Now, in 2026, we celebrate and honor those who came before us and look ahead to the opportunities we have to carry that work forward for the next 125 years and beyond.