In honor of the annual “Higher Education Week,” ASUI board members aim to make the University of Idaho a top priority for the state.
UI President M. Duane Nellis joined ASUI board members at a conference in Boise. Nellis appeared before the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, outlining the economic importance of UI. His main objective is to change employee compensation (CEC).
“Our faculty and staff have not received a raise in the past four or more years,” said Samantha Perez, ASUI president. “It’s important to see them receive the compensation they deserve.”
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter premiered his new proposal, Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM), during Higher Education Week.
“IGEM calls for more collaboration in Idaho,” Perez said. “We want to continue to grow the economy. Higher education plays a large role in state growth and the governor recognizes that.”
Ken Cain, associate director of aquaculture research institute and a professor of Fisheries Resources at UI, is among faculty members performing research that benefits the university. He assisted in developing a vaccine for rainbow trout with cold water disease in 2008. In 2010, UI was given a patent on the vaccine.
“Trout industry in Idaho is huge. We lead the country in our production. With this new vaccine, we can save 100 million trout from disease,” Cain said.
Aquatic Life Sciences is an interested partner in this vaccine production. If the United States Department of Agriculture approves the medicine, UI will receive royalties through Aquatic Life Sciences’ sales, furthering economic growth.
“IGEM will greatly help with this process,” Cain said. “It will support the transition from the developmental stages of research to combining with partners and businesses.”
ASUI also assembled a legislative breakfast for 35 UI students. Each student who attended represented one district in Idaho. Traditionally, this event is only for ASUI students. This year, ASUI opened the breakfast to the entire student body.
“Participants were able to speak one-on-one with their legislator,” Perez said. “Students were able to meet 82 out of 105 legislators. If they were free from meetings, they were encouraged to see Nellis’s address to JFAC.”
In addition, Otter declared last Wednesday “UI Higher Education Day.”
“It was a blast when he made that announcement,” Perez said. “He is a well-known Boise State alumnus and was even wearing a UI tie. Students gathered together and chanted the fight song in his office. It was like getting the key to the city.”