BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY

'Boise State University' is a state university located near downtown Boise, the capital city of Idaho.
Boise State was originally founded in 1932 as "Boise Junior College" by the Episcopal Church. After two years the school was independent, and in 1940 it moved to its present site, along the south bank of the Boise River. In 1965 it gained four-year status as "Boise College" with creation of baccalaureate degrees, and in 1969 joined the state system of higher education and was renamed "Boise State College." In 1974 Boise State College gained university status and became "Boise State University." BSU offers 201 degrees in 190 fields of study - from doctoral programs to technical certificates.
With nearly 18,900 students, Boise State University is the largest institution of higher learning in Idaho.

Contents

History

Campus

Bronco Stadium

Taco Bell Arena

Morrison Center

Albertsons Library

Student Union Building

Other Campuses

Life on campus

Housing

Transportation

Parking

Alternative methods

Campus events

Demographics

Colleges

Athletics

Broncos Football

Fight Song

Notable people

Broadcast media

External links

References

History

★ 1932 - Founded as 'Boise Junior College' by the Episcopal Church.

★ 1934 - Episcopal Church ends affiliation and board of directors after assumes leadership.

★ 1940 - Campus moved from original location at St. Margaret’s Hall to present site.

★ 1947 - The football program begins under Coach Lyle Smith who is called the father of the Boise State football program.

★ 1958 - Football team wins the NJCAA national championship.

★ 1965 - Baccalaureate degrees introduced to become 'Boise College'.

★
★ Alumni Association is formed.

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★ Enrollment reaches 5,000.

★ 1968 - Football team begins competition as a four-year school, competing as a Division II independent

★ 1969 - State system of higher education takes over and name changed to 'Boise State College'.

★ 1970 - Joined the Big Sky Conference for men's athletics.

★
★ Bronco Stadium opens with a capacity of 14,500 and green Astroturf field

★ 1974 - University status granted, becomes 'Boise State University'

★ 1975 - Bronco Stadium adds upper deck to east side: 20,000 capacity.

★ 1978 - Big Sky moves up to newly formed Division I-AA.

★ 1979 - Enrollment reaches 10,000.

★ 1980 - Football team wins the I-AA national championship.

★ 1982 - BSU Pavilion (multi-purpose arena) opened in late May.

★ 1984 - The Velma V. Morrison Center opened its doors on April 7.

★ 1986 - ''Blue'' Astroturf field installed at Bronco Stadium, the first -- and only -- turf of its kind.

★ 1992 - First doctoral degree approved: Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction.

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★ Enrollment reaches 15,000; school becomes state's largest.

★ 1994 - Football team reaches the I-AA national championship game.

★ 1996 - Majority of school's athletic programs move to Big West Conference (Wrestling remains in Pac-10).

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★ Moved to NCAA Division I-A.

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★ Bronco Stadium capacity expanded to 30,000.

★ 1999 - Football team wins Big West title and Humanitarian Bowl against Louisville.

★ 2000 - Football team wins second Big West title and Humanitarian Bowl against UTEP.

★ 2001 - Majority of school's athletic programs move to Western Athletic Conference (Wrestling remains in Pac-10).

★ 2002 - Football team wins WAC title and Humanitarian Bowl against Iowa State University.

★ 2003 - Football team wins second WAC title and Fort Worth Bowl against TCU.

★ 2004 - Enrollment reaches 18,456.

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★ BSU Pavilion renamed Taco Bell Arena.

★
★ Football team goes undefeated in regular season for first time in modern era, wins its third straight WAC title and finishing 9th in the nation in the BCS rankings, but loses its bowl game vs. Louisville. It was considered a match up of two of the best non-BCS Conference teams that year.

★ 2005 - Football team wins fourth straight WAC title but loses MPC Computers Bowl to Boston College.

★ 2006 - BSU wins the WAC Commissioner's Cup for the 2005-06 sports season.

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★ Senior Ben Cherrington wins NCAA National Championship wrestling match at 157 pounds.

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★ Ben Cherrington and Tyler Sherfey are named the 2006 Pac-10 Conference Wrestler of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively.

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★ Football team goes undefeated for the second time in three years, wins fifth WAC title in a row, earns their first BCS berth in the Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners in January 2007.

★ 2007 - Football team wins the Fiesta Bowl 43-42 in a thrilling overtime finish. They became the only undefeated team in the nation after Ohio State lost to Florida in the National Championship game. BSU finishes #5 in the AP poll with one first place vote, their highest ranking ever.

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★ State of Idaho approves funding for a $35.9 million addition to Bronco Stadium. Expansion will replace the aging press box and add luxury suites, club seats and loge boxes in time for the 2008 season. New stadium capacity is expected to be 32,000.

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★ BSU sells the film rights of the 2006-07 football season to Michael Hoffman and Iron Circle Pictures, who will produce a documentary and later a feature film based on the story of the football program.

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★ 2006 Football team wins two ESPY Awards in the categories of "Best Game" (2007 Fiesta Bowl) and "Best Play" (Game-winning Statue of Liberty play).

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★ Senior QB and Fiesta Bowl MVP Jared Zabransky appears as the cover athlete of the popular EA Sports video game ''NCAA Football 08''.

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★ Junior Luke Shields is one of four male tennis players representing the United States at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Campus

The campus is nestled along the south bank of the Boise River, directly across from Julia Davis Park and Downtown Boise. The primary campus covers 175 acres (708,000 m²), and includes more than 170 buildings. [1]

Bronco Stadium

Bronco Stadium, featuring 30,000 seats, is home to BSU football and track and field. It has hosted the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships on two occasions and is home to the Humanitarian Bowl, held every December since 1997.
Bronco Stadium is best known for its blue playing surface, the only non-green football field in the country. The "Smurf Turf," as it is commonly known, was originally a bright blue AstroTurf installed in 1986 (and replaced in 1995). In 2002, BSU installed AstroPlay, a new generation of synthetic turf that mimics the appearance, feel, and texture of grass (other than the color, which is a deeper shade of blue).
Ground was broken for the concrete stadium in 1969, and it opened in September 1970 with a capacity of 14,500. Subsequent expansions were completed in time for the 1975 and 1997 football seasons. The original playing surface was green AstroTurf, replaced in 1978 with the same. The playing field runs in the traditional north-south direction.

Taco Bell Arena

Originally the "Boise State Pavilion", the Taco Bell Arena (TBA) is home to BSU basketball, wrestling, women's gymnastics, community events and several concerts each year. Opened in May 1982, the arena seats 12,820 people on three levels. The TBA has played host to rounds one and two of the men's NCAA Division I basketball tournament on seven occasions from 1983-2005 and hosted the third and fourth rounds of the NCAA women's Division I basketball tournament in 2002.
The facility was renamed in 2004. The construction of the pavilion displaced the BSU baseball field in 1980. The Broncos played their final two seasons of baseball at Borah Field; after the 1981 season baseball was discontinued as a varsity sport.

Morrison Center

The 'Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts' has 2,000 seats in its primary performance hall, and hosts a wide variety of fine arts performances, including off-broadway musicals and plays, and a number of concerts and other events. The venue opened its doors in April 1984.

Albertsons Library

The school's library, named for grocery pioneer and Boise native Joe Albertson, is a 200,000 square foot (19,000 m²) facility in the center of the campus. It houses more than 530,000 books, and has 70 public terminals for student use. An extensive library remodel was completed in the mid-1990s.

Student Union Building

'The "SUB"' brings together an eclectic mix of services under one roof, including the BSU Bookstore, Bronco Gear apparel shop, a bowling alley, arcade, several restaurants, banquet facilities, recreation rentals and other student services. The building is located along University Drive, and is connected to the '"SPEC"' or 'Special Events Center.' This part of the building houses a smaller auditorium used for community productions - including annual political debates. Currently, the "SUB" is undergoing a remodel to add a significant amount of space.

Other Campuses

Boise State West, located in Nampa, is comprised of the West Campus, the TECenter and the Canyon County Center. The West Campus opened in the summer of 2005 and features a 65,000-square-foot building with 21 classrooms, a bookstore and a library. The Canyon County Center opened for classes in the fall of 1985 and sits on a five-acre site on Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard in Nampa. Additional education centers can be found at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Gowen Field and in Twin Falls.

Life on campus

Housing

The dominant form of school-supported housing is in coed dorms - making up 60% of all accommodations. Six residential halls house more than 1,100 students in shared and single rooms. Units for women make up 12%, for men 10%, and disabled students 2%. Single student apartments make up 10% of housing, and married apartments round out the final 6%.
The vast majority of Boise State students live off-campus - 92%. There are a total of three fraternities and three sororities on campus. Total pledged population is less than 3%.

Transportation

Parking

Since most students live outside the campus boundary, the majority of transportation to and from campus is by automobile. 90% of all students commute to campus by auto. Students must obtain permits to use most on-campus parking facilities, with the exception of some hourly parking inventory. BSU is served by a parking garages on the west edge of the campus and across from the "SUB", and a wide variety of surface parking. Plans currently call for additional parking garages to service the growing student population

Alternative methods

ValleyRide operates a bus shuttle on campus, and walking and biking are encouraged. Limited mass-transit options are available, except Boise City's bus system. The city of Boise is serviced by the Boise Airport and the Greyhound Bus service. Another growing method of quick transportation on campus is longboarding.

Campus events

An active student association provides a large number of activities and programs to engage students outside the classroom. In addition, the school rallies around its popular football program in the fall -- and to a lesser degree, men's basketball during the winter months.
The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is held in the spring, centered around the BSU campus. The Distinguished Lecture Series brings speakers such as journalist Seymour Hersh, author Michael Cunningham and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa to campus. The university hosts the Martin Luther King, Jr./Human Rights Celebration every January. "Noon Tunes" and SummerFest are held each summer.

Demographics

In 2006, Boise State had 18,876 full-time students - making it the most attended school in the state of Idaho.

★ White 15,265 (80.9%)

★ Hispanic 1,154 (6.1%)

★ Asian-American 566 (3%)

★ African-American 254 (1.3%)

★ Native American 200 (1.1%)

★ Unknown 1,437 (7.6%)
54.1% of students are female, 45.3% are male. 89.8% of all students are Idaho residents.

Colleges

Boise State offers two doctoral degrees, 46 master's degrees, 94 baccalaureate degrees, 29 Associate of Applied Science degrees, 9 associate degrees, and 21 technical certificates.
In 2006 the school awarded 11 doctorates, 410 master's degrees, 2,027 baccalaureate degrees, 483 associate degrees, and 198 certificates -- 3,129 in all.
The school's more than 190 fields of interest are organized in to eight colleges:

★ Applied Technology

★ Arts and Sciences

★ Business and Economics

★ Education

★ Engineering

★ Graduate Studies

★ Health Sciences, and

★ Social Sciences and Public Affairs.

Athletics

Boise State's athletic nickname is the Broncos. The official mascot is Buster Bronco. BSU fields many different teams in sports. Its men's teams include football, basketball, cross country, track and field, wrestling, golf, and tennis. Its women's teams include volleyball, basketball, cross country, swimming and diving,soccer, track and field, gymnastics, golf and tennis. Most of these teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The wrestling team competes in the Pac-10 Conference.

Broncos Football

The Broncos have experienced a great deal of recent success. Since 1999, the Broncos' record is 86-16 with seven conference titles (Big West Conference 1999-2000, Western Athletic Conference (WAC) 2002-06), and five wins in seven bowl appearances. The Broncos finished the season in the Top 25 polls in 2002 (12th), 2003 (15th), and 2004 (13th), 2006 (5th), and started the 2005 season ranked 18th. The Broncos have had two undefeated regular seasons in the last three years.
Boise State also has one of the best home field advantages in college football, winning 31 straight home games from September 22, 2001, until their loss to Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl on December 28, 2005. However, since the MPC Computers Bowl alternates home teams between the WAC and ACC participants every year, Boston College was technically the home team despite the fact the game was played in Bronco Stadium, which is Boise State's home field. Since 1999, the Broncos are 51-2 at home and 48-1 during regular season games.
During the 2006 season, Boise State won the WAC championship for the fifth straight time and finished the regular season undefeated for the second time in three years. Because of rule changes that made it slightly easier for a "mid-major" school to earn a Bowl Championship Series bid, the Broncos became eligible for a berth after finishing with a #8 national ranking (they needed to finish 12th or higher). The Broncos were selected to play the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2007. The Broncos became the second team (after the 2004 Utah Utes) from a conference not guaranteed an automatic BCS bid to go to a BCS bowl game. The Broncos defeated the Sooners 43-42 in overtime. The winning score was a successful two-point conversion by running back Ian Johnson on a variation of the Statue of Liberty play that was made possible after a Hook and Lateral play on 4th-and-18 went for a touchdown to force the game into overtime. On the first play, the Sooners scored on a 25-yard Adrian Peterson run and successfully kicked the point after touchdown. Boise State countered with a trick play that sent starting quarterback Jared Zabransky in motion as a receiver. Running back/receiver Vinny Perretta threw a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Derek Schouman. Zabransky was named the game's offensive Most Valuable Player, while Marty Tadman was selected as defensive Most Valuable Player. Due to the 41-14 loss Ohio State suffered to Florida, Boise State became the only team to finish the 2006 season with an undefeated record. The Broncos extended their string of consecutive victories to 14 in 2007 with a 56-7 win over Weber State, but the [then longest in the nation] streak ended with a 24-10 upset loss to the University of Washington on Sept 8th, 2007
On January 11, 2007, head coach Chris Petersen was awarded the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award as the nation's best head coach during the 2006 season.

Fight Song

''Boise State Fight Song''
Fight Broncos, celebrate the orange and blue
Boise will stand and cheer for you
Fight for distinction & our alma mater
Bravely defending B-S-U!
Fight on courageously for Boise State
Success and honor make her great
Boise's proud tradition-
Heads up competition-
Glory for B-S-U!!
Go Orange
Go big Blue
Fight! Fight!
B-S-U

Notable people

★ Varney Airlines, founded by Walter Varney was based on the land where the Boise State campus now stands. Varney is the root of United Airlines.

★ NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw broadcast from the campus in 1996. Boise is the smallest U.S. city in which the program has originated.

★ Bronco Stadium contains the only non-green field in all of collegiate athletics. Lyle Smith Field is primarily blue with white and orange accents. It hosts the Humanitarian Bowl game. Among its nicknames: ''"The Smurf Turf"''

★ Troy McClain, a candidate/cast member on the first season of ''The Apprentice'', was offered a full-ride scholarship to any school of his choice by Donald Trump. McClain chose Boise State.

★ Dr. Robert Kustra, university president, is the former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

Broadcast media

BSU Radio is broadcast from the Boise State campus. Stations include KBSU-FM 90.3 and KBSW-FM 91.7.

External links

★ Boise State.edu - official site

★ BroncoSports.com - official athletics site

★ Boise State Radio

★ "This is Boise State"

★ ASBSU.org - BSU student government site

★ ''US News & World Report'' - BSU profile

References

1. http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/2006NES_Listing.pdf