Re-Engineering the University Experience: Innovate@BoiseState
Students experience eye-opening innovation in the classroom.
New. Eye-opening. Revolutionary. This is the language of innovation, and Boise State University is fluent. From explosive campus growth to trailblazing curriculum reform, boundary-pushing art to game-changing science, Idaho’s largest institution of higher education is re-engineering the university experience.
Whether through research in nanoscale materials and devices, an institution-wide focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, a pace-setting EMBA program, cancer and policy research or a bike-friendly environment, to Innovate@BoiseState is more than a slogan, it’s a challenge to our more than 20,000 students and the faculty and staff who support their success and contributions to the world.
Watch the popular “Innovate@BoiseState” spot featuring Broncos head football coach Chris Petersen
Dr. Nancy Napier’s Centre for Creativity and Innovation has received national media attention (USA Today)
Starting with campus itself, Boise State is in the midst of a building spree that has added more than 600,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory, office, event and common area space in just the last few years. Rather than relying on dwindling state funding to build the facilities it needs, the university looked outside of the box to find creative ways – private supporters, alumni and corporate partners, as well as thoughtful use of the university’s strong bond ratings – to fund the creation of a world class 21st-century urban campus.
Beyond bricks and mortar, Boise State is exploring the cutting edge of education through exploration of how technology, including 3D gaming tools and mobile technology, can be used to build academic programs in the future. Boise State also is becoming a regional and national leader in STEM education through its STEM Central Station, a National Science Foundation-funded endeavor to create a conduit and forum for campuswide efforts to advance teaching and learning in some of the most critical fields of the 21st century.
Modeled on a consortium and bolstered by executive coaches and immersion in real-world challenges, Boise State’s Executive MBA program produces graduates with insight, creativity and confidence that effect the development of critical new products and services as well as unexpected partnerships and possibilities.
Economic development, access to health care, strong civic leadership and a clean environment affect the quality of life for everyone. Boise State oversees a broad array of public policy research programs and services that provide policymakers, citizens and agencies with the information and skills they need to advance and protect the interests of our citizens.
With fuel costs and carbon emissions on the rise and cities becoming more and more congested and unhealthy, Boise State is making exemplary strides to create a bike-friendly campus and community. For all of its bike-friendly efforts, Boise State became one of the first 20 honorees nationwide in the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Universities program, which recognizes exceptional environments where bicycling can thrive.
While Boise State’s most celebrated innovators capture the imagination of their fans on the university’s famed blue football turf, these few examples show that Boise State’s continuing rise as a metropolitan research university rests on a culture of innovation and imagination that permeates everything the university does.
Innovation at Boise State takes many forms, including an Arts and Humanities initiative