| Scholarships are critical to accessibility for Idaho students. Our job at the University of Idaho is to ensure our students can attend, persist and graduate ready to chart their own path in their chosen career. The University of Idaho and our U of I Foundation offer $30 million in scholarships and waivers each year to help students reach their fullest potential. Yet, for many students, a $5,000 gap in the cost of attendance between state appropriations, Pell grants and available scholarships keeps them from pursuing higher education and career goals. You’ve heard me talk about our need-based Vandal Promise Scholarship program, our primary fundraising priority, as key to bridging that gap. The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health sees that need and wants to help these Idaho students thrive. I’ll join Blue Cross President and CEO Charlene Maher today in Boise to announce a $1.5 million commitment from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health. $1 million of this gift will be designated to the Vandal Promise Scholarship fund and $500,000 will go toward scholarships for Idaho WWAMI medical students. The generosity from Blue Cross of Idaho will fund 40 Vandal Promise Scholars over the next decade and 50 students in our Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program over the next five years. This generous, Idaho-focused donation is an investment in both Idaho and our shared livelihood. The two dozen Vandal Promise Scholars who started classes at U of I last fall are determined Idaho students benefitting from this extra help. Quite literally, this kind of scholarship support can transform lives. The Vandal Promise Scholars study together as a group and posted an average GPA of 3.43 last semester. We’ll be able to grow the program to about 50 students next fall as a result of this support from Blue Cross. Blue Cross also recognizes the need to keep Idaho doctors in the state after they complete their M.D. through the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program. That’s why the gift of $500,000 to Idaho WWAMI, a partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine, will go to 10 students each year who want extra training in rural and underserved areas of the state. These future healers are learning the skills they need that will benefit rural communities and all of Idaho. Getting Idaho students into our pipeline provides a return on investment for our students and the state. Not only do our graduates command the highest starting salaries, they also command a median mid-career salary of $97,700 after about 10 years in their chosen careers. We’re proud to support and train these students. And we’re grateful to enter into this collaboration with the foundation for Idaho’s premier health care insurance provider. Thank you for your support that will continue to benefit Idaho and its students for years to come. | 
