Talk with Kathy Barnard about the University of Idaho for a few minutes, and her passion, dedication and pride are bound to shine through. You could say she’s brave and bold.

Next week, Kathy will celebrate Vandal Fest and Homecoming with thousands of other Vandals. The excitement will be bittersweet, though as this is her final Homecoming as executive director of our Alumni Association before her well-earned retirement at the end of the year.

Kathy’s been an invaluable colleague. She’s served the Alumni Association for the past five years, but she’s been the ultimate team player. Kathy filled in as interim executive director for communications and marketing and provided remarkable leadership in a tough time for higher education.

Meanwhile, the Alumni Association is thriving. Kathy created new ways for Vandals to get involved with their university – the Vandal Book Club, the Vandals Uncorked Wine Club and the Vandal Voyagers travel groups. She helped teachers across the country Vandalize their classrooms, and started the Cup of Joe series of talks to help Vandals stay connected through the pandemic.

She’s also helped double our number of alumni chapters – we now have 30 chapters around the country for Vandals to plug into.

“Our Office of Alumni Relations team and our board of directors – I couldn’t ask for greater partners in this work,” said Kathy, who graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. “I’ve just been a relentless cheerleader for the whole university and tried to remind alumni that we have a lot to be proud of.”

An outstanding point of pride will be unveiled next Friday. The Idaho Alumni Club inside ICCU Arena will welcome Vandals for many years to come thanks to the efforts of our Alumni Association. The association is a key donor in the iconic building – which is now complete and ready to host events and games.

We’re celebrating the 100-year anniversary of our Vandal mascot this year with a full week of Homecoming activities, beginning Sunday. Vandal Fest kicks off on Friday, when we’ll officially open the doors of ICCU Arena and kick off our Brave. Bold. campaign. And, of course, the Homecoming parade and football game on Saturday are can’t-miss traditions. Now is a great time to consider joining the U of I Alumni Association, or the Student Alumni Relations Board. They are great ways to show your Vandal pride and have a lot of fun supporting your university.

U of I awarded $18.9M NSF Grant for Deep Soil Research Facility: The Deep Soil Ecotron facility will enable scientists to study soil at depths greater than anywhere else in the world.

ICCU Arena draws rave reviews on Media Day: The long-awaited basketball and events center seats 4,000, and is a showcase for Idaho’s timber industry with its 854 mass timber beams.

Second cohort of U of I’s Science and Technology Policy Fellows Named: Jared Talley and Samantha Werth were appointed to the program that places scientists and engineers in state agencies to develop and implement solutions to some of Idaho’s greatest challenges.

Idaho WWAMI student coordinates QPR training to save lives: Third-year medical student Mike Reynolds is introducing suicide prevention training to the Jerome School District.