Dylon Harrison
Managing Editor
Donna Lybecker Named Acting ISU Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Following a search that has yet to yield results, ISU Political Science chair, Donna Lybecker, has been named as the university’s acting Vice President for Research and Economic Development.
This decision was made after university leadership decided to cancel the nationwide search for someone to fill the role, opting to evaluate their approach before continuing.
Lybecker will serve in this position for the next 18 months while the process of hiring a permanent VP for Research and Economic Development is revised.
She plans to use this position to work with researchers in order to better understand the changes being made in modern research opportunities.
“I have asked that she begin working with our research community to identify and remove roadblocks faculty may encounter to their research productivity, to conduct a comprehensive review of our research policies and processes and to help our campus community identify the optimal role of research at Idaho State University,” said ISU President Kevin Satterlee.
Lybecker hopes to help promote collaboration in research within and between departments.
“I get to help ISU not only build our research agendas, but also help individuals at ISU find other researchers with whom their work overlaps,” Lybecker said.
ISU Announces Plans to Open Chick-fil-A and Starbucks Locations on Pocatello Campus
Idaho State University has recently announced that it will be extending its 19-year partnership with Chartwells Higher Education as the provider of its on-campus dining.
With the extension of this contract, Bengals will also see more dining options in the coming future.
Due to the results of student focus groups and on campus surveys, Chartwells has announced that two new restaurants will be added to the existing options
A Chick-fil-A branch will be added to the ISU Pocatello campus. It is currently expected to open in the Fall 2021 semester.
In addition, plans have also been made to open a Starbucks on the Pocatello campus in 2022.
Half-Million Dollar Grant Awarded to the Institute of Rural Health
ISU’s Institute of Rural Health and Idaho Health Care for Children and Families has been awarded a grant of almost $550,000 from Serve Idaho. Now in its twelfth year of operation, the Institute of Rural Health works in partnership with AmeriCorps. With the help of this grant, AmeriCorps members will be placed at host sites around the state.
“The IHCF first began in 2009 with approximately 22 members,” Bodily-Roan, project director of IHCF said. “It has grown so that in 2020, we will be able to offer 94 positions.”
The grant will also be used to fund necessary employee programs, such as living stipends, training and program staffing.
“It is empowering to know that the IRH at Idaho State University can make a difference in people’s lives through improving the health of the community,” Bodily-Roan said.
