Letter from the Editor

I grew up in Boise, but moved to England and Germany in my 20s to work as a journalist and bureau chief for the Stars and Stripes newspaper. It was while standing at the Berlin Wall one snowy Christmas Eve, watching West Berliners on scaffoldings yelling greetings to friends and relatives across the wall in East Berlin that I fully understood for the first time the blessing of living in a free country.

I know how much my travels and work abroad have enriched my understanding of the world. So I am especially pleased this magazine shares with you adventures and impacts our college's faculty, students, and alums are having through their international connections.

On page 10, you will learn how a 14-year relationship between UI faculty members and one Korean student may soon benefit Idaho dairy owners. Donna Emert updates us on the IGERT doctoral program, preparing 19 UI scientists for multidisciplinary research in Costa Rica and Idaho (p. 12).

Alum RoseAnna Boyle Holliday shares the fun of UI Family and Consumer Science faculty and friends who ate their way through Provence, France (p. 24). You can join them in Italy in 2005.

Bill Loftus reports on ways Idaho 4-H is helping "suddenly military" Idaho kids as their parents are deployed (p. 8). In northern counties, Loftus examines one UI Extension award-winning program that helps older citizens stay healthy and independent longer, thanks to nutrition advisors who care enough to work with them at home (p. 20).

Please share your thoughts about this issue, what you like, or find missing. I'd love to hear from you!

Mary Ann Reese
mreese@uidaho.edu

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