• BSU begins 50th anniver­sary celebration.

• Jay Luo, 12, becomes the youngest college grad­uate in the nation.

• Pavilion opens for com­mencement ceremonies.

• Seven programs and 11 faculty positions eli­minated in $1.1 million budget cut.

When analyzing what the '80s have meant to Boise State, few people have a better perspective than the university's three vice presidents. Two of them, Vice President for Student Affairs David Taylor and Vice Presi­dent for Finance and Administration Asa Ruyle, have been at Boise State since the mid-1970s. The other, Executive Vice President Larry Selland, came to BSU in 1985 after serving as director of vocational education in Idaho since the 1970s. It is rare for any university to have a central administrative team with so much continuity. FOCUS asked them to reminisce about the past decade at Boise State. Here, in edited form, is what they said:

How have the '80s treated Boise State?

TAYLOR: The '80s were like A Tale of Two Cities in that there was good and bad. At the beginning of the '80s we were con­sistently involved in cutbacks, holdbacks and reduced budgets, but at the same time we had increasing enrollments . In the mid-'80s when money wasn ' t quite as tight we had what I perceived as a fairly negative Legislature, so education funding did not fare very well dur­ing that period of time. As we reached the end of the '80s, clearly there was an economic upturn at least in the Treasure Valley. All during that time Boise State has been on a gradual upturn . We have to thank the private sector for a lot of what Boise State accomplished in the '80s .

SELLAND: The budget cuts probably hurt BSU more than the other institutions in that we were on a growth curve and our cutbacks wheedled into our base. Then when we

16 FOCUS

started to get larger enrollments in the later '80s we really were pinched because we didn't have a base there.

RUYLE: I think we've done fairly well ac­tually, because at the end of the '70s we were in serious problems with our budgets. In the early '80s we had two or three years that weren't so good. Since about 1983 the budgets have been better. We've gotten more of our fair share of the money allocated to higher education in the state .

What impacts - what changes - have the '80s had on the departments in your area?

RUYLE: The biggest change has been the addition of buildings like the Simp loti Micron Center, the Pavilion, Morrison Center and College of Technology Building as well as the expansion of the physical plant.

I think those years impacted the physical plant more than anything else . Maintenance

But Did He Pass His Driver's License Test? Jay Luo was the youngest student ever to graduate from a university in the United States when he received his degree in mathe­matics from BSU in 1982. He was 12. Jay went on to earn two master's degrees from Stanford and now works as a consultant for the Stanford Research Institute.

is something that you can defer. You may notice the problem of deferring it five years later or 10 years later. We didn't clean the buildings as well. We didn't maintain the buildings as well.

Another change that caused a big problem with us is the proliferation of requirements by the state and federal governments in fire protection and in asbestos removal and in safety-related improvements for handi­capped and others. Regulations - if you put all the books together they would be a block long.

SELLAND: The biggest changes are in our additional graduate programs and the in­creased research activities.

TAYLOR: The biggest change was trying to move toward more automation. The first phase of that was to look at an automated registration system. We started at the begin­ning of the 1980s and did not bring in the automated registration system until 1988. So that gives some indication of the amount of time that takes to get things done . We've automated our admissions applications system, we are in the process of automating the financial aid system. One of the more critical areas, financial aid, through the '80s had an increased demand placed upon it.

Looking at your area, what are the most pressing needs right now?

RUYLE: I thinlc the most pressing one is being solved this year. In July we will put into operation a new computerized financial system. We needed a new system for a number of years.

SELLAND: The biggest need right now is to beef up our operating expense budget. This is getting down to nitty-gritty con­sumable materials in our laboratories . . . having adequate supplies, having some modest travel for faculty to attend profes­sional meetings with their colleagues and share research. Another need has to do with capital outlay .. . having the proper equip­ment in our laboratories, computers, and to replace the worn out and in most cases ob­solete equipment. The third concern is being able to attract and retain good faculty. I think there is a pretty general consensus across the country that we are going to be

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UL\.ANO; W.· •• ort. &<>oJ by fall of '91 '" r ...... bli.n lbe: ""pot/m.nl <>f modern lan'uI ...... 6 0[1« ""I'e.:o in F .. nch. Get· mln. Spon .. h s!ICI.110 ~M"" ' I>< n.ed> of Jap ..... . nd C.,'nt .. We'll 01.., be pUllin, more ... ,pha'" "" In,ernational " OOia in ,."" .. 1. I think one of tho! thinp...., n=l to do " IfJ to dl ... t .. fy 0 • ., ot!>dftr, body InOt'e. A t<><><l ~Iah I'«"""t ... of OUr ..... dm" ....... f ..... ~_~ otft ond Ii_ tbc Jl<>baIi.tolwn of OIl< <eorromy. [think i'. """""' .... _ ...., P"" "'or •• " ... I ..... ,O=""-. w • ..-c-" • fair job of .... .t.rc "udml,IOOIbn <OIIn-' ..... bu, I ,bon); we need 10 pul mo .. em-pha ... OJ> bnnJitlf """""" bet. to B!") We'" be lool.lnl a, a "".heIm', de" ... in "",nnfoc'nrinl ,,,,hne\oo'. W. br.,.., In bclh rodio and ,.I ... IIion. ",<>fl, demand for. hmadr<I" lechnician i<klrec), w . .. ,n be 101-Ii", " ." ""'he",,', d,"""" 10 eoropu.er ocirnu. W.'U.l>c be loot..rn,lhu.d 10 <10<-10 .. 1 pr",rams.

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wmrl will ... • mphn iz. In our ~dm;'_ .;_ ~ppro~ch?

TAYLOR' In an. lyung our enroIlm<m in­[",mati"" .... e h,,'O. di,prOjX>l'Ti"" or lower di,,,ion r.<udent. "'_ upper diyioion "uclm,,_ In additi.on to hilh !.Chool I Toduatc, and nOll·".dition. 1 "udcn" in the area, w< will he t.r~tinl oommunity oolIc= ond transfcr .tudrnl>. We'll continuc to hoyc ",me ,Iu· drnt lrowth, .IU>oulh [OClhe cerly pari o[ lhe '90s Iher. "'ill he. (lecr.a,"" number or h~h oct>ool trod"""". W .... Ih. ~,hw.01 as a .. rser pari of HSU', .. ",k ... r~_ I Ihink lhe ,T.,ur. of Bo::>ise ST.te Uni"."ily, tbt in_ cr.o,"" sopIti'tkaTi(Hl of Tbt uni"."i<)l. i, ~oint To ,'Ominu. to a",.,1 stu(lenl' from • round Ihe ,T.t • • , w. n os the ~Tlh"'''T regi(Hl ,

Is til. curnn1 c~m_ m .. litlSl OUT n __ ?

RUYLE: I "'-w ,om" " .. i,ti", tnat w< are U'HlIlbe a>cr"F ~ 48 hom, ~ ""-'Ck. Th. ,,,.,i<Jnal av",ogc i> onl)' ~bout 21 Or 26. Arldlhe Sial. ".-."se i. only aOOu,ll oc26. nal k phenou,.""I, I ,lunL we arc U.tnllhe f.ciJiIie< 10 lhe optimum. The 'hinllhat we

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SELLAND: Thero ar. oreo< of wucotion and trainins ,hot .... probably hay."'t .... .,, heard of yot th.t will com • • Ionl. So ... e've 10110 be .tralcli<all) pO.ilion<d to r<'pO,ld 10 thc:rc Orca •.

I <lunk lhe bigge'l challer. i. bei'll! abl. 10 respond 10 thi' incre.,. in pOpulali<Jn

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SELLAND , Thi. defi,litely i. a pOpulali<Jn centtr and a. lhe Ollle..- in>1itution. c·"rry uut Ih.ir porlicular wk ond mi>,ion, ther< ... ill h. a d .. ire Orl <lttir pori 10 mo .. into 'he Hoi .. Valky_ I Think Iller. or • • number of prouam, "'Ilere w< will _ in,..-e. 1«! 00-

C>pOrali,c activit;." But I think at """" point lhot all the pulicymakcr> or. aoinl to nay< 10 . ddr"", th.t qUc>tion of, "I' it [coop<r. _ ti<Jn] in.1I pIOlrom, ,h. mo,t cffici, nt ODd .n""li .. wa)· to 80T' It i, diffiC1!k to mon~ • prOS"m Joo mibe, .w"y. I tlunL .... will

A St ........ n C"", .. Hom. I>SU hon",.d Stn. F,.nt Cllurch by btlinnin~ an .n_ do...-menT and puhlic arfair> oc>nf ... cnce in hi, norne_ He donated hi, extcn,i,c .m"" p;opcn tu the Li· brary bdoce hi, JcOlh in April

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iOO-\ be tn. 00<1 in"itu,ion, if)'tlu "'ill. for a number of ~ol,"m', I think ,Ilat', ,DOd_ Bu, tiler. will he """" of tb<>.o " .... pm~.rn. that I think OI1e wtluld Iopcally condude .hould be put at BSU,

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SELLAND: I Ihink Tn. equi<)l nl(lney "'as c..-,.inly an aokno"'l«l~n,.nt (Hl tbt pari o[ tile [SUtor Hoard [of Ed"".'ion] thaT "'. ",.r. a vi. bk in<litution thot h. d <om , d.flniT. _d" I 'hink the Lq.i,latur< acknowlod"" Ihol. I IhirlL peOpl. ho,'c rcall)· "",nO to belk,. that we ar< lruly a uniy"', ily and orc ""'ing nOl onl), >oulh",,,,lld..oo, but mak· i'll! conlribulion. 10 lhe "''''10m)· of Ihe en_ tire " ale .

TAYLOR: Th. in<Iitu,ion hos ai",")·, bem pu.hi,~ oul lhe boondari<> of ir,oovolion of .. 'haT an in,Ti,",i<Jn carl do. how an inSlitu­Tion can ..,-y. its con.dtu.rlOY. I ... Boi,. StaT. O(Hllinuing To do m",. of ,he ,,-,,,,,,

RUYLE: A. far a< aowmk' or. con­",rnod, I look fur ",me Ph.D, deir«" perhap> in bu.inc .. Or public arfair> .• '1., for ." lhe phy>i",,1 plant;' c'omcrncd, we ",e IOinllo act .n ~ddilioJl OIl the LibrEy <Ven· lually and probobl)' 0 rUle art, buildin.s;. 0