The
University of
Idaho is a modest sized
school of about 12,000 located in
Moscow, Idaho. While not the most competitive school in the country, its academics are solid earning it a placing in the
top 50 in
Kiplinger's rankings of public schools.
The University is composed of nine seperate schools and colleges. These are:
The town of Moscow, Idaho is generally considered a bit more liberal than most other towns in Idaho. There is an active art and cultural scene and coupled with the fact that Washington State University is only eight miles away in Pullman, Washington sometimes it's possible to forget that the school is really located in the middle of nowhere.
Joe Vandal is the school mascot, and support for the Vandals can be found everywhere on campus even though the Division I football team hasn't been performing very well lately. They've consistently ranked among the worst teams in various sports magazine. Sports haven't always been a total loss at Idaho. Dan O'Brien was a U of I graduate and football isn't the only sport around. Plus the school fight song, Go, Vandals, Go was ranked the number one fight song in the country by The Oregonian.
The school of music is named after Lionel Hampton and was the first school of music to be named after a jazz musician, much less a black musician. Every February the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is held on campus. Sadly Lionel passed away in late August of 2002.