The University of Idaho was ranked 153rd in the nation in the most recent U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges," UI President Duane Nellis told lawmakers this morning. The Carnegie Foundation classified UI as a "research university with high research activity." "Every year, we put nearly $1 bllion into Idaho's economy," Nellis told JFAC. "That's roughly 2 percent of the state's economy. In other words, we return $9 for every $1 you invest in us."

He noted that 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the UI's Moscow campus, and said, "I am especially interested in the University of Idaho ... because I know that the university represents that which shall count in the state tomorrow, and that it makes possible the growth in the 50 years to come." Said Nellis, "A century later, his observations ring true."