College of Arts and Letters

Beloved Idaho State Choir Director, Dr. Scott Anderson, Announces Retirement

“Dr. Anderson has made an impact on this community and on our students that is probably impossible to measure.”

In the Company of Those Who Have Earned Global Acclaim

Dr. Raphael Chijioke Njoku, professor in the Department of History at Idaho State University (ISU) has the distinguished honor of being appointed to The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL). Notable Foundation Fellows include Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka.



“I still sometimes wonder if I am in a dream.”

2024 Research and Creative Activity Symposium

The 2024 ISU Research and Creative Works Symposium successfully took place on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. This annual event is an opportunity for students of all disciplines to showcase and present their scholarly and creative works. Congratulations to our CAL participants and winners in the Fine Arts and Humanities and Behavioral and Social Sciences.

March KISU Episode:

A Great Academic Ecosystem

In our latest ISU Impact episode, Dean Kandi Turley Ames talks with scholarship recipients Dani Mecham and Noah Leary about the impact of scholarships on their lives and the benefit of interdisciplinary study at ISU.

“The KCACTF festival in Spokane was a whirlwind of passion, talent, and growth. Watching ISU students compete, perform, and embrace the transformative power of theatre was a profound journey”

Hosted by the ISU Department of Theatre and Dance, the festival has been running for close to 20 years now and is set to welcome approximately 15 high school drama departments from across Idaho and Utah. Registration for participating schools is currently open and accessible

via the event's website.

National Geographic Article

"Worldly Pilgrim, Spiritual Tourist: A Sabbatical Pilgrimage to India" by Alan Johnson

April 5 | 2:30 p.m.

Liberal Arts Building 256

All are welcome

Johnson will describe two parallel journeys: his study of how pilgrimage, as an act that is at once individual and communal, allows writers to figure the contradictions of modern life; and his actual visits to pilgrimage destinations around South Asia.

Post-Sabbatical Colloquium by Thomas Klein

"Medievalism and Me: From D&D to the Global Middle Ages"



April 12 | 2:30 p.m.

Liberal Arts Building 324

All are welcome

The colloquium will explore the avenues by which students and scholars become attracted to the field of medieval studies. It will then comment on the larger practices of historical periodization, and outline the changing scope of the Middle Ages, with particular focus on the "global turn" in teaching the Middle Ages. 

Laura Ahola-Young Sabbatical Presentation

A Pop-up Exhibition and Gallery Talk

Artist Talk

April 16 | 5 - 6:30 p.m.

Gallery available for viewing

April 15 - 16 | 12 - 6 p.m.

Compartment Gallery, Fourth Floor Fine Arts Building

Pictured left: Acetabularia | Graphite | by Laura Ahola-Young

Megan Bigham | Clinical Psychology

“This fellowship is incredibly meaningful to me on my journey to becoming a specialist in autism spectrum disorder. The Marcus Autism Center is a nationally recognized institute for providing evidence-based assessment and intervention for autistic individuals and their families as well as being on the cutting edge of research regarding early identification of autism spectrum disorder."

Diane Keister | Clinical Psychology

“My graduate training at ISU has provided me with a wonderful foundation for my career in clinical psychology and diagnosing autism. This postdoctoral fellowship will allow me the opportunity to refine my clinical skills and fulfill the interests that ISU instilled in me: working with autistic people of all ages and serving people who are underserved.”

Hannah Lesnick | Experimental Psychology

“These awards mean a lot to me and I am honored to be one of the recipients. It feels amazing to have my research and hard work recognized, and I am excited to contribute to the field.”

Subash Pandey | M.A. in Sociology

“This experience profoundly influenced my career choices, steering me towards working with underserved communities in Nepal and other countries in the Global South.”

Emma Tussey, M.S. | Clinical Psychology

ISU Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate, Emma Tussey, received a Psi Chi Graduate Research Award of $1,500 to work on her dissertation project, "Investigating Mechanisms in the Sleep-Alcohol Relationship: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Approach."

History Speaker Series

We will provide the pizza, the snacks, the prizes, the powerstrips, the tables, the quiet camaraderie. You arrive with your (optional: missed) deadlines, laptops, big projects.