Welcome Back, Bengals! Let's Make This Semester Great!

News

Welcome Back Bengals!

To all our students, from the faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Letters

faculty and staff of college in a group photo

Tossing Into a Great Semester

President Wagner throws first toss at the cornhole tournament

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Bengal Welcome Week Party and Cornhole Tournament such a success! We’re grateful to our volunteers and all who came out to join the fun. A special thanks to President Wagner for kicking things off with the opening toss!

Welcoming Two Alumni to the Dean’s Advisory Board

We extend a welcome to two accomplished alumni, Tom Neel (’87, English-Philosophy, French minor) and Stan Bissey (’87, Political Science), as the newest members of the Dean’s Advisory Board. Both bring decades of leadership experience, professional expertise, and deep personal connections to ISU that will help strengthen the college’s mission and student opportunities.

Dean's Advisory Board

Clinical Psychology Reunion

Photo of Benny Tiger mascot in front of ICCU Dome with arms outstretched

Clinical Psychology alumni are invited to the first-ever ISU Clinical Psychology Reunion, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program!

October 24–25, 2025 | ISU Pocatello campus

Reconnect with classmates, honor faculty, and celebrate 25 years of impact with a weekend full of events, including guest speakers, alumni gatherings, and homecoming activities.

Details and Registration

Bold Path Forward Tour

Check out the Bold Path Forward 2024–2025 Tour video, created by ISU Visual Communications, Graphic Design major Rainy Alverson, with music by Jaden Andrews, a graduate of ISU’s Commercial Music program. The video highlights ISU’s 12-city tour across the U.S.

Welcome to our New Faculty and Staff

Pictured from top left to right

Andrew Silva, Assistant Professor

Elizabeth "Beth" Bennett, Assistant Professor

Kristen Carr, BASW Practicum Director and Assistant Lecturer

Iris Gray, Assistant Lecturer

Joseph Cardello, Assistant Lecturer of Japanese

Caroline von Klemperer, Assistant Professor

Michelle Salvaggio, Visiting Assistant Professor

Modupeola Bada, Visiting Assistant Lecturer

Sara Hymes, Visiting Assistant Lecturer

Luke Strother, Director of Concert and Athletic Bands

Luisa Madrigal Marroquin, Assistant Professor

Erik Freeman, Assistant Professor

Yuanliang “Leo” Shan, Assistant Professor

Melissa Ely, Management Assistant

Faculty Achievements

Jenna stands in grass with sun shining behind her

Album Release

Congratulations to Jenna McLean, DMA, Assistant Professor of Music, on the release of her new album, For Your Love. The album highlights McLean’s artistry as both a vocalist and songwriter and is recorded with leading Denver jazz musicians.

Learn More and Listen

Benavides Awarded Inaugural Film and Video Fellowship

Luis Benavides, M.F.A., Assistant Professor of Digital Media, has been named one of nine recipients nationwide of the University Film and Video Foundation’s Early Faculty Career Fellowship.

Benavides Fellowship

Idaho Premiere of Armstrong’s Concerto Voluntary Breath

Join us for the Idaho premiere of Voluntary Breath, a concerto for saxophone and orchestra composed by Dr. Jonathan Armstrong.

Performed with the Idaho State-Civic Symphony, the work is deeply personal. Inspired by his son’s lengthy stay in the NICU in 2021, the piece weaves in the sounds of the hospital and musical themes of therapy and healing, offering a moving testament to resilience and hope.

Friday, September 26 | 7:30 PM | Stephens Performing Arts Center

Armstrong Concerto

Events and Announcements

The ISU Health Center is available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff with free office visits for students. Come see us for your medical care.

The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) seeks proposals for travel funds from full-time undergraduate students declared as a major in a CAL program.

Undergraduate Student Travel Request for Proposals FY25-26

Faculty Lecture Series

Tuesday 9/9/2025 "3D Art Can Save the World! Well, sort of..." with Luis Benavides

Join Benavides for a lively and thought-provoking exploration of 3D animation, artificial intelligence, and archival practices in an era of digital uncertainty. Drawing on his experiences as both a documentarian and a teacher of 3D animation, Benavides unpacks how nostalgia, myth, and "digital doubt" shape our understanding of emerging technologies.

Friday 9/26/2025 “How to Read a Comic” with Dr. Matthew Levay

Long dismissed as a juvenile form of popular entertainment, comics are actually a deeply complex medium with a unique ability to address the most crucial issues of its cultural moment. This talk provides a brief overview of how comics work and the history of the medium--how it developed, and why it developed in the ways it did--before proceeding to an interactive discussion of how to read comics critically, both alongside and in opposition to other popular forms.

Lunch and Learn at the Museum Featuring ISU Anthropology Graduate Students

This fall, the Idaho Museum of Natural History invites you to a special Lunch and Learn series showcasing the fascinating research of anthropology graduate students. Bring your lunch, expand your knowledge, and enjoy these free noon-hour talks.

Sept. 17 | Spencer Moore

“What can bones tell us about a person’s life—and how can we tell their story when no one else can?”

Spencer will share how forensic anthropology helps recover hidden histories from ISU’s anatomical skeletal collection, combining science, ethics, and advocacy to restore dignity to the voiceless.

Oct. 22 | Jose Sanchez

“A Window Into United States Juvenile Health From Civil War to Roaring Twenties New Orleans”

Jose will explore dental stress markers as clues to illness and hardship in youth, drawing on archaeological findings from 19–20th century New Orleans.

Nov. 19 | Rachel Sutherland

"Hair: Analysis to Aid Identification"

Rachel will discuss how environmental factors and lifestyle decisions alter hair in ways that can aid in identification.

All events are hosted at the Idaho Museum of Natural History

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Free Admission

Explore Our Calendars

ISU Event Calendar

Performing Arts Calendar

Donations to the College of Arts and Letters directly support student scholarships and experiential learning opportunities. Please visit our Giving page to make a difference today.

Connect with us. We'd love to hear from you!

208-282-3204 | cal@isu.edu