The story
History
The college was conceived in 1884 when the Presbyterian Church's Wood River Presbytery, meeting in Shoshone, formed a commission to examine the possibility of establishing a Presbyterian college somewhere in the Idaho Territory. The commission found support for such a venture and in 1890 the Presbytery accepted an offer from a group of Caldwell citizens led by William Judson Boone, to locate the institution in that community.
The college was founded 135 years ago in 1891 by William Judson Boone with the support of the Wood River Presbytery. The college first opened its doors to students on October 7, 1891. Nineteen students showed up at The College of Idaho for the first classes in 1891. The first classes were held downtown in the Caldwell Presbyterian Church. A year later the college moved into its own downtown building before moving to its present site on the east side of town in 1910 when Henry and Carrie Blatchley donated 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land. Sterry Hall, a classroom and administration building, and Finney Hall, the first residence hall, were built that year. Two years later Voorhees residence hall was built, which would be the second of five total residents halls.
In 1893, it was incorporated under the laws of the state of Idaho and placed in the hands of a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Boone served as president of the college for 45 years until his death in 1936.
In 1991, the college's board of trustees unanimously voted to change its name to Albertson College of Idaho to honor alumnus and long-time donor Joe Albertson (1906–1993) and his wife Kathryn (1908–2002). The couple, who founded one of the country's largest supermarket chains, Albertson's Inc., met in a chemistry class at C of I and were generous benefactors of the college. At the time of the name change, the enrollment was 640 students.
On October 10, 2007, college president Bob Hoover announced that the name would revert to The College of Idaho, with the mutual agreement of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, to promote acceptance and gain financial backing from alumni who were unhappy about the original name change. This coincided with a $50 million donation by the foundation to the college.
PEAK (2010-2025)
PEAK was the college's unique undergraduate curriculum. It was intended to allow students to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years or two majors and two minors if they choose. The curriculum was implemented in the fall of 2010. It was made up of four different peaks: humanities & fine arts, social sciences & history, natural sciences & mathematics, and professional foundations & enhancement. Each student under this curriculum is required to major in one of the four peaks, while minoring in the other three allowing a broad base of study with limited general education requirements.
Do More in Four (2025-present)
Due to economic hardship in the mid-2000s, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 15% decrease in college students in 2025. In addition, the rising costs of inflation (up to 19.1%) and financial hardship by the college, the increasing trend by students and belief by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities that it is better to graduate in three years rather than four, and the decreasing trust in higher education (70% in 2014 v. 36% in 2024), the college found it necessary to revamp their curriculum in order to involve with the changing economical, political,
and educational climates.
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As the result of discussion with donors, the college's board, faculty, and students, the "Do More in Four" curriculum was introduced. This curriculum differs wildly from the previous PEAK curriculum, as it requires more general education classes in what is called "Coyote Core." This curriculum emphasizes a four-day school week, from Monday through Thursday, where Fridays should be utilized for meetings with professors, internships, and college athletics; four 4-credit classes per semester rather than the previous five 3-credit classes per semester; and, the possibility, in select fields, of completing both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in the span of four years, while retaining undergraduate scholarships and grants.
Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History
The College of Idaho houses the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History in William Judson Boone Science Hall. It is the only natural history museum for southwestern Idaho, southeastern Oregon, and northern Nevada. The natural history museum serves three main purposes: to support the educational programs at The College of Idaho, to provide a resource to the community, and to house resources for scientific research.
Orma J. Smith taught chemistry, zoology, and geology in the early 1900s. A small museum was established in the 1930s to house his collections but was closed in 1963. It was reopened in 1976 in the basement of Boone Hall, driven by the need to house collections from the College of Idaho expeditions led by Robert Bratz and the current director, William H. Clark.
Since the ‘70s, the museum has been staffed primarily by volunteers, many the College of Idaho alums, and students. The first Saturday is dedicated to Museum Workdays, where the museum is open for work with Museum staff. A monthly education seminar takes place at noon on Workdays.
The museum is a repository for some very large regional collections.
The students in the Gipson Honors Program utilize the museum every year for a first semester project, writing research papers which are supposed to offer a unique perspective on one item in the extensive collections.
From Wikipedia’s article on College of Idaho, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5