Buildings

Administration Building

• Ground was broken in March of 1940 for the Administration building. 

• First building on campus! (Originally included all classrooms, library, faculty offices, administrative offices, and student meeting space)

• Registrars Office - apply for graduation, transcript evaluation, request transcripts, and residency 

• Financial Aid Office - scholarships, loan, grant, and work-study information 

• Payment and Disbursement- you can pick up pay checks if you work on campus and make payments towards your tuition 

• Vice President for Student Affairs Office, Vice President for Finance and Administration and the President/Provost's Office are is located here

• One of few buildings started before WW2

• Used to have a pond in front of it!

Albertsons Library

• Houses computers, printing stations, and a variety of private study rooms available for reservation. 

• Home to the College of Innovation and Design, the World Languages Department, and Criminal Justice

• Includes the Maker Lab where students have access to use a 3D printer, sewing machines, hand tools, and more for their own personal use 

• The third floor is designated for quiet study

Albertsons Stadium

• Current capacity to 36,387 with a student specific seating section 

• Allen Noble Hall of Fame - showcases a proud history of athletic competition and provides an observation deck onto the famous blue turf

• Caven-Williams Sports Complex houses a full size football turf field, athletic offices and offices for the Keith Stein Blue Thunder Marching Band and the Spirit Squad.

  • Climate controlled practice field: helps players acclimate to humidity (we typically play our first football game of the year in the South), also nice for winter intramural sports!

• Connected to the North End Zone is the Bleymaier Football Center ($22 million!)

  • This center includes a team locker room, player lounge, weight room, and an athletic training area. 

• We hold a trademark over all colored fields internationally! 

• We hosted the first concert on the Blue in Summer of 2019 - Garth Brooks came for two nights and had over 88,000 people! 

  • Students were able to attend a soundcheck for free!

• Movie on the Blue is hosted here, Toilet Bowl Intramural Championship game (a play on a college BOWL game!), yoga on the Blue

• Additional Fun Facts:

  • Boise State Football did not lose a regular season game from 2001-2011

  • Boise State established national attention by installing the first blue astro turf field in 1986

Alumni & Friends Center

• Opened in October 2016

• Houses Alumni Association and University Advancement

• $12,000,000 cost to build (private funds from charitable donations)

• Art students and faculty, members of the facilities team and sculptor Benjamin Victor, the university’s artist in residence and professor have all helped create a 3-foot bronze replica of the university seal that is in the courtyard behind the building.

Arguinchona Basketball Complex 

• 10,000-square-foot two-level facility provides locker rooms, a film room, lounges and academic study areas for the Boise State men’s and women’s basketball teams. 

Boulder Hall (AKA Academic and Career Services Building)

• Provides academic workshops, study skills workshops, and study group formation suggestions.

• The Career Center helps students find their story through career exploration and assessments. They help students create their story through internships, Work U, and part-time jobs. In addition, they help students prepare for interviews through extra coaching and will updates to their LinkedIn and other digital portfolios.

  • They run an online website called Handshake that is specifically for Boise State students and Alumni. Students can find on-campus jobs, part-time jobs, internships and full-time jobs posted there. 

  • They host two Career Fairs a year (one in the spring and one in the fall) and one Part-Time and Summer Job Fair in the spring.

Center for the Visual Arts

• Opened August 2019

• The building is five stories high, 97,222-square-feet, and will serve as the home for the new School of the Arts

• The facility will house classroom space, faculty offices, galleries, and a World Museum, where students can virtually visit art around the world 

• The $48 million project has brought all of the Department of Art’s visual art programs — history of art and visual culture, art metals, art education, ceramics, drawing and painting, graphic design, illustration, photography, printmaking, and sculpture — under one roof.  

• The "tile" on the outside of the building is actually stainless steel that was designed to reflect blue or grey depending on sunlight!

Communication Building

• Houses two sections: BA in Communication or BA in Media Arts (broadcast, production, journalism).

• Classroom spaces and a full broadcasting facility.

• Home of the “Talkin Broncos”, Boise State's award winning, nationally ranked speech and debate team.

• Rumored to be haunted!

• Served as the original Student Union Building

Education Building

• Houses Education, Arts and Sciences, Psychology and Public Affairs faculty offices.

• Paddles Up Poke is located on the first floor.

• Tallest academic building on campus.

Engineering Complex

• Four buildings make up the engineering complex at Boise State with a fifth building located downtown for Computer Science students. 

• Programs: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, Materials Science, Computer Science, and Construction Management.

• The Civil Engineering building research labs including an overhead crane and 3D printers.

• Home to the Idaho Microelectronics fabrication facility, an advanced clean room designed for research into the development, design and production of computer semiconductors. 

• Micron Center for Materials Research Building

  • Opened Summer 2020

  • $50 million building - $25 million was pledged from the Micron Technology Foundation Inc. - largest single gift ever to Boise State!

  • 40 research labs, 250-seat lecture hall, 2 80-seat classrooms, office spaces

Environmental Research Building

• Home to Geosciences, offices for the School of Public Service; as well as a community and regional planning program, the environmental finance office, the Public Policy Center and the Frank Church institute. 

• 5 stories housing 43 labs. This building is dedicated to research. Top floor has open areas to study.

• 140 foot ground water testing well and a connection the city’s geothermal heating system.

• Building houses a seismograph and a gem and mineral collection.

Extra Mile Arena

• Seats 13,390

• Opened in 1982

• Second largest indoor concert venue in the state (largest is in Nampa) 

  • Lots of other music venues close to campus - Knitting Factory, NeuroLux, Ford Center

• A variety of concerts, community events, and athletic events occur in the facility annually.

  • Taylor Swift, Elton John, Dan & Shay, G-Eazy, Luke Bryant, Journey

• Hosts the first round of the NCAA March Madness tournament

Hemingway Center  

• Houses the department of Anthropology, offices of the Hemingway Writers Series and several English and Art Department faculty. 

• J. W. Cummingham Memorial Pipe Organ – it is so big they had to leave the organ in the building instead of moving it over to the Morrison Center.

Horticulture Program Greenhouses

• Over 1,800 square feet of greenhouse space.

• Includes five separate bays, four of which are controlled by computers to simulate different climatic or growing regions. 

• One greenhouse holds native plants and one holds tropical plants!

Housing

• Cost for housing: ranges from $8,900 to $13,600 depending on style

• $50 non-refundable application fee and $100 refundable deposit are required along with application (this is refundable by May 1).

• Student will rank their top 5 choices on their application. 

• Housing placements are on a first come first serve basis. The earlier a student applies the higher the likelihood they will get their top choice.

• Optional for freshmen to live on campus.

First-Year General Housing Information

• About 64.5% of freshman live on campus in residence halls.

• Professional staff members (RDs) live in each hall, as well as Resident Assistants (RAs)

• First year students who live on campus are required to have a meal plan by the State of Idaho

First-Year Residence Halls 

• Chaffee Hall:  One of the largest first-year Residence halls.  Is located on the east end of campus near the Extra Mile Arena. Residents say that because of its open hallways and central floor lounges, it’s one of the best places to meet friends and make a start at Boise State. First floor facilities include a large lounge and meeting rooms. It is a traditional style dorm, offering double bedrooms and communal bathrooms.

• Driscoll/Morrison Hall: comprised of 75 students (in both Driscoll and Morrison). Driscoll and Morrison were the first residence halls built on campus, built in 1954. Features mostly single rooms and some double rooms, arranged in suites for 4 to 8 residents. Each suite has a small lounge and bathroom facilities. There is a large main lounge equipped with study tables and fireplace, a community recreation room, kitchen, and laundry room. Used to be the Honors College up until 2017!

• Keiser and Taylor Halls: These halls house 340 students (combined) in suite style living. In addition to personal residences they also house two classrooms, kitchen (in Keiser), faculty offices, and a computer lab.

• Towers Hall: Comprised of two seven story towers housing 300 students, each floor contains 12 rooms in a suite style arrangement. There’s a warm, community feel to life in Towers, residents comparing it to a “close-knit family.” Home of the Towers Hall Engagement Center.

• University Square (Jade, Garnet, Jasper, Topaz): This Residence Hall is located on the west end of campus and features furnished suite-style living for three residents (each suite has a single room, double occupancy bedroom, and a shared bathroom) with spacious living rooms, a kitchen, washer/dryer (laundry is included), and basic cable. It can hold up to 250 students.

• University Suites: Located next to University Square, Suites holds up to 300 students. Set up similar to University Square with only single room options. University Suites also comes equipped with a spacious living room, a kitchen, washer/dryer (laundry is in unit),  and basic cable. In each suite, there are four people total (each have your own room) with two bathrooms. 

• Sawtooth/Honors Hall: Not just for Honors students, this residence hall opened in 2017 and houses over 300 first-year students from all majors and almost 300 Honors students of all class levels.  It is located at the center of campus and is home to one of the dining halls, SouthFork, on the first floor. In addition, it is the home to the Honors College and houses classroom and office spaces. In this building students have the option for a single or double room. 

• Living Learning Programs: Living Learning Programs are communities in the residence halls that blend academics and daily life through classes, activities and live-in professors. 

  • • Adventure Idaho

    • BroncoFit

    • Business and Economics

    • Communication and Exploration

    • Engineering and Innovation

    • Health Professions

    • Leadership and Engagement 

    • STEM Education

Sophomore and Above Housing

• Students are not required to have a meal plan but can opt into a commuter plan if they desire. 

• Apartments: On-campus apartments are available for single students and families. These spaces house an estimated total of 200 people, featuring a computer lab, washers and dryers in all units, a community center and green space. Students will pay per month with an added utility fee. 

• Lincoln Townhouses: The four-bedroom townhouses feature single occupancy bedrooms and houses an estimated 350 students. Each town-home, has a shared kitchen and living room, full-sized beds and free Internet access. In addition, there are specific townhouses for students who are 21 and up. 

• Honors College: Sophomore and above students who are admitted into the Honors program have an option to continue living in this building (they still must apply every year). These suites are entirely composed of single bedrooms that you share with either one or three other students. 

• University Square/University Suites: Houses both first year and Sophomore and above students. (see above for description of room style).

Interactive Learning Center (ILC)

• This building features a 200-seat lecture hall and 12 standard classrooms in addition to a multi-media lab, multi-purpose/distance learning classroom, visualization classroom, experimental classroom, teaching and learning center for professors, and numerous study lounges. 

• In addition to academic functions, the building includes a food-services area, a convenience store and a coffee bar featuring a study lounge (Panda Express, Einstein Bros Bagels, Grille Works, Papa Johns, etc.).

• The Help Desk – technology help desk located in the Zone (rent video cameras, GoPros, tablets laptops, etc.).

Kinesiology Building 

• Kinesiology Department – Athletic Training, K12 PE

• Bronco Gym - women’s volleyball

• Gymnastics team practice facilities located here

Liberal Arts Building

• English and Art departmental offices are housed here.

• The Writing Center on the second floor

  • Students can submit their essays/cover letters to the Writing Center and get feedback sent back within one day! You don't even have to go in - you can submit online!

Mathematics Building

• Math Departmental Offices are located here.

• Math Drop In Center/ Math Learning Center - offers free math assistance from Graduate Students.

Micron Business and Economics Building

• $36 million dollar building - $12 million donated by Micron. 

• HP supplied all technology for the building and will continue to update technology in the years to come.

• Very GREEN building. Uses geothermal heat to keep the building warm in winter, rooftop gardens to control climate in the summers

• Largest lecture hall on campus is located here: Skaggs Hall of Learning is a 250-seat lecture hall that is used for Intro Business classes and community lectures

• Jacksons commons area that includes food service, unique student work spaces (ex. dry erase wall in study rooms).

• A financial technology classroom and financial trading room. Students are in ‘stock market’ class and are given $250,000 dollars of REAL money donated by Micron to invest and trade throughout the year. Money generated at the end of the year goes towards scholarships for COBE students

Morrison Center for the Performing Arts 

• Built in the shape of the state of Idaho when looked at from an aerial view! Also resembles a grand piano!

• Is the home of dance, theater, band, choir, orchestra students

• Ten story stage house and roughly 2,000-seat performance hall. 

• Discounted tickets for students (musicals, touring shows, etc.).

• World class facility and frequently listed in Pollstar’s Top 100 Theatre Venues 

• Building is shared with the City of Boise which allows big name Broadway productions like the Book of Mormon, Hamilton, and the Lion King to come here and preform. 

• The Morrison Center provides a home stage for such local arts groups as the Boise Philharmonic, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho, the Master Chorale, and Boise State University's Music and Theatre Arts Departments.

• Additional Fun Facts:

  • The Morrison Center for the Performing Arts from an aerial view is the shape of the state of Idaho (which also resembles a grand piano)

Multipurpose Classroom Building

• Classroom spaces include two large lecture halls and a variety of classroom spaces that range from 24-60 seats.  

• Largest computer lab with about 90 computers (both PC and MAC). 

• Eight experimental labs and seven offices for various Natural Sciences Departments

• Chemistry lab in the building is equipped with a series of computer programs allowing students to conduct simulated experiments with hazardous chemicals and materials in safe environment.

• Moxie Java coffee shop. 

• Physics Department is located on the fourth floor

Norco Building

• Floors 3 and 4 are home to the school of nursing which includes state of the art facilities, a simulation lab that has breathing, blinking, and baby delivering mannequins. 

• Floors 1 and 2 are home to health services; a comprehensive on-campus primary care facility integrating medical, counseling and wellness services. The first floor is also home to the Human Performance Lab. 

• Student Health Center is located here with medical, counseling, wellness services provided. 

  • Try out the Oasis Room on the 2nd floor - a room that has light boxes, massage chairs, and coloring books to relax and recharge!

• Largest nursing program in the state of Idaho. Two application cycles (Fall and Spring), accepting 80 new students to the program each cycle (Starting Fall 2019)

Parking

• Parking permits range from roughly $100 - $400 per year (depending on location and style i.e. garage vs. surface lot). 

• Options to pay as you go or reserved permit parking.

• Lincoln Garage houses Veteran Services, the Educational Access Center, and The Arbiter, Cycle Learning Center.

Quad

• Access to Friendship Bridge which arches over the Boise River and the main connection point from campus to downtown Boise (a 15-minute walk away). 

  • Symbolic of the friendship between the city of Boise and Boise State

  • You can sometimes see giraffes from Zoo Boise while on Friendship Bridge! (Jabari and Tafari are their names!)

  • Quick access to the Green belt, which lines the river for 25 miles

• A social place on campus for student organizations to table and hold events, pass out flyers, and a great place to relax on a warm day.

• Used to be the runway of the Boise Airport before we were established as a University!

Recreation Center

• Full time students receive membership with their full time status.  Part time students must pay a small fee for membership.  Faculty/staff, alumni and spouses/partners can purchase a membership.

• 3 court gymnasium: can bet set up for basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, badminton soccer and wheelchair basketball.

• Weight room, multi-use rooms, cardio equipment, elevated running track

• Outdoor Program

  • OP Rental shop (inexpensive skis/snowboard rentals if they want to go to Bogus, rent tents, vamping stoves, tubes, hiking poles, sleds, etc.)

  • Opportunity for trips to go rafting, paddle boarding, hiking, and even to another state for more outdoor adventures. Day trips, overnight trips, and week-long trips!

• Indoor rock climbing wall! Taking a class to become certified is free, $5 to take the certification test, 72 routes at all times

• 4 racquetball courts

• Drop-in group exercise classes (Zumba, yoga, Pilates, hip-hop hustle, cycling, HIIT, etc.) - all included into Student Fees!

• Aquatics complex with a lap pool, a recreation pool and a hot tub.

  • Log rolling competitions, inner tube water polo tournament, battleship kayak competition, turbulent water kayaking practice

• Saunas in both the men’s and women’s locker rooms.

• Great opportunities to work on campus here! 80% of the Rec Center Staff are students!

Riverfront Hall

• Houses Sociology and various Social Science departments.

• College of Arts & Sciences advising

• Multi-use building for classes, labs and lecture halls.

• Graduate college admissions office

Science Building 

• Biology and Chemistry departments.

• Contains electron microscopes, nuclear resonance spectrometer which characterizes the structure of molecules, a GC/MASS Spectrometer to separate and identify molecules, and many other advanced scientific pieces of equipment. 

• Biology/Anatomy lab has computer simulated projects for students to complete.

• The only Master's in Raptor Biology Program in the nation with the World Center for Birds of Prey is located on the top floor.

Simplot/Micron Advising and Success Hub (AKA SMASH building) 

• Home to Service Learning, Global Learning Opportunities, Center for Global Education, Advising and Academic Support, Photo Services and the testing center. 

• Students have the opportunity to apply/obtain a passport through our Global Learning Opportunities. 

• Testing Center: most professors will have students sign up for a time slot and take their test (off their own schedule) on secured computers, giving students flexibility and instant results!

Steve Appleton Tennis Complex

• The outdoor complex has 6 courts and bleacher seating for 1,500. 

• Available for student recreation use when not in use by the tennis team.

• Steve Appleton was a COBE grad and was a CEO of Micron - he funded this project!

Student Union Building (SUB)

• • First Floor:

    • Information Desk: General campus information, Bronco ID maintenance, and lost and found.

    • Food Court (Chick-Fil-A, Moe's Southwest Grill, Subway, Tree City, C3, and Starbucks)

    • Bookstore/Bronco Shop: purchases help fund scholarships, textbooks (rent & new), and Bronco swag.

    • Game Center: inexpensive student rates for bowling, pool, and ping-pong.

    • Bronco Express: mailing services and web order pick-up.

    • New Student Programs Office (in charge of Orientation)

    • Undergraduate Admissions Office 

    • Boise River Cafe: Dining Hall for residence hall students and off campus students with meal plans

    • Amazon Locker: brand new - allows students to pick up Amazon packages quickly!

  • Second Floor:

    • Meeting Rooms and Ballrooms: Club events take place here as well as meetings from local businesses and organizations

    • Student Involvement and Leadership Center: over 200 clubs & organizations, ASBSU (paid positions), Volunteer Services Board, Student Programs Board, Fraternities & Sororities, etc. 

    • Multicultural Student Services: student diversity awareness. 

    • Gender Equity Center: Counseling services, social spaces, bystander intervention training, LGBTQIA+ resources, and gender neutral bathrooms.

  • Special Events Center (SPEC)

• • • Seats approximately 435, auditorium style.

    • Used for films, guest speakers, theater & dance festivals, concerts, and religious services. 

    • Idaho Dance Theatre, Ballet Idaho, and various other local groups use the SPEC regularly.

  • Additional Fun Facts:

• Chick-fil-A in the SUB was the first in the state of Idaho (opened 2010)

• Starbucks in the SUB is the largest in the state of Idaho (counts the whole 1st floor of the SUB because their isn't a 4th wall enclosing the Starbucks)

Fun Facts

• • Boise State started in 1932 as Boise Junior College

    • We became a 4 year school in 1965

    • We then became Boise State College in 1969

    • Finally we became Boise State University in 1974

  • Before it was Boise Junior College, campus served as the Boise airport with one small airplane flying out of it in 1926

    • That small airplane was called Varney Airlines and is now known as United Airlines

    • What is now the Quad used to be the airport runway

  • 2017 was one of our best athletic years in history!

    • First round picks in the NBA and NFL (Chandler Hutchinson to the Chicago Bills and Leighton Vander Esch to the Dallas Cowboys)

  • Campus is roughly 285 acres

    • 0.9 miles from one corner to the other! 

Important Names Around Boise 

• • Albertson's 

    • The Albertson's Company began in Boise in the late 1930s and has continued to grow since

    • Albertson's is the largest company in the state and hires many graduates of Boise State 

  • Simplot

    • The Simplot family is prominent in Boise due to their patriarch, J.R. Simplot

      • Created and marketed the first commercially frozen french fries in the world!

    • Simplot Company now does nearly $1 billion in sales with McDonalds each year

    • JUMP in downtown Boise was sponsored by the family and stands for "Jack's Urban Meeting Place" which is used for nonprofit community events

  • Micron

    • Headquartered in Boise

    • One of the top producers of computer memory and data storage

    • Micron is now one of the largest employers in the Treasure Valley

    • Large supporter of the University (particularly in Business and Engineering)

  • Morrison

    • The Morrison family is a very philanthropic family that has lived in Boise for decades

    • Harry Morrison was the founder of a Boise-based engineering firm that built the Hoover Dam and Bay Bridge 

    • The Morrison Foundation has continued to create parks, theaters, and community spaces