The School of Journalism and Mass Media has established a scholarship to honor the memory of Sandra Haarsager, a long-time University of Idaho faculty member and administrator who died Oct. 6, 2007.

     Haarsager came to the University in 1979 as director of information services (now University Communications and Marketing) under former President Richard Gibb. After earning a Ph.D. in American Studies at Washington State University, she joined the faculty of the School of Communication in 1988.

     From 1999 to 2005, she was associate dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She returned to the faculty of the School of Journalism and Mass Media in 2005, teaching courses in Reporting, Feature Writing, Media & Culture, and Media Management & Economics.

     Haarsager was the author of two books: and Bertha Knight Landes of Seattle: Big-City Mayor, published in 1994, and Organized Womanhood: Cultural Politics in the Pacific Northwest, 1840-1920, published in 1997, both by the University of Oklahoma Press. At the time of her death, she was conducting research for a book about the impact of new media technologies on society and culture.

     In her professional life, Haarsager was a reporter for the Times-News (Twin Falls), The Idaho Statesman (Boise) and the Idahonian (Moscow) as well as manager of Western Printing in Moscow. She also worked for the Idaho Department of Education as a public-information specialist.

     The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student who demonstrates Sandra’s intellectual curiosity, interdisciplinary interests and strong writing abilities, said Kenton Bird, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Media.

     Contributions may be sent to the Trust and Investments Office, PO Box 3143, Moscow, ID 83844-3143. Checks should be made payable to the University of Idaho Foundation; the memo line should indicate “Sandra Haarsager Scholarship, designation code DE630.”  Contributions also may be made through the University’s secure Web site: www.sites.uidaho.edu/gifts/

     For more information, contact Bird at 885-4947 or kbird@uidaho.edu