Introducing Sage

Hello ISU community!

My name is Sage Adams and I’m the new Senior Instructional Technologist at ITRC (as of October 1st); but you may just call me ‘Sage’ - there aren’t too many of us (Sage’s that is).

I’ve only been in Pocatello for two weeks - and really I’ve spent a lot of that time in Chubbuck, because that is where my apartment is located. In fact, I’ve only been in Idaho for two weeks.

That’s right, I’m not from around here. I am originally from Fairbanks, Alaska; and that is also where I’ve been living most recently - I had an 8 year break from Alaska from 1995 to 2003, during which I lived in places like Seattle, Portland, and Norway.

While in Alaska (for the second time), I worked as an instructional designer for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) which is, perhaps surprisingly, the largest campus in Alaska. The University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA) is quite a bit smaller (physically and in terms of faculty and student body size). Anchorage is, however, our largest city by far.

At any rate, I’m here now; and, this may come as a surprise to many Pocatellans, but I love it here so far. It’s much warmer than Fairbanks for one. Just this morning, for example, I woke up and it was about 40 degrees outside; chilly right? Well, in Fairbanks this morning, it was 21 degrees. And it only goes downhill from there. At some point this winter it will be -50 degrees in Fairbanks, perhaps for an extended period of time, and I will not be there. That in itself is comforting to me.

Second, and related to the first, is that you have four seasons in Idaho. In Alaska we really only have two: summer (which is glorious while it lasts - light all night, very warm) and winter (9 months of darkness and numbing cold).

Third, you can leave Pocatello (or Chubbuck) at any time - well, while you are not working - and drive to other places! I could go to Salt Lake City if I wanted, for example, and in fact I have. I bought furniture at the IKEA there, and I had a lot of fun doing so.

I could drive to Jackson, Wyoming and go snowboarding. I could take a few days vacation at some point and drive or fly to Portland, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, or a host of other locations just one or two states away (fairly easily and inexpensively from my perspective) . In Fairbanks you can drive to Anchorage (a six hour journey)...and that’s where you can go.

I also have been enjoying getting to know your little town. the Idaho State University (ISU) campus is very pretty, and it’s easy to get around on foot or by car. You have some lovely restaurants as well, including the Indian cuisine over on Main street, the 5th Avenue deli, and El Jacalito. Although to be fair, Fairbanks has some excellent Thai restaurants I will miss.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, working with the ITRC staff and students is a real pleasure. They are a great group of people, dedicated to helping faculty and students succeed. I have felt very welcome and at home here. The ISU community is lucky to have such a talented and inspiring group of professionals, here to assist faculty create and maintain the highest quality courses possible.

Thanks for having me.