Boise State and the Basque Country Celebrate 50 years of cultural and academic partnership

BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELEASE / August 1, 2025

Boise State and the Basque Country Celebrate 50 years of cultural and academic partnership

Boise State celebrated Aste Nagusia, Basque Week, a vibrant celebration of the university’s 50-year partnership with the Basque Country. Events honored the enduring legacy of international collaboration sparked in 1974 by a groundbreaking study abroad program in Oñati, a small town in the Basque Country.

Coinciding with Jaialdi, the largest Basque cultural festival in the United States, Basque Week welcomed an European delegation of dignitaries, academics and officials, including Imanol Pradales, president (lehendakari) of the Basque Country and Joxerramon Bengoetxea, rector of the University of the Basque Country.

During their visit the delegation engaged with Boise State leadership, met with faculty in engineering and cybersecurity, and explored new opportunities for research and academic exchange. Events throughout the week reaffirmed Boise State’s reputation as a national hub for Basque cultural studies and global partnerships.

“Boise State’s historic relationship with the Basque Country has shaped the lives of generations of students, families and scholars,” said Jeremiah Shinn, Boise State’s interim president. “This week was a powerful reminder of the university’s role in building bridges across continents and in preparing our students to be globally minded citizens.”

A highlight of the week included a formal reception at the Stueckle Sky Center, where university leaders, Basque officials, alumni of the Oñati program and members of the public gathered to commemorate the anniversary. Boise State leadership greeted the lehendakari at the Allen Noble Hall of Fame. The event featured remarks, cultural performances and networking across education, business and government sectors.

“It is a pleasure and honor to be here with brothers and sisters from our country, so thank you. Although 5,000 miles separate us, we feel that Basque roots run deep in this land,” said Imanol Pradales, president of the Basque government. ”I hope that the future will bring us together even more strongly.”

Other key events included a formal Memorandum of Understanding signing between Boise State University and the University of the Basque Country. The memorandum creates a trans-oceanic campus and provides a foundation for future development focused on research, innovation and meeting industry needs.

“Fifty years ago, Boise State faculty and students began a partnership that has inspired many exchanges and collaborations in the years since,” said Argia Beristain, CEO of the Boise State University Foundation. “The ripple effect has been significant and long-standing. The sense of community we build, in both our home countries and together, continues to drive our ongoing pursuit of shared excellence and innovation.”

Basque Week concluded with the Zortziak Bat: International Symposium on the Basque Diaspora and Cultural Expressions, at the Micron Business and Economics Building on campus. The symposium explored the global Basque identity, the so-called “Eighth Province” through scholarly presentations, music, sports, fashion, and even a virtual reality exploration of arborglyphs: tree carvings made by Basque immigrant sheepherders in the American West.

“This is a symposium with traditional academic papers, but it is so much more,” said John Bieter, professor of history and longtime Basque scholar. “Music, fashion, sports — the A to Z of Basque culture.”

Bieter, who was just 12 years old when he traveled to Oñati with his family as part of the first exchange, is among a team of researchers working to document the arborglyphs before they disappear.

Boise State launched its Basque studies program in 2005 and remains one of only three U.S. universities offering a minor and language certificates in Basque. The program, along with decades of partnerships, continues to foster international dialogue, cultural preservation and educational opportunity.

“The seeds of something global were planted right here in Boise,” Bieter added. “And that legacy continues to grow.”

For more information, visit Home – Aste Nagusia (Basque Week).