ISU Alumni Bonnie and Alan Frantz Continue Legacy of Service with New Scholarship Endowment

Bonnie Frantz joined ISU in 1987 as assistant director of the Pond Student Union. Over her 24-year career, she guided facility and budget management, advised ASISU, and played a key role in campus expansions, including the Bennion Student Union in Idaho Falls, the Student Activities annex and the Student Union portion of the Rendezvous Building. She also launched programs such as the ISU Reading Project and Human Rights Celebration, and in 2011 received the City of Pocatello’s Outstanding Service in Human Relations Award.

Alan Frantz, a third-generation Bengal, paused his studies when he was a student at Idaho State to serve in the U.S. Army as a woodwind specialist in Germany. He returned to ISU in 1987 after earning a master’s degree in German from Indiana University and teaching high school. He later completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from the University of Denver and served in leadership roles at ISU, including assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, director of teacher education, university registrar, Faculty Senate chair and assistant vice president for academic affairs. He retired in 2020 and remains active in supporting the university.

Bonnie and Alan met when Bonnie chaired the ASISU Student Organization Committee and Alan served as faculty representative, laying the foundation for a partnership that has since shaped their careers, their service to students, and now, their scholarship endowment. 

“When we were college students, we were the beneficiaries of scholarship funds, so we know how important they are for students to persevere,” Alan said. “We spent most of our careers working with students and are now retired—this is a means to continue our involvement with students.”

The scholarship will support students in the College of Education or College of Arts and Letters who are involved in student government or the University Honors Program, with preference for students majoring in art or foreign language. The criteria reflect Bonnie and Alan’s own academic backgrounds and careers at ISU, which combined education, the arts, languages and student engagement.

To contribute to the Bonnie and Alan Frantz Scholarship, visit ISU.edu/give. Select "give now," then "other fund," and input "Bonnie and Alan Frantz Scholarship" into the designated field.