History

The Intermountain Conference on the Education of the Gifted and Talented was begun in 1978 by Dr. Jay A. Monson of Utah State University's Department of Elementary Education. Part of the early success of the conference was its cosponsorship by the state and local educational agencies. It quickly became the largest for-credit workshop on campus.

Dr. Monson's goal, and the goal of his successor, Dr. Francine Fukui Johnson, was to bring nationally-known experts to the region to benefit local educators and their students. These national consultants have included Joseph Renzulli, John Feldhusen, June Maker, Barbara Clark, George Betts, Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Robert Sternberg, James Gallagher, and Howard Gardner, among others. The conference also became known for its famous door-prizes, challenging self-starters, Dr. Monson's slide shows, and other related events.

In 1996, Dr. Scott L. Hunsaker became director. In 1998, the conference moved from being a for-credit workshop to a full-fledge conference. Dr. Hunsaker added new features such as the networking sessions and motivational speaker.

The event continues to be one of the most popular events for educators on campus during the summer. The conference is attended each year by more than 250 educators and parents who travel from throughout the Intermountain West.

In 2008, the conference shifted to a new three day format, which permitted more teachers to stay for the conference in its entirety. A new location also greeted conference participants as the conference moved from its long-time home at the Eccles Conference Center to the Edith Bowen Laboratory School on USU campus. Also in 2008, break-out sessions were greatly curtailed in favor of 3-day strands.