Professor Emerita of Dance

Years of Tenure at the University of Idaho 1968-1999

Professor Diane Walker was the Director of the Center for Dance on the University of Idaho campus from its inception in 1968 to the day she retired. She became a faculty member in 1973 and remained a dance instructor and program director until she retired in 1999, and continued as a part time instructor in dance for another few years.

In 1960, Professor Walker graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music with her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Immediately following graduation, she left to teach dance at the Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas and served as the Playground, Rhythmic Activities, and Dance Supervisor for Broken Bow Public Schools in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Professor Walker made a move to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1966 to pursue her Masters in Education and teach dance at Colorado State University. In 1968 Walker joined the University of Idaho as an Assistant/Associate Professor of Dance.

Professor Walker was cited as the "backbone of dance in the Idaho Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance." at an awards dinner in 1984. Her energy and commitment to dance was unparalleled. Among her accomplishments were in-service workshops and performances for public school teachers and students in Idaho, and active involvement in the National Dance Association, Idaho Alliance for Arts Education and other professional organizations such as AIM (movement programs for handicapped individuals), American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and the Western Society of Physical Education for College Women. In addition, she authored many dance publications, developed university dance courses and curriculum materials, and served as a clinician consultant for numerous organizations. Professor Walker also was invited to choreograph several dance performances at the University and in the community. In June, 1981, she was invited by the Ministry of Education and the National Dance Company of Ecuador to teach in Quito, Ecuador.

Her accomplishments speak for themselves. Diane's name is and was synonymous with "Dance". She established the Dance program at the university as well as enhanced it across the state of Idaho and on the national level.

Greg Halloran
Mary Heller
Kerry Parker
Shelly Werner
Diane Walker


Visiting Artists

Alumni