Utah State University has a new president. The hire might not be noteworthy to Idahoans — but the hiring process might be.

Weber State University President Brad Mortensen will return to his alma mater, effective Nov. 10. The Utah Board of Higher Education unanimously selected Mortensen Thursday, bringing an end to a closed-door search.

As the Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday, Mortensen was the state’s first hire under a new law that makes presidential searches an entirely private process.

Under the law, no finalists’ names were made public, and Utahns had no opportunity to vet finalists, the Tribune reported.

The goal was to attract high-caliber candidates who wanted to apply in private. Higher education board Chair Amanda Covington said the “transparent and inclusive process” yielded interest from local and national candidates, the Tribune reported, but the board did not say whether the private search actually brought in more applicants.

Utah’s hush-hush hire comes as Idaho State Board of Education has conducted a closed-door search for a new Boise State University president — while lamenting the public component of the process.

Under state law, the board must publicly announce a field of five finalists, or the entire list of all applicants. Board members have said some applicants, especially presidents at other schools, are reluctant to going public.

“You have a 20% chance of getting the job,” State Board President Kurt Liebich said during an August meeting. “Are you really going to put your current position at risk?”

The Boise State search is continuing, and has run into delays. In October, a search committee said it did not have a list of five finalists to send to the State Board.