Boise State presidential finalists revealed

Boise State University’s next president will come from out of state — or possibly Canada.

On Wednesday, the State Board of Education revealed the five finalists to succeed retiring President Bob Kustra.

Here’s the list:

  • James Lentini, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, Oakland University.
  • Kevin Reynolds, vice president for finance and administration, Portland State University.
  • Jack Thomas, president, Western Illinois University.
  • Robbyn Wacker, senior campaign adviser for development and alumni relations, University of Northern Colorado.
  • Daniel Weeks, president and vice chancellor, University of Northern British Columbia.

Click here to read detailed biographies of the five finalists.

The candidates will start visiting the Boise State campus Monday. Each candidate will hold open forums with faculty and staff from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., and open forums with students from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. All events will be held in the student union building’s Simplot Ballroom.

The schedule is as follows: Reynolds, Monday; Wacker, Tuesday; Thomas, April 26; Weeks, April 27; and Lentini, April 30.

Later in the search, the State Board will also take online feedback about the finalists.

Kustra will retire on June 30. He has served as Boise State’s president since 2003.

Filling the Boise State vacancy has been the third big hire — and perhaps most high-profile hire — on the State Board’s to-do list for 2018. The board selected new presidents for Idaho State University and Lewis-Clark State College on April 5.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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