In his first — and likely last — “state of the university” address, interim President Martin Schimpf urged the Boise State community to keep moving forward.
“I don’t think it’s in Boise State’s DNA to sit around while we wait for a new president, do you?” Schimpf told university staff Tuesday morning.
Schimpf, most recently Boise State’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, touted several milestones at the state’s largest university.
After a fund-raising campaign generated more than $50 million, the university was able to boost its number of donor-supported scholarship awards by a third. Schimpf said he hopes to replicate that fundraising success on Sept. 13, when Boise State hosts its first crowdfunding Giving Day.
Schimpf also said Boise State’s graduation and retention rates are improving, and its doctoral programs are growing as well. All told, Boise State has 324 doctoral students in 11 programs, including its second-year programs in ecology, evolution and behavior, which has 16 students, and a computing doctoral program with 30 students.
Schimpf took over the presidency on July 1, when Bob Kustra retired after 15 years at the helm. The State Board of Education had hoped to choose a permanent replacement for Kustra this spring, but the board in May decided to extend the search and hire a new firm to look for candidates. The board hopes to name a permanent president by next spring.
