State Board sets timetable for Boise State president’s search

The State Board of Education hopes to name a successor to retiring Boise State University President Bob Kustra by May.

The State Board announced the timetable for the BSU president’s search Tuesday — along with the panel of Idahoans who will sit on the search committee.

“Boise State University has become the largest university in the state and a driving force in helping to meet the work force needs of the Treasure Valley and the state,” said State Board President Linda Clark, who will head up the search committee. “It will be incumbent upon this search committee to find a leader who is able to sustain and build upon that momentum.”

The 14-member search committee will include a second State Board member, David Hill; Boise State staff, faculty and student representatives; and several business representatives, including Bill Connors, CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.

One intriguing name on the search committee is former State Board member Milford Terrell, a longtime Boise State supporter. Terrell is also campaign treasurer for GOP gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador. In August, Labrador publicly suggested Kustra should step down, after Kustra criticized Labrador’s remarks in the wake of the fatal protests in Charlottesville, Va.

The search process will begin in January, as a search committee meets with Boise State stakeholder groups. The State Board will take applications in February and March, and finalists will visit the campus in March or April. The State Board hopes to interview candidates and name a new president in May.

Kustra has been Boise State’s president since 2003. He announced his retirement in November, effective June 30.

 

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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