(UPDATED, 12:56 p.m., with details on the Boise State presidential search.)

Boise State University’s interim president could be on his way to a permanent president’s job in a neighboring state.

On Friday, the University of Montana announced that Jeremiah Shinn is its presidential finalist, with campus visits and meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. It appears that Shinn is the sole finalist for the post; the university named no other finalists Friday.

It does not appear that Shinn’s departure would affect the stop-and-go Boise State president’s search — which began more than a year ago, but went dormant for five months before resuming last month.

Shinn, formerly Boise State’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, has served as interim president since May. He served in several administrative roles at Boise State from 2010 to 2019 and returned to Boise State in February 2023 for the vice president’s post.

Shinn would be leaving for a smaller institution — but a flagship state university established in 1893.

With about 11,000 students, the UM’s enrollment is less than half of Boise State’s student headcount. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education lists the UM as an R1 research institution — a top-tier classification that Boise State is actively pursuing.

The UM president’s job opened in January, when Seth Bodnar announced his plans to step down.

“The search for UM’s next president has been robust, with a high volume of strong applicants,” Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian said in a news release Friday.

When Shinn was named Boise State’s interim president last spring, the State Board of Education said he would not seek the job permanently. He was taken off the State Board’s search committee when the process of finding a new president resumed in March.

“When the search began, it was not expected that (Shinn) would be carrying full presidential responsibilities for this duration while also participating in the search process,” the search committee said at the time.

The search committee has said it is working on a compressed timetable to fill the Boise State job — in hopes of filling the post before fall classes. But the search will take place largely behind closed doors. Under a new state law, passed during the 2026 legislative session, the State Board must announce only a single presidential candidate.

The search committee hopes to name that finalist by mid-June.

The search process is on schedule, and the committee is making no changes to its schedule because of Shinn’s possible departure, State Board spokeswoman Marissa Morrison said Friday.

“Everything’s moving ahead as planned,” she said.

Morrison said she was unsure how many people have applied for the job, but the application window is still open.

Bobbi-Jo Meuleman — CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and a search committee member — said the committee will resume its work next week. “(The) search is back in full swing,” Meuleman said in a Friday email to chamber members.

Should Shinn leave, he would be the latest of several high-level departures from Boise State, in the wake of President Marlene Tromp’s 2025 departure for a similar role at the University of Vermont.

In the past year, Boise State has lost its provost, its chief financial officer and its chief communications and marketing official.

Boise State declined to comment Friday morning, deferring to the State Board.