Boise State University professors say they’re starting to buckle under the pressure of increasing enrollment and state budget cuts — which are leading to larger class sizes. 

The State Board of Education invited staff and faculty to its Wednesday meeting on Boise State’s campus. The roundtable discussion largely focused on managing class sizes amid a 10% spike in enrollment over the past four years. Meanwhile, state leaders have cut Boise State’s funding, by 4% this school year and 5% next school year.

The budget cuts — approved by the Legislature and Gov. Brad Little to avert a deficit caused by tax cuts and declining state revenue — affected all four-year institutions, spurring tuition increases, layoffs and college consolidations across Idaho’s higher education system.

Erik Hadley, an assistant professor in Boise State’s history department and president of the Faculty Senate, said hiring hasn’t kept up with enrollment on his campus, increasing class sizes and reducing professors’ capacity to work with students. About 860 full-time faculty members are working with more than 28,500 students while faculty salaries are stagnant, leading professors to leave for better-paying jobs in other states, Hadley said. 

“We’re doing a tremendous job serving our students and getting our research done. But it is wearing us down,” he said. “We do need an infusion of resources at some point, because this is sustainable in the short term, but not in the long term, to maintain this level of productivity for our faculty.”

State Board Executive Director Jenn White asked the professors how the “strain” of increasing class sizes is showing up in the classroom. Amy Ulappa, a teaching professor in the biological sciences department, responded that good classroom experiences for students — like working in groups and doing undergraduate research — take time, which is harder to manage with more students. 

“It’s more difficult to facilitate large group interactions in a way that’s productive for students,” said Ulappa, who will succeed Hadley as Faculty Senate president next school year. “In my department we know how important undergrad research is, and we work really hard to do it. But not every one of our students is going to have that opportunity, because there just aren’t enough faculty.”

Don Warner, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said it’s becoming harder to find stipends for students working in science labs. Warner said he has to choose between funding a graduate student or a couple of undergraduates. “It’s tough to make those decisions.”

Later Wednesday, the State Board approved fiscal year 2027 operating budgets for the agencies it oversees, including colleges and universities. It was largely a ceremonial vote, as the budgets had already been ironed out. 

But board chairman Kurt Liebich seized an opportunity to highlight the consequences of the state cuts that disproportionately affected higher education. 

The college and university budgets approved Wednesday “represent a shift in the cost of education from the state of Idaho to our students,” Liebich said. In April, the State Board approved tuition increases between 4.4% and 4.7% at four-year schools. Boise State’s tuition will increase $425. 

“Across every budget (for) each of our universities, you’ll see the reduction in state appropriations and a corresponding, but not equivalent, increase in student tuition,” Liebich said. 

He also pointed to cuts affecting 80 full-time positions. “They don’t look like huge numbers … but those are actually 80 families, people that are losing their jobs in our communities,” he said. “These aren’t decisions without consequences.”

‘It’s inspiring that you care:’ Presidential finalist fields questions on DEI, research, athletics

Boise State University will follow state law, including a far-reaching ban on DEI initiatives, the finalist for the university president’s job said Wednesday.

But David Hahn also said the state’s largest university needs to create a welcoming environment for all students. And he drew a round of applause when he said he wanted to preserve access to Boise State, as opposed to tightening its admissions standards.

Hahn met with faculty, staff and students Wednesday afternoon for an hour-long and wide-ranging question-and-answer session, co-hosted by Boise State and the State Board of Education. The campus event came just one day after the State Board named Hahn the sole finalist for the Boise State presidency.

If hired — a move that could come as early as July 1 — the dean of the University of Arizona’s college of engineering would become Boise State’s eighth president. Hahn would assume a job that Marlene Tromp vacated 15 months ago, when she accepted the president’s job at the University of Vermont.

Two of the questions centered on campus politics — a flashpoint in Tromp’s turbulent six years at Boise State.

Saying that conservatives often feel outnumbered on campus, one student asked Hahn how he would protect freedom of expression. Hahn said the key is creating a climate that is attractive to all students. “When everyone comes, that’s when you have what society looks like.”

Another questioner asked whether Hahn would rescind Boise State’s restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While renewing his pledge to create a welcoming campus, Hahn noted that the Legislature and Gov. Brad Little have already spoken on this issue, most recently with a 2025 law cracking down on DEI. “This university has to comply with those laws.”

Hahn — who has spent much of his 28-year academic career in research — also fielded several questions on research. Hahn said he’d like to grow Boise State’s research portfolio to $100 million a year, up from its current $78.5 million. Echoing acting President Nancy Glenn, who discussed Boise State’s research posture at Wednesday’s State Board meeting, Hahn said he believes Boise State is on the cusp of attaining top-tier R1 research status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Hahn said.

Hahn talked about winning in another arena — college sports — as Boise State joins a rebuilt Pac-12 conference this year. Boise State will need to focus on fundraising to compete in a “crazy” collegiate sports climate, Hahn said, but athletics is a big part of the university’s national brand.

“What a great opportunity,” he said. “But cost is escalating daily and we don’t have unlimited resources.”

Hahn has met with campus groups since Tuesday’s State Board announcement; for example, he had lunch Wednesday with student leaders. But Wednesday’s forum represented the campus community’s one chance to publicly question the State Board’s nominee.

The forum drew about 500 people, nearly filling the largest ballroom at Boise State’s Westmark Student Union Building.

“It’s inspiring that you care,” Hahn said at the close of the forum. “If there were six people here, I’d be like, ‘Honey, I took the wrong job.’”

Is top-tier research status imminent at Boise State?

Idaho is likely to have two universities with a prestigious national research designation in a couple years. 

Boise State University has met the thresholds for an R1 research designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, acting president Nancy Glenn told the State Board.

To earn R1 status, universities must have at least $50 million in annual research while awarding at least 70 research doctoral degrees annually. Reaching R1 had been one of former President Marlene Tromp’s goals at Boise State.

Carnegie updates its designation every three years, with the next cycle coming in 2028. Glenn said Boise State will retain its R2 designation until then. 

“Becoming R1 will strengthen our ability to recruit high-performing faculty, graduate students and postdocs, and lead to economic benefits and growth for the surrounding community through innovation partnerships,” Glenn said Wednesday. 

The University of Idaho received R1 classification last year.

State Board member David Turnbull asked Glenn whether the new designation is a “foregone conclusion” or there’s “subjectivity” to updating a university’s status.

Glenn responded that Carnegie could change its metrics. “But that would change that classification across all of the United States. They’ve only done that once in the last 25 years, so I don’t anticipate that they will do that in the next three years.”

Students applaud State Board for hearing feedback in president search

Boise State students applauded the State Board for hearing their feedback during a search for the university’s new president. 

Kasi Ward, a senior studying nursing, said a student panel interviewed finalists before the State Board’s search committee recommended David Hahn this week. And the students were able to offer input on each of the finalists. 

“Dr. Hahn made promises during the interview, and it’s great to see that those are already being upheld,” Ward said. 

Board member David Turnbull, who chaired the search committee, said that members considered the students’ input. “Some of them were dissertation length, so we appreciate the thoughtful response,” he said. 

Critchfield provides update on federal tax credit

Also Wednesday, state superintendent Debbie Critchfield updated fellow board members on a new federal tax credit program. Part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the program reimburses contributions to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) that fund private and public education expenses. 

The U.S. Treasury plans to release final rules on the program in September, Critchfield said, but federal officials warned state leaders not to wait until then to build out their programs. The Idaho Department of Education is responsible for approving eligible SGOs. 

Critchfield noted that public school districts that have endowments or foundations can become eligible SGOs. “It’s still in the works, but I want to keep it in front of you,” she said. “I also want to keep it in front of our public schools, so that they realize they also have opportunities here.”