Dr. Marlene Tromp delivered her State of the University address at ExtraMile Arena on Aug. 14, recognizing the university’s achievements as the institution enters its 50th year of officially becoming a university in Idaho.
Tromp’s speech focused on the growth of the university since she became the first female President at Boise State University in 2019.
“When Boise State sets a goal, we achieve it,” Tromp said. “When Boise State strives to serve students better, we accomplish, and that’s changing people’s lives.”
One of Tromp’s biggest goals is to improve educational access for students through the strategic enrollment and retention plan (SERP).
SERP is designed to decrease equity gaps and increase the student population for certain demographics such as first-generation college students, pell-grant eligible students, rural students and Latinx students.
Tromp praised zed the school’s 39% increase in four-year graduation rate in the last five years. During that period, almost 25,000 students have graduated.
“Think of the impact that makes on this state, on this region, on the world that we’ve sent that many students out into the world to take their talents and to make their impact,” Tromp said. “So we’re churning students out with those talents magnified into the world. That’s real change, that’s real impact.”
Boise State’s retention rate is 78%, pertaining to the number of freshmen who returned to school after their first year. Among other Idaho universities, Boise State has the highest.
This year, Boise State student athletes achieved an on time graduation rate of 94% and also a 3.42 cumulative GPA, the highest in athletics history. According to Tromp, Boise State is in the top 5% of NCAA Division I programs regarding student athlete academic performance.
Tromp also touched on the philanthropic success Boise State has had within the last few years. Since October 2023, Boise State has raised over $346 million through their Unbridled campaign. The money raised goes towards endowed scholarships, which are funded by the University’s Foundation program to provide ongoing support for students. The donations are planned to improve athletic facilities such as the North End Zone Project and Boise State’s Relentless Faculty Innovation, a program at Boise State that promotes research and student-centered learning through innovative approaches.
“My goal in this comprehensive campaign is that no Idaho student will have unmet financial needs at Boise State,” Tromp said. “So that finances are not a barrier for an Idaho student coming to Boise State.”
In 2024, Boise State received over $61 million, the third consecutive record-breaking year for philanthropic support with the support of their 28,146 individual donors.
Boise State is only six more doctorate research graduates away from becoming a “R1 university,” a term used by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to classify a school based on their high levels of research activity. There are 146 R1 universities in the United States, including Cornell University and Harvard University.
Boise State has also created educational opportunities for international students, renewing their “2+2” academic partnership with the National Economics University (NEU), which was discontinued in 2020 because of COVID.
The program allows Vietnamese business students to earn their bachelor’s degree. The program was designed to allow students to attend National Economics University in Hanoi, Vietnam for two years to receive their pre-business certificates. After two years, students in the program then transfer to Boise State for an additional two years of education to complete their bachelor’s degree.
Tromp also emphasized plans to expand educational opportunities for students.
Boise State’s College of Innovation and Design is adding a certificate for Artificial Intelligence starting Spring 2025. The new certificate is geared towards assisting students to learn more about the function of AI.
“There’s so many ways that AI can change the world around us for the better, but we have to understand the tool,” Tromp said.
Tromp concluded her speech praising researchers and faculty in attendance for their work over the years at Boise State.
“When you think about all of the accomplishments that I have just discussed in these five years, you have changed this university,” Tromp said. “You have changed people’s lives, and you’ve changed our state for the better. I want to thank you for all the incredible work that you’ve done.”
From a junior college to a state university, Boise State has made leaps and bounds through the ranks, becoming one of the most highly touted universities in Idaho.
