As the Fall 2025 semester begins at Boise State, the search for a new university president continues.
As previously reported by The Arbiter, the search was announced in May following the end of former President Marlene Tromp’s 6-year tenure. Vice President for Student Affairs Jeremiah Shinn serves as the university’s interim president while the selection process is underway.
The state board is expecting to determine finalists in early Fall.
Administration Staff Listening Sessions and survey responses outline the university’s hopes for the next president, including identifying a leader with integrity and resilience, maintaining momentum toward R1 status and prioritizing student access and academic freedom.
David Turnbull, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, gave an update on the search at the Idaho State Board of Education meeting on August 20.
During the meeting, Turnbull emphasized the role of the president as a “high-profile” position, noting that while community members may feel the anticipation of who the university’s next president will be, he assures the community that careful consideration of over 50 applicants are being carefully considered to ensure the finalists align with the priorities and values of the university.
Turnbull and State Board of Education president Kurt Liebich confirmed that they completed two days of face-to-face and in-person interviews and are in the process of selecting and preparing to publicly name finalists.
“We will name five finalists here in the near future and then we will schedule some on-campus visits so that the candidates themselves can be exposed to the campus,” Turnbull said. “The campus can be exposed to the candidates, and then we’ll continue on with our selection process from there.”
The Executive Director of the State Board of Education, Jennifer White, also attended the meeting, and said that the committee is moving as quickly as possible but the “public will have to wait” while they carefully complete this process and identify the finalists.
“Of course, we’re committed to a transparent and public process, we think that’s very important,” White said.
White and Liebich discussed the potential risks that candidates take in making their status as finalists public. Liebich said that while he and Turnbull are narrowing down their five prospective finalists, the next step is to confirm the candidates are prepared for the public-facing process.
“Folks put a lot at risk when they indicate their interest,” White said. “For a role of this significance and importance, and for the caliber of recruits that we are wanting to attract, there is good reason for this to be revisited, to find a balance between that transparency process and also the confidentiality that normally is attached to the hiring process.”
Turnbull said that once the committee makes their final selection, the chosen candidate will begin their tenure after a conversation about their ideal timeline for stepping into the role.
“The selection hopefully will occur soon, when the person will be in place is another matter,” Turnbull said.
The Arbiter will continue to follow the presidential search as it develops.
