In early March, Boise State University announced plans to merge the College of Education and School of Public Service and completely dissolve the School of Innovation and Design.
The move comes in the aftermath of a 3% budget cut for the university and JFAC’s decision not to reverse budget cuts for the next fiscal year. As reported by Idaho Ed News, that reversal could have resulted in Boise State receiving 2.7 million dollars.
While university faculty were alerted of the change in a letter from Interim President Jeremiah Shinn and Interim Provost Zeynep Hansen, many student leaders felt they were left in the dark regarding the merger.
In the letter to staff, Shinn and Hansen said both colleges’ missions “centered around serving” the state of Idaho.
“I was super caught off guard,” Charlotte McNeely, senate lead for ASBSU and school of public service senator said. “I’m here to serve the students of the School Public Service, and not being able to totally fulfill that, because [of] being blindsided, was a little bit of a disappointment.”
McNeely said she believes the colleges are far too different to be combined and worries there won’t be a clear sense of the merged college’s focus. Additionally, as ASBSU currently has two senators for each college, she worries that number will be reduced due to the College of Education and SPS combining.
“That’s a really concerning thing,” McNeely said in reference to the number of senators in ASBSU potentially being decreased. “Regardless of the size, they [the colleges] are extremely different and have different representational needs.” McNeely also alluded to concerns regarding advising and staffing.
On March 9, 2026, McNeely, alongside Alana Heusser, senator for the college of education and additional members, introduced Resolution 5, which calls for transparency and the consideration of students and staff should the merger be approved by the State Board of Education. The resolution was passed the following day and marked the first time in nearly half a decade that students at large introduced and presented legislation.
Alana Heusser, senator for the college of education, explained her main issue with combining the two colleges stems from how many certifications and tests are needed to become an educator.
“There’s a big concern with advising, especially for education, because there are so many tests and certificates that you have to take and so many steps you have to go through the process of to get certified,” Heusser said. “Making sure that students are able to meet with advisors and the advisor positions aren’t cut. Based on the communication we’ve got from the college, I don’t think any of those advisor positions are going to be taken away or combined. It would be concerning if advisors had to have more students on their caseload, because a lot of people already have a hard time getting a hold of advisors and having advisors answer questions.”
Though she has her concerns, Heusser believes the process will be organized and won’t hinder anyone from receiving their placement and student teaching.
“It’s unfortunate that this change has to happen because of the state of public education and funding for education. It’s a super unfortunate change. But I really do trust the university that students are going to be protected and that it’s not really going to negatively impact anyone.”
If approved by Idaho’s State Board of Education, the merger would go into effect July 1, 2026.
