Written by: Olivia Brandon, Cole McAdams, Emily Carmela Nelson
This time last year, The Arbiter provided coverage of the then-recently announced presidential search with a feature titled, “‘What do we want to be known for?: The search for a new Boise State President is now underway.”
Almost a year later, with no president selected and no finalists announced, Boise State is asking a different question: Who is going to lead us?
Tromp announces her departure
On March 20, 2025, at 12:07 p.m., the student body received an email announcing former President Marlene Tromp was stepping down to pursue the University of Vermont’s presidency.
Several weeks later, it was announced that current Interim President Jeremiah Shinn would temporarily step into the role, beginning May 10.
By July 18, 42 people had applied to be Boise State’s next president.
Behind the scenes, resumes were being forwarded to the search committee by high-profile Idahoans, allegedly including Christian Zimmerman, a spinal neurosurgeon at Saint Alphonsus, Larry Williams, a conservative donor previously involved in the Big City Coffee Lawsuit and Terry Ryan, CEO of Bluum, according to public records acquired by Idaho Education News.
For students who aren’t following the search closely, it is easy to feel lost in the woods.
“Currently, I feel as though I am not very informed regarding our presidential candidacy,” said Bella Valdez, a freshman nursing student.
“I don’t really know too much about it,” added Cesar Garcia, a sophomore studying electrical engineering. “I know that it’s currently in a state of limbo as Boise State figures out where to go post Marlene Tromp.”
Back to the drawing board
The Arbiter reached out for an updated timeline and was directed to the presidential search website.
With the search reopened to comply with the new guidelines for universities outlined in Senate Bill 1225, the State Board of Education invites new candidates and previous applicants to apply.
SB 1225 outlines that members of the search committee, as well as the State Board of Education, publicly identify a sole finalist ten business days before the final decision is made.
This is a departure from the original process, where five finalists would be released to the public, allowing students and the media to get to know the candidates.
Representative John Gannon, the only representative who voted in opposition of the bill, believes that the community is entitled to knowing who their university president will be, in the same way judicial candidates are public in nature.
“The application process for [judicial positons] is entirely public, and I wasn’t really seeing why a president of a public university shouldn’t be a public process,” Gannon said. “I just had to side with [this position being a] public office holder in general, and certainly the way we pick our judges. It seemed to me that [this bill] was going overboard.”
In an article from the Idaho Statesman, Sen. Lori Den Hartog confirmed some candidates withdrew their names from the search out of fear of jeopardizing their current position under the previous guidelines.
Updated timeline
According to the website, the application and recruitment period occurred through late March, with first-round interviews happening just weeks ago in early April.
Second-round conversations with semi-finalists are set for late April or early May.
Not unlike the listening sessions from 2025, faculty, staff and student representatives and university leadership will engage in “small-group conversations” with prospective applicants and share their feedback with the committee.
Those participating in those conversations will “sign a confidentiality agreement applicable to the interview process only in order to support a candid exchange of ideas and protect the privacy of candidates who may currently hold leadership positions at other institutions.”
“The president is so far removed generally from the daily greetings of the average college student, we’re not feeling the effects. From the university side, [no president] sends everything into chaos,” said Oskar Hansen, a first-year student.
The current web page for listening sessions has not been updated since 2025.
Isaac Celedon explained his responsibilities as student subcommittee co-chair entail “listening, translating and advocating.” Celedon said as co-chair, he identifies themes from student perspectives and communicates them to the main Search Committee.
“Student input has the most impact in shaping the qualities we’re looking for in the next president. Students want a president who focuses on things like accessibility, affordability, mental health support and having a leader who is visible and engaged,” Celedon said.
“Student representation in a largely confidential process means being a trusted voice in the room and making sure student priorities are still influencing decisions even when students can’t see every step.”
Celedon said there’s always room for further transparency efforts with students, but understands the delicate balance of maintaining the integrity of the search.
“It has been a pleasure and honor to represent students and collect their feedback for the next president for the past 13 months,” Celedon said. “The responsibility to represent students honestly and thoughtfully, knowing this decision will have a lasting impact on Boise State, is something I’ve taken seriously throughout this entire process.”
Campus culture
Despite the not-so-transparent presidential search, students around campus are buzzing with opinions. Desires such as clear-cut communication from the future president and economic integrity are at the top of wish lists.
“I’d like to see a president who sticks to their word, only to an amount that is true to what they actually are getting done, not making empty promises,” said Carina Teebken, a junior studying environmental science.
Teebken spoke to the political tension in the state of Idaho, saying she hopes to have a president who creates a welcoming space for students.
“Right now, given the political climate in the country, as well as things happening statewide in Idaho, I think it’s really important to remind everybody that one place we are all welcome is in education.”
In addition to social issues lingering in the air on campus, a threat at the back of every student’s mind gets brought up in discussions regarding Boise State’s future: paying for college.
“If the leader is able to convey the damage that [increased tuition] can cause to the school and to the students, that’d be a great way to get the message out there,” sophomore Trinity Musser said. “I’m not asking for handouts — I’m willing to work. I want to see more opportunities on campus where I’m able to get tuition reduced.”
“If [the president] can’t fund scholarships, if you can’t fund student organizations, you can’t fund faculty, you can’t pioneer for more students to come next year — then everything crumbles apart,” added Hansen.
In search of a figurehead willing to uphold this responsibility, students are passionate about expressing the collective vision of a president serving the campus for years to come, sooner rather than later.
“I’m a student who’s focused on academics and future growth, so those [are] things I value in terms of a president … but at the same time, there are important aspects of community that need to be fostered, whether it be spaces or clubs or other forms of groups that should be incentivized,” Hansen continued. “With this current way that the search is being structured, student decisions are no longer valid.”
Reporting contributed by Jack McElwee
