Despite state budget cuts, ISU president lays out ‘bold path forward’
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POCATELLO – The president of “Idaho’s state university” says he is charting a way forward during a time of uncertainty.
President Robert Wagner of Idaho State University, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary, addressed a crowd of administration, faculty and staff members to deliver his State of the University address on Wednesday evening. This address comes only two months after the university announced significant structural changes, including combining colleges and laying off employees, to account for budget cuts made by the Idaho Legislature.
“Over the past several months, you’ve demonstrated remarkable dedication, resilience and care for this university and our students. You do inspire me, and now gathering together at a moment of transition like this reflects something powerful about our university community,” Wagner said.
The Legislature has introduced a series of cuts this session, which have amounted to a permanent, ongoing 5% cut at the beginning of fiscal year 2027.
These cuts have forced ISU to undergo a significant reorganization, combining multiple colleges, consolidating departments, and laying off 44 employees.
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Despite this, Wagner told the crowd that “ISU is not in crisis.”
“The work we are doing is deeply rooted in purpose. We are sharpening our focus, we are aligning our structure with our priorities, and we are reinforcing our ability to serve our students and communities, and we will continue to do so,” Wagner said.
Wagner said ISU is “aligning” its structure with its priorities, which Wagner said will reinforce its ability to serve its students and the community. To do this, ISU is following a strategic initiative that Wagner called a “bold path forward.”
This initiative includes what Wagner called a “contract for Idaho.”
“The contract is not a response to change. It’s a declaration of purpose and impact. It’s our public promise to the people we serve and will continue to serve for another 125 years today,” Wagner said.
The 10 pillars of the new contract all share one thing in common – they all start with “we.” They go as follows:
- We will train Idaho’s workforce
- We will keep college accessible and affordable
- We will support students for success
- We will expand medical education in Idaho
- We will strengthen rural Idaho
- We will power Idaho’s energy future
- We will partner, not compete
- We will strengthen Idaho’s economy
- We will be accountable and transparent
- We will lead with integrity, service and civic-mindedness
To promote transparency, Wagner announced his upcoming podcast, called “Bold Path.”
“Through candid conversations with key leaders across our campus, this series will help break down complex issues, answer important questions and keep our community informed and engaged in the path forward,” Wagner said.
Wagner talked about ISU’s community partnerships, like that with Idaho National Laboratory, saying that ISU has 2,521 active research agreements with industry and higher education partners. He also pointed to its 43 active academic partnerships and pathway agreements, which allowed more than 300 students to transfer from Idaho community colleges to ISU last year.
During the address, Wagner touted ISU’s enrollment growth, saying that fall enrollment reached 13,933, which was a 6.64% increase over the previous year. He also said that new, first-time undergraduate enrollment is the highest it’s been since 2011, continuing undergraduate enrollment is the strongest it’s been since 2018 and total undergraduate degree-seeking enrollment is at its highest level since 2016.
And on top of this, Wagner said “our 10th-day retention rate for Fall 25 reached 74.1%, the highest retention rate in the history of our university.”
Wagner also said that 92% of ISU’s students are Idaho residents, meaning that “investment stays here, serving Idaho’s people, industries and future.”
“Our contract is statewide. … We are Idaho’s state university,” Wagner said.