Kyle Keckler
Staff Writer
Idaho State University’s new president, Robert Wagner, started his first day on January 29th, 2024. He is ISU’s fourteenth president, replacing former President Kevin Satterlee, who retired at the end of the Fall semester of 2023.
The Bengal secured an interview with the new president, during which we discussed topics ranging from first impressions of campus to where he hopes the university goes in the future and his philosophy about education.
“I would describe myself as being passionate about higher education. I’ve dedicated my professional career to education … As I look back on my professional life, the one common thread through all of those experiences is education,” President Wagner said, “I consider [education] to be a public good, something that society needs, something that society should work very, very hard for.”
This belief in education is reflected in President Wagner’s background. He spent sixteen years working at Utah State University, where he held numerous leadership positions, such as Executive Vice Provost, Vice President of Academic and Instruction Services, and Dean. Immediately before working at ISU, President Wagner was USU’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brigham Young University.
What drew him to Idaho State? “I said in the last couple of months that it would take a special institution to get me to leave Utah State. Idaho State is that special institution. When I came to campus for the first time, I felt that specialness. At the time, I didn’t know that I was going to get the job – but I knew that if I did, I was going to accept it. Because this was an institution that I felt I really wanted to be a part of. It’s a special place.”
When asked to point to what he feels is the most valuable part of Idaho State, President Wagner quickly replied, “It is the people that, in my opinion, make this institution great”.
“[It’s]… the students who are working so hard to achieve their higher education goals. I think of the faculty who are incredible, who are experts in their fields … The staff who work so hard to make sure that this institution runs, to make sure we have what we need, [and] the administrators who have dedicated their time and their talents and their experiences to help lead the institution. It’s the people that are the greatest asset for Idaho State University.”
At any given moment any university may be facing dozens of issues, big and small. When asked what he felt to be the most pressing concern facing Idaho State, President Wagner replied, “I think that as universities, as higher education leaders, we have to help people understand the value of higher education– that’s starting to be questioned. And that’s a concern to me because, like I said, I have dedicated myself to education.”
Wagner believes that people need to understand just how transformative education can be in an individual’s life. “For a student, education should be an investment; you’re investing your time and energy, and then you’re going to get a return: it’s going to help better your life, wherever your future is… What we need to do a better job of is talking about how education changes lives.”
As it stands, Idaho State currently operates with a budget deficit of approximately $13 million. Much of former President Kevin Satterlee’s time on campus was focused on addressing this deficit and finding ways to stabilize university expenditures. How President Wagner addresses this issue is of great interest to ISU’s campus community.
“First of all, I recognize the tremendous amount of work that’s already been done under President Satterlee and other administrators’ direction, as well as committees and working groups on campus. As a new president, I think it’s important for me to understand what that process is, how it’s working, and what’s happening. I need to recognize the outstanding work that’s already been done.”
President Wagner made sure to emphasize his optimism for Idaho State’s capacity to handle the situation. “I think this institution is on the right track. Yes, it’s going to be a challenge – but I believe, with our faculty, with our students, with our staff, with our administrators– we have the resources that we need to tackle the challenges that we have. I do not doubt that we will get through them. We’ll come out the other end much, much stronger.”
President Wagner believes the university can recover and said that decisions must be made to compel that recovery.
The Bengal inquired about how that recovery would occur, via cutting programs or expanding the university’s abilities to bring in revenue. “I think that we need to be willing to do both,” Wagner said, “Now I want to be
careful because anytime you say ‘cut’, that’s impactful. I want to be sensitive to the fact that I can’t sit here after one week on the job and tell you if we’re going to cut or what we’re going to cut – but I think that as an institution, we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to go forward. We’re going to do it as an institution with transparency – with openness, and we’re going to do it as a community. I’m an enrollment manager, so my tendency to answer your question would be to say, ‘Let’s grow’. We have a lot of great assets at Idaho State University; I think there’s much more that we can give to our communities. So, I would like to see us grow. Absolutely.”
President Wagner also sees potential growth as a way for Idaho State to improve its standing across the state.
When some people refer to Idaho’s premier universities, they often leave Idaho State out of the conversation, instead focusing on the University of Idaho or Boise State University.
Wagner’s reaction; “Well, I think first of all those are two outstanding institutions. I think the state of Idaho should be very proud. It has four degree-granting institutions that do a phenomenal job; the University of Idaho, Boise State, Lewis-Clark, and Idaho State University are all outstanding public institutions.”
I want Idaho State University to be bigger better, and to grow. I’m going to do all that I can to make sure that when people talk about great institutions like Boise State or the University of Idaho, they’re also talking about a great institution like Idaho State University. My goal is for Idaho State University to be the premier public institution in the state.”
Idaho State University has been on a roll for five and a half years. Enrollment and retention have increased, alongside a steady development of campus services.
How does Idaho State’s new president hope to build on that momentum?
“Great things are happening here. Faculty, students, [and] staff are doing incredible things. So, as I come in, I want to as best I can, find a way to support that momentum … Are there going to be new things and different things that I’m going to bring as president? Absolutely – but what I don’t want to do is to break something that doesn’t need to be fixed. I want to be able to support that and help those things that are already moving forward, things that might need a little more help and a little more attention. I’m going to focus on those things. So that as an institution as a whole, we move forward together.”
The Bengal asked President Wagner how he wants to see the university develop in the coming years. “I hope that we’ll be able to measure greater impact in the state and in the communities that we serve. We have to be able to measure ourselves, whether it’s enrollment growth, whether it’s student retention, whether it’s faculty research dollars, [or] whatever it might be, we need to use metrics to really gauge our success to see how we are doing. I hope in a year, even more people know about the great things happening at Idaho State University.”
As for President Wagner’s hope for the university in five years? There is one word that repeatedly appears in his intentions for Idaho State: The word is more “…Even more growth, collaboration, involvement in our community, more research, more students achieving their higher education goals, more, more and more. This institution is already doing great things; let’s take those important metrics that make us great and see improvement.”
President Wagner ended the interview by saying that he and his spouse are happy and excited to be at Idaho State: “We’ve been welcomed so warmly by the institutional community… and we felt that we have a place here and that’s very, very important to us. We want to give all that we can to this institution because, already, [We] believe in this institution.
“I believe in the people because it’s the people that make this institution.”
