Keough on UI president search group

SANDPOINT — Sen. Shawn Keough has been named to the search committee for the next University of Idaho president.

Finding the right person to be the next U of I leader is critical for Bonner and Boundary counties given the college’s involvement with agricultural research in both communities and the Wild Rose Foundation’s currently on hold plans to build a campus in Sandpoint, she said.

“I think it’s very important,” Keough said. “The University of Idaho is critical piece of our education structure in Idaho.”

Karl Dye, executive director for the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation, said there is no better representative for northern Idaho on the committee than Keough because education is one of her highest priorities.

“I don’t think that would be a better North Idaho representative than Sen. Shawn Keough,” said Dye, a U of I alum.

Bonner County attorney and half-time U of I law professor Ford Elsaesser said Keough understands the community’s education needs and was very supportive of the Wild Rose proposal.

“She is generally a great supporter of education,” he said.

Elsaesser said filling former U of I president Tim White’s shoes will be difficult because he stepped in when the university was in serious trouble following its failed attempt to expand in Boise.

White was heavily involved with plans to build a Sandpoint branch campus. White resigned from the university in May after being hired as chancellor at the University of California-Riverside.

Elsaesser believes that Keough has the economic and political savvy and understanding of the area’s needs to serve on the committee.

The school’s next president will be hired during what Elsaesser said is a cross-roads for state-run colleges — a time when less funding is available for students and the cost to attend continues to increase.

The University of Idaho is one of the best bargains compared to other state-run colleges in the United States, said Elsaesser. He also is a U of I alum, serving on its foundation, and his daughter graduated from the college this spring.

“It was a great deal 30 years ago and it’s still a great deal,” he sad.

The search, which is expected to take six to nine months, will be led by State Board of Education board president Paul Agidius and board member Sue Thilo of Coeur d’Alene.

Keough is unsure of what criteria will be used in the search, although she expects that plans to expand the college into northern Idaho will be part of that.

“I am thrilled to be asked to be part of this committee,” Keough said.

“In my mind, the next president will have role in chartering higher education opportunities in this area,” she said.

The U of I has had a strong presence in this area with research facilities in Bonner and Boundary counties and she expects it play an even more critical role in the future with plans for expansion in Sandpoint, Keough said. The college has recently added two education components in Bonner County — a master’s program in education and one in business and is going forward with those programs even though the Wild Rose proposal has been suspended.

The foundation’s plans were put on hold because its funding was to come from Coldwater Creek stock which suffered a decline since plans for the campus were announced.

The foundation did give the university land on North Boyer for relocating the Sandpoint Research and Extension Center.

The next step is for the search committee to establish time frames and logistics.

Keough is the vice chairman of the Senate finance committee.

The search committee also includes: Katherine Aiken, dean, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Idaho; Rich Allen, community member, McCall; Thomas Bitterwolf, chemistry professor, University of Idaho; Bill Gilbert Jr., president, University of Idaho Foundation; Karen Guilfoyle, teacher education professor, chair faculty council, University of Idaho;

Jim Hawkins, community member, former director Department of Commerce, Coeur d’Alene; Garrett Holbrook, president, Associated Students of the University of Idaho;

Paul Kimmell, community member, Avista Corporation; Tom Limbaugh, president, University of Idaho Alumni Association; Chris Meyer, education director, Coeur d’Alene Tribes; Dr. Matt Powell, associate director Aquaculture Research Institute, Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station;

Rob Spear: athletic director, University of Idaho; and Robert Smith, distinguished professor Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, University of Idaho, Idaho Falls.