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ISU Colleagues,
Last fall, we launched a comprehensive and inclusive process with our University community to address budget challenges resulting from statewide budget holdbacks and ongoing funding reductions. Our overall intent is to secure the future of Idaho State University. We began with a listening phase where we asked for your input through listening sessions and a feedback survey. This process generated a large number of suggestions and opportunities and led to the creation of a Bold Path Forward.Together. Our path begins with five strategic priorities that arose from this process:
- Structural redesign
- Strengthening our academic core
- Operational efficiency
- Investing in people and performance
- Revenue growth and diversification
These priorities were used to develop plans that address our current budget needs and position ISU for resiliency and long-term financial sustainability. Throughout the planning process, university-wide teams focused on identifying opportunities to strengthen academic quality, student success, and institutional impact while creating real, sustainable budget savings and positioning the university as a more agile, resilient, and future-ready organization. The resulting strategies prioritize long-term structural alignment rather than short-term reductions, emphasizing efficiency, clarity, and strategic reinvestment.
Plans to strategically meet the University’s guiding principles and priorities for budget planning and long-term sustainability have been reviewed and approved by the Administrative Council. We are now entering the implementation phase of our budget process. Our commitment to transparency is a cornerstone of this budget process, and we will maintain that commitment as we move forward with implementation. We will continue to collaborate with university units and teams, the Budget Advisory Group, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Dean’s Council to ensure that efforts are coordinated and feedback is received.
New initiatives, structures, and processes that will be implemented over the coming months are mission-driven, focused on operational stability, and will lead to a fortified and resilient Idaho State University. The work we are doing now, and will continue to build upon in future months and years, is about more than achieving a balanced budget. It’s about ensuring that ISU nurtures its roots developed during its first 125-year history and will remain strong far into the future.
To respect our colleagues, the communication timeline is designed to prioritize those most directly affected by the changes. Over the coming few weeks, myself and other university leaders will meet with specific individuals and units to discuss respective structural and procedural changes. Following these discussions, in February, I will provide the entire University community with an overview of the changes and new initiatives that we will implement together to strengthen ISU’s financial, academic, research, and creative future–allowing for an even greater impact in the communities we serve across the state.
Then, in subsequent months, university leaders will be actively engaged across campus to move these plans forward—working through details, answering questions, addressing challenges, and adjusting as needed. Your engagement, perspective, and partnership are essential to ensuring these efforts are implemented thoughtfully and effectively. Please reach out to the university leaders of your area to share your insights. Additionally, there will be many more opportunities to learn about the details of budget recommendations as we will continue to communicate, hold specific unit meetings and conduct town hall meetings. Up-to-date information can also be found at isu.edu/budget.
While these plans are necessary and forward-looking, we acknowledge that change of this magnitude is not easy. People, teams, and units across the university will be impacted in different ways. We recognize the uncertainty and concern that can accompany change, and we are committed to approaching this work with care, empathy, and respect for the individuals and communities who help make ISU thrive. Please be patient as we follow a very detailed implementation timeline. Our goal is not only to balance the budget, but to do so in a way that strengthens the university for the long term. And, we will remain steadfast in demonstrating our institution’s values of integrity, community, inclusivity, teamwork, shared responsibility and learning.
Thank you for your dedication to the Idaho State University community and for working with me to embark on a Bold Path Forward. Together.
Sincerely,
President Robert W. Wagner, Ph.D.
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