The Idaho State Board of Education today announced the selection of Dr. Robert W. Kustra to serve as President of Boise State University, Idaho’s largest institution of higher education. Dr. Kustra was chosen by the Board following an extensive selection and interview process, which began in October 2002 and included over 80 applicants. In its 70-year history, Boise State has been served by only five presidents. Dr. Kustra will be the sixth president, taking over on July 1, 2003 for outgoing president Dr. Charles Ruch, who announced his retirement last year.
Prior to accepting the presidency at BSU, Dr. Kustra served as President of the Midwestern Higher Education Commission in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and also as President of Eastern Kentucky University. He has also served as Illinois’s Lieutenant Governor, Chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and in the Illinois State Legislature, while at the same time holding faculty appointments at various institutions, including Northwestern University, University of Illinois, Roosevelt University and Loyola University.
Dr. Kustra received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree in Political Science from Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Benedictine College in Kansas.
“We have found an exceptionally strong and dynamic leader in Dr. Kustra. The Board is extremely pleased to appoint him as President of BSU, and is confident he will able to lead the institution to the next level of excellence,” stated Board President Blake Hall.
The State Board set Dr. Kustra’s salary at $162,000 per year. Consistent with other Idaho university presidents, housing and a car will also be provided, along with a supplemental compensation package paid for by the BSU Foundation. Dr. Kustra will be joined in Boise by his wife, Kathy.