In spring 2008, Boise State University trumpeted state approval for its doctoral program in public policy and administration as another step forward in the school’s goal of transforming itself into a regional research university — a “metropolitan research university of distinction,” in President Bob Kustra’s phrase.
But in 2011, Boise State shelved the program, before it started. The reason: cost.
In this post-recession malaise, when Idaho higher education is facing unprecedented cuts in state appropriations, Kustra says Boise State has started to make tough choices on what it can afford to do and what it can’t.
Kustra raised expectations for taking Boise State further into the realm of postgraduate research after he came to Boise State in 2003. Now he is asking administrators, faculty and students to engage in a conversation this year about how the university will set boundaries for its research dream.
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