(UPDATED: 8:53 a.m. Wednesday, with corrected information about streaming Wednesday’s forum.)
The Boise State University presidential search has finally yielded a finalist.
David Hahn, the dean of the University of Arizona’s College of Engineering, was named Tuesday morning as the sole finalist for the Boise State post. That means the State Board of Education could name Hahn president as soon as July 1.
Hahn is the only person who has been publicly linked to the vacancy at Idaho’s largest university — a job that has been on the market since March 2025, when Marlene Tromp took the president’s job at the University of Vermont. But Boise State students and staff will only get a limited chance to meet Hahn. The board has scheduled a one-hour public forum with Hahn Wednesday afternoon, in the midst of the university’s summer semester.
“From the start, I was really drawn into Boise’s momentum … on all fronts,” Hahn said Tuesday morning, moments after the State Board’s announcement. “I’m committed from Day One to continue that momentum, and to advance that momentum.”
Boise State’s eighth president will take the helm at a university that has hit key milestones — but also faces headwinds.
Boise State has steadily increased enrollment since the post-COVID dropoff of 2020; last fall’s student headcount reached 28,461, up more than 10% over four years. The largest fundraising campaign in university history, Unbridled, reached its $500 million target well ahead of its 2028 deadline.
However, Boise State and other state colleges and universities absorbed a disproportionate share of state budget cuts during the 2026 legislative session — a 4% cut for the budget year ending June 30, and a 5% reduction for the next budget year. And Boise State faced harsh scrutiny at the Statehouse throughout Tromp’s tenure, culminating in politically motivated 2025 budget cuts that targeted both Boise State and the University of Idaho.
Since July 2019, Hahn has headed the U of A’s engineering college, a high-ranking post at one of the nation’s premier research universities. The U of A conducts more than $1 billion in research annually and holds prestigious R1 research status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. With a 2025 research portfolio of $70 million a year, Boise State is pursuing R1 status.
“Dr. Hahn brings the research credentials and the institutional experience to keep that momentum going.” said State Board member David Turnbull, who headed the Boise State presidential search committee.
Hahn also has worked on the U of A’s expansion in microelectronics and semiconductor programs — an area of emphasis at Boise State, due to its proximity to Micron Technology’s Boise complex. The U of A is a member of a Southwest regional partnership in microelectronics education, similar to the Pacific Northwest partnership headed by Boise State. In February, the U of A announced a $35.5 million expansion of its semiconductor lab clean room.
According to Hahn’s curriculum vitae, the engineering college’s enrollment has increased by 40% during his time as dean. Hahn has also been an advocate for diversity. Hahn has hired more than 55 career-track or tenure-track faculty members, according to his curriculum vitae, “with 36% identifying as female, Hispanic, Black, or Native American, the greatest increase in diversity in college history.”
This commitment to access was a big factor in the State Board’s decision — and Turnbull says Hahn should help Boise State continue to connect with rural Idahoans, first-generation students and adults looking to go to college.
“At Boise State, there’s a belief that … a university can open its doors wider and still reach higher,” Turnbull said. “That belief is not just a strategic plan. It’s a moral commitment of this board.”
Gov. Brad Little gave Hahn high marks Tuesday.
“His impressive record in engineering, research, and workforce development aligns well with Idaho’s continued growth and opportunity,” Little said in a statement.
Hahn also received praise from the person who could soon be his former boss.
“David Hahn has led the College of Engineering with a clear commitment to student success and research of the highest caliber,” U of A President Suresh Garimella said in a State Board news release Tuesday morning. “He has been an instrumental colleague, fostering a mindset of innovation that will leave a lasting impact on our faculty and students.”
Hahn, a mechanical engineer, holds 12 U.S. patents.
Before moving to the U of A, Hahn worked for close to 20 years at the University of Florida. He has bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Louisiana State University.
During his time at U of A, Hahn said he was approached repeatedly about other presidential vacancies. “Every single time for seven years, I’ve said no, except when Boise State called, and I said yes,” Hahn told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
During a news conference, Hahn discussed the challenges and the opportunities that would await him at Boise State.
On the budget. “I think every university in America right now is fiscally constrained,” Hahn said. But managing and prioritizing the money that comes in is only part of the equation, he said. Even on the heels of the $500 million Unbridled campaign, fundraising and philanthropy must be a continued focus. “We will work tirelessly to make people in all corners want to come forward and help this university.”
On DEI — and the Legislature. A comprehensive 2025 law essentially outlaws diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Idaho campuses. And before that, a proposed State Board DEI policy prompted Tromp to preemptively and abruptly close a DEI-based student support center.
On Tuesday, Hahn said Boise State would abide by the law: “That’s not a copout, that’s just the reality of the situation.” But he also pledged to make the campus inclusive. “Education lifts every single person, so we want to make Boise State as welcoming as possible to every single person from all walks of life.”
On growth. Hahn expects Boise State to continue its “impressive” run of enrollment growth. And not just in engineering, the largest growth area in higher ed. Hahn also sees growth potential in healthcare, business and education majors. “The whole campus is there to piece together strategically and synergistically.”
On research. As dean, Hahn said he still maintains a lab on campus, calling it a “very happy place.” And Hahn pledged to bring Boise State to the pinnacle of university research. “We’ll be an R1 institution.”
“Today is about the future,” said Turnbull, as he introduced Hahn as the sole presidential finalist. But that announcement came only after a laborious, on-again, off-again search.
Nearly a year ago, the State Board had received 42 applications for the job. A search committee winnowed the field to eight semifinalists, who were brought in for closed-door interviews at the Boise airport in mid-August.
Weeks later, the search was put on hold, abruptly. State Board leaders blamed the delay on what was then the law — which required the board to publicly announce a field of five finalists. Some qualified candidates balked at being named as an applicant, and State Board leaders said this left the search at an impasse.
The 2026 Legislature responded with a law that moves presidential searches almost entirely behind closed doors. The State Board is now required to announce only one presidential finalist — but must wait 10 business days before making a hire.
Tuesday’s announcement puts Hahn in the spotlight — and onto campus for a whirlwind of meetings with stakeholders, starting Tuesday. A one-hour public forum is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, at the Jordan Ballroom at Boise State’s Westmark Student Union Building. The forum will also be streamed as a webinar for students, faculty and staff.
The State Board will take public input on Hahn’s nomination at comments@edu.idaho.gov.
The State Board is expected to reconvene on July 1 to formally vote on Hahn’s nomination.
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