Idaho State Board of Education Visits Moscow, Hears University of Idaho Student and Faculty Concerns
The Idaho State Board of Education convened in Moscow, Idaho this week for a multi-day meeting that brought University of Idaho students, staff, and faculty face-to-face with the state’s top education officials — raising concerns about artificial intelligence, enrollment trends, housing, and the financial pressures reshaping higher education across the Gem State.
Idaho Superintendent of Education Debbie Critchfield opened the student panel by asking participants what they see in their futures and what challenges lie ahead. The responses reflected a generation navigating rapid technological and institutional change.
Students Voice Concerns on AI, Growth, and Campus Life
Reagan Johnson, a senior studying mathematical biology, told the board she has significant reservations about artificial intelligence’s impact on her field. “I’m part of the College of Science and there’s a lot of uncertainty with AI right now. There are some people who are really for it. I personally am not. But there’s a lot of — we don’t know what it looks like. We don’t know if these degrees we’re getting are going to be worth anything. Will our jobs still be there?” Johnson said.
Bobby Provost, a senior in mechanical engineering, pointed to UI’s rapid growth as a potential threat to the hands-on learning environment that makes the Moscow campus distinctive. “That leads to bigger class sizes and the professors are more stressed and stuff like that. And as we get to that direction, I think it’s going to remove some of the hands-on aspect of engineering that I really like at the school,” Provost said.
Owen Allenger, a junior studying elementary education and a resident adviser, raised concerns about on-campus housing capacity. As students move off campus or commute from home, Allenger argued, the sense of community that defines the college experience begins to erode. “One of the big issues is that then they don’t have that community and connection with other students that I feel like the college experience is amazing for,” he said.
Faculty concerns mirrored those of students. Sanjay Sisodia, department head for the Department of Business and a professor of marketing, acknowledged that AI anxiety is pervasive in the classroom. “One of the top concerns is what AI is going to do for them and what it means for their jobs upon graduation,” Sisodia said, framing the central question as whether AI functions as a tool or a replacement for human workers.
UI President Green Delivers Annual Report, Addresses Budget Cuts and Enrollment Outlook
UI President C. Scott Green delivered the university’s annual strategic plan report to the board, offering a candid assessment of the institution’s finances and future direction. Due to state funding cuts, Green said the university intends to reduce certain programs — including in engineering, cybersecurity, agriculture, veterinary medicine, health care, and mining. UI is also delaying hiring, reducing travel and discretionary spending, and offering an incentivized retirement program to manage costs.
On the enrollment front, Green offered a measured but cautious outlook. “Applications are down. And I would say we have other factors that would indicate that enrollments may be flat to maybe even slightly up. We have a record number of FAFSA forms on file, but not all those people have enrolled. So we have a lot of conflicting data,” Green said. He added that he is “bracing the campus that enrollments could be down this year for the first time in five years.”
Green also highlighted opportunities for institutional growth. He discussed UI’s partnership with the University of Utah to expand medical education in Idaho and plans to develop a master of science in nursing program in partnership with North Idaho College. He also referenced the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho — known as WWAMI — medical education program as a key component of Idaho’s healthcare education pipeline.
In a notable achievement, Green reported that UI received a $4.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation in 2025 to develop tools including the “Vandalizer,” an AI-powered platform that reduces time-consuming administrative tasks to single-click steps. “Tasks that used to take staff up to an hour are now done in seconds. This is already saving our Office of Sponsored Programs thousands of hours per year,” Green said, noting that universities across the country have begun requesting access to the tool.
Looking ahead, UI is also pursuing an upcoming master’s and bachelor’s degree program in artificial intelligence and has launched a “Reimagining Teaching with AI” faculty development series. “We’re preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow,” Green said.
The board unanimously approved UI’s request to begin planning and design for the Idaho Water Center Laboratory and Classroom Improvement project, authorizing $467,045 for the effort. The project would convert space in UI’s existing Water Center building in Boise into dedicated classrooms, study spaces, faculty offices, and support facilities for medical education. Chief of Staff Sunny Wallace told the board the dual-site approach would allow UI to meet accreditation requirements while keeping costs manageable for Idaho taxpayers.
UI is also contributing financially to construction and improvement of Idaho State University’s Meridian anatomy lab, which is expected to accommodate UI and University of Utah medical students beginning in the fall of 2028.
For those interested in other developments at the University of Idaho, the university is also preparing to host the 59th annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, scheduled for April 22–25 in Moscow. Additionally, international students and employees at UI have been navigating ongoing immigration policy changes that continue to affect campus communities statewide.
What Comes Next
The Idaho State Board of Education’s Moscow meeting was scheduled to continue into additional days of sessions. UI officials are expected to move forward with planning and design work on the Boise Water Center medical education project following the board’s unanimous approval. Enrollment figures for the upcoming academic year will be closely watched by university administrators and state policymakers alike as UI braces for the possibility of its first enrollment decline in five years. Budget adjustments stemming from state funding cuts — including program reductions and delayed hiring — will continue