Idaho Gov. Butch Otter plans on asking the 2018 Legislature to create a chief education officer to implement key changes inside the state’s higher education system.
The proposal stems from various recommendations submitted by a task force appointed by the governor to review the state’s system of colleges and universities and find important modifications.
In his comments to the Idaho State Board of Education, Otter said creating a higher education CEO would help the state reach its 2010 goal of getting 60 percent of Idaho’s young adults to complete a post-secondary degree or certificate by 2025. Otter asked for the board’s support of the idea, explaining the CEO position would have to work directly with the board in order to be effective.
The idea has also been endorsed by a handful of business executives, due to the growing need to have a better skilled workforce in Idaho.
Currently, Idaho is searching for new presidents at Lewis-Clark State College, Idaho State University, and Boise State University. Otter said those openings make it an ideal time to begin revamping the system.
Roughly 40 percent of Idaho’s residents between the ages of 25 and 34 have completed post-secondary education. The statistic has been incrementally decreasing since 2012 and officials were recently forced to push back their deadline of meeting the 60 percent goal from 2020 to 2025. (AP)
