Wednesday, August 9, 2017

"Days after boosters make threat to withhold funds, Idaho State president resigns"

IS:
This past weekend, members of the university’s football booster club published an op-ed in the Idaho State Journal advocating the ouster of Vailas and Athletic Director Jeff Tingey, and on Monday the State Journal reported that the Idaho State Football Alumni Team “is withholding from the school close to $80,000 in fundraising money until the changes are made because of what the group calls the horrible state of ISU athletics.”

...

On Wednesday, Gov. Butch Otter issued a statement praising Vailas, who has led Idaho State since 2006.

“Over the past decade, President Vailas has been at the forefront of many of the remarkable and positive changes, not only at Idaho State University but also throughout our higher education system,” Otter said. “Through Dr. Vailas’ vision and leadership, ISU has championed numerous programs and opportunities including one that holds great promise for the future, the creation of Idaho’s first medical school.”

That planned medical school, a parnership with the private Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine at ISU’s Meridian campus, gained pre-accreditation status in May and is expected to open in August 2018. It was among Vailas’ achievements