The Idaho State Board of Education has again refused to release public comments on David Hahn, Boise State University’s new president. The board formally hired Hahn on July 1, ending a 15-month search that unfolded almost entirely behind closed doors.

Search Process Secrecy

The board on June 16 named Hahn the sole finalist for the Boise State presidency, beginning a limited public phase of the search. The board accepted public comments through an email address created for this purpose. Idaho Education News first requested the public comments on June 18, but State Board Executive Director Jennifer White refused the request, saying the board was using the comments as part of its review of Hahn.

After the search concluded, EdNews again requested the public comments on July 2. White again said no, citing the same concerns — saying the comments were solicited by the board to inform its screening, evaluation, and selection of a specific applicant for employment and, thus, are protected from disclosure.

The search for Boise State’s eighth president was marked both by its length and by its secrecy. The State Board suspended its search in October, after board leaders said some qualified candidates did not want to be identified publicly as job applicants. At the board’s urging, the 2026 Legislature passed a law moving most of the search process behind closed doors.

Boise State is Idaho’s largest public university, with fall enrollment increasing to 28,461 last year. It has a $307.4 million budget for this year, including $131.4 million of tax revenues from the state’s general fund.

Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.