Chuck Staben threw down the gauntlet, challenging students to a friendly racquetball match during his first visit to the University of Idaho as the next appointed president for the university.
“At the University of South Dakota, if any student can beat me in racquetball they get free lunch,” Staben said. “I’m willing to extend that offer to students here at the University of Idaho. I don’t make the same offer to faculty or staff, because there are too many old guys like me who play racquetball. But students generally haven’t been doing that as much. I’m undefeated at the University of South Dakota and I believe I’ll retire that way.”
Staben was appointed unanimously by a vote of the Idaho State Board of Education Monday to become UI’s 18th president in a special meeting of the board that lasted just over three minutes.
Staben said the position is a dream come true for him and his wife, Mary Beth Staben. The couple will move to Moscow in time for Staben to assume the presidency March 1. The board approved Staben for a three-year contract that expires June 17, 2017, and an annual salary of $350,000. Staben was selected from a pool of 70 candidates for the position.
“I’ve been in school about 49 years now so it looks like I’ll push that a little farther forward,” Staben said. “The University of Idaho is an extraordinary place. The state is beautiful, we love it here and we’re really looking forward to moving here in March to serve as president.”
Staben is currently the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at the University of South Dakota — a position he has held since 2008. Prior to USD, Staben served in a variety of roles at the University of Kentucky for 19 years. Staben’s academic background includes a bachelor’s and a Ph.D. in biochemistry, as well as many years of research in the field.
Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said she is pleased with Staben’s appointment. She said she believes Staben will play an important role in reconnecting the university with the community.
“He comes from a similar climate as ours in terms of the politics, in terms of the relationship with the university and the community and I think he’ll be a very good fit for the City of Moscow and the University of Idaho,” Chaney said.
Staben said the university does not exist in a vacuum. He said the key will be to build a collaborative relationship with the community based on the development of a common vision. The University of Idaho appealed to him, he said, because of its strong academic history and location in the west.
“Academically it’s a strong university, it’s in a beautiful place, I happen to really love the West,” Staben said. “I met my wife in California so I have kind of fond memories of the West. So those are two of the key things — the academic quality and really the opportunity to advance the university.”
Staben’s wife, Mary Beth, currently practices medicine as a hospitalist in Kentucky. She said she is thrilled to live with her husband again and looks forward to the move to Moscow — a move Staben said will likely be his last.
“I’m 55 years old so I figure I’ve got 10 or 15 years of work left in me and my wife hates to move,” Staben said. “This is one last good job.”
Staben said he anticipates returning to Idaho several times before March 1 to attend events and participate in some decision-making processes — prior to officially beginning his appointment.
“The first thing to do — and I’ll start that even before March 1 — is listen to the people that are here and really know the university best, the staff and faculty of the university,” Staben said. “To some extent, I know that I have two jobs. The day job is to continue to be provost at the University of South Dakota, but I’ll be working with people here on a number of things to prepare myself to get a running start when I come here on March 1.”
ASUI President Max Cowan said he’s excited about Staben’s selection. He said he thinks Staben has a fantastic commitment to shared governance and cares about what students think. He said he is a fan of Staben’s proposal for an open office hour during which students, faculty and staff can visit with the president about their concerns for the university.
“I believe he’s shown in his previous work that he can effectively advocate for students,” Cowan said. “I think that it’s important that the president do what they can … to be accessible to the students and I think that holding an open office hour is an fantastic way to enable and empower students to voice their concerns and their feedback and engage with the president’s office in ways that they haven’t in the past.
Staben said while he believes UI has a lot going for it, he understands some of the difficulties addressed by previous presidents and plans to address those — particularly in regard to frustrations with the SBOE, the state legislature, enrollment and budget issues.
“It’s an incredible opportunity and I’m sure it’s going to be an incredible challenge,” Staben said. “I look forward to working with the great faculty and staff and students of the university. I know this is going to be great fun and an interesting time. Thanks so much for the opportunity.”
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]