Rooted in Legacy. Driven by Purpose: ISU President Robert Wagner Delivers Fall Address

“What we know as ISU today, did not arrive fully formed,” Wagner told the crowd. “Nobody handed us a beautiful campus, a university designation, a research enterprise, a nuclear reactor, the health sciences mission, a College of Technology, a performing arts center, and a Dome and said, ‘here you go.’ ISU was built over 125 years - by countless individuals. They advocated for it. They imagined things that did not yet exist, they convinced others it was possible, and then they found a way to make it happen.”

Wagner told the crowd about pharmacy students in the 1920s who needed equipment and supplies to create a pharmacy-like learning environment and wrote 6,000 letters to drug and chemical companies to get the supplies they needed. In later years, students wanted the university to offer childcare to help make education more accessible and affordable to students with families, and wrote 4,000 letters to the State Board of Education, eventually building the Early Learning Center still in use today. 

“Along the way there were people who doubted this institution and its members. People who thought their ambitions were too large. People who wondered whether Idaho really needed what was being built here. And Bengals answered them — with results,” Wagner said. “They built programs. They taught students. They trained nurses, teachers, welders, engineers, accountants, artists and scientists. They conducted research. They cared for patients. They entertained on the field, court and on stage. They strengthened communities. And they did it with resilience, persistence, and courage.” 

Today, Wagner said, Bengals are facing new challenges, but with the same determination. 

“Now, it's 2026. 125 years later. In addition to budget challenges, not new to our institution, ISU, and other institutions of higher learning, are facing a new existential crisis. We are hearing questions from outside our universities: Is college worth it? Are universities focused on what matters? Are we preparing people for meaningful work? Are we contributing enough to the communities and states that support us?,” Wagner said. “Those are fair questions. Public universities, like ISU, should not be afraid to face questions that draw attention to our very existence. In fact, the very history of this institution provides the answer. We exist for one purpose - to make an impact.” 

Wagner shared Idaho State University’s successes across all disciplines, from Idaho State’s partnership with NuCube to bring an advanced nuclear test reactor to campus to the more than 5,000 nursing alumni filling healthcare needs in underserved areas across the state and nation. 

“Tonight, somewhere in Idaho, a patient will be cared for by somebody who graduated from ISU,” Wagner said. “Tomorrow morning, a child will walk into a classroom led by somebody who was inspired and encouraged at this institution. Somewhere at INL, or Micron, or Simplot, or a small machinery shop floor or a rural health clinic in Idaho, somebody will have an impact. Why? Because that is our purpose.” 

Looking to the future, Wagner said Idaho State will remain focused and committed to:

• Enrollment growth and student success
• Our academic and research enterprises
• Enhancing our physical infrastructure
• Building external relationships and building partnerships
• Investing in employee engagement and connection

“That’s the spirit behind our Contract for Idaho. Idaho invests in its state university, and its state university invests in Idaho,” Wagner said. “And when I look at what is happening across Idaho —  the industries growing, the communities changing, the significant workforce and healthcare needs, the opportunities in energy and technology, and the students searching for a place to turn their ability into a future — I don’t think Idaho State’s greatest contribution is behind us. I believe the exact opposite. This is Idaho State University’s time.”