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ISU reorganizes student support: DEI centers closed, Title IX reporting moved to president's office
Summary
Idaho State University told JFAC it closed two campus resource centers as part of a broader pivot to student completion and created the Bengal Success Center; Title IX and equal-opportunity functions were moved to report directly to the president.
Idaho State University President Rob Wagner told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that as part of a renewed focus on student completion ISU closed two campus resource centers — the Diversity Resource Center and the Gender Resource Center — and shifted two full-time positions to other student-support units.
Wagner said the change originated from an institution-wide emphasis on academic student success. He said the closures “became truly effective Nov. 15,” and that one of the two affected FTE positions was moved into student involvement to better support student-led clubs and activities; the other FTE moved to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX, which now reports directly to the president.
Wagner described the new Bengal Success Center as a central resource aimed at supporting traditional and nontraditional students across ISU’s campuses. “We subsequently created the Bengal Success Center that is available for all of our students…with a singular focus on academic success,” Wagner said.
Why it matters Committee members asked whether the reorganizations were responses to State Board direction on DEI programs and how the changes support the university’s academic mission. Wagner said the moves were driven by completion goals: “Our completion rates are not where they need to be. We can do better and we will do better.”
Details and context - Wagner said the two centers each represented one FTE. One FTE was repurposed to student involvement (supporting student clubs). The other FTE was moved to the Office of Equal Opportunity/Title IX under the president’s office. - Wagner characterized the reorganization as refocusing resources to increase completion and said the university is emphasizing pathways and student belonging through student-led programming and the Bengal Success Center.
Committee reaction Committee members acknowledged the changes and thanked Wagner for actions taken to improve accountability for Title IX and student outcomes. Several members commended the shift toward student-success investments.
Ending Wagner and the committee framed the changes as part of a broader strategy to improve student outcomes and align institutional resources to workforce needs and completion goals.
