ISU names new president

POCATELLO, Idaho – Arthur Vailas will be Idaho State University’s new president, school officials announced Wednesday.

Vailas, the vice president for research and intellectual property management at the University of Houston, will take on the top ISU post starting July 1, earning $260,000 a year.

State Board of Education President Rod Lewis said Vailas’ demeanor, communication skills and qualifications in health sciences make him a good fit for ISU. Interim President Michael Gallagher, has urged the state to create a medical school at ISU.

ISU’s former president, Richard Bowen, retired after faculty members held a vote of no confidence in response to pay raises given 36 administrators.

Vailas earned his bachelor of science degree at the University of New Hampshire and a doctorate from the University of Idaho.