Gold, black and blue can go together

The undisputed First Lady of Idaho higher education is actually also president: Boise State University President Marlene Tromp. Any association with a similar-sounding name is purely coincidental.

With that out of the way, let’s clarify something else. Dr. Tromp is setting a deplorable example for those of us who bleed Vandal gold and black. She is not only impossible to see as a hated rival; she is a revelation likely to build lasting bridges all the way from Boise to North Idaho.

Hired in July 2019 but forced to hunker down close to campus during the pandemic, Dr. Tromp recently brought her tidings of great educational joy to the northland, including an illuminating visit with The Press. It was the first such visit of a BSU president with the regional newspaper in at least 20 years, and it marks the welcome introduction of a powerful personality who understands that relationships start person to person, face to face.

Dr. Tromp’s manner is calm and reassuring; passionate yet respectful. Her obvious intellect is matched by a healthy sense of self-deprecation. While admitting that she was told she had the highest college entrance exam score in the state, the woman from sparsely populated Wyoming played down the feat, saying, “but there were like 10 of us.”

Her message as president is crystal clear: People have choices to improve their lives and their futures, including routes other than college. But for those who choose to go on after high school, Idaho offers plenty of great options — including going to Boise State.

She’s complimentary of University of Idaho as a land grant institution and a fine higher ed partner. All of the college and university leaders are united in a common goal, she said: “Presidents supporting each other makes us stronger together. When we’re in alignment instead of attacking each other, the state benefits.”

Dr. Tromp emphasized that UI’s separation of disciplines suits some students. BSU’s eagerness to bring seemingly disparate disciplines together — like putting engineers, philosophers and others in the same room to find creative ways to address statewide and national challenges — attracts others. That’s part of the “Blue Turf Thinking” she explained in a Press front-page story, a metaphor for today’s BSU: “Don’t do it the way it’s been done.”

With roughly twice the student enrollment of UI, Boise State also offers a more urban environment than Moscow, which can be an attraction to students from rural North Idaho who want a different experience.

Dr. Tromp is not only on a quest to visit every high school in the state, she’s forging alliances with education leaders including Dr. Rick MacLennan at North Idaho College.

Idaho higher education has perhaps never showed more promise for a bright future than it does right now, with Dr. Tromp and her counterpart, Dr. Scott Green, at the head of its two most recognizable institutions.

If she's got to be considered a rival to those of us up here, so be it. But let's be mindful that this rival is not an enemy. In fact, a hefty dose of Blue Turf Thinking would help us all.