On Wednesday, Nov. 15, Boise State University President Bob Kustra announced his retirement at the end of this school year.
Kustra began leading Boise State in 2003, and from the moment he first visited Boise, he says he knew Boise State was full of potential.
"It didn't take long to figure out that there was a special chemistry about this place," Kustra said. "It was very clear to me that this was a place that had growth written all over its future."
In the nearly two decades since Kustra joined Boise State, he's led the university to great heights.
The university is now Idaho's largest graduate school, even earning a prestigious Carnegie designation last year.
"The STEM disciplines were clearly our focus and we started building those," Kustra said. "Of course, Micron played a critical role."
During Kustra's tenure, the campus has been transformed, thanks to $450 million in construction.
Five times as many donors contribute today than 14 years ago, and student enrollment is at an all-time high.
Of course, who could forget President Obama's visit to campus -- twice -- and the famous Fiesta Bowl victory of 2007.
"We knew it was a great victory," Kustra said. "We knew that it was going to be forever one of the greatest college football games ever played, and that it would be re-run over and over again."
Kustra isn't leaving the city he's left his mark on. His retirement plans include staying in Boise to advocate for a better funding formula for higher education and pre-kindergarten opportunities.
"When you get a chance to work with students, see them change and progress through their lives; work with the faculty who come here, totally devoted to one thing only, and that is spreading the good word of their discipline; and improving the lives of our students...that's not a bad way to make a living," Kustra said.
Kustra's last day as president will be June 30, 2018.
