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On Wednesday, Sep. 3, seven Boise State University faculty members were formally installed in their new endowed roles in only the fourth ceremony of its kind on campus.
With the installation of these faculty, Boise State now has 18 endowed positions at the university.
Endowed roles — which can include deans, chairs, professorships, directorships or fellowships — are awarded to faculty who are considered rising stars in their field or who have accomplished outstanding achievements.
Endowed faculty positions are a key pillar of Unbridled: The Campaign for Boise State University, which aims to raise $500 million by 2028 to support the university. They create ongoing support and a career path for professors, researchers and instructors, helping them deliver the best possible experience for students, break ground in their fields and empower Boise State to attract and retain talented faculty.
They are typically funded by donors, often carry a donor’s or special honoree’s name and are intended to provide additional funding and special recognition, for a term of five years, to the individual faculty member to whom the title is awarded. Funding is used to supplement the recipient’s scholarship, teaching, research and service.
“Thanks to the Unbridled campaign and the generosity of our alumni and friends, we are making unprecedented and transformative investments in our faculty, which in turn fuels everything we do as a university,” said Interim Boise State President Jeremiah Shinn. “Whether it’s in a lab, a studio, a classroom or out in the field, our endowed faculty are creating knowledge and building relationships with our students. Each endowed position represents opportunity — for faculty, for students and for our entire state.”
“We are building a tradition that highlights the important role endowed positions play in our university’s success and the ripple effect they have throughout our academic programs,” said Zeynep Hansen, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “These endowments create unique opportunities for deeper understanding, innovative research and high-quality student engagement. We are deeply grateful for the donors who have made these endowments possible. These gifts will continue to impact our university community for years to come.”
Receiving an endowed role is a career milestone for the recipients.
“I’m an Idaho boy, born and raised. And I’ve traveled all over the world,” reflected Associate Professor Justin Ames, who was awarded the Robert V. Hansberger Endowed Chair in Business Ethics. “Before I was an academic, I was in professional industry as an executive. Moving into a position like this, where I’m able to help future business leaders make more ethical decisions, brings together all the things that I experienced in my career and my academic research. To be able to bring that back to Idaho and to help future business leaders in Idaho really means a lot to me.”
The Boise State Foundation, which leads the Unbridled campaign, has raised $467M toward its $500M goal by 2028.
“Seeing these seven faculty members surrounded by university leadership, their families and donors was truly inspiring,” said Argia Beristain, CEO of the Foundation. “There is so much to celebrate at an event like this. With these endowed roles, our faculty have the resources to expand their research, teaching and mentorship in ways that will impact countless students for years to come. We are proud of what our faculty and university can accomplish with this kind of investment and deeply grateful to our donors for helping us multiply the reach and influence of Boise State’s future.”
The seven faculty members installed in 2025 are:
- Justin Ames, Ph.D. — Robert V. Hansberger Endowed Chair in Business Ethics. Ames will advance ethical and socially responsible practices that foster healthy business relationships and strong community partnerships. He will help future and current business leaders further develop the judgment, courage and mature ethical decision-making skills necessary for responsible and sustainable business decisions.
- Kevin Feris, Ph.D. — Patrick Cavanaugh Endowed Professorship for the School of the Environment. Feris is internationally recognized as a scholar of microbial ecology. His focus is on building the systems, relationships and partnerships that will enable the School of the Environment’s vision: to be the regional powerhouse to partner with on solutions to environmental challenges.
- Casey Kennington, Ph.D. — Boise State Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Computer Science. Kennington is recognized in his research field as a scholar of computational semantics and spoken dialogue with robotic platforms. Currently, his lab focuses on improving AI models to acquire and represent language by taking inspiration from how humans learn and acquire their first language as children.
- Amanda Leightner, Ph.D. — Merrick Family Endowed Professorship in Respiratory Care. Leightner’s work experience includes critical care, trauma and polysomnography (sleep disorders testing). Her areas of research interest include cultural competencies, respiratory care fundamentals and polysomnography with a focus on positive airway pressure adherence.
- Liam Maher, Ph.D. — College of Business and Economics Distinguished Research Professor. Maher’s research seeks to improve the effectiveness and well-being of individuals in the workplace through a deeper understanding of social influence, leadership and the creation of meaningful work. Much of his scholarship has examined how employees can navigate the benefits and challenges of organizational politics.
- Alex Nechiporuk, Ph.D. — Dr. Theodore G. Obenchain Endowed Chair in Developmental Biology. Nechiporuk studies how the nervous system develops, with a special focus on sensory circuits that allow organisms to detect and respond to the world around them. Using zebrafish as a powerful genetic and imaging model, his lab investigates how progenitor cells differentiate, how neurons migrate and extend axons and how these processes are disrupted in drug-induced peripheral neuropathies.
- Dorsey Wanless, Ph.D. — Dr. Kenneth M. Hollenbaugh Endowed Professorship in Economic Geology. Wanless’s primary research focuses on investigating submarine volcanoes and the magmatic systems that drive these eruptions in the deep oceans. As part of her endowed role, she will help build a research and educational program focused on critical minerals and economic geology.
About the Boise State University Foundation
A nonprofit Idaho organization, the Boise State University Foundation was established in 1964 to empower Boise State with the resources necessary to thrive. The Foundation provides fundraising leadership and service across the university and partners with donors and alumni to inspire private support. To learn more about the Foundation, visit boisestate.edu/giving.
About Unbridled: The Campaign for Boise State University
From groundbreaking research to expanded opportunities for the best and brightest students, Unbridled: The Campaign for Boise State University advances key priorities at the university level and for each college, school, unit and Athletics to meet the unique challenges of our time. The Unbridled campaign aims to raise $500 million by 2028 and focuses on three key pillars: student access and success, relentless faculty innovation and positioning athletics for what’s next. For more information on the campaign, visit unbridled.boisestate.edu.