University of Idaho has New President

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A provost from the University of South Dakota has been tapped to become the University of Idaho's new president.

The Idaho State Board of Education announced Monday that Chuck Staben, provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Dakota, was chosen out of the five finalists contending for the job. Staben will take over for Don Burnett, the dean of UI's College of Law, in March under a three-year contract paying $350,000 a year.

Burnett took on the role of interim president after UI's previous president, Duane Nellis, left to become president of Texas Tech. Idaho Ed Board President Don Soltman said Staben rose to the top of a field of highly qualified candidates.