Boise State University has selected Scott Lowe as the Dean of the Graduate College.
“Our graduate college is a critical part of Boise State’s mission to engage all levels of students deeply in research and to prepare students to become innovative and independent thinkers who have the capacity to advance Idaho and the world,” said Boise State President Marlene Tromp. “Dr. Lowe’s forward-thinking leadership will serve as a resource to our current and prospective graduate students and help take Idaho’s largest graduate college to a new level.”
Lowe became an associate dean of the Graduate College in 2017, was named acting dean in 2021 and interim dean in May of 2022.
“Growth in graduate education at Boise State is critical in meeting our strategic goals and the economic needs of the State of Idaho,” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs John Buckwalter said. “I am pleased that Scott Lowe will continue to lead the Graduate College and expand the ways in which the college collaborates with other units across the university to provide such valuable resources to students, faculty, and academic units.”
Lowe previously held a number of leadership and governance roles at the university, including as a faculty senator representing both the College of Business and Economics and the Graduate College, as well as the faculty senate president and vice president. He directed the environmental studies program, the sustainability minor and currently serves as an at-large board member on the executive committee for the Western Association of Graduate Schools, which collaborates on solutions to real-world challenges that graduate education faces today.
“It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the students, faculty and staff in my roles with the Graduate College over the past six years, and I am excited to have the opportunity to lead the college moving forward,” Lowe said. “Graduate education is an integral and essential part of the tremendous growth of Boise State University, and I look forward to supporting the amazing achievements that our graduate students will accomplish in the years to come.”
Lowe earned his doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara in environmental science and management, focusing on environmental economics. He also holds a master’s degree in economics from Oregon State University, and bachelor’s degrees in economics and environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.