Charles Alan Staben (born May 3, 1958) is an American academic professor who served as the 18th president of the University of Idaho from 2014 to 2020.
[1] Selected by the State Board of Education on November 18, 2013, Staben succeeded interim president Donald Burnett on March 1, 2014.
He earned his doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984, serving as a graduate research and teaching assistant.
From 2008 to 2014 Staben served as provost and vice president for academic affairs of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.
He and his wife, Mary Beth, participated in the Friendship Families program, hosting international students at their home throughout the year.
University research expenditures grew 15 percent during Staben's tenure, reaching a high of $109.5 million in FY2017.
[21] President Staben helped the university complete its successful “Inspiring Futures” fundraising campaign at $261M in 2015.
During Staben's tenure, the University of Idaho saw new program growth in areas such as computer science and online learning.
[23][24] On May 25, 2018, the Idaho State Board of Education announced that President Staben's contract would not be renewed beyond the 2018–2019 school year.
"[25] A 2020 story in the sports business website Sportico speculated that Staben's removal as president was partly due to his resistance to a board directive that the university reduce its annual athletics expenses by $1 million, which would bring expenses below a board-imposed cap on the amount of general education revenue that went to athletics.