University of Idaho president C. Scott Green is still trying to keep alive the dream of his school acquiring the troubled for-profit University of Phoenix, even though the proposed deal has been met with sharp disapproval from state legislators, the state’s attorney general and treasurer, and many others in Idaho.
Idaho Education News reports this week on emails between members of the Idaho State Board of Education, which oversees Green’s school, that discuss Green’s continuing talks with Apollo Global Management, the current owners of the University of Phoenix.
At the same time, Green’s apparent effort to influence the Idaho legislature through a series of campaign contributions seem to have only raised more questions about whether he has any idea what he’s doing.
According to the newly-unearthed email messages, obtained by Idaho Education News through a public records request, Green told a Board of Education member and an aide to Idaho governor Brad Little (R) that one possibility being floated is that Apollo would extend for nine to twelve months the expiring deadline for the deal to be completed, but Idaho would agree to “drop exclusivity,” meaning Apollo would be free to talk with other prospective purchasers, and perhaps pay a “break-up” fee to Idaho if one of these possible buyers reaches a deal.
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Phoenix’s supposed interest in seeing other people, as floated by Green, may be aimed at making Idaho jealous, but based on developments in the year since the Idaho-Phoenix deal was announced, there may not actually be any genuine suitors in the wings.
A subsequent email recounts a May 1 meeting involving Green, representatives of the Board of Education, and Governor Little. According to the message, the meeting participants “agreed we need state policy leaders to signal whether they even want to move forward with the underlying transaction or not. The governor is going to have some informal conversations and follow up with us.”
The University of Phoenix told Idaho Education News, “We are optimistic that we can find a path forward with the University of Idaho and look forward to continuing discussions with leaders in the state.” The University of Idaho said, “We continue to have conversations with the governor and legislators about their interest in continuing to pursue this opportunity for our state.”
Green also confirmed to the Idaho Statesman this week that he still wants the Phoenix deal. “The sellers are still very interested, as are we,” Green told the paper. He also said that Phoenix’s revenues, around $800 million a year, “are probably more compelling than ever.”
But the ball seems to be in Governor Little’s court at this point, and he should be asking whether the deal ever made sense for Idaho.
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The University of Phoenix has indeed received billions in taxpayer-funded student grants and loans over decades — a record that might suggest, as Green endlessly does, that it would be a cash cow for the University of Idaho. But Phoenix also has repeatedly faced actions from law enforcement agencies over deceptive and predatory practices. Betting that the school can keep engaging in such abuses without getting shut down, or, alternatively, that the school could keep making money without engaging in those predatory practices, seems awfully risky. There’s also the serious possibility that, having bought Phoenix, Green’s school could be on the hook to pay back federal taxpayers billions in student loan dollars that Phoenix banked by deceiving students.
The stalwart Idaho Education News also reported this month that Green donated $7,289.34 to eleven incumbent candidates for the state legislature in advance of the May 21 Republican primary.
One of those contributions — the maximum $1,000 permitted by Idaho law — was to Senator Chuck Winder (R), President Pro Tem of the state senate. Winder had supported a bill — which ultimately failed — that was intended to cure the perceived constitutional flaws in the structure of the Phoenix deal. Four other Green donations went to Republican state representatives who had opposed a separate House bill to authorize a lawsuit by the legislature to block the deal. (Another recipient of Green money voted for that bill.)
Last August, also, Green donated $10,000 to New Horizons, a political action committee led by Rep. Megan Blanksma, then the House Majority Leader. And in April, Scott Green’s wife, Gabriella Green, donated $25,000 to Idaho Deserves Better, a political group opposing hardline conservative state senator Dan Foreman.
University presidents don’t usually try to become players in state politics through campaign contributions, but a University of Idaho spokesperson defended the Greens’ giving to Idaho Education News. “Any political contributions made by Scott or Gabriella Green are from their own resources and are not associated with any university dollars. It is their right, as citizens, to support any candidates of their choosing,” Jodi Walker said.
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But you wouldn’t have guessed how proud the Greens were about these campaign contributions from the way they presented them. The Idaho campaign finance reports list multiple variations of Green’s name — his initials “CS” or “C.s.” or his actual first name, Cumer — and two different addresses. Yet spokesperson Walker claimed, “There is no effort to obscure this support, and in fact (the Greens) proudly confirm these donations.”
But as to whether the Greens’ campaign contributions will advance the cause of the Phoenix deal, if that was a desired outcome, it’s not so clear.
Rep. Brent Crane (R), chair of the powerful Idaho House State Affairs Committee, told the Statesman he hadn’t heard of college presidents getting involved in political contests. Crane said Green “just hurt his cause significantly” and “obviously doesn’t understand politics; he should be focusing his time on education, not on political races.” Crane added, referencing the Phoenix deal, “So no, his issue will be dead.”
After a round of showers came through this week, the Gem State is staying dry and clear for next week.
Temperatures finally started to feel winter-like as we take a tumble this weekend. Consistent 40’s the highs, and 20’s the lows.
Conditions on the valley floors are not expected to get past the mid 40’s. Showers appear to be nonexistent for the next 7 to 10 days.
We will also see some air stagnation in our area, meaning that as a high-pressure ridge moves in, not too much change is expected in the air. So, air quality may take a bit of a fall.
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Not much more than cold and dry air is on the way for Idaho, but at least the sun will shine for most of the forecast.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.
Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.
The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.
More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.
The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.
The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.
The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.
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“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”
The brother and parents of Kaylee Goncalves speak after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025. ReutersBryan Kohberger in police custody after his arrest in December 2022. Moscow Police DepartmentMadison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found dead inside an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.
Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.
“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”
According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.
The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.
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Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:
The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.
The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.
“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.
Madison Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, and stepfather, Scott Laramie, leave the courthouse after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. ReutersBryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. Getty Images
The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
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Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.
Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogan, and Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, embrace after the sentencing hearing for their daughters’ murderer. ReutersWashington State University in Pullman, Washington. Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.
Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.
WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.
