Kennington named first Boise State Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Computer Science

The Boise State University College of Engineering named Casey Kennington as the Boise State Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Computer Science, marking a milestone for computer science in Idaho.

This endowed professorship, made possible through the vision and generosity of the Boise State University Foundation Board members and matched by the Foundation itself, reflects a strong, shared commitment to Boise State’s future and its Unbridled fundraising campaign. Kennington’s professorship is the first of four endowed professorships the Foundation Board hopes to award.

This particular endowed professorship creates a lasting foundation for advancing artificial intelligence, machine learning and retaining talented faculty in Idaho in the college’s nationally recognized computer science program. It also marks a pivotal moment for Boise State’s push toward R1 Carnegie research status.

“My thanks go out to the generous donors on the Boise State Foundation Board who established this endowed professorship. Endowed professorships are a way to celebrate and reward our most talented and impactful professors and to ensure that we retain them at Boise State for years to come,” College of Engineering Dean Amy Fleischer said. “Dr. Kennington is not only a talented AI researcher but is also a driving force behind many of our innovative student programs including our new degree program in AI Science.”

Major projects and awards

Since joining Boise State in 2016, Kennington has been promoted to associate professor, where he has led multiple federally-funded research projects including an NSF CAREER Award in 2022 and a 2025 NSF grant to bolster AI research infrastructure, creating better access to generative AI models and tools for students. He also established the university’s Speech, Language, and Interactive Machines (SLIM) Lab. His research in that lab bridges the gap between humans and machines by building systems that enable more natural and intuitive interactions between people and computers.

“When I found out I was among those chosen, I felt deeply honored and humbled. While much has been accomplished, there is still so much to do to help transition our university, students, and faculty into the AI era in ways that benefit everyone. This endowment will help accelerate that work,” Kennington said. “I was very happy to learn that the Boise State Foundation was creating new endowed positions, and I loved seeing the well-deserving faculty who were selected. It’s a testament to the university’s vision and trajectory to continue its tradition of great teaching and scholarship.”

Teaching and mentorship

Kennington has been instrumental in launching new academic offerings for students, supporting students through research and mentorship, and fostering student success.

Kennington has helped lead and mentor students pursuing careers in machine learning and artificial intelligence. This fall, to meet a growing workforce demand, the department will launch a Bachelor’s of Artificial Intelligence Science degree. He has also helped shape the department’s emphasis in machine learning with the computer science major.

While producing programs, participating in panels and developing innovative research within language models, Kennington also spends much of his time in student mentorship and guidance. He currently serves as the student organization advisor for Boise State’s Artificial Intelligence Club.

Since 2018, two of Kennington’s students have been awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship, including 2023 Top Ten Scholar Josue Torres-Fonseca, whose work in machine learning aims to enhance the lives of users with disabilities, and Daniele Moro whose work in artificial intelligence aims to use tendon activation data and visual features to help machine learning systems understand the semantics behind hand gestures.

Kennington has also been recognized by Boise State University through numerous awards for his mentorship at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Call to action

In May 2025, the Boise State University Foundation Board of Directors announced that it had fully funded an endowed professorship in its efforts to support Unbridled: The Campaign for Boise State University. Funding came directly from board members themselves. Their philanthropy was then matched by the Foundation. 

The Provost’s Office decided to award the first endowed position to the College of Engineering. At the Board’s August gathering, Kennington provided a tour of Boise State’s downtown Computer Science Department Building and met with members of the Board, who funded his endowed role.

“The Foundation Board realized this was a great opportunity for us to step up and address a critical need,” said Bruce Mohr, foundation board chair. “Endowed professorships supplement salaries, fund research, equip laboratories, pay for travel and hire graduate students. That’s where the magic happens, and I’m proud that we could help in a way that has such a profound impact on faculty–and our students.”

Endowed professorships also 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.

The College of Engineering and Boise State University invite philanthropic partners to join in supporting this critical work and other innovative research and teaching across the university, ensuring that future generations of Idahoans and Bronco leaders have the mentorship, academic resources, and support they need to thrive. Faculty research and support are a key pillar of the Unbridled campaign, which aims to raise $500M by 2028. For more information on faculty endowments, please visit boisestate.edu/giving/where/faculty. For more information on Unbridled, please visit unbridled.boisestate.edu.