Are RINOs Stampeding Over Idaho Community College Plans?
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It appears Idaho is doomed to repeat our past mistakes. Our elected leaders will likely fail to make changes that will encourage more of our high school graduates to become college graduates.
First, there is a problem. Idaho’s rate of high school graduates going onto college and completing college is among the worst in America. This represents our failure to Idaho’s children, and our failure to Idaho’s future.
Second, that interim committee of legislators failed to do any significant work towards even advising the legislature on courses of action. The only thing they could agree on was the need to lower the threshold for voter approval of community colleges.
Third, I read in last week’s Post Register that our legislative leadership is looking at tasking the state’s existing universities with the job that only community colleges will be able to fulfill.
Are some Idaho Republicans seriously considering creating bigger government entities out of our universities? Are some Idaho Republicans seriously considering forfeiting local education control decisions to regional university bureaucracies? This idea seems a queer strategy in our conservative state.
What do they brand those Republicans who demonstrate actions contrary to conservative values? Aren’t they called RINOs (Republicans In Name Only)? Are Idaho’s chances for a more educated workforce and local workforce training options about to get stampeded by RINOs?
Anyone who thinks Idaho’s existing public universities can suddenly attract more students must not have noticed the past decade of 10% average annual tuition increases.
Any Idaho legislator who thinks the existing universities can tackle the unique challenges of a community college should pay for a semester at University Place in Idaho Falls. They would soon discover how much university extension students pay and how few class selections and learning experiences they get for the same fees paid by Pocatello campus students.
Since our elected leadership and university leadership seem incapable of even understanding what community colleges could provide to Idaho, we the people should advise them what we want in Idaho community colleges.
What would you like to see in a statewide community college network? What would you like to see in local community college options?
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Comments
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0 
0 While this may not be a popular topic on this site, I do think there is one factor that is often overlooked for higher education in eastern Idaho. Many students don’t plan on attending a University sponsored by the State of Idaho. Many plan on attending BYU-I or BYU-U from the day they enter elemntary school. Likewise, a percentage of students work to get into out-of-state universities.
I keep wondering how these two groups of students factor into the Idaho community college and university situation?
At one time, it was cheaper for students to attend BYU than a state university. I don’t have any idea the costs of tuition for either BYU-I or BYU-U compared to U. of Idaho, BSU or ISU. If anyone has any information, I would be interested to know.
It would also be interesting to know of those who post on this page how many attended Idaho state-sponsored universities. I don’t think Albertson’s college and Northwest Nazarene count as state schools, along with BYU-I, as I think they are all private - but I might be wrong about Albertson’s College. In thinking about this, I wonder what percentage of us who post at IFz.Com attended college out-of-state, in-state at a private institution or in-state at a State of Idaho sponsored school?
And for those who didn’t attend ISU, BSU or U. of I, would you have taken basic credits at a Community College in Idaho Falls, had that been an option for your education?
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0 0 I think one way higher education can be made more affordable is if incoming freshman did not have to take so many remedial math courses that they should have passed in high school.
In this way, Idaho’s higher education is really part of our entire education ecosystem. Fixing some of the achievement problems in elementary and secondary education will help relieve some of the pressures in higher education.
An excellent way to fix this issue is to mandate high school graduation requirements to match up perfectly or even overlap higher education entrance requirements.
And yes, this may force keep some students from a semester or two of choir or seminary.
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0 0 or another way to help with the rising costs of tuition is to cut back on the 6 digit income given to the university presidents…
maybe the parents could be more involved in helping their children with their education, maybe too much responsibility is placed on the educators and not enough on the parents… taking away class options does not seem very positive, especially if music is taken away, there are scientific studies that prove a childs increased ability to learn and retain information when they also learn music, in fact March is National Music Month… visit the website of the National Association for Music Education, it is http://www.menc.org
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0 0 I might be wrong, but isn’t the six-digit income of our university presidents actually in the lower end nationwide? I don’t think lowering their salaries a few bucks would help very much.
I wholeheartedly agree that parents need to recognize their responsibilities in the kids’ education. Perhaps the state would do well to create an ad campaign to that effect.
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0 0 let me revise: the university president’s income is more of a notion that there is waste and/or corruption in the higher education system, I may be wrong in my thinking but the issue surrounding our young high school graduates and their choice to leave Idaho to obtain higher education in states that offer lower tuition is a real problem. One gentleman asked that question at the governor debates held at the Idaho Falls Chamber Forum and there was not a satisfactory answer from either candidate, but they both recognized the problem.
Idaho used to be free tuition to residents but charged hefty fees in replacement, with the recent change in terminology Idaho state colleges now charge tuition and it climbs higher each year, and at the same time the schools are employing less professors/instructors, this seems to be contradictory, I suppose that is where my comment stems from on the salary paid the university president.
May I ask why the state needs to create an ad campaign to help parents recognize their responsibilities for their children’s education?
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0 0 I suggest the ad campaign because I don’t know a better method. It’s hard to reach parents who don’t go to parent-teacher conferences or back-to-school nights.
Can you think of a better method to raise awareness of parents’ needing to get more involved in their kids’ learning?
Is an awareness campaign even the only step needed? Some parents want to help but don’t know how.
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0 0 You know Joe, it is a daunting thing, trying to teach parents to be parents, I often throw up my hands in frustration… how does one teach responsibility?
You are very correct, not all parents attend parent-teacher conferences, and often there are teachers who don’t show up or set out a sign-up sheet to make an additional appointment rather than be there in person when it is a designated day for the parents. And of course there are always exceptions due to emergencies etc.
The topic of helping parents to know what they can do is involved, in addition, there is an online program being set up in the schools where parents can go to the schools website and check on their child’s progress, the only drawback and it is big… often the information is not entered from the teacher, so when a parent goes to look up the progress reports and finds nothing, it makes the school and teacher less credible in a small way, they instigate this program and promote the benefits to parents who get another does of confusion, it is viscious circle…
The program is great when it is updated regularly.
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0 0 Great Comments made on all of the preceeding posts. I just wanted to add a couple of remarks. I agree that money could be saved by cutting educators’(professor/adminstrator) salaries, but at the same time would it make Idaho’s Universities less appealing to quality educators, thus reducing the overall quality of education provided by the state run institutions.
I know some professors personally that I take classes from at ISU, and they don’t make a great deal more that the average Idahoan’s income. I think administrative costs would be the first item on the chopping block if we were to look at salary cuts to provide some cost relief to students.
I do believe that personnel wise, the majority of state funded higher ed institutions are quite top heavy with well paid admin folks. Why do we need all these chiefs to oversee the negligable amount of indians. A proper ratio of admin to staff is a must, but I am quite certain, as I said, ISU, BSU, and UI are all quite heavy on the top end.
If you compare local community colleges like EITC to say ISU - they provide the same level of quality education and a very similar offering of class diversity at a much more cost effective price. So if EITC can do it being the little home grown school they are - then why not the Big State Bulls Like ISU, BSU, and UI.
Bottom line - I think its simply the desire or neccesity of the smaller school to have to be fiscally responsible and ensure that they are spending the money they have wisely and efficiently in order to be competitive and effective. I have friends that attend EITC while I am a student at ISU.
I saw a nicely put together paper last year written by an EITC student who had been attending ISU prior to making the switch. The paper was well researched and written - and appeared to be very credible in the comparison made between the two schools. To paraphrase the major premises of the paper, ISU is the most costly state funded school in the state for the quality of education provided, and statistically speaking provides the lowest quality of education of the State Funded Universities.
The author of this paper revealed something that I think addresses the central theme of this discussion. Why pay all that extra money in tuition and fees to take classes at ISU, when good old community college EITC can provide you all the generals you need at a FRACTION of the cost. God bless the community college system!
I think for those of us on a realistic budget/income - increasing the availability of community college type education across the state would do great things to improve the knowledge and skill base of Idaho’s residents. I can tell you one thing - I won’t be goin back to ISU when I spend about half the money for the same stuff at EITC.
Again, where is the fiscal responsibility. We need positive change in the base costs of higher education as pertains to the State funded and maintained education entities. You want us to succeed and get a good education at college, then damn it, take a page out of the EITC handbook, and make it reasonably affordable.
One other thing that really burns me about education costs at ISU (as I am not sure how it compares at EITC or BSU/UI), is the huge amount of money made off of buying back and reselling books. That book store at ISU - at least the IF campus is making a killing off its students by hosing them on buying previously used books. They pay next to nothing for your books when you’re finished using them, and then turn around and sell them for extortionist’s prices. Basically, ISU is getting fat at the expense of the students once again, just in a different and quite effective manner!
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0 0 J.D., I would really like to read that paper if you still know the student. Maybe he could write some highlights as an article here.
“To paraphrase the major premises of the paper, ISU is the most costly state funded school in the state for the quality of education provided, and statistically speaking provides the lowest quality of education of the State Funded Universities.”
I think someone needs to forward that information onto Senator Bob Geddes, he was the one saying ISU would be a better option than a local community college.
I have attended both ISU and UI, and my opinion is that UI was much better. ISU seemed overpriced for what you get out of it.
My wife has been attending ISU the last few years, and I’m getting the impression not much has changed in the ten years since I went there.
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0 0 Interesting comments about the cost of ISU. I always thought U. of I had stronger programs in most every department.
Ok, here is where I get a little lost. If I remember correctly, isn’t there a PRIVATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE that plans to build, or has already started building in the Treasure Valley, thus the “threat” to BSU’s programs and classes?
If people don’t think the state can develop a state-backed community college, who do they think is going to attend the private community college? Is it going to be cheaper?
Also, when was the last vote in Idaho Falls taken about a Community College? I know we get told the residents voted it down. But, I believe there are a greater percentage of residents who have a college student in their home now, who live in 8B County, than before, or have recently had college experience. In other words, I suspect demographics are changing and I wouldn’t be surprised if another vote could have different results.
Would it be better to have a Bonneville County vote, or City of Idaho Falls, when discussing a Community College system? I know CDA and TF are always referenced as the two sytems in the state. But, realistically, isn’t it really Twin Falls County and Kootenai County?
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0 0 J.D. Kidd, I enjoyed your comments very much, especially:
“I think administrative costs would be the first item on the chopping block if we were to look at salary cuts to provide some cost relief to students.”
This notion could also apply to our high schools and elementary schools, too many admin folks on the payroll, thus taking away from the teachers and their supplies etc. which they complain so much about not having enough of…
I also attended ISU, about 12 years ago when the fees per semester were around $700 and today they are $2095 for tuition per semester, in addition the quality of my education/instructors was average, but I was determined to finish as there was no other option at that time. With enrollment dropping, it’s a major red flag…
I have also taken several classes at EITC, very impressive, it is a funny thing how we think we are getting a better value if we pay more, but that is not the case with EITC. It is small, but growing and they seem to be forward thinking with their programs.
BYU-Idaho must not be overlooked as they are anticipating extensive growth and enrollment, even though it is a private college, the costs are very reasonable compared to the state universities.
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0 0 Just thought I would toss my two cents in…
I attended Idaho State University (ISU) before transferring to another university out of state. I am very outgoing, outspoken, and like to befriend most people, especially my professors. I love to learn, and I feel one of the best ways to do that is to sit down with the professor in their office and ask questions. Maybe it’s because of my charming and witty personality (feel free to roll your eyes at this point), but I got a bit “chummy†with a few of my professors. In conversation I learned that many of them are teaching at ISU for the following reasons:
1) They couldn’t get a job at the university of their choice
Or
2) They wanted to get some work experience so they could transfer to the university of their choice.
I talked to 3-4 teachers who didn’t like working at ISU, didn’t like Pocatello, and were resentful of the LDS stronghold in the area. But they taught there because it was the only school to accept them as teachers.
I also want to say that there were a few professors I took classes from that seemed to like ISU and the area. Maybe I just happened to talk to the few that disliked ISU, but it sure seemed like more professors where unhappy there. Especially if you compare the enthusiasm of the other school I transferred to. The majority of teachers loved the school AND the town.
With that being said, it makes me wonder how the pay is at ISU for professors. I wonder if they have to “bribe†professors to come there, or to stay there, with high wages? Because that tuition money is paying for something expensive. Even back in the late 90’s it wasn’t a cheap school to attend. From what I have read lately, the tuition has risen astronomically since then. If the tuition is ridiculously high, and you combine that with professors that don’t even want to be at the school, I can see why the enrollment is dropping. Why go to ISU when you can go to a better school, in a better college town, with better teachers?
If Idaho Falls attempts to build a community college, I can’t imagine ISU being happy with that decision. Most students would wise up, take all or most of their core curriculum classes at the community college, save thousands, and then transfer to ISU. Idaho State would lose money. I can’t see them sitting back and allowing this to happen.
Right now ISU knows they are the only game in SE Idaho. Its either ISU or go to Boise, and it seems that a lot of the kids going to ISU want to stay in this area. There is no competition for ISU. However, a community college in Idaho Falls would do just that – it would take some of their students away. This would hopefully force ISU to revamp the entire school system to keep from collapsing. They can’t keep on raising tuitions indefinitely, so they would have to come up with another plan.
Personally, I think adding a community college to Idaho Falls is a great idea. Some times kids graduate from high school and they have no idea what they want to do. A community college can help fill that void. They can attend classes and see what kinds of classes excite them before transferring to a university. The community college itself can also be a means to an end with students receiving an associates degree. Either way, I am all for a community college to be built here in IF. I think it would only benefit the community. But we should not allow the forfeiting of local education control decisions to regional university. First off, ISU would never agree to a community college in the area. Secondly, they would probably raise the rates so high no one would attend.
Just my opinions on the whole thing, thanks.
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0 0 Stand Alone Community College System in Idaho
In today’s (1/5/06) Post Register, there is an article about the community college plan being a long shot in Idaho.
I guess I am just naïve, or perhaps I take everything for granite being from California originally. But I just assumed every state had a plethora of community colleges. Little did I know that Idaho only has two; one in twin falls and one in Coeur d’Alene.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and later moved to a very small town, about the size of Blackfoot. Even that small farming town in Ventura County had a community college. My husband is from a small town in New York, and they have not one, but two community colleges in that town. So to say that I’m a little shocked that there are only two community colleges in Idaho is an understatement.
Now, I understand that a state run college puts the burden on the people of Idaho to pony and foot the bill. Yet how can the people of Idaho deny the children an education? According to the article, only 45% of the children in Idaho go to college after high school, the forth worst in the nation. Shameful.
Every child should have the opportunity to get an education and a chance to better themselves. I could go off on the Darwinian theory of fitness, and how a better education means more resources so that the next generation has a better chance of survival. Yet I think anyone could shoot down my theory by using an overpopulated third world country as evidence. Instead, the schools should be built on the basis of given the Idaho children a better life, as well as the fact that it is morally wrong to deny them the opportunity to better themselves.
I wanted to write something personal about the benefits of community college, but I found a well written article on the thehighschoolgraduate.com web site.
A community college may be the door to opportunity for you. Community colleges are centers of educational opportunity - an American invention that put publicly funded higher education at close-to-home facilities, beginning nearly 100 years ago. They are inclusive institutions that welcome all whom desire to learn, regardless of wealth, heritage or previous academic experience.
More than half of all first-time college freshman attend community colleges. The colleges’ accessibility is facilitated by open admissions policies and low tuitions. Consequently, community college enrollments reflect the rich diversity of the nation, and campuses are populated with people of all ages, ethnic and cultural heritages, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The community college is an excellent place to start your post-secondary education. You may choose to earn an associate degree or a certificate at a community college then enter the workplace, or you might go on to a bachelor’s degree by transferring to a four-year institution.
In addition, community colleges have become colleges of choice for workers desiring to take classes to upgrade their skills for a promotion or raise, or to enter a new field.
Reasons for choosing to attend a community college are as varied as individuals. Low tuition, convenient locations, open admissions and comprehensive course offerings are highly persuasive factors in students’ personal calculations. (www.thehighschoolgraduate.com)
In other words, community college is a cheap alternative to a 4 year university. Almost anyone can afford to attend. For some, looking back at my own experience, starting at a community college is not as scary as attending a university. A community college also gives students a chance to redeem themselves if they didn’t do well in high school. For example, I hated high school, so I just didn’t go. I flunked out of most of my classes, took the GED, and went to community college. Turns out I was just bored with high school, because I got A’s and B’s in community college at the age of 16. Because of my good grades, I was able to transfer my college transcripts and get into a 4 year university and I ended up graduating in the top 2% of my class with a 3.95 GPA.
Guess what? With that degree, I have had more doors open to me. I now have the ability to secure a good job. More importantly, I will make more money then a high school graduate which means I will pay more taxes and pump more money into the local economy. How is that a bad thing?
So yes, it will cost the people of Idaho a bit more in taxes, but the benefits, as far as I am concerned, out weight the concerns. Let’s get with the program and make Idaho an even better place to live.
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0 0 Sorry Joe, I just realized that with all my long winded postings, I never addressed your two original questions.
1) What would you like to see in a statewide community college network?
I would like Idaho to do some research and model their program after another state that has an effective community college network. Why reinvent the wheel?
2) What would you like to see in local community college options?
I’m not sure what kind of options you are talking about, but I think it would be optimal if the community college was its own state run program and not governed by the University system. I would like to see community colleges that are your typical state run colleges offering a variety of associate programs as well as transferable university curriculum. It would be great if they also offered adult based classes like wilderness photography, novel writing, candle making, etc… Just as long as the school had all the essentials like financial aid, scholarships programs, and a wide variety of classes, I would be quite pleased.
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0 0 Thanks for your response.
Yeah, by local options, I mean that community colleges are usually geared to offer courses that directly reflect the local business climate.
For example, courses related to jobs at Micron and HP would be good in their community college.
I was impressed that Rocky Mountain Middle school offers courses in fly-tying and snowboarding.
What kind of courses should be offered to help our local business climate?
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0 0 Ok, before I open my mouth and insert foot, I decided to make a call to EITC to see what kinds of classes they offer, and which ones would be transferable to a 4 year university. I did this for research, and I also needed to make that call because I’m trying to coerce my niece to move out to IF and go to school.
Here is what I found out – most of the General Education classes are transferable to a 4 year university, but not all. You have to make sure they transfer before taking that class. It looks like the following classes are transferable:
COM 101 Fundamentals of Speech
ENG 101 English Composition
MAT 123 Mathematics in Modern Society
MAT 143 College Algebra
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
ENG 102 Critical Reading and Writing
ENG 202 Technical Communication
PHL 150 Applied Ethics
POL 101 Introduction to American Government
PSY 150 Human Life Span and Development
So about 33 credits or so are transferable. Not a bad start. The down side is that you are limited as to what “technical degree†you can get – which in most cases, those specific tech classes are not transferable to a 4 year university.
EITC offers technical degrees in Business, Office, Technology, Health Professions, & Trades & Industry. One could argue that EITC has the market on those degrees. However, I have seen doctors that want their medical assistant to have an Associate’s Degree rather than a tech degree. In the work environment, there is a difference between a tech degree and an associates, and I’m not saying one is better than the other. I am suggesting that offering both a tech degree and an associates gives the student, and the employer, more options. My preference to an associates degree to a tech degree is that more of the classes may be transferable to a 4 year university. The other advantage to a community colleges is that they also offer certificates in most degrees programs which is similar to a tech degree. The community colleges also offer a wider array of classes.
So what are the degrees that could be offered to benefit Idaho Falls?
Here is an extensive list of classes I would like to see offered at a local community college:
Accounting
Agricultural Mechanics
Alcohol and Drug Counseling ** (This degree is really needed in SE Idaho with all the high Meth addictions)
Architectural Design and Drafting
Auto Collision Repair
Automotive Service
Automotive: General Motors ASEP
Aviation Maintenance
Aviation Science (Professional Pilot)
Biology
Biomedical Engineering Technology
Biotechnology
Building Construction Technology
Building Inspection
Business Administration
Chemistry
Civil Engineering Technology
Computer Applications and Office Systems
Computer Information Systems
Computer Science
Creative Writing
Criminal Justice
Culinary Assistant Training
Dental Assisting
Dental Hygiene
Dental Laboratory Technology
Diesel Service
Drafting and Design
Early Childhood Education
E-Commerce
Education
Electrical Trades
Electronic Engineering Technology
Emergency TeleCommunicator (911)
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Engineering
Environmental Studies]
Facilities Maintenance (Industrial HVAC Systems)
Fiber Optics Training
Fire Science
General Science
Geology
Geography
Gerontology
Graphic Design
Health
Health Information Management
Industrial Design and Drafting
Instructional Assisting, Special Education
Interior Design
Journalism
Landscape Technology
Library and Media Assisting
Literature
Machine Manufacturing Technology
Management
Management and Supervisory Development
Marketing
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Medical Assisting
Medical Laboratory Technology
Microelectronics Technology
Nursing
Ophthalmic Medical Technology
Paralegal
Physical Education and Fitness
Physics
Political Science
Professional Skills Training (Worker Retraining)
Psychology
Radiography
Real Estate
Refrigeration/HVAC
Sign Language Interpretation
Sign Language Studies
Speech Communication
Veterinary Technology
Web Site Development
Welding
Writing
Wow, just look at all those opportunities that Idaho Falls kids are missing out on.
***** On a side note – there is another article in the paper about how Utah’s economy will remain strong for decades. The reason? “Utah has the nations second highest education attainment rate…It means Utah has a young, well educated, productive, dynamic work force that is attractive to employers.†****
That should be enough incentive for Idaho to want to offer higher education to everyone in the state. The jobs force follows trends - and the trend they want is a pool of educated workers.
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0 0 Utah is also having one once-small community college, built their new 5 story library. They increased from a community college to a 4 years college. Now, with a population between 17-20K, they are changing their name to University.
Similarly, Westiminster College, in Salt Lake, is meeting to decide whether it is time to change their name to University. They only have 2,000 students, but their advanced degrees are competitive with any.
Finally, why can’t Idaho look no further than Salt Lake Community College, or at least Idaho Falls, if not Idaho? I offer SLCC as an example because the need, demand and quality of education became so much better they had to open so many satellite campuses. Consequently, students could attend SLCC at various locations for about 30 miles.
EITC is too small for the need. But, nothing says that empty space where Fred Meyers/Albertsons etc. on N Yellowstone/Anderson, or the empty box where Ernst use to be, couldn’t be satellite locations, among other sites.
I think a vote would pass Idaho Falls residents today as realities about tuition, access and the job market have changed (let alone the increased population), since the last vote.
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0 0 While I agree that some sort of community college program is needed, I’m not sure I trust the state (and especially Mr. Luna) to set it up correctly.
I attend ISU, and tuition has risen every semester that I have attended. I paid about $1300 (I hope I’m remembering this correctly…)for full time tuition in 1999 and this past semester I paid nearly $2100. ISU is the most expensive public university in the state, and is even more expensive than BYU-I.
In the meantime, I have heard from a contact in the department of Commerce and Labor that ISU is LOSING students. An example that I am familiar with is this:
For the 2004 spring semester, ISU had apx. 120 applicants for 50 spots in the Bachelor of Science, Nursing Program (which produces RNs) For the spring 2007 semester, ISU had 80 applicants for 70 spots in the same program.
THIS is the problem that needs to be addressed before we start eyeing the community college issue. Fix what is broken, stop cutting funding, and THEN add new programs like community colleges.
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0 0 Well the House Rev & Tax Committee today killed the Governor’s Community College bill that would have lowered the threshold for establishing a Community College taxing district from 2/3 to 60%. That despite the fact that such a move was the only substantive recommendation from the Interim Legislative Committee. Interesting quotes at Betsy Russell’s blog
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0 0 Name your RHINO.
What legislators helped kill this bill?
Did any Idaho Falls representatives vote against it?
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0 0 What legislators helped kill this bill? Did any Idaho Falls representatives vote against it?
There are no IF representatives on Rev & Tax.
JoAn Wood (R-Rigby) and Dell Raybould (R-Rexburg) joined House Leaders Moyle, Bedke and Roberts, plus 5 other R’s to kill the Governor’s proposal, while the 5 D’s on the committee and 3 R’s supported it.
You can read more about “the camel’s nose” that Raybould invoked, at Betsy Russell’s blog, Eye on Boise. She’s an amazing reporter, and posts several times a day on what’s happening in the Leg.
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0 0 There is another half of this issue, brought up by the PR this morning.
College administrations seem greedier than ever. The PR pointed out this year’s legislature did give a noteworthy boost to education budgets, and Idaho’s colleges are still asking to be able to hike up student tuition and fees.
Rather than looking for ways to cut spending, they just ask for more and more and more from students.
Perhaps it’s time for the state to audit our university administrations, to double-check how these funds are being spent, and why students increases are sought every single year for the past what 15 years?
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0 0 Idaho’s colleges were successful in raising in raising tuition in Idaho’s state universities, by an average of over $100 at each institution. Full time tuition at ISU is now $2095, and ISU charges full time fees for anyone taking over 8 credits, even though full time credits doesn’t start until 12 credits for purposes of federal financial aid.
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0 0 Yeah, my wife is frustrated with that 8/12 credit gap at ISU.
Take 8 credits and ISU and they charge you full time credit, even though the federal government only gives you financial aid for part time until you take 12 credits.
And it’s not like ISU is that prestigious of a school or that quality of an education that their 8 credits are worth full-time cost.
There are so many ways ISU stinks in their relationship with Idaho Falls, that could be it’s own article.
Who does ISU administration think they are?
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0 0 Did you read the story in this morning’s PR about the Coldwater Creek owner up in Sandpoint, pitching in several million bucks to build a four-building campus and attract the University of Idaho to offer classes there?
Sandpoint, a town of only about 10,000 people, will have more in just a couple years what Idaho Falls has struggled to build up over 20 years.
Good for those folks, that will really benefit their community and their people. Wish we had the same generous spirit from some of our wealthier local citizens.
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0 0 Why just the wealthier citizens? Why not those who want something built here, chip in and pay for it themselves? My guess is, it’s not something that many people want enough to put their money where their mouth is. They want someone else to pay for it. Every city in Idaho does not need an extension campus, especially Idaho Falls, when we are within commuting distance of a major University. If you want it, pay for it. Otherwise I would rather see taxpayers money spent on a location where it would be of better value to those who live to far away to commute.
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0 0 Maybe you missed it, we have been paying for it collectively, and it has taken 20 years. That is the normal way to do it and that is how we have done it.
I’m just saying that is neat they have a generous person who wants to say thanks to the Sandpoint community that helped make him successful.
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whew, slow day, time to all start commenting again!
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Just some thoughts on the current higher education situation faced in Idaho. I agree that our state funded higher education institutes are leaving a great deal to be desired by the average income student. It seems as though local, community based higher education facilities present some relief to the money strapped student by providing great education opportunities at a fraction of the cost that one would spend at a entirely state funded and maintained school. There is reason why Idaho performs so poorly in getting kids into Universities - if you look at the demographics of our state - your average run of the mill student trying to get into college comes from an agricultural background, and a family that has to provide for the needs of multiple children. When the greed of the state to make their fortune at the cost of the willing-to-learn
student is left unchecked and/or unchallenged, you see the persistant tuition increases we’ve witnessed time and time again over the last several years. My advice to our legislators and higher education administrators - you’re smart folks, quit your bitchin’ about Idaho’s poor education performance, and put your money where your mouth is - make higher education affordable, and more of Idaho’s youth will take the opportunity to get a education and excel at it!