College of Eastern Idaho becomes official with ribbon cutting
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IDAHO FALLS – Outrageously huge scissors are good for one thing – cutting ribbons. And that’s just what they did during Wednesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony for the College of Eastern Idaho.
Representatives from the Idaho State Board of Education, state and local political officials, representatives from Citizens for Affordable Higher Education, local school districts, and representatives from Idaho National Laboratory attended to show support for the new community college.
“To me, it was getting the community to come together around a very important issue,” Park Price, chairman of the CEI board of trustees, said of the ceremony. “I’m very proud of the community because they did that.”
CEI Interim President Rick Aman said the ribbon cutting was an acknowledgment of 25 years of work to transition Eastern Idaho Technical College into a community college.
“The faculty and students all went off for summer … and they’ve come back to a comprehensive community college that is recognized by the Northwest Commission,” Aman said. “We have an associate of arts degree, soon to have an associate of science degree. All of that stuff happened over the summer.”
Park said he hopes to see more students who didn’t think they would be able to obtain a higher education after high school enrolls in CEI.
“It’s going to be so important for the community, for our growth and for the strength of Idaho Falls and eastern Idaho,” Park told EastIdahoNews.com.
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