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College of Eastern Idaho highlights workforce training, early college and nursing gains
Summary
College of Eastern Idaho officials and industry partners told lawmakers the campus has grown rapidly since becoming a community college, outlined new programs in mechatronics and welding, and highlighted nursing and early-college successes tied to industry partnerships.
College of Eastern Idaho leaders, faculty and industry partners briefed the Joint Legislative Sessions on program expansions, workforce partnerships and enrollment gains since the institution became a community college.
President Leslie Barber thanked the legislature for recent recurring investments — including $1.7 million for CTE capacity enhancements and a $500,000 enrollment workload adjustment — and said the college has seen enrollment grow from about 791 students in fall 2017 to roughly 3,040 students in fall 2024 on the main campus.
Faculty and industry partners described new and expanded programs: - Mechatronics: Program manager Gary Holyoake described an applied curriculum that teaches electrical troubleshooting, robotics programming and mechanical systems. He said average local mechatronics salaries are about $64,000 with strong projected job openings. - Welding: Lead instructor Brad Huntsman explained the department is upgrading shop layout, ventilation and welding booths and moving from a 35-station setup toward 54 stations to address constrained capacity and safety concerns. - Nursing: Nursing chair Kristen Harrison said CEI’s LPN and RN programs show high on-time completion and licensing pass rates; her slides reported a six-year graduation-on-time rate near 86% and nearly universal employer demand for graduates.
CEI staff emphasized early-college and dual-credit growth: Dean Mary Stevenson and early-college student Josie Dalton described the advanced-opportunities program and its outcomes. Student leaders and graduates gave personal accounts of graduating with an associate degree before high school completion and of internships that led into research fellowships and employment.
Industry representatives including Idaho National Laboratory and local employers described partnerships that supply practicum placements, curriculum input and hiring pipelines. CEI officials said the college recently earned a Carnegie classification as a “high access, high success” institution and is expanding facilities and workforce training partnerships with hospitals and industry sponsors.
Legislators praised CEI’s local focus and industry collaboration and planned campus tours following the hearing.
