Idaho university presidents tell House committee enrollment, LAUNCH growth; Boise State questioned over DEI offerings

Presidents of Idaho’s four‑year public institutions appeared Jan. 28 before the House Committee on Education to give institutional updates, highlight workforce and rural outreach, and answer lawmakers’ questions about tuition, student debt and campus programs.

Representatives from Lewis‑Clark State College, Boise State University, the University of Idaho and Idaho State University reported enrollment gains, workforce training expansions tied to the state’s LAUNCH scholarship program, and continued efforts to keep college affordable for Idaho students.

Lewis‑Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton told the committee LC State serves a large share of nontraditional and working students, emphasized the college’s nursing and allied‑health programs, and described the institution’s transition of an experimental prison‑education program into a permanent offering serving nearly 200 incarcerated students across sites in Orofino, Boise and Pocatello. Pemberton also said workforce training programs, including electrical apprenticeship training, have benefited from…