Community college leaders tell House panel record enrollment, wait lists require state investment

Presidents of Idaho’s four community colleges told the House Committee on Education on Feb. 3 that growing enrollment and wait lists for nursing and workforce programs require state investment to expand capacity.

Speaking in a joint presentation, Gordon Jones of the College of Western Idaho, Dean Fisher of the College of Southern Idaho, Lori Barber of the College of Eastern Idaho and Nick Swain of North Idaho College described rising demand for technical and health programs, substantial increases in dual‑credit and adult learners, and persistent bottlenecks caused by faculty shortages, limited lab space and clinical placement constraints.

College of Western Idaho President Gordon Jones said his institution serves “over 31,000 individuals per year” across credit and noncredit offerings and estimated a full‑time student’s tuition at about $3,300 per year. Jones described long wait lists in several programs: “I have over a hundred students on our wait list for nursing. Automotive technology has wait lists. Our welding has a wait list that’s also over 40 students.”

Dean Fisher, president of the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, said CSI served about 27,000 credit and noncredit learners annually and 10,456 credit students last fall. Fisher described program‑specific bottlenecks: the radiologic technology program accepts 15 students per year but has a wait list of about 80, and CSI is operating welding cohorts from early morning into late evening to meet demand. Fisher said launch, a state affordability initiative, helped drive a 20 percent increase in CSI’s freshman class and urged the Legislature to consider both ongoing funding for salaries and one‑time capacity funding to add faculty and teaching space. He said CSI is proposing $10 million ongoing and $15 million one‑time for capacity building.

College of Eastern Idaho President Lori Barber said CEI’s workforce division delivered more than 14,000 trainings for 54 local employers in fiscal 2024 and that the institution has rapidly outgrown its campus. Barber said spring credit enrollment rose “almost 18 percent year over year” and described parking lots filled at peak times, which she presented as an emblem of constrained campus capacity. CEI also said it plans two applied bachelor’s degrees for 2025–26 and has placed itself on the waiting list to explore three‑year bachelor’s pathways.

North Idaho College President Nick Swain said NIC’s spring census showed a 22.3 percent increase and a 75 percent increase in dual‑credit participation. He described workforce training enrollment of about 7,100 noncredit students and said mining and medical programs are growing; NIC is building partnerships to offer finishing bachelor’s degrees locally in fields such as mining engineering and dental hygiene.

On the topic of bachelor’s degrees and institutional roles, presidents described applied bachelor’s degrees aimed at workforce needs rather than research‑oriented 4‑year programs. Gordon Jones said CWI plans a highly affordable applied bachelor’s in general business to expand access for older, commuting students; Fisher and Swain described 3+1 or 2+2 transfer arrangements with four‑year partners.

On diversity, equity and inclusion, the presidents said none of the colleges reported separate, dedicated DEI offices. Jones said his institution “does not have any dedicated employees or an office for DEI programs,” and Fisher and Swain described support services such as tutoring and advising focused on academic performance rather than identity‑based programming.

Committee members asked for additional retention and launch program data; CSI and other colleges said retention statistics for the new launch cohorts were not immediately available but pledged to follow up with written information. Presidents repeatedly urged the Legislature to address both pay and capacity: hiring faculty and creating more lab and clinical space, they said, requires ongoing funding for salaries and one‑time capital support.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the presentations; members thanked the presidents and adjourned the hearing.