Idaho Falls

November 2018

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IDAHOFALLSMAGAZINE.COM 61 With the passage of the Community College vote last year, Bonneville County residents now have more educational opportunities than ever. There are new and exciting developments progressing with the growing partnership of Idaho State University (ISU) and the newly formed College of Eastern Idaho (CEI). A significant product of this collaboration is the development of articulation agreements between the two institutions. Six new articulation agreements have been signed for the 2018-2019 academic year, with dozens more in progress. Since January, both institutions have strength- ened their relationship through the devel- opment of the 2+2 agreements. The agree- ments are so named because the goal is for students to spend two years completing either an Associate of Arts (AA) degree or an Associate of Science (AS) degree at CEI, and then spend two years completing their bachelor degrees at ISU. Students who choose to attend CEI and wish to pursue one of the six agreements can do so safe, in the knowledge that, if they follow their advisor-approved plans, they will be able to transfer with their AA or AS degree and complete their bachelor degree at ISU in just four years (two at CEI and two at ISU). Danielle Stimpson (CEI Pathway Coordinator/Advisor), and I (ISU transfer coordinator/advisor) have been working on building bridges and developing pathways for students interested in making the jour- ney from community college to university. Our goal is to lower the barriers to entry that prevent people from pursuing higher education. We want students to know that at both institutions they will receive support and guidance throughout their journey. A substantial benefit of the partnership is that it allows students to stay local and save money. As Danielle explains, "Some of the benefits that students utilizing 2+2's are a seamless transfer to ISU, saving 2/3 on tuition, being able to stay local and not incur travel or moving costs, increased opportunities for scholarships, and not hav- ing to start fresh on degree requirements should the program make changes in curric- ulum." Furthermore, students who wish to remain in Idaho Falls post CEI graduation have many bachelor options at ISU's Idaho Falls campus, which is located at University Place by Freeman Park. Currently, ISU- Idaho Falls offers full degree programs in a wide range of fields from Engineering, Biology, Health Sciences, Education, Business, Psychology, and Workplace, Training, and Leadership (WTL). Both Danielle and I understand how dif- ficult it is to move to another location to complete a degree, potentially having to leave behind existing employment, family and support networks. Having the ability to attend both CEI and ISU-Idaho Falls can help eliminate these concerns and barri- ers. For example, the WTL program offered on the Idaho Falls campus is particularly accessible for those who are homebound, and can be completed in two years at ISU, after graduating with an AA or AS degree from CEI. The WTL program offers flex- ibility for working professionals, and is a favored degree for those wishing to pursue organization learning careers. The program prepares students to identify and diagnose individual and organization needs; design, implement, and evaluate learning, develop- ment and change strategies for improving performance. Danielle notes that "creating a working collaboration between our two institutions has been the most important step in building articulation agreements. Having both institu- tions truly join forces is what has enabled the agreements to be able to move from a plan- ning stage to an action stage to completion." The six agreements currently in place are Business (including but not limited to Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing), Social Work, Sociology, Geology (both a science and an arts focus) and Art. Students interested in pursuing one of these programs are encouraged to contact advisors at ISU and CEI for specific sequencing of classes. The eventual goal is to have 2+2 agreements for all major options offered at ISU. Currently there are a number of agreements making their way through the process, including those for Workplace, Training and Leadership, Computer Science, Political Science and Communications. Others in progress include Education, Engineering, Health Science, Math and History. A further benefit to the community is the creation of a trans- fer scholarship for students who graduate from CEI and continue on to pursue a bach- elor's degree at ISU. The transfer scholar- ship is being developed by the I Love ISU campaign (iloveISU.org). Students who are interested in learn- ing more about the 2+2 program, and which majors are currently being offered should contact either Danielle Stimpson at danielle.stimpson@cei.edu or myself at winmmich@isu.edu. BUILDING BRIDGES | EDUCATION n Building Bridges, Creating Pathways CEI-ISU partnership creates new options for local scholars BY MICHELLE MUNOZ LEANNA KOTTER PHOTO IF

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