UI Loses Engineering Program In Boise

The state Board of Education voted 5-3 Thursday to transfer administration of most engineering education at Boise from the University of Idaho to Boise State University.

That reverses the board’s January vote, when it decided to retain the present arrangement, a cooperative Idaho-Boise State facility directed by the Moscow school.

Under a plan from board member Tom Dillon of Nampa, electrical, civil and mechanical engineering bachelor and master’s degree programs at Boise will be shifted to the control of Boise State. Idaho will administer chemical engineering, and will receive “reasonable fees” for helping carry out the transfer.

The engineering issue has been a subject of debate since late last year when Micron Technology Inc. officials said the University of Idaho’s programs in Boise failed to serve their needs. The company offered $6 million for a BSU-run engineering program but the board voted 5-3 in January against the offer.

The Legislature later gave University of Idaho an extra $2 million to beef up engineering programs in Boise and $500,000 in funds redirected from other uses and $500,000 to design a new building at Boise State.