Community colleges posed for Nampa, Boise

BOISE — Boise State University plans to create community colleges in Nampa and Boise.

City and community leaders met Friday with business representatives and public education officials to make preliminary plans how the colleges could be operating by next January.

Community colleges offer two-year degrees in job skills at about half the price of traditional four-year institutions. They offer open admission and lower academic requirements for students to enroll.

Since Bob Kustra became president of Boise State in 2003, the school has been trying to distinguish itself as a top-rated facility. The university can’t accomplish this without also expanding opportunities for other students, said Sona Andrews, BSU provost and vice president for academic affairs.

As Boise State has increased its requirements for admission, officials say it has decreased the availability to higher education for underprepared students.

The 75 participants in Friday’s meeting discussed the community’s role to help the university. They discussed revamping Boise School District’s curriculum, such as creating math classes focused on electronics or machinery, so that community college-bound students will adjust more easily to a two-year school.

City employees could teach at the schools, offering their expertise in areas like criminal justice and urban planning. And businesses could use the schools to educate their employees in related industries.

The education summit is part of an ongoing process Mayor Dave Bieter began in November. His aim is to find ways the community and schools could partner.