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Tech in transit
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Some Boise State students will trade in their blue and orange sweatshirts for crimson and gold this summer. Beginning July 1, 2009, the Larry G. Selland College of Applied Technology will leave Bronco Nation and become part of the College of Western Idaho.
Although CWI will be taking over most of the Boise State West campus and the Canyon County Center, it is still uncertain exactly where all of the programs it is absorbing will be located. Until then, many of these classes will continue to be held on the main Boise State campus.
Boise State students will still be able to take classes in Canyon County at Columbia High School in Nampa, slightly less than two miles from the current West Campus.
Vera McCrink, dean of Selland College, said that the first programs impacted will include drafting, electronics and business technology programs. Other programs requiring specialized equipment and laboratories, such as welding and auto repair, will move in phases during the next three years.
Transferring the Selland College is just one step toward creating a “comprehensive community college,” Shirl Boyce, director of Community Relations and Advancement at CWI, said. This vision includes providing lower-division general education classes, technical and workforce training, adult basic education and personal enrichment classes.
“It’s important to understand that as Boise State grows and matures into a research university, it can’t be all things to all people,” Sona Andrews, vice president for Academic Affairs at Boise State, said. “It’s going to be a win-win for everybody from the point that it helps Boise State grow into the kind of university we want it to be.”
To ensure a seamless transition, a proposal will be made to the State Board of Education in December requesting a “teach-out agreement” that would prevent current students from having their graduation requirements changed.
“I describe it as ‘elegant’ because it puts the students’ needs first and gives the students a mechanism to be supported so the classes they’ll need to take for their certificate programs will not be impacted, which is exactly the way it should be,” McCrink said.
Remaining details are being addressed at monthly meetings between Boise State and CWI administrators.
Students graduating from the Selland College prior to May 2009 will receive their degrees from Boise State. Those completing their programs later will graduate from CWI.
“It is going to be and it is a very positive thing for the Selland College and I believe for the university, too,” McCrink said. “BSU can focus on their area of expertise where they shine, which is the research university, and our students will be able to focus on their associate’s degrees."
JAIME KERWIN
Special to The Arbiter
