College of Southern Idaho Plans a Healthy Learning Environment
education, southern idaho, st. luke’s magic valley medical center,
New Health Sciences Facility
The prognosis is positive at the College of Southern Idaho, home to the sparkling new Health Sciences and Human Services building.
The $21 million facility serves multiple roles for the college, acting as both classroom and research facility, as well as a community partner. A shortage of health industry workers in Southern Idaho prompted the collaboration.
CSI students will rub shoulders with local medical and other professionals in the hallways as they attend continuing education and other training sessions that will be held in tandem with regular, for-credit classes.
The college’s mission is to provide educational opportunities for students in Southern Idaho – in other words, to provide training programs that will meet the employment needs of the area.
Workforce Development
In the earliest stages of planning, both for the new building and the college’s overall health-related curriculum, CSI turned to its longtime partners in the medical community. The goal was not only to create a new learning environment on campus, but also to establish a pipeline through health academies within the region’s high schools – a training program that would give those students a head start at the collegiate level. And it is a program that the area’s medical providers are eager to join.
“CSI’s health sciences and human services programs have been very responsive to industry needs as far as expansion of programs,” says Jody Tremblay, director of community relations for St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center. “It began with the LPN program and the ADRN program, and over the years they have added the radiology tech, surgical tech, dental hygienist and other programs, and there will be additional ones launched with the new building.”
That working synergy between the college and local physicians, clinics and hospitals is also what led to the new building.
When the new facility comes online, look for even more ties between the campus and the medical community, to the enrichment of both.
And with an eye on the bottom line – because new facilities don’t come cheap – look for a building that’s ready to expand and be used in unexpected ways.
The new building and programs exemplify a large aspect of what the college is all about – workforce development and assisting area businesses.
CSI can offer anything from a one-week welding enhancement course for a company’s maintenance crew to two years of training new employees, such as the program it developed for Dutchman Trailers in Burley. CSI also offers online workforce training to several of its company clients.
Advanced Degrees
Another aspect of learning CSI offers the community is its 2+2 program. It allow students to earn their associate’s degree at CSI‚ then earn the final two years of a bachelor’s degree from four other area colleges or universities – all while taking those junior and senior classes on the CSI campus.
Recently it has added some 2+2+2 programs, making it entirely feasible for a CSI student to earn a master’s degree from Boise State University‚ Idaho State University‚ the University of Idaho or Northwest Nazarene University – all without ever setting foot on those campuses.
