BOISE — In his annual State of the State address, Gov. Brad Little focused on several statewide issues he hopes to address in 2021. Much of Little’s “Building Idaho’s Future”
FLCC sharing $1.5M grant to support rural students
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Finger Lakes Community College is one of five schools across the U.S. to share in a $1.9 million grant to design pilot programs that support rural students and drive economic growth.
The grant was awarded by Education Design Lab, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., which will collaborate with FLCC over the next year to gather economic and labor data, brainstorm and design a pilot program to provide access and support to students.
The resulting project will address a specific area of need among learners and in the local economy. Focus areas will include underserved populations in Wayne County, where FLCC has a campus center, and the health care and advanced manufacturing industries where demand continues to grow, said Todd Sloane, director of workforce and career solutions at FLCC.
To College of Eastern Idaho President Rick Aman, it shouldâve happened sooner.
âThis shouldâve happened, in my mind, 20 years ago,â Aman said.
Aman came to Idaho more than a decade ago to head student services at College of Western Idaho in Boise, just as that college was founded. The stateâs then two other community colleges, North Idaho College and College of Southern Idaho, were founded before the millennium.
Eastern Idaho was the last part of the state to see a community college, after voters approved property tax raises to fund turning Eastern Idaho Technical College into a two-year program which students could use both to hone career skills, earn two-year associate degrees and notch preliminary college courses for four-year degree programs.
From staff reports
Washington State Community College has been selected as one of five rural community colleges from across the nation to form the inaugural cohort of the Building Rural Innovation, Designing Educational Strategies (BRIDGES) initiative.
They will work over the next three years to design, test, and scale post-secondary approaches that support the economic agility of rural learners and build the capacity of rural community colleges to be drivers of economic growth in their communities.
“Washington State is excited for the opportunity to lead transformational change. As a community college, our mission is rooted in providing educational pathways for learners that also support local workforce needs,” explained Dr. Vicky Wood, WSCC president. “Through the Bridges initiative, we will be able to engage as a thought leader to design new approaches that will take our work to the next level.”.
The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce has announced the ten winners of this yearâs Distinguished Under 40 Award. The award honors young professionals under the age of 40 years old âwho have gone above and beyond to accomplish great things in their careers, community, and education,â according to the Chamber. All recipients are from eastern Idaho. The organization has been honoring young people with this award for more than 20 years.
âItâs an amazing award that the Chamber of Commerce gave me. I know my boss is the one who nominated me, and it just feels really good that he recognizes all the hard work that Iâm doing,â said Beth Swenson, award recipient and librarian at the Idaho Falls Public Library.