Boise State University’s Community Impact Program (CIP) is an unique partnership with rural communities in Idaho launched in October of 2019. The idea is to provide specialized education programs, student support, and community engagement to smaller communities. We recently spoke with Amelia Keily, M.Ed, Outreach Coordinator from Boise State University at the Western Idaho Science Fair in Weiser. With a table set up at the career fair, Keily shared information on the CIP program to students and adults interested in the program.
“Boise State’s Division of Extended Studies built a comprehensive rural education ecosystem (CIP) that empowers students and strengthens communities by providing direct local access and high-quality pathways to educational opportunities to support these community outcomes. Ecosystem components are designed with University partners to create effective, innovative, deliverable, scalable, and cost-effective solutions. This educational ecosystem amplifies individual components’ effects on communities and creates a rural educational infrastructure. The key insight of CIP is that for rural education to succeed, individual educational components must be innovative and delivered in an innovative holistic suite of educational offerings designed with communities to fit their needs,” as quoted from information sent to us via email from Rebecca Morgan, Associate Director, Outreach, Boise State University.
CIP delivers in-person instruction in rural communities as well as high-quality online programs. The program serves the following areas: West Central Mountains (McCall and its surrounding areas), Mountain Home and the surrounding areas, and the Western Treasure Valley (Payette and surrounding areas). Students are able to work on their higher education while staying in their hometown, continuing to work if they choose, and attend school part-time or full-time.
Online classes and remote appointments often make access to education easier for students, while having more control over their own learning, better accessibility, and time flexibility. Online remote learning and on-campus extension courses allow for people with careers and families to commit more time to higher education at their own pace and schedule.
The Community Impact Program also offers multiple opportunities, such as the Community Impact Program Certificate, Community Leadership Program, 15 to Start, Internal and External CIP Partnerships, and CIP Peer Mentorship Program.
This vide gives a short but great introduction to the program:
Also visit the website for more information and to make an inquiry:
