Community Impact Programs (CIP) is the leading resource for fostering educational opportunities and growth in rural Idaho communities. CIP offers holistic place-based educational opportunities through a continuum of engagement and relationship building beginning in high school and continuing into college and career success.
How It Started
In fall 2019, then president, Dr. Marlene Tromp, challenged the Boise State campus community to identify and deliver three unique educational programs to three rural communities in the Boise State University service area by Fall 2020.
These programs were to be designed WITH community stakeholders, and the outcomes would be owned by the community. Each program was to incorporate a deep connection between community, faculty and students through a combination of off-campus experiences and accessible online education.
Participating faculty were expected to spend time embedded in communities with students each term to build connections and enhance localized learning experiences. Boise State staff were to assist with student support and connections to learning opportunities and employment.
Mark Wheeler, then Dean of Extended Studies, was tasked with leading the institutional effort as a part of Extended Studies’ mission and existing connections to communities within Boise State’s service area. In his role, Wheeler gathered initial activity data from each of Boise State’s colleges and formed an internal advisory group to assist with internal planning and support.
Within Extended Studies, a small team formed to drive the development process through to implementation and ongoing support. This team led stakeholder summits on campus and within each community and helped make connections with colleges as program designs emerged. Each member of this team acts as the institutional point of contact for a partnering community.
The timeline for implementation of this project was aggressive. The initial stakeholder summit was held on the Boise State campus on January 16, 2020, and brought each of the core community members to campus to learn more about the vision and goals of this initiative. They returned to their respective communities to identify a community stakeholder group that met with Boise State staff and faculty in February to identify needs and begin development of their unique program.
Final program decisions were made by March 2020, and the process of developing new or adapting existing programs to meet the identified needs of each community began. Community members assisted with recruiting students and other community support. The initial program launched in August 2020.
The Original Program
The Community Impact Certificate (CIC) was designed for students in rural communities in the West Central Mountains (WCM) (McCall and its surrounding communities), Mountain Home and Elmore County (MHE) and the Western Treasure Valley (WTV) (Payette and its surrounding communities). Students in these regions are able to complete their education while staying in their hometown and can attend part-time or full-time. The ideal CIC student would be someone who is interested in furthering their education and would prefer to stay in their community.
CIC is both an online and face-to-face in-community certificate designed specifically for students who live in the CIC communities. It’s a cohort-style program and throughout the 12-month, 12-credit certificate, students will explore, apply and integrate impact-driving skill sets with a focus on leadership.
The program supports students at different stages of their academic journey, including those who are just starting college, those who have taken a break and students who are ready to finish what they started years ago. Students have access to a team of Boise State employees to assist them throughout their journey. Additionally, CIC students are awarded a $5,250 scholarship for their year of CIC courses and additional online coursework. This funding is intended to help cover tuition expenses for students enrolled in the program.
The Current Program
Community Impact Programs (CIP) are Boise State’s place-based educational pathways in rural Idaho. The CIP pathways build a comprehensive education ecosystem through the following approaches:
- Community Impact Certificate (CIC): an academic certificate and bachelor degree pathway incorporating place-based learning.
- Community Leadership Program (CLP): a non-credit, accessible, upskilling professional development opportunity.
- 15 to Start: a concurrent enrollment program increasing the availability of concurrent enrollment course options in rural Idaho.
- Community Partnerships: relationship building that informs the pathways above and is vital to the success of the program.
- Campus Partnerships: relationship building that connects the pathways above back to campus resources and opportunities.
Over the course of the first three years of implementing the academic certificate, two additional programs were added to these efforts. These programs expand the reach of this work by offering concurrent enrollment options in our rural high schools and professional development through the chambers of commerce. So now, Community Impact Programs encompasses five different programs, serving three different rural communities.