Opening doors for all: Meet incoming CEI President Lori Barber

Lori Barber smiles successful nan John E. Christofferson building astatine College of Eastern Idaho connected Thursday.

IDAHO FALLS — The recently-selected 2nd president of College of Eastern Idaho Lori Barber knows firsthand what it intends to beryllium a nontraditional assemblage student.

“I went to assemblage correct aft precocious schoolhouse — went for 4 years, but ne'er vanished because I changed my awesome and past sewage married,” she said. “(We) started a family, and acquisition conscionable benignant of sewage mislaid successful time’s wake.”

However she recognized nan powerfulness of learning from nan illustration of her ain family.

“My parents grew up successful utmost poverty, and it was done acquisition wherever they were really capable to alteration their lives,” Barber said. “They some became very successful. My dada became a expert and my mom a dietician, and that was because they knew nan powerfulness of education.”

At nan property of 40, she decided to enroll astatine Idaho State University, finishing her grade successful 1 year. Eighteen months later, she completed a master’s grade successful history and anthropology and soon began school arsenic an adjunct professor astatine ISU’s University Place campus.

“When I heard that location was a anticipation for a ballot for a organization college, I really thought that’s wherever I wanted to be,” Barber said. “A batch of my students astatine Idaho State University were moving full-time, they had families, and they were spending a batch of money to get their degree, and truthful I thought that a organization assemblage would conscionable beryllium fantabulous for immoderate of those students.”

She was hired by CEI’s first President, Rick Aman arsenic CEI’s head of wide education, yet becoming nan dean and past vice president of world and student affairs successful 2019, wherever she has worked for nan past 5 years. She besides earned a doctorate successful acquisition successful activity and invention from Arizona State University.

Now arsenic CEI’s caller President, effective August 1, she is extending nan possibilities of acquisition to others.

At College of Eastern Idaho, “we person thing for everybody,” she said, “… Anybody who wants conscionable a small spot much training aliases a batch much training, they tin travel to us, and we person a programme that will suit their needs.”

The assemblage offers a assortment of opportunities, Barber shared, including:

• “short-term training successful our Workforce Training division
• “If you request a GED, you tin travel into our Career and College Readiness Program.
• “If you want a accepted grade and transfer, and you want to transportation to a university, you tin travel and do 2 years and past transportation connected to university
• “Also, we person each of those profession method acquisition programs for illustration cybersecurity, nursing, surgical tech, aesculapian assistant, welding, and diesel mechanic.”

“You tin travel and do a one-year certificate successful immoderate of those programs, aliases you tin get a two-year associate’s degree,” she said.

CEI is astatine nan forefront of helping group alteration their lives by qualifying students for amended employment and offering cutting-edge skills employers are looking for successful nan workforce.

“My expertise to beryllium capable to go president of a assemblage wholly changed nan trajectory of my life,” she said. “I want to do that aforesaid point for immoderate student who walks done our doors. Maybe they’re students who travel from utmost poverty, and they request america to clasp their hand. They request america to locomotion them done each nan processes. … They request america to thief springiness them a imagination for what their life could beryllium pinch education.”

Barber has nan way grounds to beryllium it. Under her leadership, nan assemblage has been capable to unafraid legalization for 2 applied baccalaureate degrees, contempt being nan youngest organization assemblage successful nan state.

“I want to guarantee that we are an intentionally innovative institution. ….CEI, correct now is connected nan vanguard of education. I intend to support america connected that vanguard of education, truthful group cognize erstwhile they travel to us, they person a batch of different conduits for training.”

Looking forward, nan early is agleam — enrollment and in installments hours are up 20% this fall, and 300 students will beryllium coming to College of Eastern Idaho connected Launch scholarships.

According to its website, successful fiscal twelvemonth 2023, nan organization assemblage served 3,225 in installments students, 529 non-credit students and 17,494 workforce training and profession acquisition students for a full of 21,248 students.

It offers 395 degrees and certificates, 97% occupation placement and and boasts a student-to-teacher ratio of 13:1.

“I consciousness very honored, and americium truthful excited to lead nan assemblage into this caller era,” Barber said. “We person been successful a startup shape for really nan first six to 7 years, and we consciousness for illustration we are moving retired of that startup shape into nan building phase. I americium a builder, and truthful I americium excited to … return nan assemblage into nan adjacent stage.”