College of Southern Idaho
Encyclopedia
College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is an American public community college
. Its main campus is in Twin Falls
, Idaho
, with outreach programs in Boise
, Hailey
, Burley
and Gooding
.
College of Southern Idaho offers associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science degrees and technical certificates in over 115 disciplines. Additional upper-division courses through the University of Idaho
, Idaho State University
and Boise State University
are also offered. Credits transfer from CSI to these other Idaho schools very easily, so transferring is a smooth transition.
CSI's enrollment is approximately 7,000 students with an additional 3,000 in non-credit courses. Approximately 85% of the student body is from Idaho's Magic Valley
region. The college is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees elected at large by voters in Twin Falls
and Jerome
Counties.
Until the foundation of the College of Western Idaho
in 2007, CSI was one of only two comprehensive community colleges in Idaho, along with North Idaho College
in Coeur d'Alene
.
in the early 1960s, it wasn't until the Idaho Legislature
passed and Gov. Robert E. Smylie
signed the Junior College Act in 1963 that the foundation of what became the College of Southern Idaho began in earnest. In November 1964 voters in Twin Falls County formed a junior college district under the provisions of the Junior College Act. Neighboring Jerome County joined the district in 1965. CSI held its first classes at Twin Falls High School
later that year.
In 1967 a men's basketball program was founded at CSI by Eddie Sutton
, who later became a prominent basketball coach at the University of Kentucky
and Oklahoma State University. The CSI men's basketball team has consistently been a national contender at the community college level ever since. Home games routinely sell out season after season and rank as one of Twin Falls' main entertainment draws.
Since moving to its own campus in 1968, CSI has been one of the fastest-growing colleges in Idaho. It has also become a vital part of the Twin Falls area, both culturally and economically. Despite its continued growth, the college has publicly stated it has no desire to become a four-year university
.
Major campus buildings are named for the college's first two presidents, James L. Taylor (1965–1982) and Gerald R. Meyerhoeffer (1983–2005).
Most CSI students commute from off-campus. A single on-campus residence hall houses approximately 250 students. Approximately 58% of the student body is over the age of 21.
College and community activities are regularly held at the College of Southern Idaho Fine Arts Center, the Herrett Center for Arts and Science, and the Eldon Evans Expo Center. Frontier Field hosts a variety of community softball leagues during the summer months.
Student government is administered by the Associated Students of CSI which is controlled by a student senate elected from the student body. CSI sponsors approximately 50 student clubs and organizations.
The College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles compete in Region 18 of the National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA). As of 2009 CSI has won a total of 11 NJCAA national championships, including titles in women's volleyball
, men's basketball
and men's baseball
. The Golden Eagles rodeo
team has won an additional three national championships in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
.
Founded by Eddie Sutton
in 1966, CSI's men's basketball program is one of the most successful at the community college level, claiming to be the winningest junior college program in the United States. Between 1967 and 2007 CSI posted a total record of 1158-217, made 23 national tournament appearances and won the NJCAA national title three times. In that period the Golden Eagles have never had a losing season. The Golden Eagles' 137-game home winning streak between the mid-1980s and 1992 is one of the longest at any level in collegiate sports.
Although CSI failed to make the NJCAA national tournament in 2007-08, the Golden Eagles continue to command a strong reputation nationally. CSI began the 2008-09 season ranked third in the nation in preseason polls.
The women's volleyball team was particularly dominant in the 1990s, winning a remarkable 190 consecutive matches between 1994 and 1997 and seven national titles in eight years between 1993 and 2000. The program won its NJCAA Division I record ninth national championship in 2009, breaking its tie with Miami Dade College.
Last year in the 2009-2010 season. Troy James Allen was kicked off the Cheerleading squad from the misuse of inappropriate gestures. With a miraculous return this year. He returned to the team and took them to Cheer Nationals in Anaheim, California, with a 4th Place title for the School.
2008 Hollywood Music Award and LA Music Award nominated pop singer, songwriter and model Chris Eberlein, whose first album The Way of the Door was released in 2008 and produced a mainstream dance hit "Love is a Game", briefly attended the school and was a member of the Music Department.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
. Its main campus is in Twin Falls
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, with outreach programs in Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Hailey
Hailey, Idaho
Hailey is a city in and the county seat of Blaine County, in the Wood River Valley of the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 6,200 at the 2000 census. Hailey is the site of Friedman Memorial Airport , the airport for the resort area of Sun Valley/Ketchum, north. The town...
, Burley
Burley, Idaho
Burley is a city in Cassia and Minidoka counties in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 10,345 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Cassia County....
and Gooding
Gooding, Idaho
Gooding is the county seat and largest city of Gooding County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 3,384 at the 2000 census.The city is named for Frank R. Gooding, a local sheep rancher who became a prominent political figure in Idaho in the early 20th Century, serving as both Governor of...
.
College of Southern Idaho offers associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science degrees and technical certificates in over 115 disciplines. Additional upper-division courses through the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
, Idaho State University
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
and Boise State University
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
are also offered. Credits transfer from CSI to these other Idaho schools very easily, so transferring is a smooth transition.
CSI's enrollment is approximately 7,000 students with an additional 3,000 in non-credit courses. Approximately 85% of the student body is from Idaho's Magic Valley
Magic Valley
The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho consisting of Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls Counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural region in the Snake River Plain located in the area...
region. The college is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees elected at large by voters in Twin Falls
Twin Falls County, Idaho
Twin Falls County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census, the county had a population of 64,284 . The county seat and largest city is Twin Falls....
and Jerome
Jerome County, Idaho
Jerome County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 18,342 . The county seat and largest city is Jerome....
Counties.
Until the foundation of the College of Western Idaho
College of Western Idaho
College of Western Idaho is an American public community college located in Nampa, Idaho. It serves the Boise metropolitan area.CWI began regular classes on January 20, 2009, with an enrollment of over 1100 students. Within its first year, CWI's enrollment expanded rapidly, with over 3600 students...
in 2007, CSI was one of only two comprehensive community colleges in Idaho, along with North Idaho College
North Idaho College
North Idaho College is a community college with over 6,000 students in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, situated at the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene.-History:The school was established during the Great Depression in 1933 as Coeur d'Alene Junior College...
in Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
.
History
Although proposals for a junior college in southern Idaho were made as early as 1952 and courses were offered at the short-lived Southern Idaho College in BuhlBuhl, Idaho
Buhl is a city located on the old Oregon Trail in the western half of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,037 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Twin Falls, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in the early 1960s, it wasn't until the Idaho Legislature
Idaho Legislature
The Idaho Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Idaho. It consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. The Idaho Senate contains 35 Senators, who are elected from 35 districts...
passed and Gov. Robert E. Smylie
Robert E. Smylie
Robert Eben Smylie was a politician and attorney from Idaho. He served as the 24th Governor of Idaho from 1955 to 1967. He was a member of the Idaho Republican Party....
signed the Junior College Act in 1963 that the foundation of what became the College of Southern Idaho began in earnest. In November 1964 voters in Twin Falls County formed a junior college district under the provisions of the Junior College Act. Neighboring Jerome County joined the district in 1965. CSI held its first classes at Twin Falls High School
Twin Falls High School
Twin Falls High School is a high school in Twin Falls, Idaho, United States. It is one of two regular high schools operated by the Twin Falls School District.-School history:...
later that year.
In 1967 a men's basketball program was founded at CSI by Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
, who later became a prominent basketball coach at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
and Oklahoma State University. The CSI men's basketball team has consistently been a national contender at the community college level ever since. Home games routinely sell out season after season and rank as one of Twin Falls' main entertainment draws.
Since moving to its own campus in 1968, CSI has been one of the fastest-growing colleges in Idaho. It has also become a vital part of the Twin Falls area, both culturally and economically. Despite its continued growth, the college has publicly stated it has no desire to become a four-year university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
.
Major campus buildings are named for the college's first two presidents, James L. Taylor (1965–1982) and Gerald R. Meyerhoeffer (1983–2005).
Student life
College and community activities are regularly held at the College of Southern Idaho Fine Arts Center, the Herrett Center for Arts and Science, and the Eldon Evans Expo Center. Frontier Field hosts a variety of community softball leagues during the summer months.
Student government is administered by the Associated Students of CSI which is controlled by a student senate elected from the student body. CSI sponsors approximately 50 student clubs and organizations.
Athletics
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
(NJCAA). As of 2009 CSI has won a total of 11 NJCAA national championships, including titles in women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and men's baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. The Golden Eagles rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
team has won an additional three national championships in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, based in Walla Walla, WA, was established in 1949. NIRA sanctions more than 100 college rodeos every year in the United States, and represents over 3,500 student athletes attending more than 135 member colleges and universities...
.
Founded by Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
in 1966, CSI's men's basketball program is one of the most successful at the community college level, claiming to be the winningest junior college program in the United States. Between 1967 and 2007 CSI posted a total record of 1158-217, made 23 national tournament appearances and won the NJCAA national title three times. In that period the Golden Eagles have never had a losing season. The Golden Eagles' 137-game home winning streak between the mid-1980s and 1992 is one of the longest at any level in collegiate sports.
Although CSI failed to make the NJCAA national tournament in 2007-08, the Golden Eagles continue to command a strong reputation nationally. CSI began the 2008-09 season ranked third in the nation in preseason polls.
The women's volleyball team was particularly dominant in the 1990s, winning a remarkable 190 consecutive matches between 1994 and 1997 and seven national titles in eight years between 1993 and 2000. The program won its NJCAA Division I record ninth national championship in 2009, breaking its tie with Miami Dade College.
Last year in the 2009-2010 season. Troy James Allen was kicked off the Cheerleading squad from the misuse of inappropriate gestures. With a miraculous return this year. He returned to the team and took them to Cheer Nationals in Anaheim, California, with a 4th Place title for the School.
Music Department
The College of Southern Idaho Music Department offers a general Associate of Arts Degree in Music as well as coursework in Music Appreciation, Music Theory, Jazz and Aural Skills, along with instruction in a wide variety of musical instruments. The Fine Arts Center, completed in 2007, is considered the cultural hub for Twin Falls and the Magic Valley for more than 30 years. It was the first building completed for the campus in 1968. The members of the Music Department faculty are dedicated to helping students prepare for careers in performing, teaching, and other music-related areas. While the members of the CSI Music faculty are active performers, their first priority is teaching. This means that their students come first. The emphasis is not on making students "sink or swim," but rather to do their best to see that every student enjoys success in his or her endeavors.2008 Hollywood Music Award and LA Music Award nominated pop singer, songwriter and model Chris Eberlein, whose first album The Way of the Door was released in 2008 and produced a mainstream dance hit "Love is a Game", briefly attended the school and was a member of the Music Department.