IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) honored Park Price Thursday for nine years of service as the first Chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Under Price’s guidance, the campus expanded significantly with a brand-new 88,000-square-foot Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech Building in Partnership with Frontier Credit Union.
“It’s been a fabulous journey. It’s one of those journeys that proved to me that if you’re persistent and have a good idea, you can win in the long run,” Price told Local News 8.
The $52 million project opened in August with 12 state-of-the-art laboratories and 10 classrooms.
Price led a distinguished business career, serving as President and CEO of the Bank of Idaho from 2003 to 2015, according to his biography from Idaho State University.
He also served as a Director at the Salt Lake Branch of Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2015 to 2020.
But most of all, Price’s influence can be measured in his impact on the students who walk through CEI’s doors.
“[College of Eastern Idaho] gave people the opportunity to live close to home, find a job close to home,” he said. “That was very appealing to the citizens of Bonneville County.”
From a small technical college to a burgeoning community college, CEI owes a deep debt of gratitude to the man at the helm of its Board of Trustees for nearly a decade, from its beginnings in 2017.
“Thank you for believing in CEI, and thank you for helping turn a long-held hope into a college that will serve this community for generations,” Price said.
