We spoke with one computer science student who viewed the commute as a good trade-off for classes nested in Idaho's tech community. It seems the brief commute is manageable for Luke Bosse, a 3rd year computer science student, who is more than willing to make the trade off for close proximity to tech companies nearby.
"Long-term, I think the move for the department is great," said Bosse, who aims to teach math and computer sciences to secondary school students. "Because we get to be a little more prominent downtown. And I think the move for the students is great because we get to be close to the technical center of Boise."
When asked if the commute was worth the trade-off, he agreed.
The building at City Center Plaza is adjacent to The Grove downtown, near US Bank.
The President of BSU confirms and amplifies Bosse's insight. "It will provide our students an unparalelled opportunity for internships and interactions with industry, spur creative and collaborative research and mutual interest, and alow local busienss greater access to our programs," said Boise State President Bob Kustra.
The Compuer Science departments explosive growth over the past 4 years -- more than doubling students to more than 450 -- is partly due to the Treasure Valley's "vast unmet demand for computer science professionals", according to Boise State University.
"More than 90 percent of Boise State's computer science graduates take jobs in Idaho," says the university's website.
The move is also good for Idaho as a whole, says BSU: "It is absolutely vital to Idaho’s economy that we provide additional computer science graduates, and we cannot do that without expanding,” said Boise State Vice President for Research and Economic Development Mark Rudin.
