BOISE — Eastern Idaho Technical College is two steps closer to officially becoming a community college.

The State Board of Education Wednesday unanimously granted the College of Eastern Idaho permission to begin offering associate of arts degrees to current and future enrollees. The State Board also unanimously appointed five trustees to govern the school until at least November 2018, when the seats will be on the ballot in Bonneville County.

Here’s a list of the trustees:

• Stephanie Mickelsen, Zone 1.
• Calvin Ozaki, Zone 2.
• Park Price, Zone 3.
• Craig Miller, Zone 4.
• Carrie Scheid, Zone 5.

(Click here to view the county’s community college zones, as well as candidate resumes.)

The State Board selected the trustees from 54 applicants.

“We met and reviewed the candidates carefully,” said board member Richard Westerberg. “There were many, many (who were) qualified.”

Associate degree offerings and a board of trustees mark two key steps in EITC’s expedited transformation into a community college. The only remaining step is for trustees to hold their first official public meeting, said EITC president Rick Aman.

“We are currently looking at holding that meeting as early as this coming Monday,” Aman said.

EITC already offers an associate of applied science degree, a career-technical certification aimed at helping students immediately enter the work force. An associate of arts degree is designed as a starting point for students hoping to earn a bachelor’s degree.

The school plans to add its third — and final — community college offering this January: an associate of science degree.

Students hoping to earn that degree can enroll in the associate of arts program during the fall semester that begins on Aug. 21, Aman said, and transfer credits toward the other degree later.

“I would say those degrees are roughly three-fourths the same,” Aman said.

In May, Bonneville County voters approved a ballot measure to turn EITC into a community college.