CEI new tech building update
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — If you have driven past College of Eastern Idaho lately, it would be hard to miss the construction of the brand new Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech building that is nearing completion.
"We are very excited that both Frontier Credit Union and Battelle Energy Alliance came together to name this building, and it's going to house some of our most high-tech programs here on campus," says CEI President Lori Barber.
The Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech Building now dominates the campus skyline. Introduced last August, Barber says the facility is designed to address a growing demand for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields throughout eastern Idaho.
College officials will be given the keys to the building in July, which allows teachers time for a summer move-in before students begin using the classrooms and spaces at the start of the fall 2026 semester.
The facility will serve as the primary home for several of the college's most advanced technical programs. Its halls will house the cybersecurity, mechatronics, and energy systems engineering transfer programs, alongside specialized spaces for surgical technology.
Beyond its laboratory capabilities, the building is intended to solve space problems for the campus.
“So we have a really big campus, but it has historically been a commuter campus,” said President Lori Barber. “So we don't have a lot of spaces for students to gather, study, and collaborate. And so this building is going to be full of those spaces."
