[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                          TRIBUTE TO RICK AMAN

 Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, with my colleagues Senator Mike 
Crapo and Congressman  Mike Simpson, I rise today to recognize the 
career and service of Dr. Rick Aman, president of the College of 
Eastern Idaho--CEI--in Idaho Falls. As president for more than 8 years, 
Dr. Aman's leadership and service will be missed by the CEI community 
and all of eastern Idaho.
  Originally from Oregon, Dr. Aman was commissioned as a U.S. Air Force 
officer and spent 4 years as an Active-Duty pilot before returning to 
the Portland area as an Air Force Reserve instructor pilot. He retired 
as a lieutenant colonel after 21 years of service and 5,000 flight 
hours. Dr. Aman later earned a doctorate in community college 
leadership from Oregon State University.
  Dr. Aman's community college administration career began in 1992 at 
Portland Community College where he spent 16 years in teaching and 
administrative positions at various campuses around Portland. Prior to 
his role at CEI, Dr. Aman was the vice president of instruction and 
student affairs at the College of Western Idaho--CWI--from 2008 to 
2012. Dr. Aman led the then-startup CWI in instruction, curriculum 
development, and student affairs. In 2015, Dr. Aman joined Eastern 
Idaho Technical College--EITC--and was named the first president of 
College of Eastern Idaho, following the school's transition from a 
technical school to a community college.
  While at CEI, Dr. Aman facilitated significant changes and 
collaborations between the school and community to better improve 
workforce training opportunities for students. In collaboration with 
the Idaho National Laboratory--INL--CEI students have access to work 
force training and internship experience. Thanks to INL's $1 million 
donation, CEI's new 90,000-square-foot Future Tech Building will be 
completed in 2026 and provide additional workforce training 
opportunities.
  Dr. Aman successfully negotiated an articulation agreement with Idaho 
State University and separately received accreditation approval for CEI 
to offer bachelor's degrees in digital forensics and analytics and 
operations management, a significant accomplishment for a community 
college.
  Among Dr. Aman's community involvement, he sits on the board of the 
Leaders in Nuclear Energy--LINE--Commission and is on the executive 
board for the Regional Economic Development Council in Eastern Idaho. 
Dr. Aman was appointed to the Western Interstate Commission on Higher 
Education--WICHE--Commission and serves on the executive commission as 
a representative from Idaho. He also serves on a variety of local 
nonprofit boards and is a member of many civic organizations.
  It is our great honor to congratulate Dr. Rick Aman and thank him for 
his years of service. We wish him the best of luck following his 
retirement from the College of Eastern Idaho.

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