The college is governed by a five-member board of trustees elected at large by voters in Twin Falls and Jerome Counties.

The region was originally served by the Southern Idaho College of Education (SICE) in Albion, which closed in 1951.

The CSI men's basketball team has consistently been a national contender at the community college level ever since.

Major campus buildings are named for the college's first two presidents, James L. Taylor (1965–1982) and Gerald R. Meyerhoeffer (1983–2005).

Its catchment area includes all of the counties of Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls.

[8] The Golden Eagles' 137-game home winning streak between December 1984 and January 1992 is the longest for a men's basketball team at any level in collegiate sports.

[9] The women's volleyball team was particularly dominant in the 1990s, winning a remarkable 190 consecutive matches between 1994 and 1997 and seven national titles in eight years between 1993 and 2000.

The program won its NJCAA Division I record ninth national championship in 2009, breaking its tie with Miami Dade College.

[citation needed] After reinstituting the Golden Eagle cross-country and track program in 2017, CSI Head Cross Country and Distance Track Coach Lindsey Anderson led the Golden Eagle women to a fourth-place finish and the men to a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 2018.