Congratulations to Joe Welker, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for May 2021. Welker is an Associate Professor of Accounting and has been teaching at the College for over a decade.
“I am passionate about the content I teach,” he said. “I teach for my students. I enjoy inspiring, mentoring, and giving them opportunities they might not have had prior to taking my courses. I love celebrating my students’ successes – it is inspiring!”
“Joe cares about the success of his students,” said his student, Tanya Coles. ”I appreciate his willingness and ability to help students when needed making sure each student understands the material. He is, hands down, the best professor I have ever had!”
In addition to teaching at CWI, Welker has a master’s degree in Accountancy and has been practicing public accounting for 15 years. His professional experience in and out of the classroom has allowed him to provide real-world advice to his students as they pursue careers or transfer to other institutions.
“Professor Welker has a wealth of knowledge and current expertise in the accounting field,” said student, Erin Christophel. ”He is passionate about teaching his students and helping them in their college career and beyond. He is one of those professors a student learns a lot from during their time in class.”
“CWI empowers students to succeed,” said Welker. “Because of CWI, the Treasure Valley is a better place with more access higher education. With this access, students become college graduates and have the opportunity to change their lives.”
Outside of teaching, Welker enjoys spending time in the outdoors hiking, biking, snowboarding, or golfing. He is the Assistant Varsity Coach of the Centennial High School Mountain Bike Team and Head Coach for a YMCA/AAU basketball team.