Bert's Alerts—Dec. 22, 2017
A Message from the President
I want to wish you and your loved ones happy holidays! The hustle and bustle of the season, as well as here at CWI, keeps us all moving at a fast pace – but I truly hope you all enjoy time with your family and friends and the delights of this joyous time of year. Rest, eat, be merry, be healthy, and enjoy time recharging for an exciting and adventurous 2018!
Sincerely,
President Bert Glandon
News Highlights
CWI Partners with CapEd
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to partner with CapEd Credit Union for the new Matched Education Savings Account (MESA) program. The announcement was made, to a full house, during the Nampa Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Dec. 14. For every dollar a student saves in the MESA program, CapEd will match $3. Students can save up to $500, receiving $1,500 from the credit union, for a total of $2,000!
Students attending CWI, willing to save a minimum of $25, are employed, and whose income is under a certain level, are eligible to participate!
Learn more and apply at https://nwcuf.org/mesa/.
Interviews. Judgment calls. Deadlines.
That’s the life of a journalist – and a student in the new COMM 273 class, Media News Writing and Reporting, thanks in large part to a bold experiment involving the College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Communications and Marketing team to equip participants with the skills they need to land writing, reporting, and editing jobs.
Communications and Marketing Director, Audrey Eldridge, and team members, Ashley Smith and Jessica Argyle, worked with Roya Camp, an adjunct faculty member and 30-year journalist, to design a real-world experience that ensured students interested in being published and posted would have the opportunity.
Members of the class, offered for the first time this fall, conducted news meetings similar to those held by professional news organizations to make sure writing assignments met news standards and were developing according to expectations. Editing happened in cycles so that the work submitted aligned with CWI style and the needs of students and employees.
Students connected with Eldridge and her team for assignments and for additional editing and feedback as they learned reporting and news writing skills, grappled with the ethical dimensions of modern journalism, practiced finding and refining stories, and polished their interviewing techniques.
Not all of the students’ reporting ended up on CWI platforms, however. Self-generated ideas, from powerful tragic human stories to business profiles to political dramas unfolding in Idaho’s capital, were among the compelling reads students developed.
CWI has always offered classes meant to equip students for jobs and careers, but this collaboration, which Eldridge, Camp, and the Communications and Marketing team have refined and plan to continue for the spring term, is in keeping with the vision for the Media Arts Program and CWI’s School of Business, Communication, and Technology to keep CWI students current and competitive in very rapidly changing industries.
Students who entered the class intending to have their work published met their goals, giving them valuable examples of produced content for their portfolios.
Better yet, they learned that the need for quality journalism and reporting is greater than ever and that stories are everywhere, just waiting to be discovered and told. All it takes is a bit of initiative, along with great writing and editing skills and a large helping of persistence, to serve up the drama of daily life for others’ enjoyment and education.
Not too late to register:
Space is available in Communication 273, Media News Writing and Reporting, for the spring term. The class will be held Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:45 p.m. at the Ada County Campus Pintail Center.
December Staff of the Month: Kelli Crawforth
Kelli Crawforth has been named the December 2017 Staff of the Month. Crawforth joined College of Western Idaho (CWI) in August 2016 and is currently the Administrative Assistant for the Law Enforcement Program.
Crawforth is passionate about law enforcement and has worked in various capacities in the law enforcement field for 20 years. She believes in integrity, accountability, serving others, and second chances.
“Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves. Everyone makes mistakes. All we can do is learn from these mistakes and make ourselves better,” said Crawforth.
She carries this belief into the Law Enforcement Program and acts as an advocate for the students. Crawforth says she feels like a proud “mama bear” when the CWI Law Enforcement students’ hard work pays off and they graduate from the program.
Crawforth, her husband, and their children spend their time camping, four wheeling, riding dirt bikes, playing sports, watching NFL games (Go Vikings!), going to movies, vacationing at the Oregon Coast, and playing board games. The family tries to include their three-year-old Maltese, Ozzie, in as many family activities as possible. Kelli and her husband will be celebrating their ninth anniversary in January. Crawforth’s husband works at a local law enforcement agency and she states, “We are proud to be part of the law enforcement family.”
She volunteers for a national non-profit law enforcement family support organization in the Idaho chapter.
“We take meals to officer’s families, help with transportation to medical appointments, take spouses to lunch, and offer emotional support,” she said.
She hopes to someday serve a mission with her husband and children in India at an orphanage that houses two children their family sponsors.
Crawforth enjoys her job at CWI and the people around her. She appreciates the diverse culture CWI offers between the employees and students. She finds the staff to be helpful, encouraging, and committed.
Crawforth said a fun fact about her is her dream career was to be a professional four-wheeler racer representing team Yamaha. However, she is very content with the path her life has taken and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.
One Stop Expands Hours
In response to student demand, One Stop Student Services is expanding hours! Beginning Jan. 2, the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center and Ada County Campus Lynx Building One Stop offices will open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday,10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of every month.
One Stop is happy to ensure open access for all, with operational hours to best serve students at the College. Find more information about the new hours as well as holiday closures at cwi.edu/onestop.
