Bert's Alerts—March 15, 2019
News Highlights
CWI Health Programs Nationally Recognized
Congratulations to College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Public Health and Health Science programs for being awarded with the Riegelman Award for Guided Learning Pathways to the Health Professions. This award was presented to the College during the League for Innovation’s 2019 Conference in New York City. Rhonna Krouse, Associate Professor in the Health Science department, accepted the award for the College.
“The Heath Science faculty have enjoyed developing and executing curriculum we have passion for. We are honored to offer a program that is nationally recognized. CWI is fortunate to have excellent partners in our community and Boise State University and have appreciated the opportunity to serve on the Community Colleges and Public Health national work group,” said Krouse. “Engaging with others and learning from their experience has allowed us to stay on the forefront of current trends and workforce needs, which is invaluable to the students we serve."
College of Western Idaho Recognized for Development of Health Profession Pathways
Honor Society President Chosen to Receive Scholarship
Elizabeth Carter, the chapter President for College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Beta Sigma Pi organization, has been named a 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), an international honor society. Carter will receive a $2,250 scholarship to the college of her choice. Chosen from more than 2,000 applicants across the United States, Carter was the top scoring student from Idaho in the All USA Academic Team competition.
The scholarship program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, with additional support provided by the American Association of Community Colleges and PTK. Carter will be recognized for her achievements at the Annual PTK President’s Breakfast during the annual American Association of Community Colleges Convention, Monday, April 15, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. She will also be presenting a paper at a conference in Las Vegas that weekend, along with Beta Sigma Pi Advisor, Dr. Yolonda Barnes.
“I am surprised and blessed,” Carter said upon learning that she had won the scholarship.
Carter has led the Beta Sigma Pi chapter to numerous achievements, including achieving five star status. The chapter is competing for eight awards at the PTK International Catalyst conference in April.
For more information, contact PTK Advisors Dr. Yolonda Barnes at yolondabarnes@cwi.edu or Dr. Liza Long at lizalong@cwi.edu.
STEM Out! Event a Success
College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted its annual STEM Out! event, Saturday, March 9. Kid’s grade 7 to 9 from all over Idaho came to sample careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and STEM-related fields.
Twenty-four CWI programs provided sessions for attendees. Machine Tool Technology students helped make gyroscopes, the Software Development program taught a how-to program on Finch Robots, and Nursing demonstrated how to find a heartbeat and pulse.
One attendee said stated, “STEM Out! was very hands-on. CWI prepares you for the future.”
Student Affairs, Student Success Advisors, and CWI’s Presidential Ambassadors provided volunteers to guide attendees throughout the day and serve them lunch.
“Thank you so much for providing these wonderful opportunities for our children!” said a parent of an attendee, “One of my older daughters decided to become a mechanical engineer through her experience with STEM and robotics. I appreciate all the effort put into these events and programs.”
Honor Society Welcomes New Members
On Saturday, March 9, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter, Beta Sigma Pi, inducted twenty new members during their spring induction ceremony at the Nampa Civic Center. The entire student leadership team was present, including President, Elizabeth Carter; Vice President of Scholarship, Agnieszka Gibson; newly-elected Vice President of Leadership, Charity Watson; Vice President of Service, Elyssa Goins; and Vice President of Fellowship, John Nahlen. President Bert Glandon, who sits on the PTK International Board and was a 2017 PTK award recipient, addressed the new members and their families about the important service and leadership opportunities the chapter provides.
“Our next chapter president may be sitting in the audience today,” Glandon said, noting current chapter President, Elizabeth Carter, who was recently awarded a highly competitive PTK scholarship.
Former chapter President and current Rocky Mountain Cascade Regional Alumni President, Jason Ward, spoke about how PTK helped him to find a home at CWI and encouraged new members to get involved in the chapter.
Beta Sigma Pi was organized as a PTK chapter in 2010. Since its inception, it has inducted over 1,200 current and alumni members. PTK is an international honor society with over 1,300 chapters active worldwide. Beta Sigma Pi is one of the 25 chapters in the Rocky Mountain Cascade Region of PTK, which encompasses Southern Idaho, Oregon, and Northern Utah.
The purpose of the Beta Sigma Pi chapter is for promotion of scholarship, engagement in service, development of leadership, and cultivation of fellowship among students at CWI.
New member enrollment is currently underway, and invited members may accept their invitation to join by May 31, 2019. Scholarships are available to offset membership costs.
“As we increase our chapter membership, we also want to grow the next generation of student leaders,” said Dr. Yolonda Barnes, Beta Sigma Pi Advisor.
Witt Represents at National Writing Studies Conference
English faculty member, Ryan Witt, represented College of Western Idaho (CWI) at the 2019 Conference on College Composition and Communication, a national writing studies conference, on Wednesday, March 13, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During the conference, Witt facilitated a half-day workshop entitled, “The Art of Performing ‘This is Fine’: Addressing the Impact of Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Students, Teachers, and Programs”. His workshop, for writing teachers, writing program administrators, and writing center staff, focused on practical tools they can use to work with students who are struggling with the after effects of trauma in their lives.
The people in my field – just like my colleagues at CWI – are very focused on student success," said Witt. "The strategies we discussed in this workshop are critical for helping students from all backgrounds succeed. I look forward to expanding my use of these approaches at CWI and sharing them with colleagues."
Online Early Childhood Development Courses
New to the College of Western Idaho (CWI) for the Fall 2019 semester, are online courses that provide the opportunity for students to meet the educational component of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. The online courses are a national credential from the Council for Professional Recognition. CDA credentials, the most widely recognized in early childhood education, indicate a provider has demonstrated the ability to meet specific needs of children and work with parents and other adults to promote quality child care and education.
CWI’s online courses meet the requirements for the preschool, infant/toddler, and family child care CDA credential. The courses will give current students who are working full-time in the field of early childhood education the opportunity to continue their education. Upon completion, they can then choose to continue on to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education.
Online courses include:
- ECED 100 – Foundations of Early Childhood Education, 3 credits
- ECED 101 – Child Development and Guidance, 3 credits
- ECED 105 – Teaching Young Children I, 4 credits
Contact Sherri Lauer, Assistant Professor in the Early Childhood Education program, at sherrilauer@cwi.edu or 208.562.3483 to learn more.
Visiting Writer Series Welcomes Reema Zaman
College of Western Idaho’s English department Writers and Words Reading Series is bringing Storyfort to you! Join us as we welcome award-winning author, speaker, and actress, Reema Zaman, to the Nampa Campus Academic Building Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m., for a reading of her memoir, I Am Yours, followed by a Q&A session.
Zaman, an award-winning author, speaker, and actress, was born in Bangladesh, raised in Hawaii and Thailand, and presently lives in Oregon. She is Oregon Literary Arts’ Writer of Color Fellow for 2018. Her essays have been published in The Guardian, The Rumpus, Narratively, SHAPE, VIDA, and elsewhere. She proudly partners with various organizations, like Girls Inc. and Literary Arts, to help empower diverse voices, both youthful and older, spanning cultures.
Her memoir, I Am Yours, published by Amberjack Publishing, was released in February 2019 and has received glowing reviews. Lidia Yuknavitch, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Joan and fiction headliner at Storyfort 2018 writes, “My heart just burst into a thousand songs after reading I Am Yours by Reema Zaman. From the first word to the last, this story is phenomenal triumph of one woman's body and voice rising up and through a culture that would quiet her. Moving through experience and language without flinching, Zaman reminds us that to have a body is to bring a soul to life. A stunning debut."
This do not miss event, part of the Visiting Writer Series, is free and open to the public. Contact Malia Collins at maliacollins@cwi.edu for questions or to learn more.
Writing the Novel Event
Storyfort and College of Western Idaho are proud to present Writing the Novel – an intimate conversation, reading, and novel-writing discussion with novelists, Jonathan Evison and Jamie Ford. Join us as we discuss their novels, Lawn Boy and Songs of Willow Frost, and explore the craft, process, grit, and art of assembling and delivering a quality novel.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
MING Studios
Writing the Novel is a ticketed event, but free and open to all with a suggested donation of $10. Tickets are available online or at the door as space allows. The author’s novels, Lawn Boy and Songs of Willow Frost, are available for purchase at the CWI Bookstore located at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center.
Submissions Open for 2019 Connections Project
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Connections Project celebrates culture, collaboration, education, innovation, and achievement. This annual event brings together the CWI community for an evening of connection, education, and inspiration.
CWI students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to showcase work and accomplishments in the form of posters, mini-talks, tables, art, and other presentations. Presenting at the Connections Project is an excellent opportunity for students to practice their interpersonal and public speaking skills. Students additionally have the opportunity to display their projects and work alongside fellow students. For submission guidelines and requirements, visit the Connections Project webpage. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 22.
Projects submitted by the deadline are eligible for one of six Connections Excellence Awards ranging from $100-$150. Winners will be honored during a ceremony at the Connections Project event, Thursday, April 25, from 3:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
2019 Juried Art Show
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Visual and Performing Arts Department is proud to be hosting the third-annual Juried Art Show. College and high school students across the Treasure Valley are invited to submit artwork. Selected works will be displayed in the CWI Art Gallery during the College’s annual Connections Project event, April 25, and will remain on display through early September. One artist’s work, selected by a juror, will receive the Connection’s Excellence Award and be honored during the awards ceremony. The selected artist will additionally receive a $100 prize.
Last year, the exhibition was honored to have John McMahon, the Artist Services Director for the Idaho Commission on the Arts and a professional artist, serve as juror. McMahon selected 17 works to be featured at the Connections Project event selecting “Til We Part Media”, a drawing of a swinging bench by Rheanna Danes, as the winner of the 2018 Juried Art Show.
Dan Scott, a professional artist and Art Department Chair at Boise State University, has been selected as the juror for this year’s Juried Art Show.
Artwork must be submitted by Friday, March 22. For full submission details please visit the Connection’s Project submissions page or email juriedartshow@cwi.edu with questions.
Mark your calendars for this year's Connections Project, April 25, 2019, at the Nampa Campus Academic Building from 3-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Employee Appreciation Family Event
College of Western Idaho (CWI) faculty, staff, and family are invited to join us at the CWI Employee Appreciation Family Event, Saturday, April 6, at the Discovery Center of Idaho from 6-9 p.m. Admission is free and includes fun for all ages at over 150 hands-on exhibits, pizza, and liquid nitrogen ice cream.
Contact the Culture and Employee Engagement Committee at ceec@cwi.edu with questions.
Cybersecurity Awareness: Mobile Device Tips
Limit attacks while using your mobile device by following these tips:
- Don’t allow your device to auto-join unfamiliar networks.
- Always turn off WiFi when you aren’t using it or don’t need it.
- Never send sensitive information over WiFi unless you know it’s secure.
- Only use apps available in your devices official store.
- Never download from a browser and be wary of apps from unknown developers.
- Keep apps updated to ensure they have the latest security, apps that are no longer supported should be deleted.
- Don’t automatically give privileges to apps or access to your location, contacts, or photos.
- Bluesnarfing is the theft of information from a wireless device through a Bluetooth connection.
- Disable Bluetooth pairing and always turn off Bluetooth when not in use.
- Smishing is phishing via SMS (text messages). Don’t trust messages that attempt to get you to reveal personal information.
- Treat text messages the same way you treat email, think before you click.
- Verify websites before attempting to log in, they are harder to validate on the smaller screens of devices.
- Don’t save your login information to the web browser.
Contact Mike Wilson at mikewilson1@cwi.edu or 208.562.3193 with questions or for more information, and stay tuned for more tips and information on cybersecurity awareness in future issues of Bert’s Alerts.
