Bert's Alerts—Nov. 3, 2017
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) was proud to welcome artist, Dan Ansotegui, to the Nampa Campus Academic Building on Thursday, Nov. 2, as part of the College’s Visiting Artist Series. His visit included a performance on the button accordion and discussion on Basque culture. Visit CWI’s Facebook page @CollegeofWesternIdaho to watch the latest LIVE WITH 5 featuring Ansotegui and his accordion.
News Highlights
Valuable to the Core
On Friday, Oct. 27, College of Western Idaho (CWI) celebrated a group of employees who have been formally recognized by their peers for outstanding contributions to the College. Employees were nominated for living and demonstrating CWI’s values every day in their interactions with students, employees, and the community. CWI hosted a luncheon for the honorees as a part of its “Valuable to the Core” initiative, as well as Staff of the Month and Faculty of Distinction recipients. Seen here at the lunch are (back left to right) Kim Johanek, Stephanie Ritchie Breach, Lindsey Zahller, Connor McComas, Kae Jensen, Dusty Perkins, President Bert Glandon, (front left to right) Joy Palmer, and Christie Cremer.
Employees are encouraged to recognize colleagues demonstrating CWI’s core values and can do so by filling out a “Valuable to the Core” nomination card. Nomination cards and stickers can be found on bulletin boards across campus.
CWI Hires Chief Information Officer
College of Western Idaho is excited to have Michael Chacon join the College as Chief Information Officer. Chacon has 25 years of experience delivering high-quality strategies for IT and business management to organizations. In addition to technical and business management experience, Chacon has significant academic experience as an adjunct professor and professional educator for private organizations in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States. Additionally, he has published several books and numerous peer reviewed articles in professional journals.
Chacon spends his free time as a musician, writing lyrics and songs which he records and distributes on CDs and online.
Veterans Day Celebration
To celebrate Veterans Day the College of Western Idaho (CWI) will have a number of activities on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB), paying tribute and honoring those who are serving, or have served, our country. The day will kick off with a Run to Remember. The one-mile run and walk route will take participants around NCAB. The free event is open to the public and registration opens at 7 a.m., with the run to follow.
A Veterans Day Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. and will feature guest speakers, a student speaker, and refreshments. The CWI Patriot Range with 200 flags will serve as backdrop for the ceremony. Members of CWI’s Veterans Association will place 112 flags in front of NCAB on Monday, Nov. 6. Each day, until the ceremony, the association will add 22 to flags to recognize the number of veterans who commit suicide every day.
Veterans will additionally be celebrated and recognized with a display featuring photos and information highlighting their service to our country at the Ada County Campus.
2018 Connections Project Logo Contest
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Connections Project celebrates culture, collaboration, education, innovation, and achievement. We are calling upon current CWI students to showcase their talent in design to incorporate this mission statement into the new 2018 Connections Project logo! The winning logo will be used for all of the marketing surrounding the event and the designer will receive a $100 cash prize!
Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m., Nov. 17. Visit cwi.edu/current-students/connections-project-submissions, to learn more.
Application Week Returns
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is helping future students take the first step in starting college with College Application Week, Nov. 6-10.
This is a great time for future students to apply in preparation to register for the spring and fall semester. Students who apply early have a greater opportunity to register for classes before they are full, as well as complete other important steps like applying for financial aid and scholarships.
Anyone interested in applying to CWI can fill out the online application at cwi.edu/apply. For more information on becoming a student at CWI, as well as learning about financial aid options, visit cwi.edu/go.
Priority Registration
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to announce the debut of priority registration for continuing students for the Spring 2018 semester. This will allow returning students a chance to enroll in classes ahead of others in order to stay on track to graduate. Priority registration begins Monday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m., while open registration starts Nov. 20.
- Students can register online anytime on or after their assigned registration time.
- Continuing students who enrolled any semester since fall 2015 are eligible.
- Assigned registration times are based on cumulative credits earned.
- Students can check myCWI and CWI email for their assigned time.
To learn more about registering for classes at CWI, please visit: /current-students/register-classes.
Professional Headshots
Looking to spruce up your public image? The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Media Club can help! The club will be taking professional quality headshot photos for $10 during the month of November, in several campus locations. This is a fantastic opportunity to get a powerful photo to separate you from the pack and capture people’s attention. Professional headshots are also perfect for profile photos on LinkedIn and other social media sites.
- Monday, Nov. 6 – Nampa Campus Aspen Classroom Building (NASP) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 7 – Ada County Campus Pintail Center (APIN) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 8 – Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
October Faculty of Distinction: Malia Collins
Malia Collins has been named the October 2017 Faculty of Distinction. Collins is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the College and teaches English Composition 1 (ENGL 101), English Composition Plus (ENGL 101+), Transformative Storytelling (CWID 101), and Creative Writing Nonfiction (ENGL 243). Collins grew up in Hawaii and has lived, worked, and traveled around the world. For years she worked as a teaching writer in The Cabin's Writers in The Schools program. Her great joy then, as now, comes from teaching writing and helping students find ways to tell their stories and lift up their voices on the page. Collins is a teaching artist with the Idaho Commission on the Arts and recently started an audio storytelling workshop on Urban Folklore. Her subject? Ghost stories.
As an avid reader and writer, she is currently working on creative nonfiction and short stories. She loves to swim in the ocean, wander in the mountains, and hike up Table Rock — particularly at sunrise.
During the fall 2017 semester, Collins started teaching a new CWID class, “Transformative Storytelling: Shift Your Worldview.” Her hope is that through oral storytelling and creative writing, her students will have transformative conversations, both on the page and with each other.
Each time she looks out at her students, Collins sees what a gift it is to be at CWI teaching. In her classroom, she helps her students think critically, become thoughtful people in the world, to take the time to see each other and recognize each other’s full humanity, and to feel like their voices are heard and matter. Please congratulate Collins on being selected as October's Faculty of Distinction!
