Bert's Alerts—Sept. 7, 2018
Spotlight
With carne asada on the grill, more than 80 students and staff attended Convivencia Familiar hosted by College of Western Idaho’s LatinX Student Services. The events, at Micron Education Center and Ada County Pintail Center, provided an opportunity for current and future students to meet with instructors from career and technical programs as well as One Stop Student Services staff!
News Highlights
CWI Board of Trustees Vote on Plant Facilities Levy Resolution
College of Western Idaho Proposed Health Science Building Introduction
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Board of Trustees voted unanimously, on Tuesday, Sept. 4, to place a $39 million plant facility levy on the ballot this November.
The funds would be combined with the $10 million appropriation from the Idaho State Legislature and funded through the Permanent Building Fund to build a state-of-the-art Health Science Building on CWI’s main Nampa Campus. This building will provide a critical increase in capacity to address the skills gap, in the Treasure Valley, within the health care workforce. An additional 2,500 students would have access to credit and short-term training in health and science programs.
CWI enjoys a strong partnership with Saint Alphonsus, St. Luke’s, Norco, as well as other medical organizations in the region. The new building will act as a conduit for these institutions and help to train staff.
A new Health Science Building aligns with the College’s vision to transition away from leased buildings and increase owned facilities.
“The Health Science Building would be an amazing addition and enhance CWI’s ability to train thousands of future health care workers in the Treasure Valley — as the population grows and ages,” said Mark Dunham, CWI board chairman. "This facility will provide tremendous synergy for our health and science programs at the College.”
Visit the CWI Difference webpage for more information, building renderings, and to explore a virtual video tour.
Scholarship Spotlight—Kim L.
Hometown: Greenleaf, Idaho
Major: Health Science
Anticipated Graduation: 2021
Because of CWI: “I can be more than I ever dreamed possible.”
Kim L. has been wanting her college degree, originally, to become a teacher, but recently found her calling in the medical field. She sought out an education from College of Western Idaho (CWI) for the support she would find here and the services the College offers its students, including free tutoring. Shortly after starting, she realized tutoring isn’t the only plus to attending CWI.
“The professors really care about us as students and we are not just a number,” she said. “I believe more in myself because the tools CWI offers here have helped me pass all my classes. That kind of self- esteem is rare, and I am so appreciative of it.”
Kim is the proud recipient of a Brandt Bridge Scholarship and a CWI Foundation Scholarship which she said has helped her pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.
“Scholarships have helped me pay for classes I would not have been able to take otherwise,” she said. “I try and always remember how blessed I am and strive to be the best I can every single day.”
Kim is a hard-working, fun, and unique individual who loves helping others. Working with kids for nine years, she is currently working with dementia patients on improving their lives. She wants to be a surgical nurse by the year 2021 in hopes that someday she can be a civilian contractor on the front lines helping soldiers.
Visiting Scientist Series Welcomes Dr. Jorcyk
College of Western Idaho’s Visiting Scientist series is proud to welcome Dr. Cheryl L. Jorcyk to campus Sept. 14, 2018. Jorcyk is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and in the Biomolecular Sciences Program at Boise State University.
In 2016, Jorcyk was named the Director of Clinical and Translational Research for Boise State. Her research lab is focused on studying the role of inflammatory proteins in breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer. Translational studies to develop a novel therapeutic to block these proteins are underway. Funding for her research has come from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, NASA, the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, METAvivor, the W.M. Keck Foundation, the Murdock Charitable Trust, St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute, the Idaho Higher Education Research Council, the Smylie Family Fund, and the Birt Family. Dr. Jorcyk has published over 55 journal articles.
Contact Ehab Marji at 208.562.3358 or ehabmarji@cwi.edu for more information.
Faculty of Distinction – August 2018
Amy Vassar has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for August 2018. Vassar is an Idaho native and alumna of The College of Idaho. She began her teaching career as an elementary school ESL teacher and then a secondary Spanish teacher. College of Idaho offered her a semester-long substitute position where she discovered teaching at the post-secondary level was truly her dream job. She started as an adjunct instructor for CWI in fall of 2009. During her time here, she has served in a number of leadership roles and committees, including Program Chair, Dual Credit mentor, Hybrid Instruction Course facilitator, Dean’s Advisory Council, Online Advisory Team, Faculty Promotion Committee, and most recently a two-year term as Faculty Senate President. Outside of work, Amy enjoys traveling, reading, photography, and spending quiet (or not so quiet) evenings at home with her family.
2018 Wishing Well Applications
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation began accepting Wishing Well applications Monday, Aug. 13! Thanks to the generosity of employees, supportive community partners, and approval from the CWI Foundation and Scholarship and Grants Committee, nearly $7,000 was awarded to four programs at the College through the Wishing Well Fund last year. The fund, established in 2015, was created to support small items and student learning opportunities not typically funded through department budgets.
Do not miss out on this exciting opportunity! Applications for this year’s Wishing Well funds will be accepted through Friday, Sept 28. Visit the Wishing Well Grants page on myCWI to learn more and to find the 2018 Wishing Well application. For questions, please contact Rena McKean at renamckean@cwi.edu or 208.562.3182.
