Bert's Alerts - April 17, 2015
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome the community to campus this Saturday (April 18) for the third-annual Skills on Wheels Car Show hosted at CWI’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in Nampa from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds from vehicle entries and vendors will support a group of students that qualified to compete at the SkillsUSA National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky this summer. Last weekend 10 CWI students won gold medals at the organization’s state competition, qualifying them to compete at nationals. Admission is free to the car show, which will feature muscle cars, stock cars, eighteen wheelers, motorcycles, and more. There will also be vendors, music, and food.
News Highlights
CWI Students Win 27 Medals at SkillsUSA State Conference
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is celebrating a group of Professional Technical Education students who combined to win 27 medals at the annual SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, held April 9-10. CWI had 10 students earn a trip to the organization’s national competition with first-place finishes at the state event. CWI also captured 12 silver and four bronze medals, while completing a sweep of Internetworking.
The state conference was held at locations around the Treasure Valley, including CWI’s Ada County Campus and Micron Center for Professional Technical Education.
Leading the way for CWI was Dustin Loya, who earned gold in Telecommunications Cabling while also competing on CWI’s first-place Quiz Bowl team. He joined forces with Adam Hayman, Andrew Doxey, and Tera Filan in the Quiz Bowl event. CWI’s other gold medal winners were: Jacob Weber (Diesel Equipment Technology), Nathan Snodgrass (Information Technology Services), Lisette Baer (Internetworking), Garrett Hortan (Power Equipment Technology), Lisa Webb (Prepared Speech), and Adam George (Technical Drafting).
With their success at the state competition, the 10 CWI students earned a spot to compete at the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference, June 22-26, in Louisville, Kentucky.
CWI to Introduce MyCareerNetwork
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is pleased to announce it will be launching a new online tool that provides businesses and organizations a way to promote job and internship opportunities directly to CWI students and alumni. CWI’s MyCareerNetwork, offered through Symplicity, will be free to use and allow jobs and internships to be shared directly by employers.
CWI Career Services is currently testing the tool with a focus group of industry partners and students. It is expected to be available for students and employers to use starting in June.
CWI students will automatically have access to MyCareerNetwork, while alumni have the opportunity to register for free. The system allows students and alumni to share their resume with employers and apply for open positions. It also offers tools for managing workshops, career fairs, as well as student interaction and activity.
The Career Services department will be sharing more information on accessing and utilizing MyCareerNetwork once a launch date has been finalized. Please contact Lori Yellen at 208.562.2421 or loriyellen@cwi.edu with any questions.
CWI Hosts Experts in Business of Sports
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome a collection of elite athletes and sports professionals to campus, April 24 (Friday), for an afternoon of expert insight into the world of sports and business. CWI’s inaugural Business of Sports Symposium will run from 1-5 p.m. at the CWI Nampa Campus Academic Building and is free and open to the public.
Guest speakers include:
- Skip Hall – former Boise State Football Coach
- Steve Brandes – President and General Manager of the Idaho Stampede
- Angus MacGreigor, Keynote – Olympian and Entrepreneur
The event, which is presented by the CWI Business and Exercise and Health Science departments, will feature seven presentations on topics from various areas of the sports world including branding, management, and development.
See the symposium schedule for more details.
Join Team CWI to Support Live for 175
Volunteers are needed to join College of Western Idaho (CWI) in support of the upcoming Kiss 103.5 Live for 175 event to help raise awareness for child abuse prevention. For the second consecutive year CWI will put together a team for the event, which has participants ride stationary bikes to power a radio remote for 175 hours. Kiss 103.5 Host, Keke Luv, has been leading the Live for 175 initiatives since 2008. The CWI team is scheduled to pedal:
Thursday, April 23
3-5 p.m.
The Village at Meridian (Corner of Eagle Road and Fairview Avenue)
RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Last year, over 25 students, faculty, and staff joined forces to form the CWI team. Volunteers can expect to ride for 20-30 minutes this year. Anyone interested in joining team CWI for the event is asked to RSVP online. Employees are encouraged to share this opportunity with any co-workers or students that may also be interested. The sign-up deadline is Monday, April 20.
The CWI Marketing and Advancement Department is coordinating volunteer efforts for the event. Please email communications@cwi.edu with questions.
Entrepreneurs Club Providing Professional Head Shots
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Entrepreneurs Club is offering affordable, professional head shot services as a fundraiser for the student group. Employees, students, and the community are invited to take advantage of the service, which costs just $5 for an electronic copy of the photo. The club has scheduled sessions at the Nampa Campus Academic Building:
- April 20, 9 a.m.-Noon
- April 21, 4-6 p.m.
- April 23, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Open Mic Night Slated for April
Get ready for a fun night of entertainment at the College of Western Idaho (CWI) on April 24 (Friday), as “Open Mic Night” returns to CWI. The CWI Language and Arts departments invite employees and students to participate as a performer or spectator at the event, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building second floor common area. Anyone that can sing, dance, act, read poetry, play the piano, or give a dramatic interpretation, will love this event.
Previous Open Mic Night’s at CWI have been a big success and the upcoming event is expected to feature a variety of outstanding talent. Don't be shy, let the inner performer shine through and enjoy the night.
Settlers of Catan Tournament Set for April 18
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Entrepreneurs Club will host its annual Settlers of Catan Tournament, April 18, at 1 p.m. in the second floor common area of the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Admission is $10 for pre-registration and $12 at the door. Entry fees can be paid by cash or check on-site.
The tournament will feature three rounds of play for all participants and light refreshments. The first-place winner will receive a full Settlers of Catan, Cities and Knights and Seafarers game set, including extensions. Visit http://cwistudentlife.signupsheet.com to pre-register for the event.
Psychology Club Attends Convention
A group of students with the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Psychology Club attended the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Convention, April 9-11, providing a fantastic opportunity to network with potential peers and mentors, hear the latest research on various psychology topics, and bolster their knowledge on getting into graduate school.
Blackboard Upgrade Scheduled
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will be conducting an annual update to Blackboard on Saturday, May 16, following its protocol of completing upgrades between the spring and summer semesters. Employees should be aware of the following impacts as a result of the upgrade:
- Blackboard will be offline May 16. Starting May 17, CWI will be running the October 2014 edition of Blackboard.
- All courses from the Summer 2014, Fall 2014, and Spring 2015 semesters will be moved to the Blackboard Archive Site (bbarchive.cwidaho.cc).
- All content prior to Summer 2014 will be moved to an external hard drive as an archived course after July 31 to support Blackboard functionality. After July 31, accessing this course information will require submitting a Helpdesk ticket.
- Additional details have been provided to all faculty.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Courtney Bond, director of CWI’s Center for Teaching and Learning, at 208.562.3084 or courtneybond@cwi.edu.
Spring Fire Drill Results Announced
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) spring semester fire drills have been completed. These fire drills/evacuations are designed to prepare CWI students, faculty, and staff for an organized evacuation in case of a fire or other emergency requiring evacuation.
Each campus evacuated quickly and efficiently utilizing the evacuation routes specific to their area. The floor captains did an outstanding job of clearing their assigned areas and reporting to the centralized location in a calm and professional manner. Results for each CWI location can be found on myCWI under Faculty Staff Resources>Environmental Safety and Health>Safety Announcements.
Thank you to everyone for your cooperation and participation in this process.
