Bert's Alerts - April 24, 2015
In the Spotlight
For the second consecutive year, College of Western Idaho (CWI) helped take a stand against child abuse with over 35 CWI students, faculty, and staff teaming up to support the Kiss 103.5 Live for 175 event. Team CWI joined Treasure Valley residents to ride stationary bikes that powered a radio remote at the Village in Meridian for 175 hours. CWI rode eight stationary bikes from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, April 23. Thank you to everyone who joined in the fight and showed tremendous support for this great cause.
News Highlights
College of Western Idaho Announces Purchase of 10 Acres in Boise
On Wednesday, (April 22), College of Western Idaho (CWI) Board of Trustees approved entering into an agreement to purchase approximately 10 acres of land at 3150 W. Main St. which is located at the intersection of Main and Whitewater Park Blvd. adjacent to the Boise River. The site which was previously the home of the Bob Rice Ford car dealership is planned for future development of programs to support the educational needs of the surrounding communities.
Since its first class offering in January 2009, College of Western Idaho’s enrollment has skyrocketed. This fall 10,217 credit students and an additional 10,480 non-credit program students enrolled across the College’s campuses in Nampa and Boise, community locations, and online. This record enrollment included more than 7,000 students attending classes at various leased Ada County locations including the current Ada County Campus at Overland and Maple Grove in Boise.
CWI is forming a steering committee and will look to engage the community and surrounding neighbors as part of the planning discussions scheduled later this year. The intent is that the new site will enable the College to move from existing leased locations and expand the programs offered including, general academic transfer programs, business, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and expand its workforce and technical education programs.
“We are excited to find a location that supports our student community as well as the businesses seeking a trained and well educated workforce,” said Mary Niland, board president. “From the beginning, CWI has made a promise to our community to offer affordable access to higher education and training. We are keeping that promise through investment in our young people and the future of the western Idaho region.”
College locations in Ada and Canyon County have consisted of leased, shared, and a few owned buildings that have provided short-term solutions in meeting the current educational demand of western Idaho. To help address the growing needs of the community and space shortage, CWI has leased buildings to provide needed classroom and services space ; however, even with this unsatisfactory, stop-gap solution, students still face challenges scheduling classes and accessing support services without traveling around the valley. Additionally, the cost for leasing space continues to increase and with the improving economy, costs are going higher, which does not support a long term and stable campus environment for students attending CWI.
“This land will ensure that we continue to meet the growing demand for education in Idaho,” said CWI President Bert Glandon. “Completion of degree or certificate credentials is critical to narrowing the skills gap that many of our state’s employers are facing. Higher education is the key to a strong economy; and as your community college, we intend to continue to work closely with employers to ensure they have a locally skilled workforce to hire.”
“CWI’s involvement in this site will bring an extraordinary and transformative energy to downtown’s West End,” said Boise Mayor David H. Bieter. “Thousands of students, faculty and staff members will be coming into downtown daily. They will be living, working, dining, shopping and recreating -- spurring a new round-the-clock vibrancy that will help knit together our expanding vision of downtown’s footprint and its long-term potential. The opportunities are breath-taking and are an exciting validation of the more than $20 million of public and private investments in parks, streets and other services and amenities in the West End in recent years.”
“We are pleased to know that the land which was home to our family’s business for so many years, will now provide a legacy dedicated to the educational success of people in our community,” said Fred Rice, son of Bob Rice.
CWI is filling an important role in helping Idaho residents’ access higher education and has already built a reputation for bridging educational gaps through its strong partnerships with Idaho’s high schools, universities and the growing business community.
Employee Benefits Fair Set for April 28
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will host its annual employee benefits fair, Tuesday (April 28), as part of the College’s Body, Mind, and Wealth Series. CWI employees are invited to attend the event, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 1701 A/B of the Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in Nampa. The benefit fair will provide a great opportunity for employees to ask questions and address open enrollment changes with benefit providers.
Representatives from Office of Group Insurance, Blue Cross of Idaho, thriveidaho, PERSI and EMPOWER Retirement, TIAA-CREF, VALIC, Nationwide, ARAG, and Liberty Mutual will be there to provide information and assist with Open Enrollment Changes. Open Enrollment is April 27 through May 15.
Please contact Gwen Dawson at gwendawson@cwi.edu with questions.
CWI to Host IDeal Partnership Announcement
On Thursday, April 30, College of Western Idaho (CWI) will host an event to announce a new partnership with the IDeal – Idaho College Savings Program that is designed to promote a college-going culture in Idaho and increase opportunities for post-secondary achievement. CWI Employees and students are invited to attend the public event to learn more about this exciting new agreement. The event will take place at 9:30 a.m. in the second floor common area of the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Idaho Gives: Help Send President Glandon Back-to-School
In May, the community will come together for Idaho Gives and CWI needs you to join the cause. The annual event—which starts at midnight on Thursday, May 7—is 24 hours of extraordinary, online, nonprofit giving.
The CWI Foundation is participating for the first time this year and hopes the event will help make a difference at CWI. On this day, every donation received will go towards the student scholarship fund.
To help increase donations, CWI President Bert Glandon is throwing his cap and gown to the wind and has agreed to go back to school for a day. Each time the Foundation reaches a donation level—either through dollars raised or the number of donors who contribute—President Glandon will visit a CWI class and become a student. Does he have what it takes to troubleshoot a Wi-Fi connection? Draw blood? Dissect something? Or maybe even roll up his sleeves and work on a car? Support the CWI Foundation through Idaho Gives and find out.
To support higher education, help make college more affordable for students, and give back to the community, go online to Idaho Gives and make a donation. Don’t forget to share the opportunity with family and friends who want to support the CWI Foundation and help send President Glandon back to school.
CWI Marketing Students Create Advertising for Local Product Launch
This spring, students in College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Marketing Management program had an incredible opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom in support of launching a local product. The project was completed as part of a collaborative effort between the professional-technical program and Washington Federal, Inc. to create advertising for the bank’s new Agri-Business product.
CWI’s Principles of Promotion class spent the semester researching the corporation’s brand and services to create a print and radio advertisement promoting the bank’s new line. On Wednesday (April 22) six groups of students presented their campaign ideas. Local radio personality Robin Scott, with Townesquare Media, volunteered her time and talent to read the proposed radio spots, as well as provide expert insight on successful campaigns. Several Washington Federal executives attended the presentations, including Vice President of Relationship Management, Reid Wiggins, Tom Van Hemelryck, Rob Carroll, and Elaire Bachman. Wiggins, who is a member of the Marketing Management program’s Technical Advisory Committee, played a significant role in making the project a reality.
Following the presentations, Wiggins shared “CWI and the Marketing program do such a nice job connecting academics to the professional world. We all left impressed with the quality and thought that went into the presentations.”
Wiggins also says he plans to share the concepts with Washington Federal’s corporate marketing team in hopes they can help guide a future campaign for the Agri-Business product.
“This is a prime example of the miraculous heights students can achieve if someone simply believes in them,” adds Marketing Management Program Chair, Rob Walker. “[Washington Federal’s] participation helped validate the efforts we are making in the Marketing Management program in delivering quality education in our community, regardless of a student's background. Education is enhanced when community-based organizations join forces to create real world opportunities for students.”
Dental Assisting Supports Service Learning Program Again
For the third consecutive year, students from College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Dental Assisting program participated in an educational outreach event that helps promote oral health to 500 students at Koelsch Elementary School in Boise. This year the opportunity included a new collaboration as CWI teamed up with the Skyview Dental Assisting program to provide the same experience for students from Columbia, Nampa, and Skyview High Schools.
The event included presentations and hands-on demonstrations. The dental assisting students collaborated on a brief presentation, which involved volunteers from each elementary class, to demonstrate what a visit to a dental office entails. They also explained the roles of the dentist and dental assistant.
Students from Koelsch then visited a display that explained and measured how much sugar is contained in different foods. As part of the display, CWI Dental Assisting students presented results from a very effective experiment that was done in their public health course this year. In the experiment, a set of teeth was immersed in an energy drink while another set was submerged in Mountain Dew for intervals of one week, two weeks, and three weeks. The damage done to the teeth was recorded. The study proved to be a highly effective teaching aid for the display at Koelsch, helping explain the sugar content and acids in common foods and drinks.
The event concluded with students breaking into small groups for hands-on experience with brushing and flossing. Each Koelsch student was given a toothbrush, floss, tongue scraper, toothbrush timer, and toothpaste, which were donated by Saint Alphonsus.
Monica Satake, assistant professor in the CWI Dental Assisting program, says the event was highly successful and that several Koelsch students even expressed interest in becoming a dentist one day.
Plumbing Apprentice Program Celebrates Graduates
On April 8, seven students in the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Plumbing Apprentice program were recognized for completing the four-year program offered through CWI Workforce Development. For completing the apprentice program each student was presented with a brand new toolbox and tools, which were supplied by the Treasure Valley Master Plumber’s Association and Ferguson’s Plumbing Supply. By passing CWI’s Plumbing Apprentice program and completing 8,000 hours of on the job training, these graduates are now able to sit for the State of Idaho’s journeyman plumber’s exam.
Course work in the CWI Plumbing program includes a comprehensive study of plumbing theory, National and State of Idaho plumbing codes, mathematics specific to the plumbing trade, installation and repair procedures, water conditioning, job site and personal safety, business practices and ethics, and more. The schooling mandated by the State of Idaho consists of approximately 672 hours of study over the course of a four-year period. While attending evening classes, CWI students also work full time for various plumbing companies in the valley.
Congratulations to all of the students celebrating completion of CWI’s Plumbing Apprentice program. CWI wishes them good luck taking the journeyman’s exam.
STEM Faculty Enjoy Active Semester
Faculty with College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs have enjoyed an active spring semester, joining and leading conversations about education around the state.
In early April Assistant Professor of Biology, Steve Lysne, was hosted by Boise State University to deliver a seminar titled “Alternative Instructional Practices Increase Student Engagement and Success”. Lysne met with the Department of Biological Sciences Curriculum Committee to share ideas for engaging students and discuss curricular alignment. He also met with Boise State’s Faculty Advocate for Science Transformations team and the Director of Boise State’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Lysne was a 2007 CTL Fellow. All of the groups Lysne met with at Boise State expressed interest in the progress CWI’s Life Sciences Department is making toward becoming even stronger in science instruction.
In March Lysne and three other CWI faculty—Nicole Frank, Brian McClain, and Kristin Cook—had an opportunity to present on the topic STEM education at the 57th-annual Meeting and Symposium of the Idaho Academy of Science and Engineering. CWI’s four faculty presenters was the most by any other institution in the state on this topic. CWI’s presence at the symposium is a great representation of the niche the College’s science faculty is establishing in the larger educational landscape of Idaho and the region.
CWI Dual Credit Instructors Support High School Competition
A pair of instructors connected to College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Dual Credit program recently helped bring a regional education competition to Nampa High School. The Ten80 U.S. Army STEM competition—which showcases knowledge in physics, chemistry, and math—allows students a chance to compete designing and racing RC cars. Chris Anderson, who teaches CWI Dual Credit courses in chemistry at Nampa High School, facilitated the entire event. Anderson also asked Dual Credit mentor and CWI Faculty, Jim Kusterer, to serve as a judge for the competition. A team of students from Nampa High School won the event and received a trophy along with $2,000 that will assist them in their attendance at the national finals held next month in Houston, Texas.
Donations Benefit Skills on Wheels
College of Western Idaho (CWI) SkillsUSA hosted its third annual Skills on Wheels Car Show on Saturday (April 18), which turned out to be another successful fundraiser for the student group. As part of this year’s event, the club hosted hot wheels races for kids in attendance. Thanks to generous donations from the CWI community the students gave away approximately 80 hot wheels cars for kids to race and keep. CWI SkillsUSA would to thank everyone that donated a car or supported the group by attending the event.
Bookstore Hosting Faculty Appreciation Sale
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Bookstore is hosting a Faculty Appreciation Sale, April 27-29, at both the Nampa Campus Academic Building and Micron Center for Professional Technical Education locations. All clothing and gift items will be 25 percent off. Coffee and donuts will also be served at 9 a.m. each day.
Conference Room Scheduling Changes
Starting May 4 the scheduling of two additional conference rooms at College of Western Idaho (CWI) will be done in CWI’s 25Live scheduling system, rather than Outlook. The Nampa Campus Administration Building room 200 and Micron Center for Professional Technical Education room 2109 will now be reserved in 25Live for meetings and all other activities. Once the space request is approved by the scheduler; the meeting can be scheduled in Outlook to invite attendees. In the Location field in Outlook, simply type the name of the room.
Approved reservations through 25Live—the college’s centralized space reservation system—always have priority over use of space that is not scheduled appropriately in 25Live. Please direct all questions to the Scheduling team at scheduling@cwi.edu.
May Faculty Honor Bestowed on Bennett
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is happy to announce Steve Bennett has been named CWI’s Faculty of Distinction for May.
Bennett is the program coordinator for the Plumbing Apprentice program offered through CWI’s Workforce Development division. He has proved to be a valuable member of the College, almost single-handedly redesigning the four-year program to meet the most current industry needs. The program is now vastly deeper and more effective than ever before and keeps students on track in what can be a very difficult and demanding field to persist in. His changes improved attention as well as retention, helping ensure students are well prepared upon completion.
Bennett has embraced new learning tactics and opportunities with completely rebuilt online portions of the program; utilizing more material that saves students money while giving them a more effective learning environment.
Colleagues say Bennett is a joy to work with because he is humble; welcoming criticism and new ideas. He actively seeks out opinions from a variety of sources on new and better ways to teach something.
Please join in congratulating Steve. He is a truly special part of what is being accomplished at CWI.
Grapes Gets April Staff of the Month
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has announced CWI’s April Staff of the Month award has been given to Samantha Grapes.
Grapes joined CWI in January 2010 and currently serves as coordinator of curriculum management in the Registrar’s Office. She started as a specialist in the Scheduling department of the Registrar, before moving to Curriculum Management. She had served as an advisor in this role and was recently promoted to Coordinator.
CWI’s Core Value of “Innovating for the 21st Century” certainly applies to Grapes. Her nomination commended her for on-going collaboration with Academic Affairs staff, program chairs, curriculum committee, and working to accommodate significant general education changes in the new catalog. Despite taking on such a big task, she also managed to remain on top of details and work out a variety of unexpected challenges that have arisen throughout the year.
Grapes obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in English from Brigham Young University-Idaho. She has taken courses at CWI and is planning to start working on a master’s degree soon.
She married her husband, who is British, three and a half years ago. They recently moved into a new house that they built. The couple has four cats. Grapes says “the biggest perk of marrying a foreigner is the excuse to travel overseas. This August we will be traveling to France for two weeks to celebrate his father’s birthday.”
Please join in congratulating Samantha. Thank you for your commitment and continued dedication to CWI and its faculty, staff, and students.
