Bert's Alerts - December 18, 2015
In the Spotlight
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) is proud to present its annual holiday greeting. Every year CWI wishes happy holidays to employees, students, and community supporters by sharing a festive video. This year’s greeting features 15 student and employee groups experiencing the chaos of preparing for the holidays. We hope you enjoy the video, which can be seen at cwi.edu/holiday.
News Highlights
CWI Holiday Schedule
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will be changing its hours of operation surrounding the upcoming holidays. Here are some of the important dates and times to note.
- Dec. 24-26 – closed
- Dec. 31 – close at 5 p.m.
- Jan. 1-2 – closed
For more information on CWI’s hours of operation please visit cwi.edu/info/hours-operation.
Mexican Consulate Awards $6,000 for CWI Scholarships
The effort to expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students attending College of Western Idaho (CWI) is getting a financial boost. On Friday, Nov. 20, CWI was invited to participate in an official awarding ceremony at the Consulate of Mexico in Boise. During the ceremony, the Consul of Mexico, Celso Humberto Delgado Ramirez, presented the CWI Foundation with a $6,000 donation to be used for scholarships.
CWI is one of four local organizations chosen to receive funding from the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) Scholarship fund. This marks the fourth consecutive year the College has received the donation. During the official presentation, each organization was recognized for its contributions to education in the Treasure Valley. During Consul Ramirez’s speech, he emphasized the importance of the education sector saying it is a fundamental pillar in the foundation and development of Mexico.
CWI has been actively working on its Hispanic community outreach initiatives for the past few years. As a result, more than 2,000 Hispanic students attend CWI each year for Basic Skills Education and college credit courses.
- 1,274 are credit-seeking students
- 988 are enrolled in Basic Skills Education classes
“We have done a lot to increase college access for Hispanic students, and there is more to be done,” says Luis Caloca, CWI’s director of enrollment management. “Right now, we are focusing our efforts on creative, non-traditional ways to reach the Hispanic community. We are also working with parents to help educate them on the importance of preparing their children for college.”
Caloca, who attended the ceremony with the Foundation’s Executive Director Mitch Minnette, spoke at the event—publicly thanking the Consulate for its generous donation.
Healthcare Partners Provide Valuable Experience for CWI Students
Students from College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Multicultural Nursing Assistant class had a tremendous real-world learning opportunity on Dec. 12, conducting practice interviews with local healthcare providers. CWI partnered with 15 local businesses to conduct mock interviews for students graduating from the program this month.
Pam Hodges, CWI’s Nursing Assistant program manager, joined forces with CWI’s Basic Skills Education program to host the event. The goal of the mock interviews was to help students learn skills needed to successfully complete a job interview and gain employment in the healthcare industry.
Each participating organization spent seven minutes with a student to provide insight into interviewing with their organization and feedback on the students’ interviewing skills. Upon completion of the two hour mock interviews the students walked away with feedback from each interview, including strengths and opportunities for improvement.
The exercise was incredibly valuable for the class as the students come from all over the world with varying backgrounds. The program helps students learn English at the same time they are learning the skills to become Certified Nursing Assistants in the healthcare industry.
Special thanks to the groups that volunteered:
- CWI Career Services
- A Better Care Home Health
- Emerson House
- Kindred Rehabilitation and Healthcare
- Avamere Rehabilitation and Healthcare
- Good Samaritan Rehabilitation and Healthcare
- Genesis Rehabilitation and Healthcare (Meridian and Apex in Boise)
- Bright Star Home Health
- Heart N Home Hospice
- Brookdale Assisted Living
- Touchmark Assisted Living
- Overland Court Assisted Living
- ComForCare Homecare
- Progressive Nursing
Grant Opens Doors for Health Science Students
More doors are opening for students in health science programs at College of Western Idaho (CWI). The CWI Foundation received a $2,000 grant from the John William Jackson Fund (JWJF). The grant, which was awarded through the Idaho Community Foundation (ICF), will be used to support four $500 scholarships.
The JWJF was created in 2000. It is named in honor of Meridian, Idaho native John Jackson; a Centennial High School and Georgetown University graduate. Jackson was conducting graduate research at the University of Montana when he died in a climbing accident in Central Asia. The Fund awards projects that support education, the performing arts, and outdoor sports for Idaho youth.
“The JWJF is dedicated to providing academic opportunities to Idaho students who show a strong potential for being integral members of our communities,” Virgi Blaine, the Fund’s Vice President of Community Relations, said. “CWI makes higher education accessible and provides fundamental instruction for students to succeed. We are proud to support CWI, its staff and its students as we work to advance academic excellence in Idaho.”
The scholarships will be available to full-time, second-year students with a 3.0 or higher grade point average who are able to demonstrate that they would not be able to attend college without financial assistance. Students in the following health science fields who meet the requirements will be eligible to apply;
- All areas of nursing (pre-, practical, registered)
- All areas of surgical technology
- All areas of dental assisting
- Medical (assistant-credit and certificate- and administrative support)
- Pre-pharmacy
- Physical therapy
- Biology – Healthcare
The scholarship application period begins February 1. Once awarded, the scholarships will be disbursed in $250 increments for the Fall and Spring semesters.
CWI Groups Unite to Deliver Poinsettias
A large group effort to spread holiday cheer has taken place over the past week. The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation teamed up with CWI’s Student Life office and Presidential Ambassadors to hand deliver poinsettias to the Foundation’s most loyal supporters. From local businesses to individual donors, 55 poinsettias were personally delivered with a ‘thank you’ and a smile.
“My day was totally just made,” said Heather Kimmett from KeyBank. “A couple of students just dropped off a poinsettia. It was absolutely wonderful!”
The poinsettias were purchased from the CWI Horticulture Club’s annual sale.
Tech Talk: Outlook Calendars on Mobile Devices
Over the past month, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Information Technology Department has received several reports of Outlook calendar invitations being duplicated or deleted by attendees, not the organizer. After investigation, it appears the issue is related to actions taken on mobile devices, specifically Apple devices. IT has provided the following tips to help avoid these issues:
With Office 365, mobile devices can be configured to interact with an account via Exchange/Active Sync protocol. This following information will provide guidelines how to, and not, interact with Office 365 calendar.
Important: The information below is based on Microsoft's recommended use of mobile devices when it comes to interacting with calendars. For best results, Microsoft recommends that people who schedule events with one another use the same calendar client. The majority of calendaring issues involve events with attendees, which may not get updated correctly if the organizer or any of the attendees take action on the meeting via a mobile device.
What can I do?
• Configure device using Exchange/Active Sync protocol.
• View personal or subscribed calendar data.
• Only create/modify events that you own and which do not contain any attendees. If you need to make an event which includes attendees, use Outlook on the web or Outlook (configured via Exchange) to take this action.
What I shouldn't do?
• Do not make changes to events you are the owner of which have attendees. Use Outlook on the web or Outlook (configured via Exchange) to take this action.
• Do not take action on events which you are an attendee of. Use Outlook on the web or Outlook (configured via Exchange) to take this action.
• Do not attempt to manage another person's calendar. Use Outlook on the web or Outlook (configured via Exchange) to take this action.
Please contact IT at IT@cwi.edu or 208.562.3444 with any questions.
Monroe Selected for December Staff Award
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Staff of the Month honor has been awarded to Kris Monroe.
Monroe has been with CWI since 2010. She started as a work study student and was hired as a computer lab monitor and tutor while obtaining her associate degree. She is currently working in the Business Office as a student accounts receivable specialist and was previously a financial aid specialist. She holds an associate degree in Applied Accounting.
Monroe embraces the core values; Serving in an Atmosphere of Caring and Acting with Integrity. Her nomination notes that she worked diligently to make the Fast Forward Funding for Dual Credit a great success. Her attention to detail and follow through are impressive. She is an irreplaceable asset and has helped the program through its infancy and tremendous growth. The tasks she has taken on have been time consuming and complicated, but she remains dependable, efficient, and friendly. She makes herself available to answer questions and does so with a warm and cheerful attitude. Her coworkers could not get their work done without her. She is truly an asset to the CWI family.
Prior to returning to school at CWI, Monroe worked at Micron for over 18 years as a technician and trainer. As a result of the economic downturn and layoffs she was able to return to college with the help of Trade Adjustment Assistance and now has the pleasure of assisting students and organizations in utilizing this program and many others. In addition, as a parent of a high school senior, CWI’s Dual Credit students hold a special place in her heart. She enjoys facilitating their use of the various Advanced Opportunity programs.
In her personal life, Monroe loves spending time with her son and husband. Whether it is taking a road trip, visiting family, or hanging out at home. Big changes are coming to her family as her son, Phillip, is turning 18 and will soon be graduating from high school and going to college.
Please join in congratulating Kris on her accomplishment.
Honorable Mention
Matthew Barber
November Faculty Honor Goes to Wolk
Molly Wolk has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of the Month for November.
Wolk is a Biology adjunct faculty at CWI. She is an amazing team player and is always willing to step up and help wherever it is needed. Her nomination states, “Molly implements multiple teaching strategies to promote learning among students with a variety of different learning styles. She creates a safe learning environment in her classroom and promotes success for all of her students. It is obvious she has established a foundation of respect from her students in the classroom and is able to give them the opportunity for optimal learning. Her students feel comfortable with her and acknowledge her as the subject matter expert in the course material she is teaching”.
Please join in congratulating Molly. Thank you for being such a valuable resource for the CWI community.
Reese Receives December Faculty Award
Please join in congratulating Randy Reese for being selected College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) December Faculty of the Month.
Reese is an assistant professor in the Communication program. He devotes time to his students both inside and outside the classroom. His nomination states, “Randy recently attended a two-day weekend workshop with students from the CWI Media Professionals Club on how to make low-budget movies. He has also written and produced short films for students to star in and work as crew. Last year Reese, along with students from the Media Professionals Club, produced two short films.
In addition, he serves as a board member at Treasure Valley Community Television and helps maintain the local access cable channel for the community. Students benefit from this resource as classes are held at the station, giving them a real-world setting to learn production skills. Reese is also highly skilled at conflict management and relational communication, giving colleagues a valuable resource for ideas, lesson plans, and solutions. He always has great advice and ideas for making the workplace more productive and enjoyable.
Thank you Randy for your hard work and dedication to CWI.
Annual Holiday Coloring Contest Returns
The College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) annual holiday coloring contest is back. The CWI Culture and Employee Engagement Committee (CEEC) would like to invite all employees to break out their crayons and join the fun. Images are available to download on the CEEC site on myCWI. Make sure to print double sided as instructions are on the back. Artwork needs to be posted no later than Dec. 22 at 5 p.m. in one of the designated locations. Judging will occur Dec. 23 and 28 by peers.
Winners will be announced on Dec. 30 and submissions will be displayed on the CEEC site on myCWI.
CWI Employees Perform at Going Away Party
A group of College of Western Idaho (CWI) employees collaborated for a fun performance last Friday (Dec. 11), providing musical entertainment for a going-away potluck at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Celebrating Business Program Chair, John Nordstrom, faculty and staff from CWI’s Business, Education, and Exercise and Health Science departments participated in a jam session.
