Bert's Alerts - December 19, 2014
In the Spotlight
This week College of Western Idaho (CWI) shared its annual holiday greeting, which combined a growing CWI tradition with a fun new holiday twist. For the fourth-consecutive year CWI wished happy holidays to employees, students, and community supporters by sharing a video of the past year’s highlights. This year’s greeting also included a festive addition, as the Marketing Department collaborated with the student-led Media Club to present the 12 Days of CWI Christmas. The song, which was sung by members of the CWI Music Department, is accompanied by fun video clips featuring students from around the College. Please help share the video, which can be seen at cwi.edu/holiday, to showcase all the wonderful accomplishments at the College this year.
News Highlights
Winter Holiday Hours Update
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will be changing its public hours of operation surrounding the upcoming holidays. Here are some of the important dates and times to note.
- Dec. 24 – close at Noon
- Dec. 25-26 – closed
- Dec. 31 – close at 5 p.m.
- Jan. 1. – closed
For more information on CWI’s public hours of operation please visit cwi.edu/info/hours-operation.
Writing Center Celebrates Record Growth
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Writing Center broke all of its previous records this semester by conducting 2,400 writing consultations with students. That marks a 23 percent increase over the spring 2014 semester. The Writing Center continues to grow as more and more students find this amazing resource.
“It’s not just the number of students using our services that is significant, it’s the fact that we see many of these students returning each semester,” says Writing Center Coordinator Rick Coonrod. “They come in for help with an English essay, and then come back for help on a lab report or a psychology research paper. They see how useful the service is and keep coming back.”
The Writing Center has enjoyed incredible growth throughout the last few years, from 1,224 total consultations in fall of 2012 to nearly twice that number two years later. During that time, services have expanded to include an extensive series of writing workshops, real-time online consultations through webcam, a refinement of the email tutoring service, and the development of 65 instructional handouts on writing topics.
Much of this growth can be attributed to the cross-disciplinary focus in the Writing Center. Tutors come from disciplines across the curriculum and many specialize in specific types of writing including English as a Second Language, English, biology, accounting, psychology, history, medical writing, and more. Because of this diverse experience, student writers can get help with any piece of writing for any course.
In the future, Coonrod says he will look to develop further real-time online consultation services and online workshops. He also wants to see the development of made-to-order, in-class writing workshops, which instructors could request for their classrooms.
For more information on Writing Center services, visit cwi.edu/writingcenter.
CWI Horticulture Program Achieves Landscaper Certification
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Horticulture program is excited to announce it will offer a new course that includes the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) certification. QWEL is one of two irrigation auditor certifications recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense organization. Currently, CWI is the only organization in Idaho offering the QWEL program.
Students who enroll in the course and pass the QWEL exam with a score of 75 percent or better will be listed in the QWEL national registry as a Qualified Water-Efficient Landscaper. Not only will this distinction be available for viewing to anyone who visits the QWEL site, but it will provide QWEL graduates with a significant distinction when seeking employment.
“Feedback from our industry partners has been overwhelmingly positive,” says CWI Horticulture Instructor, Dan Schults. “Many industry leaders have mentioned that the QWEL certification would be a significant advantage for those applying for jobs in the horticulture and landscaping industries.”
Started in California, QWEL training and certification is offered through programs across the country with the majority of training opportunities in the west. QWEL training encompasses a large volume of information including in-depth irrigation programming and scheduling, water budgets, hydrozoning, soils, mulches, and plant choice. More information about the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program can be found at www.qwel.net.
Political Science Faculty Publishes Book
College of Western Idaho is celebrating Political Science Adjunct Faculty, Isaac Castellano, who this month saw his book published by Lexington Books. Castellano’s new book, Civil War Interventions and Their Benefits: Unequal Return, looks at the process and ramifications of countries intervening in civil wars. The book is currently available for purchase through www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Interventions-Their-Benefits/dp/0739188860.
CWI Hosts Art Contest Winners
This week the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Advancement and Foundation offices hosted a luncheon to honor the three students who were selected as winners of the Foundation’s annual holiday art contest. The students were recognized by President Bert Glandon at the event. Amanda Garrard’s first-place entry was turned into a holiday card that was sent out to friends of CWI. Congratulations to the winners.
