Bert's Alerts - December 9, 2016
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho's (CWI) Fall 2016 Facts at a Glance is now available. The annual publication provides a statistical overview of the College and is a valuable resource for learning more about CWI. The information included in Facts at a Glance supports the messages being shared about who the College serves and the impact CWI is making in the community. Visit cwi.edu/info/facts-glance to view Facts at a Glance online or email communications@cwi.edu to request hard copies.
News Highlights
CWI Butterfly Defies Odds, Makes History
Her scientific name is B-3930. But as of today, she may as well be called “Miracle.” A Monarch butterfly—raised at College of Western Idaho (CWI) from a caterpillar—is making history in the Pacific Northwest scientific community. Not only is she the first Monarch tagged from Idaho to show up in an overwintering colony since the program started in 2012, she holds the record for being the latest tagged and released butterfly to be spotted 537 miles away in California.
“This butterfly’s recovery is significant not only locally, but regionally,” Assistant Professor Dusty Perkins, who leads CWI’s Monarch butterfly conservation efforts, said. “Not only is she the first Idaho butterfly from recent tagging efforts to be spotted after migration, she also holds the record for the latest departure of an individual from our latitude that has successfully migrated.”
Miracle was released at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Nampa on Oct. 29. It happened during a public event on a very cold, windy day. At the time, many doubted she would make it very far if she even made it at all. Vance McFarland, the CWI Biology program student who raised her and served as the project’s student lead, knew recovery was slim, but held on to strands of hope saying it was well worth trying.
“I was there, and I’m the one who let her go,” McFarland, who has worked closely with the project for the past two years, said. “I kept her at my house for a few days hoping the weather conditions would improve, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen anytime soon. I figured this is what it’s like in nature, so I just let her go.”
Miracle was released with another butterfly; B-3931. This past fall, Perkins and fellow instructor Hollie Leavitt engaged more than 50 CWI students and community volunteers in tagging efforts, milkweed and Monarch mapping, and seed collection efforts. These were the last two butterflies raised, tagged, and released through CWI.
“When I let her go, she took off right away,” McFarland said. “B-3931 hung out for a while, but (Miracle) seemed antsy to leave. Now I see why. I’m beyond happy she made it.”
Thirty-two days later, Miracle was spotted in a tree at Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz by John Dayton; a butterfly enthusiast in California. He snapped a few pictures of her that helped Monarch watchers identify her as one of CWI’s butterflies through her wing tag.
“Our project would not be possible without a lot of regional collaboration and support,” Perkins said. “Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge has allowed us the opportunity to conduct extensive field research over the past two years, and Dr. David James at Washington State University provided the tracking tags that allowed us to be part of this larger western Monarch migration study.”
Miracle will spend the winter in California. By early spring, she will hopefully mate and lay her eggs on several milkweed plants. From there, the eggs will hatch, develop into caterpillars, and transform into adult butterflies that will complete the journey back to Idaho. By the time that happens, McFarland will have completed his education at CWI. He says the experience has changed his life. The combat veteran, who once trained bomb-sniffing dogs as an infantryman in the U.S. Army, is now hooked on butterflies. He plans to continue his Monarch research when he transfers to Boise State University.
The Monarch Butterfly Conservation Project was one of three grant-funded projects at CWI through the National Science Foundation and the Idaho EPSCoR program.
CWI Enrollment and Student Services Leadership Named
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has named Patrick Tanner its Assistant Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services. Tanner’s official start date is Jan. 25, 2017. His responsibilities will include overseeing CWI’s Admissions and One Stop, Registrar, Financial Aid, Advising and New Student Services, and Student Affairs and Programs.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the team at CWI,” says Tanner. “All of the work that the campus community has put into creating the initial accreditation application and the strategic plan make it clear that student learning and success are the primary priorities of the institution. This viewpoint fits perfectly with my values and expectations regarding leadership in higher education.”
Tanner says his passion for student learning and success has emerged from engagement in diverse areas of higher education across the United States. He comes to CWI from Penn State University, where he has served as the Director of Student Affairs at the university’s campus in York, Pennsylvania. His professional experience also includes housing and residence education through graduate studies at Grand Valley State University, and then full-time positions at the University of Denver and Roger Williams University.
He earned a bachelor’s degree at Geneva College while studying theatre arts and communications.
Tanner is married and has three children.
Snow is no Problem for Flex Lab Students
The first snow fell this week in the Treasure Valley, wreaking havoc on the commute for local drivers. For many College of Western Idaho (CWI) students, this created challenges coming and going from classes. However, students enrolled in CWI’s Flexible Scheduling Laboratory (Flex Lab) classes could avoid some stress created by the weather. Students enrolled in Flex Lab classes have the ability to change their scheduled lab time online, to a later time or a different day entirely.
Flex Labs have not only proved to be convenient when the weather is poor, but also for any life circumstances that could warrant a change in schedule. Whether students get called into work, are sick, or something else, they can enjoy flexibility in the new lab format.
Due to the success of this format with Anatomy and Physiology students at CWI’s Canyon County Center, the Flex Lab course offering will expand to the Ada County Campus in the spring to serve non-science major students in the Biology 100 (Concepts of Biology) courses.
For more information about Flex Labs and the courses that offer this option, visit the Flexible Science Lab webpage or contact Nicole Frank, Life Sciences Department Chair, at nicolefrank@cwi.edu.
Tech Talk: Network Update at Horticulture
On Dec. 5, the main network connection at College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Horticulture program facility received a major upgrade. The speed was increased from 10Mbps -- barely faster than basic home DSL -- to 100Mbps. The increase is a welcome improvement as it will allow all users at the Horticulture facility to have a much better experience when using lab computers, staff computers, and wireless internet.
CWI Employees Invited to ISU Info Session
All College of Western Idaho (CWI) staff and faculty are invited to an information session with Dr. Mark Neill, chair of Idaho State University’s (ISU) College of Education Graduate Programs, to learn more about the discounted graduate programs offered at ISU. CWI staff and faculty are able to complete the programs for $5 credit tuition waiver (plus $20 fee each semester).
This session will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 5-6 p.m. at CWI’s Nampa Campus Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in room 1201.
Accountants Out and About
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Business Office is pleased to announce a new opportunity for staff, faculty, and students to utilize Business Office Accounting resources across campus. Starting next week the Accounting team will be available at various campus locations. Each of the main CWI campuses will have a Business Office accountant on-hand, Mondays through Thursdays, available at least one day a week for the entire day. Please view the schedule for details.
The team members will be there to support anyone with Business Office accounting needs. Whether it’s related to the general ledger, budgets, or procurement they will be there to help. Starting and event or project? Feel free to invite them to planning meetings to make sure business side of things are properly handled in advance. Their goal is to show the campus community there are accounting resources available to help.
The Accounting Team is excited about getting to know the CWI community better and hopes this service is utilized. Please contact Brian Smith at Briansmith2@cwi.edu or 208.562.3168 with any questions.
Timberlake Selected Faculty of Distinction
Martha Timberlake was selected by College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty Recognition Committee as CWI’s December Faculty of Distinction.
Timberlake was nominated by a colleague who appreciates the work she has done in establishing both a robust service learning component in the Psychology department and the CWI Connections Project, which allows students to showcase their work. As the chair of the Social and Human Relations Department, Timberlake has guided three new associate degrees through curriculum design and acted as a fantastic liaison for the Psychology department. She really listens to the input and ideas of her faculty, and acts as a facilitator to help them achieve their goals.
Timberlake grew up in Los Angeles, California and received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California. She then went to the University of Utah and earned a masters and doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Timberlake enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, as well as long walks, travel, and a variety of creative pursuits. Her goal as a teacher is to help students realize their goals through education, personal discovery, ingenuity, and effort.
Congratulations Martha on this well deserved honor.
Employee Coloring Contest Returns
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) annual employee coloring contest is here. It's time to put on your creativity hat and get to coloring. Simply choose an image to color from the Culture and Employee Engagement Committee (CEEC) site on myCWI. Make sure to print it double-sided; instructions are on the back.
Photos needs to be posted no later than Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. in one of the designated locations. Winners will be announced on Dec. 20 and pages will be displayed on the CEEC site. Fellow employees will vote for first, second, and third place campus wide on the CEEC site.