Bert's Alerts—Feb. 14, 2020
In the Spotlight
Still need a Valentine for a friend or family member? We’ve got you covered! Tickets to CWI Night at the Idaho Steelheads, Feb. 28, are on sale now. Each $15 ticket to the game includes a seat in the CWI section and a food voucher. Not only will it be a great way to spend a Friday night, but $5 of each ticket purchased goes directly to CWI’s SCORE Big Scholarship fund. Tickets are selling out quickly, be sure to snag yours today!
President's Message
As a reminder, Entangled Solutions, an education strategy and innovation group, will be on campus to listen and learn from us the week of Feb. 24 -28. As we reflect on the past decade and plan for the next, we want to better understand where we are today and what is possible for the future given the exciting growth in our state and changes in higher education. To assist in this, the College’s Board of Trustees has engaged Entangled Solutions.
This is an opportunity for all of us to be involved in shaping the future of our institution, and we hope you will join us on this journey. Calendar invitations will be sent out shortly for the Open Forum Town Halls on the dates and times below.
Open Forum Town Halls
Tuesday, Feb. 25
2 – 3 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 28
1 – 2 p.m.
Nampa Campus Micron Education Center, Room 1701 A & B
Thank you, as always, for your time and support.
News Highlights
Financial Aid Facelift
College of Western Idaho is excited to announce the implementation of CampusLogic™ – an online, self-service platform for students to streamline the financial aid verification process.
CampusLogic™ will allow students to complete verification forms online and upload requested documents directly to Financial Aid. A very intuitive system, CampusLogic™ utilizes smart logic to provide financial aid verification assistance to students, which will expedite communication and improve overall process efficiency.
“Students will be able to verify their financial aid information and upload documents right from their phones,” said Jeneé Snyder, Director of Financial Aid. “The College will be able to send out financial aid notifications to students earlier than we ever have!”
The Financial Aid team began CampusLogic™ training in January. Open house demonstration and training sessions for staff outside of Financial Aid who are interested in the new system are available on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Ada County Campus Pintail Center
Room 1203
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 20
Nampa Campus Micron Education Center
Room 2210
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Each session will be one hour and 15 minutes.
Sign up for a Campus Logic demonstration
“We are thrilled to offer this to our students,” said Michelle Haviland, Assistant Director of Financial Aid. “The current system is very clunky and outdated. The new system is much easier to navigate making it very student-friendly. It will literally take us out of the 1980s, which is exciting not only for Financial Aid staff but the entire College.”
Implementation of CampusLogic™ and this new and improved self-service experience for our students is scheduled to begin in March.
Contact Financial Aid at financialaid@cwi.edu with questions.
Staff of the Month—December 2019
Congratulations to Vita Mobley, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Staff of the Month for December 2019. Mobley is an Administrative Assistant for Industry, Engineering, and Trades. Having only been in this position since 2018, her journey at CWI began long before her employment.
“My experience with CWI began in 2011 when I first enrolled in the English as a Second Language program,” Mobley said. “Trevi Hardy was the first person I met. She was my English teacher, and we became good friends. A couple of years later when I was laid off from work, Trevi met with me and convinced me to go back to school. I enrolled in classes in August 2016.”
Originally from Russia, Mobley immigrated to the United States just prior to enrolling in CWI’s ESL classes.
“Moving to the U.S. was a huge challenge for me. I had to start my life again, learn a different culture, language, how to drive a car, and how to deal with people (this was most challenging for me). I missed my family and felt lonely until I enrolled in classes at CWI. Slowly, I started to thaw and felt love, support, and respect.”
"Vita took advantage of every class Basic Skills had to offer, and she did so with enthusiasm for learning and a drive to excel," commented Trevi Hardy. "She had a vision for herself of where she wanted to go, and it has been very exciting to see her achieve her goals!"
Mobley earned an associate degree in Accounting from CWI in 2019. While in school, she worked at the College as a student-transcriptionist for the Center for New Directions and a work study for Career and Technical Education leading her to her current position as an Administrative Assistant.
“I have always wanted to work at CWI – since I first enrolled and met all our wonderful people. I feel like I’m surrounded by friends and family. The CWI team is here for you, they cover your back, they are willing to help, and listen. Naturally, you want to be one of them. When we are talking in our meetings about changing students’ lives, it’s not only words for me. It is a real story; it is my story of how CWI changed my life.”
Outside of work, Mobley enjoys skiing, tennis, and hiking. Active in the community, she volunteers her time at the Russian Orthodox Church helping with their annual Russian Food Festival. Most recently, she became a Treasure Valley Hospice volunteer.
Shakespearience to Perform Richard III
College of Western Idaho’s Visiting Artist Series is proud to welcome Idaho Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespearience to campus Tuesday, Feb. 18, to perform Richard III. Their performance, held at the Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB) 2nd Floor Atrium at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public and will be sign interpreted (ASL).
Immediately following the performance, plan to stay for the acting workshop beginning at 8 p.m. in room 206 at NCAB.
CWI’s Visiting Artist Series is made possible thanks to a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Visit Idaho Shakespeare Festival online to learn more about Shakespearience and Richard III. Contact Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu with questions.
Driven to ACT! – Spring 2020
Current students will have the opportunity to learn about free services available during the Driven to ACT student engagement event Feb. 19 and 20. Students are encouraged to engage with Advising, Counseling, and Tutoring from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.at the Ada County Campus Pintail Center. These key support areas of the College are dedicated to assisting students with academic planning, time management, mental health and wellness, and academic support through drop-in, individualized, or online tutoring.
With many students seeing their first significant grades of the semester, and some becoming doubtful if they can continue on, CWI wants to help you stay driven in your education by introducing you to these free resources.
During the event, students will be able to:
- Meet with Advising: Check on your academic plan and make an appointment, if necessary.
- Visit Counseling: Spin the Wheel of Stress to win prizes, learn how to handle life and college stresses, and make a counseling appointment.
- Tour Tutoring: Explore everything Tutoring can offer, get questions answered about class topics, prepare for exams, and become more confident in the subjects you are studying.
Get your Driven to Success Passport stamped at all three locations and be eligible to receive a free Crumbl Cookie at Student Affairs.
Driven to ACT
Feb. 19 and 20
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Ada County Campus Pintail Center
Common Area and room 1304
Contact Caroline Brode in Student Affairs at 208.562.3452 or carolinebrode@cwi.edu to learn more.
Summer 2020 Registration
Registration for continuing, new, and returning students for College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Summer 2020 semester began Monday, Feb. 24. Summer classes, which begin June 1, will be delivered fully online.
Continuing & Returning Students
Course offerings can be viewed on myCWI. Students who have already registered for summer semester will be contacted with next steps regarding any course cancellations.
New Students
New to CWI? The Summer 2020 admission deadline is Friday, May 22. All new, degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students must apply to CWI prior to registering for classes. New, degree-seeking students must also participate in New Student Orientation. Visit Applying to CWI for a complete list of steps to get started.
For students in need of financial assistance, additional financial aid opportunities are now available for students in these times of need. Contact Financial Aid at financialaid@cwi.edu to learn more.
Students are encouraged to contact their Student Success Advisor with any questions or concerns. Registration for summer will be open through May 29, 2020.
Register for Summer 2020 Classes
Read about summer 2020 semester classes moving online.
Blood Drive – Feb. 24
Give the gift of life, and donate blood during a blood drive hosted by College of Western Idaho’s Student Nurses Association in partnership with American Red Cross.
The drive will be held Monday, Feb. 24, at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center in room 1210 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Storyfort 2020 Micro Fiction Contest
Stonecrop, College of Western Idaho’s student-run, literary magazine, and Storyfort, a branch of Boise’s annual Treefort Music Fest, are proud to present the Storyfort 2020 Micro Fiction Contest. All are invited to write and submit original works of micro fiction to this year’s song lyric prompts. Details can be found on the Stonecrop website. Entries, due by 2 p.m. on Feb. 28, will be judged by Storyfort guest, Mary Lowry, author of the novels Wildfire and The Roxy Letters. In addition to prizes like Treefort passes and Storyfort swag, winners of this year’s contest will be published in the next issue of Stonecrop and invited to read their submissions on the final day of Storyfort.
Follow Stonecrop on Facebook @CWILitMag or Instagram @stonecrop_team and Storyfort on Facebook @storyfortfest to stay up-to-date and learn more!