Bert's Alerts - February 14, 2014
In the Spotlight
A number of College of Western Idaho (CWI) programs attended the 2014 Nampa Health Fest on Feb. 8 for a chance to interact and share information with the community. Members of Dental Assisting, Surgical Technology, Nursing, Medical Assisting, and Nursing Assistant were on-hand providing free screenings, giveaways, drawings, and coordinating various activities.
News Highlights
CWI Closed President's Day
College of Western Idaho (CWI) offices will be closed and no classes will be held on Monday, Feb. 17, in observance of President’s Day. Classes and regular hours of operation will resume on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
College of Western Idaho Helps Alternative High School Students Gain College Credit
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Dual Credit program has launched a ground breaking new initiative, which has already helped Spanish speaking students from local alternative high schools acquire 272 college credits. The new initiative funded through the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation’s College Readiness grant is utilizing College Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing to help at-risk students earn college credits.
“Our goal with this initiative is to change the culture of alternative high schools by empowering students who have been often underserved so they might see their potential as they move beyond the secondary system,” says CWI Dual Enrollment Director, Dr. Eric Studebaker. “We want to advocate for students to the best of our ability. We knew these students could benefit from securing the credits, therefore it was our responsibility to support the initiative.”
The CLEP exam, which is recognized by 2,900 colleges and universities nationwide, provides an opportunity to earn college credit through proficiency testing. Through the new College Readiness CLEP initiative, CWI has already helped facilitate the exam for 25 students from two Nampa high schools. In January, 15 students from Ridgeline High School and 10 students from Parkview High School participated and their results were tremendous, as they earned 144 and 128 college credits, respectively.
“The opportunity for these students to take the CLEP and succeed at the rate they are will only help to strengthen the bridge between high school and postsecondary education,” says Coordinator for the CWI College Readiness Project, Stephen Crumrine. “The CLEP has now become an instrument of motivation for students who, realistically, were not considering college. We could not be more proud of their success.”
In total, 11 students have earned 16 college credits (Spanish 101, 102, 201, and 202), and another 12 students have received eight college credits (Spanish 101 and 102).
In addition to paying for students to take the exam, the College Readiness Project also provided transportation, lunch, and a campus tour. CWI’s goal is to continue providing these opportunities for all 10 of the alternative high schools currently served through the College Readiness grant.
The CLEP testing initiative is the latest success story for the College Readiness Project. This past fall, in just the fourth year of the program, CWI helped 162 alternative school students earn credit in college-level courses. The College has also received data from the first College Readiness class, which has seen 23 percent of its students continue on to college; which is higher than the state average.
In January, CWI received a one-year funding extension to the grant. Due to the overwhelming success of the initiative, CWI is actively working to make the College Readiness Project sustainable beyond the life of the grant. For more information on the program please visit the CWI Dual Credit website, and if you are interested in supporting the program please contact the CWI Foundation at 208.562.3100.
CLEP Exam Participant Feedback:
“I was able to earn 16 college credits, which made me feel incredible,” says Parkview student, Stephanie Almeida. “The opportunity was truly awesome.”
“Earning college credits through the [CLEP] test changed my thoughts about college,” says Ridgeline student, Daniel Gomez. “I never thought about college before but now it feels possible.”
“Thank you to the Albertson Foundation and CWI for encouraging us and walking us through this amazing opportunity,” says Parkview Counselor, Jodi Endicott. “The possibility of earning college credit while still in high school has completely changed the mindset of many of our students.”
“I was not really thinking about college before I started taking dual credit classes,” says Parkview HS student, Lisa Villarreal. “Taking the CLEP test and being successful was really exciting for me. It makes me feel more responsible for my future. I think it provides me with so many new opportunities.”
College of Western Idaho Looks to Expand its Ada County Center
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) is acquiring additional leased space in Boise’s Blackeagle Center at the corner of Overland and Maple Grove roads. The College has been leasing space in the Pintail Center of the complex since 2008; the expansion will add space in the Lynx Center, Quail Court, and Mallard Place buildings.
A growing student demand in Ada County and the opportunity to consolidate three ancillary facilities into a more central location are key factors in CWI expanding its footprint in the Blackeagle Center. The additional space will allow CWI to move two more programs off the Boise State University campus and relocate programs offered at the Eagle River and Oak Park Centers.
“We are committed to ensuring access to quality of instruction to the communities we serve and providing exceptional opportunities to succeed beyond CWI,” notes CWI President Bert Glandon. “The expansion of our Ada County Center will better serve the students of Ada County with increased support services in a central location. Long term, CWI is moving to a two campus concept that supports students from both Ada and Canyon counties. This consolidation effort in the Blackeagle Center will help meet the immediate needs while the College continues to explore a permanent location that would be owned by CWI.”
In total, the College will lease more than 81,000 square feet in the complex that will act as the primary location for the 7,000 students CWI currently serves in Ada County each year. CWI will begin tenant improvements in the spaces as soon as possible in preparation for moves occurring later in the spring and into summer. A variety of professional-technical and workforce development courses including healthcare, business, and information technology will be offered at the Ada County Campus. Additionally, the campus will provide Basic Skills Education and increase student support services including a career services, testing and assessment, library, computer lab, bookstore, tutoring, enrollment, and advising. The facilities will be leased through June 2019 with options to extend.
For more information on CWI’s Ada County Campus including a complete directory of services and directions please visit cwi.edu/locations.
Legislative Update
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee voted 7-2 to pass Senate Bill 1254 regarding firearms and weapons on state college and university campuses. The bill will now go to the Senate floor for consideration. College of Western Idaho (CWI) along with all other Idaho college and university leaders gave testimony to express concerns with the bill and shared a mutual opposition of the bill. The following is an excerpt from CWI President Bert Glandon’s testimony:
Senate Bill 1254 – College of Western Idaho Opposition
Testimony by President Bert Glandon, Feb. 12, 2014
On behalf of the College of Western Idaho Board of Trustees and administration, I am honored to present before you today. We at CWI are opposed to senate bill 1254 relating to firearms regulations based on the following points:
- The bill is not clear in its definition of a campus. CWI in particular occupies more than a dozen locations across our service area with most residing within privately leased buildings.
- The bill does not consider the diversity on college campuses. CWI has high school dual credit students attending classes on our campus, we have early childhood education programs that work with toddlers and very young children, and we host several visiting high schools to tour our campus and take assessments.
- The bill does not address how this regulation will be enforced. CWI does not have lockdown capabilities, armed security, and other resources that would be necessary to enforce the regulations.
- The bill will have cost implications to the colleges – CWI has already identified the potential for signage, armed security and additional measures that would need to be taken to address new security and safety inferences.
- The bill is unclear as to what is being addressed in that it refers sometimes to “firearms” and at other times to “firearms and weapons.” Weapons, if they are included, are not defined.
- The bill impedes on the local control of our Board of Trustees who are also locally elected to regulate policy for the college that ensures a conducive learning environment.
- And lastly, we feel that the bill is not well written. CWI would request that more discussions occur with the institutions impacted by the decision of the legislature. Our college campuses do not fit within the traditional campus structure by way of locations, diversity of students, and capabilities of enforcement. We do not believe that this bill will keep our campuses safe and secure.
CWI Recycling Program Expanded
In an effort to continue moving the College of Western Idaho (CWI) toward a culture of environmental stewardship and sustainability, the CWI Facilities Management Department is excited to announce the expansion to the College’s current recycling efforts.
To increase recycling awareness and convenience, all CWI individual offices and work spaces will receive blue recycle bins. These bins should be used for paper, plastic, and aluminum only as they will not contain trashcan liners. Employees are also asked that food and beverages not be placed in these bins and that food and liquid contents of containers are emptied before placing in the recycle bins.
Please note that trash pickup days will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and recycle pickup days will be Tuesday and Thursday. Additional information will be coming about CWI’s campus-wide recycling awareness campaign.
Join CWI Night at the Stampede Feb. 28
College of Western Idaho (CWI) and the Idaho Stampede are teaming up to make Feb. 28 CWI Night at the Stampede, providing a fundraising opportunity for student clubs. This is a great opportunity for the College community to take part in an event full of fun and camaraderie, while enjoying a night of basketball downtown and supporting CWI student clubs. The Stampede, Boise’s affiliate of the NBA Development League, will take on the Santa Cruz Warriors at 7 p.m. at CenturyLink Arena. CWI student clubs are selling discounted $10 tickets to the game and the clubs will receive 100 percent of the proceeds.
Tickets must be purchased through a CWI student club representative. More information on CWI Night at the Stampede can be found at cwi.edu/studentlife or by contacting Michelle Cain at michellecain@cwi.edu.
Employee Appreciation Day Introduced
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Rewards and Recognition Committee is excited to announce the first annual Employee Appreciation Day will be held on Friday, March 7. The day will serve as a time to honor CWI employees and show appreciation for all their hard work. The event will take place at several CWI locations. There will be cupcakes and treats for CWI employees. Watch Bert’s Alerts for more information, like hours and locations, and a big "thank you" to everyone for continued hard work.
Nominations for Faculty Recognition
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Faculty Recognition committee is accepting nominations for Faculty of Distinction. Faculty, staff, students, and administrators, are encouraged to nominate a faculty member that they feel is doing an outstanding job. Please submit nominations by emailing yourock@cwi.edu. Be sure to include the faculty member's first and last name, department in which they work, and the reason for the nomination.
