Bert's Alerts - January 31, 2014
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) welcomed representatives from 25 area high schools to campus, Thursday (Jan. 30), for its annual Dual Credit In-service. Attendees included over 60 high school teachers, representatives from all CWI Academic Transfer departments, and presenters from the State Board of Education. The event provided an opportunity to begin dialogue about strengthening the bridge between secondary and postsecondary education, and the strong role Dual Credit plays in making that transition more seamless for students.
News Highlights
Media Relations Reminder
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Marketing and Advancement Department, formerly Communications and Marketing, encourages all employees to review the College’s expectations, resources, and policies for working with media. As a public institution, CWI and its programs, activities, and plans are of general interest to the community. Whether it is communicating information out through various mass media methods or facilitating media inquiries, the CWI Marketing and Advancement Department is the designated primary contact for all media relations activities. Information can be found in the CWI Brand Style Guidelines on myCWI. Please email communications@cwi.edu with any questions or to request a printed copy of guidelines.
CWI Foundation Opens Online Scholarships Application
The College of Western Idaho Foundation (CWI) opened its online application for scholarships on Feb. 1. The CWI Foundation has both general and program-specific scholarship opportunities available to students for the 2014-15 academic year. New students who have been accepted and all current students are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted through August, but the priority awarding deadline is March 17. In order to be considered for scholarships in the initial awarding session, applications must be received by the priority deadline. For a list of available scholarships, including new scholarships, and application information visit cwi.edu/scholarships.
CWI Speech and Debate Celebrates Milestone
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Speech and Debate has added another milestone to its long list of accomplishments, winning all three sweepstakes awards for the Northwest Forensics Conference’s (NFC) 2013-14 season. CWI, which has won three-consecutive community college national championships, was named the top Division III College in speech events, debate events, and overall sweepstakes points for all NFC designated tournaments this season.
CWI’s achievement came on the heels of a first-place performance at the Scheller Forensics Invitational, hosted by Pacific University, Jan. 24-26. The competition served as the final designated tournament of 2013-14 for the NFC, which is made up of schools from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Alaska.
“This achievement marks an impressive addition to the growing legacy of the CWI Speech and Debate program,” says CWI Assistant Director of Forensics, Jim Gatfield. “We are incredibly proud of the hard work put forth by every member of the team, and so pleased to see that effort recognized through their success. Going forward, this victory will only motivate us to work harder.”
BPA Conference Brings 227 High School Students to CWI
College of Western Idaho (CWI) welcomed 227 high school students to Ada County Center on Jan. 18 for the annual Idaho High School Region V Business Professionals of America (BPA) Conference. The conference, which has been hosted at the College for the past three years, includes events like web design, network administration, college accounting, and interview skills.
A number of CWI students and faculty collaborated to help with all aspects of hosting the conference. Ten students from CWI BPA helped facilitate the event; from pre-event set up to registering competitors, event check-in, and more. They were assisted by three students from CWI’s Beta Sigma Pi honor society chapter. Five CWI Faculty members also served as judges and coordinators for the competition.
“From my perspective, this was the most successful High School BPA event we have hosted yet,” says CWI BPA Advisor, Linda Otto. “I am very proud of our students and thankful to everyone that helped make this event a great success.”
CWI’s BPA students will have an opportunity to test their own skills, March 14, as they will be attending the Post-Secondary State Competition for a chance to qualify to the national conference in Indianapolis, Ind., April 29-May 4.
Show the Love Leave Bank Drive Kicks-Off
During the month of February, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Staff Senate and Human Resources (HR) Department are teaming up for a Show the Love Employee Leave Bank Drive. CWI’s Vacation Leave Donation Program was created to allow employees to donate vacation or personal leave to be used by colleagues who have exhausted their own leave balances and will otherwise be without pay during an approved leave of absence. Unfortunately, the CWI Employee Leave Bank is almost empty and is in need of donations.
Each day, CWI employees accrue leave time to be used for sick days or planned vacation. But when unexpected circumstances occur – like extended personal illness, an injured spouse, or sick child – those leave balances can disappear quickly. However, the need for a full paycheck doesn’t go away. Staff Senate and HR are hoping the Show the Love campaign will help replenish the leave bank and fill the void.
Throughout February, posters, Bert’s Alerts articles, and friendly reminders will be circulating to help communicate the need for donations. In return, employees who donate will receive a small thank you from HR and Staff Senate.
As a reminder, only staff are able to donate vacation leave and must donate at least eight hours if contributing to the bank. After donating, employees must have a remaining balance of at least 80 hours of vacation time. More information on the Vacation Leave Donation Program can be found on myCWI under Faculty Staff Resources > Human Resources > Benefits. Please direct all questions about donating to Maricela Davenport in HR at 208.562.3188.
Celebrate February 2014 by Showing the Love!
FCC Introduces Valentine's Exchange
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Fun and Culture Committee is hoping to bring some creative, caring spirit to campus with the first ever Valentine’s Day Exchange, Feb. 10-14. All employees are invited to show appreciation for co-workers, whether they are neighbors or located across the valley. CWI Mail Services will be helping deliver inter-campus cards that are addressed appropriately. There are no prizes for this event, but any individual or department that goes all out is encouraged to email a photo to FCC@cwi.edu.
