Bert's Alerts - July 8, 2016
In the Spotlight
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Street Teams have been busy this summer, traveling around the Treasure Valley to raise awareness about CWI at a variety of community events. The student led Street Teams have already made appearances at Silver Screen on the Green in Nampa, Boise’s Alive After Five, Boise Music Festival, Meridian Speedway, and Boise Hawks. For more information on the CWI Street Teams, including blog updates about their summer adventures, visit cwi.edu/community-connections/street-teams.
News Highlights
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of a CWI Founder
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) is paying tribute to one of its founding fathers. Former Trustee S. Hatch Barrett passed away on May 7, 2016. Instead of mourning his passing, it was his request that his life and legacy at CWI be celebrated. In his honor, the CWI Foundation and the Barrett Family have established a scholarship fund for students in the College’s Professional Truck Driving and Heavy-Duty Truck Technician programs.
The Barrett Family has a long history in Treasure Valley’s trucking industry. Hatch loved the people who make up this great industry. Education and continuous learning were always important to him. He told his family one of the proudest accomplishments in his life was being part of CWI’s creation as a Trustee.
“As a founding member of CWI, it pleased him greatly that CWI took control and has grown the vocational technology school established by Boise State University,” Ed Barrett, his son and current CWI Foundation board member, said. “He told me time and time again that ‘Idaho deserves a great community college and professional-technical programs, and CWI is fulfilling that dream.’”
Much of CWI’s success is due in large part to Hatch’s leadership and support. In his obituary, people were asked to make memorial gifts to the scholarship fund in lieu of flowers. The response was heartwarming. In lieu of a memorial service, the Barrett Family contributed $10,000 to start an endowment for the scholarship to keep Hatch’s legacy alive for generations to come. They are inviting the public to join them in their efforts to grow the fund even more.
To make a contribution to the scholarship fund, donations can be made online: cwi.edu/giving/foundation, or mailed to CWI Foundation, MS 1000 PO Box 3010, Nampa, ID, 83653 (in honor of Hatch Barrett).
CWI Approaching Independent Accreditation Decision
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is nearing the final steps to garner approval for independent accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The College will host NWCCU representatives for a campus visit, Oct. 5-7, while also submitting its year seven self-evaluation report to the Commission.
The NWCCU will review the year seven report and findings from the committee’s site visit to determine whether or not to recommend CWI for accreditation. While pursuing independent accreditation, CWI has delivered college credit instruction, certificates, and degrees through a memorandum of understanding with the College of Southern Idaho.
Independent accreditation will allow CWI more flexibility to modify curriculum and add credit programs to best meet the needs of the local community. Accreditation is also required for CWI and its enrolled students to continue accessing federal funds to support teaching, research, and student financial aid. Finally, regional accreditation provides a way for post-secondary institutions to ensure quality instruction and service, as well as institutional improvement, by voluntarily submitting to a regulatory process.
Since February 2012, CWI has been recognized by the NWCCU as a candidate for accreditation. Since earning candidacy status, the school has been in a progression period involving a thorough review of all relevant requirements. CWI has also hosted the NWCCU for two campus visits.
A decision on CWI’s independent accreditation status could be determined as early as January 2017.
myCWI Committee Update
Earlier this year a committee was formed to provide governance over College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) intranet system, myCWI. The committee was tasked with proposing and maintaining a site roadmap, common processes, reviewing access/role requests, evaluating system enhancements, and communicating these changes to the campus community. The goal of this project was to advance myCWI forward as an effective, accessible tool for all CWI users to gain knowledge in order to help them succeed as employees and students.
The committee is excited to announce that the official roll out of the new and improved myCWI for employees will happen in early August. Until then, the myCWI Advisory Committee will be working hard to implement the new templates into production as well as hold training sessions. This will include branding updates, navigation reorganization, and some site updates. The committee will be hosting hands-on training sessions mid-July for site owners. As site owners begin to modify their sites during these sessions, end-users may notice a few of the changes along the way. Training documents will also be updated and centrally housed for convenient access to all employees.
The myCWI committee would like to thank everyone that provided feedback during their initial project phases, it was greatly appreciated. Please reach out to the committee at mycwicommittee@cwi.edu with any questions.
