Bert's Alerts—June 12, 2020
News Highlights
Graduate Grab Fest
Congratulations, 2020 graduates! You made it! In celebration of YOU College of Western Idaho (CWI) invite all to join us for Grab Fest, a curbside pick-up event at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center Wednesday, June 17, OR Thursday, June 18.
Faculty, staff, students, and the CWI community are invited to come honk, wave, and cheer on our graduates as they drive by to 'grab' bags filled with a commemorative program, diploma cover, tassel, and keepsake. The event will be held both Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate graduates’ schedules. It's an event you won't want to miss!
Those in attendance are asked to remain in their vehicles throughout the event as we will be following social distancing and sanitation protocols. For graduates unable to attend the event, these items will be shipped to them directly.
Grab Fest
Nampa Campus Micron Education Center
Wednesday, June 17
3 – 6 p.m.
OR
Thursday, June 18
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Visit cwi.edu/graduation or email registrar@cwi.edu to learn more about Grab Fest. In addition, please plan to join us for CWI’s very first virtual commencement ceremony beginning June 19.
Congratulations, 2020 Graduates!
In celebration and acknowledgement of our 2020 graduates, College of Western Idaho’s first-ever virtual ceremony will go live Friday, June 19! The College’s 11th commencement will recognize degree and certificate graduates as well as GED completers and Workforce Development Apprenticeship graduates with personalized slides, self-paced navigation, messages from College leadership, and social media engagement.
2020 graduates can participate in the virtual ceremony by submitting a photo and quote for their personalized slide. Each graduate should have received an email from noreply@marchingorder.com on behalf of the Registrar Office with directions for submission. Submissions must be received no later than Thursday, June 4, 2020. Graduates who have not received this information are asked to email registrar@cwi.edu.
In addition to the virtual ceremony, faculty, staff, and graduates are invited to attend Grab Fest. This curbside pick-up event, held both July 17 and 18 at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center, will allow graduates to 'grab' a commemorative program, diploma cover, tassel, and a keepsake. For graduates unable to attend the event, these items will be shipped to them directly.
Visit cwi.edu/graduation or email registrar@cwi.edu to learn more the virtual commencement ceremony.
Congratulations to all our 2020 graduates! You made it!
2020 Connections Project Celebrates Students
2020 Connections Excellence Virtual Awards Show
Despite the 2020 Connections Project being moved online, College of Western Idaho (CWI) is celebrating student projects with a video showcasing this year's Connections Excellence award recipients. More than 130 students submitted work, which included posters, artwork, videos, websites, and presentations. In addition to this recognition, award winners will also receive a cash prize.
Posters – Connect Category
Posters that explore existing connections between or within communities, cultures, or disciplines.
- First-place
- Audrey Young – "Bacillus Anthracis and Weaponized Anthrax"
- Brian Mitchell – “Myths and Misconceptions of Postpartum Depression”
- Runners-up
- Aaliyah Ibarra – “Memory Strategies”
- Rachel Hanson – “Girl Scouts, Self-Concepts, Comparisons—Oh My!”
- Tim Lobb – “Discovering a New Approach to Life”
- Ally Almaraz – “Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1”
Posters – Inspire Category
Posters that inspire others to learn more or take action.
- First-place
- Tayzia Stark – "Advocating for 'Shy Students'"
- Runners-up
- Sevio Stanton – “Exploring the Relationship Between Exoplanet Orbital Architectures and Host Star Compositions”
- Zack Szymczycha – “A Methodology for Systematic Mapping of Raptor Literature”
- Debra Brockert – “Hey! I Care About That Issue”
- Roni Ramos – “Free 2 Succeed”
Mini-talk Category
- First-place
- Beta Sigma Pi, CWI’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society – “Stereotyping and Civility on the CWI Campus: PTK Honors in Action Project” by Laura Baldwin, Rheanna Palmer, Jody Ayers, Kristal Smith, Nicole Johnston, and Mia Cinello-Smith; presented by Michal Yadlin
- Taite Griffin – “Bellevue Hospital and It’s Effects on Early American Healthcare”
Synchronous Mini-talk Category
- First-place
- Tim Riley – "My Price of Admission"
- Kathleen Brashier – "Treasure"
- Kristin Grimm – "The Equitable Treatment of Male and Female Genders in John Donne's 'The Canonization'"
Each year, faculty and staff work to bring this wonderful event to life. Michelle Fellows, Department Chair of Social Sciences, has been an integral part of the Connections Project serving as the committee lead and overseeing the production of the project for the last five years. She knew students who participated in the Connections Project pushed themselves to grow, not only academically, but often emotionally as well. As Fellows prepares to leave CWI to teach in Alaska, we commend her for all she has done for the Connections Project and wish her luck on her new endeavor.
“Michelle has been inspirational to all who worked on the project, and without her, it would not have been the same,” said Cathy Carson, Associate Professor of Math.
Stay tuned for additional virtual presentations including recognition of our 2020 Emerging Scholars recipients.
CWI Seeking Input on New Brand
College of Western Idaho (CWI) determined it was time to review, evaluate, and more closely align CWI’s brand with the College’s strategic direction, values, and culture. As part of this effort, the College has conducted an extensive and inclusive process to develop a new brand. This comprehensive process includes college-wide presentations, focus group sessions, designation of brand champions, and ongoing communication of current status and next steps.
During the next phase, distribution of a survey to gather feedback on a new logo and color palette will be taking place and is a crucial step. Logo and color design is a vital factor in helping CWI to stand out, as we continue to empower students with a high-quality education in the Treasure Valley; these two visual elements will be key to the College’s new brand and representation in the community.
Internal and external engagement in the brand process is paramount. This survey is a unique opportunity for everyone to participate in development of CWI’s new brand and to help support future direction of the College.
Please complete the survey today! It takes approximately 10 - 15 minutes and will have lasting impact as the College moves forward with this exciting brand transformation.
Participate in the online survey from our partner, Interact Research.
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to CWI’s Communications and Marketing team at 208.562.2222 or communications@cwi.edu.
Scholarships Open for 2020-2021 Academic Year
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation scholarships application period opens Nov. 1 for the 2020-2021 academic year. One application makes applying for scholarships at CWI easy and provides students with a number of scholarship opportunities in the College’s academic and career-technical programs. More than 300 students received scholarships through the Foundation during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Students interested in applying for scholarships must have the CWI admission application completed, be accepted, and have myCWI login information. The application closes Nov. 30, 2020.
Visit the Grants and Scholarships page to learn more or apply.
Student Disbursement of HEERF Funds
As we navigate through this difficult and challenging time, College of Western Idaho (CWI) remains committed to student financial success. We are aware many of our students may have been impacted by the disruption of campus operations in response to COVID-19. As such, Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) were allocated to CWI through the Federal Government’s CARES Act and are currently being distributed to all eligible students to assist with expenses such as course materials, technology, food, housing, healthcare, and childcare. Eligible CWI students have received nearly $1.5 million in funds thus far.
Eligibility requirements and the distribution process are outlined below. The combination of a tiered approach, partnered with a student application process, will allow CWI to disburse these funds to the majority of students quickly, while still providing an avenue for students to request additional funds as needed.
Eligibility Requirements
- Currently enrolled at the time of disbursement
- Degree-seeking or enrolled in an approved certificate program
- Title IV eligible as determined by the FAFSA
- Meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Distribution Process
- Distribution is tiered by eligible student’s attendance at the time of disbursement:
- $400 – Full-time (12 credits or more)
- $300 – Quarter-time (9 - 11 credits)
- $200 – Half-time (6 - 8 credits)
- $100 – Less than half-time (less than 6 credits)
- Eligible students can view their disbursement through their myCWI account.
- Students may submit an application for additional funding. Amounts disbursed will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Disbursements of funds for all eligible Spring 2020 semester students began the week of May 11, 2020, and are complete. Eligibility for students enrolled in the Summer 2020 semester will be evaluated after June 10 and disbursed the second half of June.
Contact Financial Aid at financialaid@cwi.edu or 208.562.3000 with questions.
Entangled Solutions Town Hall Recordings
Thank you to all who attended one of Entangled Solutions’ virtual town halls over the last few weeks. The Entangled team appreciated the opportunity to share key insights from their College of Western Idaho listening tour and hear reflections directly from community members.
For those who were unable to attend a virtual town hall, you can download a recording here. You are welcome to share feedback regarding the town hall through this survey afterwards.
Thank you, again, for your time and participation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Sara Beth Hoffman at shoffman@entangled.group.
