Bert's Alerts—June 21, 2019
10-Year Celebration
Don’t miss out on the celebration as we share the stories of our 10th class of graduates.
News Highlights
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Grab your family and friends and join us for CWI Night at the Boise Hawks Thursday, June 27! College of Western Idaho (CWI) is proud to partner with the Hawks for a night of baseball and fundraising. All are invited to attend as the Hawks take on the Eugene Emeralds Thursday, June 27.
Get a shaded seat on the third-base line in the CWI section for just $10. Spend $6 more and receive a voucher for a hot dog, chips, and a drink. $5 of each CWI group ticket purchased goes directly back to the SCORE Big Scholarship fund. We are excited to award yet another SCORE Big Scholarship during the game! Thank you to all who attended last year’s event which raised nearly $500 to support students
Pursuing Something Better
Hometown: Nampa, Idaho
Major: Liberal Arts
Graduation: 2019
“College of Western Idaho (CWI) empowered me to pursue and obtain an education,” said 2019 graduate, Brendan Hansen, “—an education that will be a springboard into a future filled with learning and self-improvement.”
After graduating from high school, Brendan felt a lot of pressure from himself and those close to him to do something with his life.
“My family went through some rough patches with finances and employment. That, combined with golden opportunities for life experience, helped me realize I wanted something better.”
Unable to put forward a large amount of money to attend school, Brendan was grateful CWI was not only affordable, but provided him support through financial aid to help make his dream of an education possible. Once enrolled, physical and mental demands placed on him in and outside of school were overcome by relying on help from those around him, including his instructors.
“So many instructors made a huge impact on my life and learning. I love the student/teacher interactions I had at CWI. Every instructor I had was fantastic in so many ways – they were upbeat, had a lot of insight, were willing to indulge me in my questions, and always made time to talk with me after class.”
Brendan graduated this past May with an associate degree in Liberal Arts. He plans to transfer to Brigham Young University-Idaho to major in Horticulture or Computer Science.
“I hope to make a better future for both myself and the family I hope to have one day. CWI helped make that possible for me. For those just starting out, you can do it! I am proof of that. It is not always the big stories or trials that make getting an education difficult. It is the silent stories or untold troubles. Chin up, you got this!”
Application for 2019-2020 Scholarships Open
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation scholarships application period is open once again for the 2019-20 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 200 students received scholarships through the Foundation last year.
New scholarship opportunities are available for the 2019-20 academic year including the new Nagel Foundation Scholarship for second-year Career Technical Education students. Students interested in applying for scholarships must have the CWI admission application completed, be accepted, and have myCWI login information. The application closes July 31, 2019.
Visit the Grants and Scholarships page to learn more or apply.
Faculty of Distinction—March 2019
Jana McCurdy has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for March 2019. McCurdy is currently an instructor of Psychology at the College. Before coming to CWI, she served on the board of directors for a homeless shelter, wrote editorials for the Gardner News in Kansas, taught community education classes, organized and led children’s programs and youth groups, and served as a public liaison for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. While her family lived in Papua New Guinea for three years, she enjoyed teaching elementary school.
McCurdy grew up in Idaho where her father was a fish hatchery superintendent with Idaho Fish and Game. Her mother taught elementary school. She studied Human Factors Psychology at the University of Idaho which combined her love of math and analysis with a desire to help people. As a college student, she volunteered on a crisis hotline, was a reader for the blind, and assisted an expert witness in consumer-product liability cases. She graduated from University of Idaho with B.S. and M.S. degrees in Psychology; her research emphasis was in cognitive psychology, subjective risk, and human-computer interaction and training. She also conducted research at General Motors and Virginia Tech in navigational displays, control stereotypes, and group decision making.
McCurdy began teaching Psychology at CWI in 2010. In addition to teaching various courses, she has served on Faculty Senate, Curriculum Committee, and Advisory groups. For the past three years, she has been the coordinator for the Liberal Arts degree and General Education program. She also served as CWI’s representative on the State General Education Committee. She is very thankful to work with wonderful colleagues at CWI and transfer institutions and enjoys her role encouraging students to actively apply what they are learning in order to receive the tangible and intangible benefits of an education. She models curiosity, humility, and critical thinking as she promotes life-long learning. When her students overcome obstacles, grow personally, and make progress toward their goals, she experiences deep satisfaction and joy as an educator and mentor.
McCurdy and her husband like to travel, hike, camp, take nature photographs, read, and fellowship at their church. They have two children, who are both married, and one granddaughter. Their family gathers frequently to share a meal or play Settlers of Catan, Pictionary, Code Names, or Pinochle.
FY19 Local Mileage
Local Mileage requests for FY19 must be submitted to the Business Office by Friday, July 5 for reimbursement. Local Mileage requests received after this deadline will be considered a FY20 expense.
Please note, as part of the year-end closing for FY19, vendor payment and employee reimbursement checks will not be issued the week of July 1. Payments and reimbursement checks will resume the following week. Employee payroll will not be affected.
Contact Renee Watson at 208.562.3275 or reneewatson@cwi.edu or Susan Kodesh 208.562.2099 or susankodesh@cwi.edu in Accounts Payable with questions.
FY20 Business Office Updates
College of Western Idaho leadership has approved the following updates to mileage and meal rates for FY20, effective July 1, 2019.
Mileage Rate
$0.58 (up from $0.545)
Meals and Refreshments
Breakfast/Light Refreshment – $12.25
- Three hour meeting minimum
- Five or more CWI employees
- Prior Approval, agenda, and sign-in required
Lunch – $17.15 / Dinner – $26.95
- Six hour meeting minimum
- Five or more CWI employees
- Prior Approval, agenda, and sign-in required
Contact Renee Watson at 208.562.3275 or reneewatson@cwi.edu or Susan Kodesh 208.562.2099 or susankodesh@cwi.edu in Accounts Payable with questions.
HR Updates
Employment Opportunities
There are no new job postings this week. Employees can access internal job postings by visiting cwinternal.silkroad.com or view all external listings on cwijobs.silkroad.com. Upon application submittal, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive an email, check your "Junk/Spam" folder, then email recruiter@cwidaho.cc to verify receipt of your application.
Note: This is the official communication newsletter for the College. Content is driven by contributions gathered from all areas of CWI. If you have news you would like to submit for this, please use a Marketing Help Desk ticket.