Bert's Alerts - March 11, 2016
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) annual spring equipment sale, hosted by the Powersports and Small Engine Repair program, will return March 28-April 1. The sale features outdoor power equipment as well as lawn and garden equipment. The fundraising event will be held at the Micron Center for Professional Technical Education. For more details view the full announcement.
News Highlights
State Funding Falling Short for CWI
This week, the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) reviewed and recommended the state’s budget for higher education. The recommendations from JFAC would fund 25 percent of CWI’s request (see breakout below). Several media reports are commending the state for increasing funding to Idaho’s higher education, which is true; however, upon closer review of the details you will find that CWI did not receive additional funding to meet the College's needs.
Three key budget items are critical to our current state funding:
- Even with the additional enrollment funding, CWI is still at 63.66 percent of the weighted credit hour funding of the other Idaho community colleges.
- The funding for Complete College Idaho is very prescriptive on how the money must be used.
- The governor and JFAC are also recommending an ongoing increase of three percent for Change in Employee Compensation (CEC). The budget allocated for this does not fully fund the cost to CWI. If CWI were to increase our CEC at three percent, it will cost an additional $726,200 that is not currently in the recommended funding from the state.
As you can see, if CWI follows the CEC recommendations, we will not receive enough funds from the state to cover the true costs. We are planning for performance based increases; thus, as we are working through our budgets we will continue to face challenges balancing the Fiscal Year 2017 budget.
Details on General Funding Requests and Recommendations
Enrollment Funding
Requested $1,800,000
CWI is currently at 61 percent of the weighted credit hour funding of the other Idaho community colleges
Governor’s Recommendation
- $500,000
JFAC Recommendation
- $400,000
Brings CWI to 63.66 percent of the weighted credit hour funding – still well below our community college counterparts
Complete College Idaho – Student Success
Requested $573,500 (9 positions)
Governor’s Recommendation
- $367,900
- 6 full time employees (FTE)
- Operating expense funding for professional development and travel to support the six FTE.
JFAC Recommendation
- $200,000
- 3 FTE
- Focused on advising and outreach
Change in Employee Compensation
Recommended 3%
Governor and JFAC Recommendation
- $267,500
- Change in Benefit Cost $88,100
- Change in Compensation $179,400
Actual Cost to CWI
- $926,600
- Change in Benefit Cost $311,000
- Change in Compensation $615,000
Settlers of Catan Event Scheduled for March 12
Do you like board games? Do you like winning prizes? Do you like to just have fun? Join the CWI Entrepreneurs Club on Saturday, March 12, for the seventh Settlers of Catan Tournament. The event will take place at 1 p.m. at the second floor common area of the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
The tournament will feature three rounds of play for all participants and light refreshments. The first-place winner will receive a full Settlers of Catan, Cities and Knights, and Seafarers game set, including extensions.
Admission is $10 for pre-registration and $12 at the door. Entry fees can be paid by cash or check on-site. Visit http://cwistudentlife.signupsheet.com/ to pre-register for the event. For more information about the rules and Tournament play, check out www.downtownboardgames.com.
Declare Your Major Week is March 14-18
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Advising and New Student services is excited to present Declare Your Major Week, March 14-18. Declare Your Major Week is intended to help students who are still uncertain about their major and/or career.
At Declare Your Major Week students will be able to:
- Answer the question: “What can I do with this major?”
- Make sure the major they have declared is right for them.
- Make an appointment to meet with a professional Advisor.
- Mingle with professors and students from different majors.
- And WIN PRIZES!
On average, college students change their major three times during their college careers. Knowing a direction or pathway to success is very important to save time and money, but another great way to do that is to declare you major early. That is why Advising and New Student Services is hosting Declare Your Major Week. See you there.
CWI Dual Credit to Host Meet the College Event
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Dual Credit office will host its second annual Meet the College Night on March 17 from 5-8 p.m. The event will be hosted at CWI’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education and is open to both prospective dual credit students as well as current dual credit students and their families. The CWI Dual Credit team will be on hand to answer questions and meet with students. A light meal will be provided.
At the event, prospective dual credit students and their families will learn about the program, meet faculty from various departments, learn about campus resources such as Student Life and the library, and visit with clubs and organizations to see how they can become involved on campus.
Current dual credit students can complete their FAFSA, apply to CWI, and meet with college representatives from around the state to get their admission questions answered.
English Department Presents Visiting Writer Event
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) English Department is proud to announce it will welcome renowned writer, Anne Panning, to campus for the next installment of its Visiting Writers Series. Panning is this year's fiction headliner at Storyfort in Boise. She will visit CWI's Nampa Campus Academic Building on March 28 for a free, public event in room 102E. She will open with a reading at 7 p.m. with a reception and question and answer session to follow.
Panning's novel, Butter, was published in 2012 by Switchgrass Books. Her short story collection, Super America, won The Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and was selected as a New York Times Editor's Choice. Panning’s fiction has been described as warm and original by Publishers Weekly, intelligent and humorous by the Boston Globe, graceful and wry by Booklist, and infectious and enchanting by the New York Times.
Please contact Malia Collins at 208.562.3323 or maliacollins@cwi.edu for questions and more information.
CWI Partners to Host Stewards of Children Event
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has partnered with Idaho Children’s Trust Fund and St. Alphonsus to present a training titled Stewards of Children. The training is a two-hour, evidence-informed program that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
CWI employees, students, and interested community members are invited to attend the training:
Tuesday, March 29
1-3 p.m. OR 7-9 p.m.
Ada County Campus Quail Court Building, Room 2204
The training program is nationally available in both English and Spanish. It is designed for parents, professionals, organizations serving youth, and other concerned individuals. It focuses on adult education because ultimately, it is adults’ responsibility to keep children safe.
To register for the training held at CWI, please call 208.562.2705 or email tammydavid@cwi.edu. For more details view the training flyer.
CWI Faculty a Lifelong Learner
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Adjunct Faculty, James Rosenberg, has enjoyed a unique spring semester. In addition to teaching classes, like he has done for five years at CWI, he is also taking a journey from the other side of the desk. This January Rosenberg enrolled as a student in CWI’s IDoTeach program; which offers courses that encourage Math and Science majors to consider teaching. The decision is giving Rosenberg valuable experience for his own classroom, while setting a tremendous example of what it means to be a lifelong learner.
“I enrolled in the IDoTeach program this term for several reasons,” says Rosenberg. “While I am quite comfortable with the subject matter of the classes I instruct, I am always interested in becoming a better and more effective educator.”
Rosenberg has enjoyed a positive experience in his first IDoTeach class. Not only has he found the curriculum to be helpful, but he is also benefiting from an additional learning opportunity as an intern with the Boise Watershed Environmental Education Center.
“When the internship was presented during class I was quite excited. I fancy myself a conservationist and jumped at the opportunity to combine that interest with the experience of providing lessons to excited field-tripping second graders, a population I have had little exposure to.”
Rosenberg believes the work done in the IDoTeach class, particularly regarding inquiry based learning and education plans, has paid off.
“I still have a lot I can improve upon, but my IDoTeach experience has helped me bring a more inquiry-based approach to the already hands-on Boise River Watershed presentation and exhibit hall experiment stations.”
Business Office 101 Training Set for March
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Business Office has set the dates in March for its Business Office 101 sessions, which has replaced Deep Dive Training. Each month during the academic year, the Business Office will offer three classes at rotating locations based on the attached schedule. Each class will last an hour and will provide more hands on training with the ability to venture into specific topics of the audience’s choice. In addition, special sessions can be scheduled by request.
Classes in March will be held at the Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in room 1701B:
P-Cards – March 23, 3:00-4:30 p.m., RSVP susankodesh@cwi.edu
Budgets – March 30, 2:00-3:15 p.m., RSVP philvarrick@cwi.edu
Contracts – March 30, 3:15-4:30 p.m., RSVP janetgonzalez@cwi.edu
The following information will be covered in each class:
P-Cards
Presenter: Susan Kodesh
Topics: Getting Started, Accessing US Bank, Purchasing and Card Usage, Documentation, and General Information
Budgets
Presenter: Phil Varrick
Topics: myCWI Budget Access, Using myCWI, The Budget Process, Completing a Budget, Budget Adjustments
Contracts
Presenter: Janet Gonzalez
Topics: Types of Contracts, Pertinent Clauses, Signature Authority, Contract Management, Contract Submittal, Purchasing, and Ethics in Purchasing
Business Office 101 will offer six or more different classes on a reoccurring basis throughout the academic year. This will allow all faculty and staff to choose which classes they would like to attend. These trainings will help employees learn new policies and procedures as well as provide a refresher on need-to-know topics. The Business Office is very excited to offer this new opportunity and hopes that employees will utilize it to grow professionally. Please email BusinessOffice@cwi.edu with any questions.
