Bert's Alerts - March 25, 2016
In the Spotlight
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Entrepreneurship Club would like to thank everyone who participated in the seventh Settlers of Catan Tournament last Saturday (March 12). A total of 24 students, employees, and community members enjoyed a fun afternoon of friendly competition. Congratulations to Joseph Stone (above left) for placing first and CWI Exercise and Health Science faculty, Tim Curry (above right), for finishing second in this semester's event.
News Highlights
CWI Speech and Debate Extends Streak at Nationals
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Speech and Debate team concluded another highly successful season with a runner-up finish at the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky. A second place finish in Community College Overall Sweepstakes marks the sixth consecutive year CWI has been one of the top-two community colleges at the event. Fifteen students competed for the College at the tournament, March 16-20.
CWI’s success included capturing the top community college honor for debate, which ranked eighth among all 87 colleges and universities. The College also saw 10 students earn 18 individual awards.
"I can't be more proud of these students,” says CWI’s Assistant Director of Forensics, Jim Gatfield. “Eleven of the fifteen had never competed at a national tournament before this week, so to see this kind of success is truly remarkable."
The most recent accolades for CWI continue a dominating tradition that has captured four national community college championships and a pair of runner-up finishes. The College earned first place in overall sweepstakes in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015. CWI’s other second-place honor came in 2014.
The success at nationals caps another remarkable season for CWI’s Speech and Debate program. The College took home top community college honors at 5 different tournaments, including first-place at the Pi Kappa Delta Regional Tournament of the Great West.
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.
Transfer Fair Returns March 29
College of Western Idaho (CWI) invites students to attend the Spring 2016 Transfer Fair. Several college and university representatives will be on-campus to discuss programs, majors, and transfer requirements.
This one-day event will be split between two different locations and times:
Tuesday, March 29
10 a.m. to Noon
Ada County Campus Pintail Center
Common Area
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Nampa Campus Academic Building
First Floor Common Area
Please send questions to Brittney Hernandez at brittneyhernandez@cwi.edu or Erica Compton at ericacompton@cwi.edu.
CWI to Host First Comic Con
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Student Life department is happy to announce the first-ever CWI Comic Con is coming to campus on Saturday, April 2. The free event will take place from 1-8 p.m. at the Micron Center for Professional Technical Education. Activities will include an artist alley, a costume contest, gaming rooms, and more. Visit the CWI Comic Con Facebook Event for more information.
CWI Event to Spotlight Business of Healthcare
On Friday (April 8), College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome a group of guest speakers to campus for an event showcasing the Business of Healthcare. The event, which is presented by CWI’s Entrepreneurship Club and Exercise and Health Science Club, will take place from 1-5 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Guest speakers will include:
- Karl Keeler, President of Saint Alphonsus Nampa/Ontario
- Betsy Hunsicker, CEO of West Valley Medical Center
- Shad Priest, Director Government Affairs for Regence Blue Shield of Idaho
- And more
CWI Department of Life Sciences Sponsors Guest Lecture
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Department of Life Sciences invites you to a special guest lecture by Dr. Michael Edgehouse on Friday, April 8. Dr. Edgehouse, who is an associate professor at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC), will visit CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building for a lecture titled Dragons, Damsels, and Snakes Oh My!!! Eat, Be Eaten, or Specialize. The event will be held in room 106. Light refreshments will be provided at 5 p.m., with the lecture following at 5:30 p.m.
Dr. Edgehouse will discuss his research and answer questions from students interested in transferring to LCSC or, more generally, interested in opportunities to engage in research as undergraduates. Dr. Edgehouse has been investigating dietary habits of Mountain Garter Snakes (Thamnophis spp.) for over a decade, often with the assistance of undergraduate students. He spent a great deal of his time in graduate school living in a tent, studying snakes, to determine if they eat toxic newts.
Since arriving at LCSC his research has diversified to include invertebrate animals as well as continuing to investigate snake diet. His lab team at LCSC has described a new behavior in Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) referred to as “predatory luring.” This interesting behavior has been one of the many ongoing projects in Dr. Edgehouse’s lab that students transferring to LCSC might benefit from or even participate in. When not studying snakes he is most likely found steelhead fishing, chasing powder, or playing hockey with his sons.
Car Show Fundraiser is Back at CWI
The fourth-annual Skills on Wheels Car Show will return to College of Western Idaho (CWI), April 16. The event is a fundraiser to help send CWI students to the SkillsUSA national competition each summer. The car show will take over the Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in Nampa to showcase muscle cars, stock cars, eighteen wheelers, motorcycles, and more. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include music and food. Admission is free.
Registration is currently open and entries are needed for all categories. Vendors are also invited to join the event. For registration and entry fee information, or to sign up for a booth visit cwiautoshow.com.
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.
