Bert's Alerts—March 5, 2021
News Highlights
MATH 095 at CWI a Winning Pathway to College
In the past three years, College of Western Idaho (CWI) has developed an exceptional bridge to help high school students complete their math requirements to graduate and launch their college careers.
The key to this success is CWI’s Dual Credit team using the College’s Math Solutions Center framework for MATH 095, and replicating the curriculum in high schools across the region.
“Math is a subject that causes anxiety for many students,” said Randi Smith, Senior Coordinator in Dual Credit. “It can be the reason students choose not to continue their education. By taking MATH 095 in high school, students are gaining confidence in their math skills and the courage to face their fears, pursue their education, and be successful at it.”
The program’s success is evident, CWI’s Enrollment and Student Services tracked a 14% matriculation rate to CWI, in the fall of 2020, for high school students completing MATH 095.
One of CWI’s partners in delivering this course is Compass Public Charter School in Meridian.
"Despite dealing with COVID-19 and the fact we only see half of our students a week at a time during our hybrid schedule, our students have been very successful this year in MATH 095,” said Courtney Fletcher, a math teacher at the school. “In the fall, we actually had all 28 of our students complete and pass their unit tests!”
MATH 095 is designed to allow students to complete college-prep mathematics in an instructionally-supported, individualized, learning-lab structure to help them meet prerequisites to enroll in transfer-level mathematics courses more quickly in their higher-education careers.
Students in the Compass Honors program spend time at the beginning of the year researching the college and degree they want to pursue after high school, and the students use this information to set a goal for the year.
“It is so nice to have a math class tailored to the needs of each of our students where they can go at their own pace and fill in gaps of knowledge to prepare for their senior year math course,” added Fletcher. “I am so lucky to be able to be involved in the implementation of MATH 095 in the school."
CWI’s Dual Credit program serves more than 12,000 high school students in the state, and another partner delivering the valuable math curricula is Kuna High School (KHS).
“Even my students who generally struggle with math find the program and tools easy to use and understand,” said Jaymie Quigley, who teaches at KHS. “One of my students walked in after taking the SAT and said she’d never felt more confident on the math portion of any standardized test than after being in CWI's Dual Credit MATH 095 class.”
The growth of this opportunity for students highlights the collaborative effort between CWI’s Office of Dual Credit and the Math Solutions Center to benefit the community.
“We are excited to give high school students a head-start toward earning a CWI degree or certificate,” said Carol Crothers, Manager of the Math Solutions Center. “Completing CWI course prerequisites while still in high school allows students to minimize or eliminate time spent in a college prep mathematics course and launches students on a course to meet their CWI degree requirements.”
To learn more about MATH 095 in high school please e-mail Carol Crothers at carolcrothers@cwi.edu and Randi Smith at randismith@cwi.edu.
Spring 2021 Transfer Fair
Are you a College of Western Idaho student interested in learning more about transfer options?
Connect with different colleges and universities, and discover various transfer opportunities available to you during the College’s Spring 2021 Transfer Fair. Beginning March 2, students can access the Transfer Fair virtually via Blackboard in the MyCommons section at any time throughout the semester to learn about available programs, admission requirements, scholarship options, contact information, and more.
Contact Brittney Hernandez in Student Advising and Success at 208.562.2406 or brittneyhernandez@cwi.edu with questions or for more information.
Miner Named Faculty of Distinction for February
Congratulations to Eric Miner, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for February 2021. Miner taught his first class at the College in 2010 and teaches Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 101), Human Relations for Success (PSYC 140), and CWI: Your Life Story (CWI 101).
“I get great pleasure from helping students orient themselves in the world – from helping them figure out who and where they are in life and where they want to go to how they can actualize their own potentials,” Miner said. “I love to see the light of comprehension go on in a student's eyes! This is my retirement; working to keep up with these sharp, young people helps me stay young (at least mentally).”
Miner holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from George Fox University, a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and doctorate in Educational Psychology from Capella University in Minnesota, and a master’s degrees in Educational Leadership and in Curriculum and Instruction from Boise State University. Prior to CWI, he worked as an engineer and manager at Hewlett-Packard in Boise for more than 30 years, as well as an instructor, associate dean, and dean at Stevens-Henager College.
“It is inspiring to watch Dr. Miner engage with students,” said Adjunct Faculty member, Danya Krueger. “In observing him teach, I especially like his methodology for appropriately connecting his previous professional experiences to the course discussion. I find self-disclosure like this allows students to see their instructor outside of just being an instructor modeling to them they can be and do many things in life. This connection has allowed Dr. Miner’s students to relate to him in a new light which, in turn, prompts them to actively engage in the classroom. Thank you, Dr. Miner, for being you and doing all you do for both your students and colleagues! It has been a great pleasure and honor to work with and learn from you!”
“CWI provides an important place for students to begin building the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for academic and professional success. People of all ages can come to CWI to learn more about themselves and take their lives in new, more-fulfilling directions,” said Miner. “Because of CWI, I get to spend time with people who teach me far more than I can ever teach them! I have to tell you, sometimes I wonder how I can make myself worthy to serve people as fine as these.”
A Boise native, Miner graduated from Borah High School in 1971. He and his wife of 47 years have four children (three of whom have served in the U.S. military), 12 grandchildren, and are expecting their first great grandchild. He loves 1940s music, 1950s cars, movies of all kinds, and documentary films on just about ANY subject.
2021 President’s Writing Award Submissions
Get paid to do your homework! College of Western Idaho (CWI) President, Dr. Bert Glandon, invites all students to submit their writing to his annual contest for a chance at publication on the College’s website and a cash prize. First-place winners in each category receive $250, second-place winners receive $175, and third-place winners receive $100.
“This award is a celebration of the power of writing and its importance in to all academic disciplines,” Glandon said. “My wife and I look forward every year to this opportunity to review this amazing writing and great academic work that is done.”
Submission categories include:
- Creative Nonfiction
- Poetry
- Fiction
- Critical Analysis
- Literature Based Writing
- Original Research
- First-Year Writing
- Technical Writing
The submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. March 6, 2021. You must be a CWI student to submit, and the writing must have been completed for coursework at CWI. Previously published writing will not be accepted. One submission per category is allowed. Submissions may not be submitted to more than one category.
Visit the President’s Writing Awards webpage for submission link and guidelines.
Scholarships Open for Spring 2022 Semester
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation scholarship application period for the Spring 2022 semester opens Nov. 1. One application makes applying for scholarships at CWI easy providing students automatically-generated scholarship matches, in addition to allowing students to self-select scholarships of interest. More than 200 scholarships have already been awarded to students in both academic and career-technical programs at the College for the 2021-2022 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, 2021.
Visit the Grants and Scholarships page to learn more or apply.
2021 Performance Evaluations
Human Resources (HR) is excited to announce employee performance evaluations will now be completed through the College’s PageUp platform. Performance evaluations, required of all full-time and part-time benefited employees and faculty, are completed on an annual basis and will open Monday, March 1, 2021.
Please refer to the email sent Friday, Feb. 26, from hr@cwi.edu which provides instructions along with a short tutorial on the evaluation process in this new system.
Contact HR at hr@cwi.edu with any questions or if you experience any difficulties with the new process.
