Bert's Alerts - May 15, 2015
In the Spotlight
On Thursday (May 14) College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted the second-annual Employee Appreciation Night at Wahooz. This year over 680 attendees enjoyed a party that included unlimited go-karts, laser tag, bumper boats, miniature golf, and $5 game cards. The evening was full of smiles and laughs from CWI Employees and their families enjoying a night together away from work. To all CWI Employees, thank you for everything you do to make CWI a great place to work. If you have any suggestions or comments for next year's event please email hr@cwi.edu.
News Highlights
CWI Students Assist with Impactful Demonstration
Students from College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) advanced Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course participated in an impactful presentation on Tuesday (May 12), helping local first responders stage an intoxicated driving demonstration at Kuna High School. Members of the CWI Workforce Development program joined the Ada County Sheriff’s Department, Ada County Paramedics, Kuna Rural Fire, and Life Flight Network in the enactment.
Kuna High School organized the presentation to educate its students about the consequences of driving under the influence. The demonstration was staged as a single car DUI accident in which a passenger was ejected from the car, another passenger was partially ejected from the back seat, and the driver was unhurt but intoxicated. CWI students participated in groups providing care to the injured passengers.
The enactment also allowed the CWI students a tremendous opportunity to train with professionals in a real world scenario. They put classroom skills to work as they stabilized and transported the victims. In addition, the students were able to spend time with the paramedics reviewing equipment and tools throughout the ambulance.
Thank you Kuna High School and the participating first responder organizations for inviting the CWI EMT program to be involved. It provided invaluable experience for students while allowing the opportunity to support a great community service.
Open House for Short-Term Welding Training
On May 28, College of Western Idaho (CWI) Workforce Development is inviting the community to explore the short term welding training offered at CWI. The open house will highlight the various training opportunities available; from welding certifications to entry level skills. The event is scheduled for:
Thursday, May 28
5-7 p.m.
Micron Center for Professional Technical Education, room 1602
5725 E Franklin Rd. Nampa (Garrity/Idaho Center Exit) – View Map
Short-term welding training through CWI Workforce Development provides students the opportunity to pick the skills that they need for a welding career or the skills they want for welding around the farm or garage. Classes are offered nights and weekends, from single sessions to more in-depth welding programs. All classes offer hands on training with today’s various welding technology, in CWI’s state-of-the-industry Micron Center.
Instructors and those from the industry will be at the open house to talk with attendees and answer any questions they may have about the welding industry.
Please call 208.562.2700 for more information about the event or with any questions about the welding programs and classes.
Blackboard Upgrade Scheduled
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will be conducting an annual update to Blackboard on Saturday, May 16, following its protocol of completing upgrades between the spring and summer semesters. Employees should be aware of the following impacts as a result of the upgrade:
- Blackboard will be offline May 16. Starting May 17, CWI will be running the October 2014 edition of Blackboard.
- All courses from the Summer 2014, Fall 2014, and Spring 2015 semesters will be moved to the Blackboard Archive Site (bbarchive.cwidaho.cc).
- All content prior to Summer 2014 will be moved to an external hard drive as an archived course after July 31 to support Blackboard functionality. After July 31, accessing this course information will require submitting a Helpdesk ticket.
- Additional details have been provided to all faculty.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Courtney Bond, director of CWI’s Center for Teaching and Learning, at 208.562.3084 or courtneybond@cwi.edu.
Staff Association Meeting and Breakfast Next Week
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Staff Senate is hosting the fourth-annual Staff Association Breakfast on Thursday, May 21, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the Nampa Hampton Inn. All benefit eligible staff members are invited to attend. The annual gathering will provide an introduction to the new Staff Senate members, a recap of this year’s accomplishments, and allow time for input on next year’s goals.
The CWI administration encourages as many staff members to attend this meeting as possible as paid time, but Staff Senate would like to remind employees that all offices must remain open to serve students, the community, and faculty. Anyone planning to attend is asked to obtain supervisor approval. Attendees can plan to return to work by 10 a.m. Staff are asked to RSVP by responding to the calendar invitation sent from their Senator.
Staff Senate has been gathering questions for President’s Cabinet that will be answered at the meeting. Questions can be submitted anonymously by emailing staffsenate@cwi.edu prior to the meeting.
Sharing in Bert's Alerts
Each semester at College of Western Idaho (CWI) means the return of a number of wonderful activities occurring throughout the College. The Marketing and Advancement Department encourages employees to share these happenings through Bert’s Alerts. Activities may include events, recognition of employees and students, changes in processes or policies that affect employees, or simply letting peers know what is going on in departments or campus locations.
Bert’s Alerts requests can be submitted through Help Desk, by selecting “Marketing” under the Request Type drop down menu. Bert’s Alerts is distributed every Friday and the deadline for submitting content is end of day Thursday. Please direct all questions regarding Bert’s Alerts to communications@cwi.edu.
