Bert's Alerts - May 22, 2015
In the Spotlight
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) community rallied together for a heartfelt cause on May 16, supporting the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Heart Walk at Julia Davis Park in Boise. The CWI team raised over $800 for the AHA and also sent five participants to walk at the event. The College’s Exercise and Health Science Club led the initiative and were joined by CWI Trustee Mark Dunham. Seen here (left to right) is Dunham with Exercise and Health Science Department Chair, Rhonna Krouse, and CWI students Brianna Heredia and Rachael Barton.
News Highlights
CWI Closed Memorial Day, May 25
On Monday, May 25, all College of Western Idaho (CWI) campus buildings, offices, and services will be closed in observance of Memorial Day. The College will resume its regular operating hours on Tuesday (May 26). Classes for CWI’s summer semester start June 1.
CWI Keeps Tuition and Fees at $136 Per Credit
On Tuesday (May 19), the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Board of Trustees held the first reading for tuition and fees and Fiscal Year 2016 budget considerations. During the meeting the Board unanimously approved a recommendation to keep CWI’s tuition at $136 per-credit-hour for the 2015-16 academic year.
CWI’s $136 cost-per-credit applies to in-district Idaho residents, regardless of the number of credits taken. CWI’s tuition has not increased since 2011.
The College of Western Idaho has three primary sources of revenue: tuition and fees, property taxes, and state appropriations. The College’s administration has conservatively budgeted for a slight decrease in tuition and fees revenue based on early credit hour enrollment projections.
“I am pleased that CWI has continued to balance operational costs from the general fund so that we can continue to provide affordable access to our students and the communities we serve,” noted Board Chair Mary Niland. “As a community college we serve a diverse student population and although we are budgeting slight decreases in our academic transfer, we are also looking at another potential increase in dual credit and workforce development training. This is a positive sign for our community. “
In addition to the approval of tuition and fees, the Board also approved recommendations from the CWI Finance Committee for the 2016 Fiscal Year related to employee pay and benefits. These increases included budget to cover Governor Butch Otter’s recommended and legislature approved three percent increase in employee compensation and additional health insurance costs, and some additional rank and promotion adjustments. Final approval of the Fiscal Year 2016 will occur in July.
Volunteers Drive Free Legal Clinics at CWI
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is celebrating the success of its first semester offering free legal clinics for students. As part of the service local attorneys volunteered their time providing advising consultation to students.
“Our program is modeled from other colleges,” says CWI Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson, Guy Hurlbutt. “The institutions that had done this type of program indicated they are glad they did. It is providing a great service, so we feel it gave us good reason to try it.”
Since introducing the program in December 2014, five clinics have been hosted with 41 students taking advantage of the free legal advising. The clinics are currently offered once a month for three hours at CWI’s Nampa Campus. Students can schedule an appointment or walk-in to speak with a volunteer attorney.
“We have helped students with a variety of issues,” says Jeff Neumeyer, one of the program’s volunteer attorneys. “They often don’t have issues that you would go out and spend money on a lawyer, so we feel good about being able to help them. These are students with real legal issues and we are able to give them some guidance, which they otherwise often times would not be able to get.”
Willingness of volunteers like Neumeyer was a driving force behind establishing the clinics. Their professional experience is vital in building a program that is beneficial to students. Neumeyer is currently Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Office Depot Inc. He has been with the corporation, including previously as Boise Cascade and OfficeMax, for 25 years. He says despite the high demands of his job, the opportunity to support CWI’s new program was exciting.
To date, 24 community members have joined Neumeyer to help facilitate the free service. In addition to attorneys, volunteers also include students from the Concordia University School of Law in Boise.
“The Concordia students have been a tremendous resource,” says Neumeyer. “They have been able to conduct some of the initial conversations with students to help connect them with the appropriate lawyer. Occasionally they also sit in on advising sessions, both for learning experience and to provide input. It is great for them to see how we are providing both practical and legal solutions.”
Neumeyer says the team of volunteers has seen a wide variety of legal issues, from neighbor disputes to landlord/tenant complaints, consumer issues, contract disputes, copyright questions, criminal law, family law, child support, and custody issues.
CWI’s next student legal clinic is scheduled for June 11 from 4-7 p.m. For more information on the legal clinics, including how to schedule an appointment, contact Donna Robinson at donnarobinson@cwi.edu.
2015 Employee Survey Results Are In
Results from College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) 2015 Employee Satisfaction Survey have been compiled. This year, 73 percent of faculty and 53 percent of staff participated in the annual survey, which is a 5 percent increase from 2014. The full survey results and a summary presentation are available for review on myCWI under Faculty Staff Resources > Human Resources > CWI Employee Satisfaction Survey Summaries.
Survey results are currently being analyzed to form recommended actions to address areas needing improvement. The CWI Human Resource Advisory Committee (HRAC) is representing Faculty and Staff in developing these recommendations. Committee members are Brian Plumb, Eric Studebaker, Charles Dickinson, Linda Hyde, Debbie Jensen, Susan Fujinaga, Jake Garcin, Sharon Montgomery, and Lillian Talley.
The HRAC is working on presenting actionable recommendations to College Council and President’s Cabinet in September. Employees are encouraged to provide feedback to HRAC members with ideas they may have for addressing opportunities identified in the survey. Thank you to all the employees that completed the survey and are actively participating in the recommendation process.
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.
Risk Management Updates
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Risk Management Department is introducing a new monthly update in Bert’s Alerts that will appear starting in June. The goal of this ongoing communication is to share updates from the CWI Safety Committee, as well as information on topics of interest to the College like campus safety, worker’s compensation, and insurance. Risk Management also plans to share tips for best practices related to the Department’s areas of focus.
CWI’s Risk Management office is located at the Nampa Campus Administration building. The department handles all of the College’s property and casualty and worker’s compensation insurance. Risk Management is involved with the Safety Committee and works closely with Environmental Safety and Health (ESH) on safety and security matters for the college community, as well as with other departments regarding insurance coverage matters and best practices. Risk Management has developed the Accident/Incident reporting form, the Student Travel procedures and forms, and worked with ESH on the CWI Emergency Handbook, Return-to-Work procedures for injured employees, Accident Investigation procedures, Vehicle and Van Use procedures and various event waivers. In addition, Risk Management oversees the College’s Business Continuity data base, Tobacco-Free Campus webpage, and the recently implemented Fraud and Ethics Reporting Hotline which can be found at www.cwidaho.ethicspoint.com, as well as via the Risk Management webpage and myCWI.
Please contact the Risk Management Department at riskmanagement@cwi.edu or 208.562.3298 with any questions or suggestions.
Vance Receives Staff Award for May
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is pleased to announce CWI’s May Staff of the Month honor has been awarded to David Vance.
Vance joined CWI in January 2011 and is currently a Building Facilities Specialist.
“Serving all in an atmosphere of caring” is a Core Value that Vance demonstrates every day in his work with fellow employees and with students. His nomination noted “I don’t know anyone who walks in a room and lights up more faces. He’s always friendly, willing to help (even if the task doesn’t pertain to his role), and takes the time to really get to know everyone”.
Vance was born and raised in southern California and still has a brother and sister that live there. Most of his family now calls the Treasure Valley home as his mom lives in Nampa, a brother and sister-in-law live in Eagle, and a sister and brother-in-law live in Caldwell.
Please join in congratulating David. Thank you for your commitment and continued dedication to CWI and its faculty, staff, and students.
