Bert's Alerts - May 6, 2016
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) 2016 Commencement Ceremony is Saturday, May 7, and CWI has already started celebrating its newest class of graduates. Once again, the College is leading a commencement celebration online through the #cwigraduation hashtag. Employees, students, and the community are encouraged to share congratulatory messages on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Selected messages will appear on the arena screens prior to commencement. They can also be viewed at cwi.edu/graduation. See the full graduation article below for complete Commencement details.
News Highlights
CWI to Hold Commencement Ceremony on May 7
On Saturday, May 7, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) will celebrate its 2016 class of graduates in a commencement ceremony hosted at Taco Bell Arena in Boise. The ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will recognize degree and certificate graduates, as well as GED completers.
CWI will honor a record number of degree and certificate candidates as well as the most ever graduates with honors. Some of the highlights of this year’s commencement include:
- 1293 Degree and Certificate Candidates
- 508 Graduates with Honors
- 244 Graduates with Multiple Degrees
- 129 Veteran Graduates
- Average Graduate GPA 3.27
- Youngest Graduate - 17 Years Old
- Oldest Graduate - 68 Years Old
For more commencement details visit cwi.edu/graduation. Family and friends of graduates that cannot attend in person can watch a live stream of the event at cwi.edu. Community members are also encouraged to share messages with graduates using #cwigraduation on Twitter and Instagram. Messages will be streamed on screens for graduates to see while preparing for the ceremony.
Idaho Gives a Huge Success for CWI Students
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation’s participation in Idaho Gives was a huge success. The 24-hour online fundraising event took place on Thursday, May 5. Thanks to generous contributions from CWI employees, the Foundation’s board of directors, and the community at large, CWI students will now have even more opportunities to achieve their academic dreams.
Idaho Gives is an annual day of giving designated to support the state’s nonprofits. The CWI Foundation participates in the event as the only charitable, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting CWI. All proceeds the Foundation received this year, including a $1,500 match from Bank of the Cascades Foundation, will go toward a scholarship created by CWI employee Nikki Houston.
So far, Houston’s scholarship has been awarded to two students; Christina Northrop and Alicia Anderson. The roughly $5,000 in new funds raised during Idaho Gives can potentially help up to 18 additional students.
“It’s humbling to live in a place where people care so much about a scholarship and about education,” Houston said. “I am so grateful for everyone’s support. I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough.”
“On behalf of Nikki, her family, and the CWI Foundation, thank you for supporting Idaho Gives,” Mitch Minnette, the CWI Foundation’s executive director, said. “Thanks to our community’s support, we will continue working toward our goal of helping CWI students decrease their debt.”
This year, the collective efforts of more than 600 organizations brought in $1,053,681 for Idaho Gives. Next year’s event will be held May 4, 2017.
Communication Department Hosts Showcase
College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted the third annual Department of Communication Celebration on Friday, May 6, at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Each year the event serves as a spotlight for CWI’s nationally recognized Speech and Debate team while also celebrating graduates of the Communication program. The ceremony includes recognition of a Speech and Debate Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee as well as a member of the CWI community that shows tremendous support for Speech and Debate. This year’s honorees are:
- CWI President Bert Glandon, Speech and Debate Support Honoree
- Jordan Brady, Speech and Debate Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee
Motivated to Achieve Academic Success
A College of Western Idaho (CWI) employee is helping two students offset some of their college costs. Enrollment Advisor Nikki Houston established the “LTH Don’t Give Up” Scholarship at the end of last year with the goal of helping single parents achieve their academic dreams. Alicia Anderson, a Liberal Arts major, is one of the two CWI students who were awarded the scholarship. With the scholarship’s help, Alicia is motivated to achieve academic success.
Alicia’s Story
Growing up, Alicia always knew education was the key to success. She is not only the first person in her family to attend college, she is the first in her family to graduate from high school. She moved away from her home in Idaho Falls after graduating to attend Boise State University, but ended up dropping out to support herself by working two jobs.
“I knew I’d go back to school eventually, but it wasn’t until I got pregnant with my son at the age of 20 that I realized if I wanted to provide a better life for him, I needed to do something beyond retail and customer service,” she said.
When the time came for Alicia to reconsider school, she says it happened during an unexpected time. She had heard about free application week at CWI and decided to check it out. She says one thing led to another and before she knew it—everything worked out perfectly and she was back in class. Her son, Eli, was about to turn seven years old, he was going to school full time, and she had more time to focus on her studies.
“The past few years have been emotional and especially difficult to handle as a single mom,” she said. “Being a single parent hasn’t affected my goals in a bad way, but rather given me the drive and motivation to overcome obstacles in order to succeed.”
Eli’s schedule now allows Alicia to juggle a full-time job, a three-quarter time class schedule, and the many activities little kids enjoy. She manages to keep a 3.0 grade point average as well.
“I try really hard,” she says. “And I work really hard to give my son the things I never had. One day, I’ll be able to look back and appreciate the struggles I endured to make my dreams come true, and I’ll be better equipped to help Eli achieve his dreams.”
Alicia’s goal is to transfer her CWI degree to Idaho State University and study speech pathology.
Scholarship Helps Complete a Life Goal
A College of Western Idaho (CWI) employee is helping two students offset some of their college costs. Enrollment Advisor Nikki Houston established the “LTH Don’t Give Up” Scholarship at the end of last year with the goal of helping single parents achieve their academic dreams. Christina Northrop, a Nursing program student, is one of two CWI students who were awarded the scholarship. With the scholarship’s help, Christina is determined to complete her life goal of becoming a nurse.
Christina’s Story
Once Christina finally made the decision to enroll in nursing school, she found out she was going to become a parent—more specifically, a single parent.
“I was literally a few days away from applying for an RN program at a Texas college when I found out I was pregnant,” she said. “I knew then that I would have to move back home to Idaho in order to finish college. I packed up my little car to the brim and drove 1,600 miles to Idaho. My son, Milo, was born seven months later.”
Before leaving Texas, Christina became the first person in her family to graduate from college. She earned an Associate Degree in General Studies at a community college, and set nursing as her next academic goal.
“My father influenced me to go to college,” she said. “He always told me I needed a career to have a good life, and now my drive is intensified by the need to provide for my son.”
Shortly after Milo was born, Christina discovered the Certified Nursing Assistant program through CWI’s Workforce Development. After earning her certification last year, she started working on the courses she needed to competitively apply for CWI’s Nursing program. She earned straight As along the way, and learned she could apply for scholarships to help offset some of the costs of college.
"Thank you to the people who have devoted their time and money to this scholarship,” she said. “I want them to know how much I really appreciate the opportunity they're bringing to people like myself. It's important that they know their effort is not taken for granted!"
A few weeks after being awarded the scholarship, Christina was accepted into the CWI Nursing program. She begins her journey this fall.
Education Faculty Present at Boise Conference
On April 27, Carol Billing and Molly Wolk represented College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Education Department at the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association (MPAEA) and Idaho Lifelong Learners Association’s (ILLA) Conference at the Riverside Hotel in Boise. The duo provided an overview of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
While the policy is still very new, Wolk and Billing explained how teacher preparation programs at community colleges are not considered within ESSA’s accountability plan. Since community colleges provide an essential pipeline of first-generation, non-traditional, STEM-focused and career switching students into four-year institutions, and ultimately into Idaho’s classrooms, the adoption of ESSA in Idaho needs to account for teacher preparation programs at all post-secondary institutions. Billing and Wolk are some of the first in the state to present on this new legislation, and their session sparked authentic and collegial conversation around this bill.
How CWI Employees Directly Impact Student Learning
Each year, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation asks employees to consider the Wishing Well Fund in their annual gift giving plan. The fund allows faculty and staff to develop and implement unique classroom ideas, and helps them buy some of the equipment and items that are needed to better serve CWI students. This past year, the Foundation was able to award 6 of 11 applications received. Here is a look at how some of the awards are directly impacting student learning at CWI.
Intuous Pen and Tablet – $430.18 to purchase an Intuous Pen and Tablet used to create videos.
Biology instructor Hollie Leavitt teaches the majority of her classes online. She uses her newly-acquired technology to create Kahn Academy-style videos that help her teach flip class courses. Her biology students are the first to benefit from the gift. Leavitt’s students can watch the videos before they get to class, and then use valuable classroom time to complete the activities associated with the videos. She says this style of learning is invaluable for her students.
“They’re getting the opportunity to teach each other and problem solve—which is used in the real world. Plus, they are able to go over the materials as many times as needed; instead of one pass like they would during a lecture. I’ve seen students that are more engaged, that are active learners, that are talking about material before class begins and staying after class (sometimes for hours!) to continue debates and discussions. The grant money has been a total game changer for me and my students, and I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you!” – Hollie Leavitt
3D Printer – $1,000 to purchase parts and materials to build a 3D printer.
Drafting Technology Program Chair Rob Green says the printer his students are building from scratch is a huge step because it will allow them to show off their work. Not only will they be able to build what they design, they will also be able to take their designs and put them online.
“Students have worked on this project over two consecutive school years. This spring, the Wishing Well grant provided an opportunity for the students to build this design. For students, building what they design is an invaluable learning experience. It provides a type of grading feedback that any instructor simply cannot duplicate. Thank you to all who contributed to the fund.” – Rob Green
Choking Victim Manikins – $1,292 to purchase three manikins; two Choking Charlie, one child.
The Emergency Medical Services program teaches students how to save lives. In order to provide students with realistic, real-world training, having a variety of manikins is priceless.
“I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have a full-bodied child manikin for our CPR and EMS classes. Choking Charlies are used for our many students to practice abdominal thrusts, as we cannot practice on each other. Rescue Jennifer helps students practice CPR, immobilizations, etc. Having a manikin with arms and legs, along with some weight to it, brings a more realistic learning experience for all. Your generosity is appreciated and will have many years of use for our CWI students and Instructors!” – Dana Hoyer
Projection System – $1,400 to purchase a camera and projector screen.
The world of electronics is filled with all kinds of tiny pieces and parts. To help take the guesswork out of what they are able to see in class, Mechatronics instructor Mike Scuka set up an old video camera and projected his projects up on the wall. His prototype worked so well that he decided to apply to the Wishing Well Fund in hopes of receiving a dedicated display system. His wish came true.
“Thanks to you, I have a high-resolution camera and high-quality projector screen which is awesome. It has turned out much better and more useful than I had anticipated. Thank you for this valuable tool which is helping students better understand how to make measurements and troubleshoot electronic equipment.” – Mike Scuka
The Wishing Well Fund is supported by generous contributions from CWI employees and community supporters. The application deadline for this year’s awards is September 23, 2016.
For more information on the fund’s guidelines, or how to sign up for automatic payroll deductions that support the Wishing Well Fund, please contact the CWI Foundation office at 208.562.3100 or email foundation@cwi.edu.
CWI Step Up Challenge Winners Named
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Step Up Challenge is in the books and the top walking CWI employees have been announced. In total, CWI employees took 5,392,974 steps throughout the friendly competition.
The following individuals brought their top game and beat their building competitors.
Ada County Campus
Linx Building - Nikki Houston
Malard Building - Linda Kopelowitz
Pintail Center - Connor McComas
Quail Building - Anelise Krause
Canyon County Center
Hollie Leavitt
Nampa Campus
Administration Building - Morriah Marks
Academic Building - Russel Hills
Multipurpose Building - Stephanie Barham
Micron Center for Professional Technical Education - Anthony Anselmo
Prizes will be delivered to each winner during the week of May 9. Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to the winners.
Help Recognize Outstanding Faculty
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Faculty Recognition Committee would like to remind employees that it is continuously accepting nominations for the monthly Faculty of Distinction award. Faculty, staff, students, and administrators are encouraged to nominate a faculty member that they feel is doing an outstanding job of meeting one or more of CWI’s Core Values:
- Acting With Integrity
- Serving All in an Atmosphere of Caring
- Sustaining our Quality of Life for Future Generations
- Respecting the Dignity of Opinions
- Innovating for the 21st Century
- Leaving a Legacy of Learning
Please submit nominations through the You Rock form. Please note, every field in the You Rock form does not need to be completed as nominees aren’t expected to necessarily meet every Core Value. Meeting one Core Value very well is sufficient.
