Bert's Alerts—May 7, 2021
News Highlights
CWI Innovative Educator of the Year Nominees for 2021
Each year, College of Western Idaho (CWI) nominates its best instructors for the Innovative Educator of the Year award. Past winners of this award include Kristin Cook who was named Innovative Educator for Mathematical Ways of Knowing from the Idaho State Board of Education in 2020.
The College’s 2021 nominees for Innovative Educators include:
Written Communication – Liza Long, English 102
Long teaches several different courses in her role as an English instructor. In all of these rolls she takes into account the practical uses of written communication. For example, in her English 102 course, Long asks students to become aware of and write a paper using the forms and terms of the language of their major area of study. In this way, students not only get iterative practice in writing, but they are honing skills specific to their chosen field of study.
Oral Communication – Anna Gamboa, Communication 101
As a Communication instructor, Gamboa ensures students get low stakes practice of their communication skills. In her Communications 101 course, she helps students to carefully observe communication styles and messaging to better distinguish between trustworthy sources of information and those that are suspect. These lessons can then be used as they create their own communication content and style.
Mathematical Ways of Knowing – Cathy Carson, Math 143
Carson's work in elementary math education and as a dual credit instructor mentorship has raised the level of excellence in our CWI Mathematics classes. Her assignments allow students to see the practical applications of math concepts in the world around them. In her Math 143 class, students select and use formulas they have learned in math to calculate things like the exact height a person will be standing at when looking out from the St. Louis arch.
Scientific Ways of Knowing – Hollie Leavitt, Biology 227
Hollie Leavitt teaches one of the harder courses at CWI, Anatomy and Physiology (BIOL 227). Using guided learning methods, she helps her students learn the abundance of content in a way that sticks with them. For example, after studying how the lungs work, and the parts that make it up, Hollie has students create and work through the mechanics of a lung that they make themselves in the classroom setting out of a balloon, straw, and bucket. In this way, they come away with a better understanding and a better memory of the parts that make it up.
Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing – Joel Gladd, English 227-228
Gladd uses student annotations to spark deeper research and reflection in his American Literature courses, and this combination of high-quality research and reflection on the learning process has made it a favorite assignment in his courses as students collaborate to write publicly-available annotations to works of literature.
Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing – Charles Dickinson, Sociology 101
Dickinson's Sociology classes help give students a new perspective on complex social issues and interactions in the workplace. One of his assignments in Sociology 101 asks students to identify a social ritual they may have always taken for granted, describe it, and relate it to a reading on a very remote culture's social rituals that may seem strange to us. Seeing the familiar as peculiar is one of the ways Charles ensures a widened sociological perspective for his students.
Congratulations to this year’s nominees who will now move forward to the statewide competition and their chance at a $500 prize sponsored by Cap Ed Credit Union. Winners will be announced by May 15, 2021, and will represent their institutions at the annual General Education Summit as Innovative Educators of the Year in October along with nominees from all eight public institutions of higher education in Idaho. Best of luck to our outstanding CWI instructors!
Grad Fest 2021
Congratulations, 2021 graduates! You made it! Gather your family and friends, decorate your car, and plan to join us for this year’s Grad Fest, Thursday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB)! This drive-by celebration will be complete with music, balloons, confetti, and an exclusive Grad Fest gift bag full of CWI swag and alumni keepsakes – all to celebrate YOU!
Register
Graduates planning to attend are asked to register for the event by May 11. The first 200 graduates to attend will receive a diploma cover in addition to a gift bag. Grad Fest gift bags and diploma covers will not be sent to graduates not in attendance.
Attend
Graduates can attend Grad Fest any time between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. the day of the event. Enter the NCAB parking lot at the intersection of Idaho Center Blvd. and Birch Lane. Please remain in your vehicle, and follow signs to the Grad Fest area upon your arrival.
We cannot wait to honk, wave, cheer, and celebrate you and all you have accomplished!
Contact Chad Trisler, Dean of Students, at dos@cwi.edu with questions or to learn more.
Congratulations, 2021 Graduates!
In acknowledgement of our 2021 graduates, College of Western Idaho will live stream its 12th commencement ceremony Friday, May 14, beginning at 6 p.m. on CWI's Live Events page, Facebook page and YouTube channel! Plan to celebrate with us in recognition of this year’s degree and certificate and Workforce Development apprenticeship graduates.
Graduates are invited to participate in the live-streamed ceremony by submitting a photo and quote for their personalized slide. Each graduate will receive an email from noreply@marchingorder.com on behalf of the CWI’s Registrar’s Office with directions for submissions which are due April 27. Phonetic pronunciation submissions are due April 20. Regalia is available to purchase online through the Bookstore.
In addition to the ceremony, CWI is hosting a Grad Fest. This curbside, pick-up event for graduates will be held Thursday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Graduates are encouraged to check their student email account, the CWI newsroom, the College’s social media channels, and the Graduation webpage regularly for announcements and up-to-date information. Please email registrar@cwi.edu with any questions.
Congratulations to all our 2021 graduates! You made it!
CWI Rolls Out New ID Cards
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is transitioning to the new BOLD branding for ID cards at the College.
Faculty and staff can update their ID cards at the One Stop Student Services Ada County and Nampa Campus Micron Education Center locations beginning Friday, May 7, and are encouraged to complete the process before the end of spring semester.
Staff are asked to get their new ID cards either before July 31 or wait until after Oct. 1 to help representatives focus on students and the start of the Fall semester.
To update your card:
- Reserve a 15-minute appointment online
- Appear in person at your selected One Stop Student Services location to update your ID card
- Enter the ID card’s 5-digit serial number in an online form. After your appointment, a link will be emailed to you from CWI facilities. Enter the ID card’s 5-digit number to change your building access to your new card. It may take up to 48 hours for the card to become active.
When arriving at One Stop Student Services, employees are asked to sign in using the kiosk before being helped. Bring your current ID card to the appointment to verify your Employee ID number. You will not be required to hand in your card, but keep your old card’s 5-digit card serial number accessible to complete the form you will receive to activate building access on campus.
Staff and faculty will need to get a new card before Dec. 31, 2021, when building access expires for all existing ID cards. Please continue to watch your email for updates surrounding rollout of the new ID cards.
2021 Connections Excellence Awards
This year’s Connection Project included posters, mini presentations, and club submissions. Finalists in each category were determined by a panel of judges. Winners of this year’s Connections Excellence Awards were presented by Will Young, Vice President of the College’s Speech and Debate team and President of the Queers and Allies Club, during the 2021 Connections Project. Winners of each category received $100 to $150 prizes.
Club Submission
- 1st Place – Biology Club, Pollinator Garden Virtual Tour
Inspire Talks
- 1st Place – Kristina Turley, Brooklyn Miller, and Camille Slack, Police Reform: Response to Mental Health Crisis Calls
- Runner-up – Michelle Petit, Pitching a (Fictitious) Website Design to the Business Owners
Connect Talks
- 1st Place – Kate Jones, Origins of a Republic: America’s Role in the Formation of the Republic of Liberia
- Runner-up – Anastasia English, Women of Ancient Athens
Inspire Posters
- 1st Place – Tory Cardwell, Human Rhino/Enterovirus
- Runner-up – Marty Lawhorn, Service as a Teacher’s Assistant
- Runner-up – McKynna Dugger, Naegleria Flowleri: Transmission/Prevention of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalititis (PAM)
Connect Posters
- 1st Place – Annie Colombatto, Reimagining College
- Runner-up – Emily Craner, Please Don’t
- Runner-up – Julie Meyer, Promoting Student Success
Thank you to the judges, instructors, and participants of this year’s Connection Project, and congratulations to the winners!
Gentry Named Best in Show
Congratulations to Madeline Mae Gentry, winner of College of Western Idaho’s 2021 Juried Art Show. Gentry’s submission, a set of photographs titled The Waiting Game, was selected by juror and Chair of the Department of Art at The College of Idaho, Alice Vinson, from more than 30 entries. Fourteen of these entries, including Gentry’s as Best in Show, were chosen for the 2021 Juried Art Exhibit.
Gentry was born in Nampa, Idaho, but grew up in Mobile, Alabama. Now back in Idaho, she is studying Media Arts at the College. She plans to graduate this fall and would like to find a program to help her develop her creative eye. Her ultimate goal is to travel the world to tell her own stories and others.
“I was excited to enter the Juried Art Show with my Waiting Game diptych because I felt it was something very now and very relatable,” expressed Gentry. “It has been one year since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. In this year we have done a lot of waiting. Waiting for a test. Waiting for a cure. Waiting in social isolation. Waiting in self-quarantine. Waiting for this all to be over. While much of the pandemic has been a year of unknown timing, The Waiting Game depicts two measurable intervals of time many have faced in the past year, Twenty Minutes, and Fourteen Days.”
“Over the course of the last year we have kind of all suffered through COVID-19,” said Vinson. “This piece stood out to me because it was one of the first pieces of art I have seen that hasn’t really taken a side. It seemed very neutral, and it was about something we can all relate to… this isolation and sense of desolation and boredom.”
Gentry will receive a $150 cash prize for her winning entry.
Watch Juror, Alice Vinson, Announce the Winner of CWI's 2021 Juried Art Show
2021 President’s Writing Awards
College of Western Idaho's (CWI) English department is proud to present the recipients of its annual President’s Writing Awards. The annual awards were established to recognize and honor excellence in student writing at CWI. Students were recognized for their work by President Bert Glandon during this year’s Connections Project event on Thursday, April 29. This is the eighth year Glandon and his wife, Jane, selected students to receive awards.
“I will tell you that it has been a thrill, an honor, and a privilege to be involved in this activity over the last several years,” expressed Glandon. “This has been the most difficult year determining between first, second, and third place… it was like trying to judge the Olympics!”
The 2021 President’s Writing Award winners are:
Creative Nonfiction
- First Place – Kelli Laughlin, The Last Desert Legend (ENGL 243)
- Second Place – Carmen O’Donnell, Smurf (ENGL 243)
- Third Place – Susan Werlinger, Interruptions of Life with Death (ENGL 243)
Critical Analysis
- First Place – Jori Brough, The Importance of Upholding Your Morals (ENGL 102)
- Second Place – Avigale Sperry, Antisemitism in American Colleges (HIST 190)
- Third Place – Monica Lange, Tactical Triumphs (HIST 190)
Fiction
- First Place – Calvin Pineda, The Seven-Day Forecast (ENGL 242)
- Second Place – Majel Coxe, Fool’s Gold (ENGL 242)
- Third Place – Mandy Jamison, On Matters of Love and Nuclear Fusion (ENGL 242)
First-Year Writing
- First Place – Enrique Antonio Rodriquez, Finding Light (ENGL 101)
- Second Place – Anastasia English, Tishreen Revolution: Fighting for Iraq’s Future (ENGL 102)
- Third Place – Ali Murphey, The Lucky One (CWI 101)
Literature Based Research
- First Place – Andrew Rose, Election Interference, An Evolving Strategic Solution (POLS 290)
- Second Place – Sunny Braithwaite, Emma Bowen, Iisha Silvels, and Meira Viad, Analysis of Counterfactual Thought Patters of Repeat Criminal Offenders (PSYC 190)
- Third Place – Lauren VerHagen, Annexation of Hawaii (HIST 190)
Original Research
- First Place – Rachel Capezza, Sage Steppe Post-Fire Recovery Dynamics on Bromus Tectorum, Native Bunchgrasses, and Artemesia Tridentata at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge (ENVI 260)
- Second Place – Joanna Beck, Dihydrofolate Reductase (MMBS 260)
- Third Place – Gabrielle Peck, Mindfulness and Well-Being (PSYC 250/251)
Poetry
- First Place – Calvin Pineda, Song for a Postmodern Lazarus (ENGL 241)
- Second Place – Rebecca Young, I was Formed By (CWI 101)
- Third Place – Netanya Hitchcock, A Place to Breathe (ENGL 241)
Technical Writing
- First Place – Rachel Capezza, Website Evaluation and Recommendation Report (ENGL 202)
- Second Place – Amelia Anne Bailey, Treasure Valley Catering Services Request for Proposal (ENGL 202)
- Third Place – Cambria Copes, Copes Party Proposal (ENGL 202)
“I want to congratulate all of the finalists,” said Glandon. “They have done an excellent job. I also want to thank the faculty who have worked with them. Obviously this kind of academic success doesn’t come without some true mentorship and leadership.”
Watch President Glandon Present the 2021 President's Writing Awards
Glandon Inducted into Boise Metro Chamber Hall of Fame
College of Western Idaho (CWI) President Bert Glandon was inducted into the Boise Metro Chamber’s Hall of Fame on Thursday, May 6, during the 2021 Small Business of the Year and Chamber Excellence Awards at the Boise Centre. The Chamber selected Glandon for his positive contributions to the organization’s mission and advocate for a vibrant economy in the Treasure Valley.
Several business leaders were featured in a video tribute including Alex Lebeau, President of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry; Clark Krause, Executive Director of the Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP); Guy Hurlbutt, founding CWI Board of Trustee member; Bill Connors, President and CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber; and former Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, as they acknowledged the tremendous work Glandon has done in the community for the past 12 years.
“President Glandon is a national icon in higher education, and CWI became a national success story under Bert’s leadership,” said Connors. “The Boise Metro Chamber was a vocal champion for the creation of CWI, and Bert and his team delivered for the entire valley with amazing results. His passion for student success, career and technical education, and his service to the valley’s growing business needs, certainly makes President Glandon a worthy inductee to our hall of fame, our Chamber’s highest individual honor.”
President Glandon joined CWI in July of 2009, He will be retiring on May 15 after 12 years of dedicated service to the College and community.
“President Glandon’s vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment to advancing students has cultivated the incredible growth and success at CWI and influenced the entire education landscape across Idaho,” said Molly Lenty, Chair of Board of Trustees at CWI.
Perkins Named Faculty of Distinction for April
Congratulations to Dusty Perkins, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for April 2021. Perkins is an Associate Professor of Biology and has been teaching at the College for 12 years.
A native Idahoan, Perkins earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Boise State University in 2002. He then remained at Boise State where he completed his Master of Science in Raptor Biology with an emphasis on Population Genetics, Conservation Biology, and Ecosystem Dynamics in 2006.
“I grew up far out in the country on a 100-acre cherry orchard,” Perkins shared. “Being outside and connected to nature was a first language for me. In fourth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Sally Graff, introduced me and my classmates to birds of prey, and I was immediately hooked and decided I wanted to study and protect birds of prey and their habitats.”
Beginning his teaching career at CWI in 2010, his courses focus on biology and natural resources. Among his many accomplishments at the College include conceiving and installing the College’s Native Plant Garden, located near the east entrance of the Nampa Campus Academic Building, in 2012.
“The Biology and Horticulture clubs received plant materials donations from two native plant Nurseries – Draggin’ Wing High Desert Nursery and Conservation Seeding and Restoration Inc. Many students participated in the installation event, and we have had many annual events since related to the garden including maintenance, native seed collection workshops, pollinator education, and native plant sales.”
While Perkins enjoys many things about teaching, his top moments have been found in watching his students grow and be able to demonstrate their technical and science communication skills.
“It’s those moments where you can see a student has truly grasped a skill and is using it to convey meaning. Watching students make connections within their fields and take initiative to engage, network, and grow into new academic and professional opportunities is also a tremendous joy.”
“Dusty has gone above and beyond to find and provide opportunities for students,” said Stephanie Sevigny, Adjunct Physics Faculty. “He serves as a mentor for his own research as well as being involved in multiple other research programs at CWI and partner universities. He founded the Math and Science Hub (MASH) to inform students of research opportunities, internships, and jobs. He is a supportive colleague always available to help me plan, brainstorm, troubleshoot, and deploy any project I have approached him about.”
“Thank you for being such a healthy influence – not only to me but to many students at CWI,” said student, Alexis Ledford. “You are kind and always available for those in need, but most importantly you care. I know I am not the only student you have impacted in such a way, and on the behalf of all of us, thank you!”
Preparing for his departure from the College at the end of Spring 2021 semester, Perkins is planning to join the Idaho Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in June as their Land Stewardship Manager.
“This has been a dream of mine for years, and so many things have come into alignment to make the move,” he said. “This new position gives me an opportunity to play a more active role in conservation and to build on the skills I developed in my time at CWI. It also provides much more outside time on the land and under the sky; which I’m looking forward to.”
“I have been so grateful to work with many caring, authentic, and dedicated folks that make CWI the place that it is during my time here," he continued. "Thanks for your camaraderie and partnership that made our efforts and interactions meaningful. I’m certainly sad to leave CWI and transition projects, partnerships, and connections to great folks both inside and outside of the College.”
Perkins lives in Eagle, Idaho, with his wife, sons, and dog. He enjoys being in nature, gardening, and developing habitats for native pollinators.
CWI Prepares to Launch National Presidential Search
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Board of Trustees has announced a partnership with Summit Search Solutions to begin a nation-wide search for CWI’s next president. Currently, Summit is convening a number of internal, business and community listening sessions and focus groups in advance of the Search Committee’s first meeting.
The greater community is invited to attend a public forum Friday, May 21, at 9 a.m. and may request attendance through CWI Presidential Search. Feedback from these forums will inform the content of a position description and the position profile. Summit staff will support work to evaluate candidates, select and interview semifinalists and finalists for future presidential candidate community forums, and, ultimately, extend an offer to a tremendous candidate.
Board Chair, Molly Lenty, stated, “We’ll take the needed time, do our work, follow the necessary due diligence to ensure that we are addressing the needs of our students, the many communities we serve and, of course our faculty and staff as we prepare to select our next president.”
For more information please visit, CWI Presidential Search.
April 21-Day Challenge Winners
Thank you to all who participated in the April 21-day Challenge – the Hike and Bike Challenge! We hope you enjoyed the push to get outside and explore your local hike and bike areas.
The top mileage winner for hiking miles is Courtney Santillan, and the top mileage for biking is Jan Hanson. The winners will receive The Hiker’s Guide to Greater Boise and Ridge to Rivers trail maps!
All participants who completed 10 or more days of the challenge were entered to win Ridge to Rivers trail maps. Participation prize winners for April are:
- Shannon Grimsley
- Liz Otterness
- Maggie Saye
- Janna McCurdy
- Mark Westcott
- Ted Daniels
- Malinda DeLeon
- Malia Collins
- Abigail Wolford
- Janel Holt
“I discovered a lot of new places,” said One Stop Representative, Malinda DeLeon. “I love being out in nature and I was able to get some great photography shots! I plan to make this an every weekend challenge going forward just so I can keep discovering new places.”
“I'm a better person: mom, professor, writer, friend, daughter, sibling, and neighbor when I make time to move and get outside,” said Assistant Professor of English, Malia Collins. “This challenge set me up for a more active and vibrant spring and summer. The days I bike and get outside to hike, I feel so much better in the other parts of my life--the eating parts and the way I feel in my body and mind. My focus and clarity are sharper the days I make time to move in ways that make me feel strong.”
“The challenge this month was a little easier because, with a new puppy in tow, I get to experience our gorgeous foothills bright and early every day,” said Assessment and Testing Specialist, Maggie Saye. “The little guy might slow me down on the trails, and we can't go for too long yet, but it's been great for my consistency in hiking.”
“This activity got me back on my mountain bike,” said Associate Professor of Spanish, Janel Holt. “Yay!”
April’s challenge completes eight 21-day challenges for the 2020-2021 academic year. Don’t forget about the added challenge – the upcoming We Otter Get Moving Virtual Fun Run and Walk on May 22! There is still time to sign up and prepare for your 5k or 10k.
We are so grateful to everyone who participated and hope the 21-day challenges gave everyone great motivation to build new habits and create positive capacity in your health moving forward.
Support Students through Employee Giving
With this year's open enrollment period for benefit-eligible employees upon us, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation would like to remind faculty and staff about the opportunity we all have to support students through employee giving. For those who already give, we thank you for your support.
Whether you choose to give to Greatest Needs, CWI Foundation scholarships, the SCORE Big Scholarship, Wishing Well Fund, a specific program, or want to create a scholarship of your own – your donations directly support student success opening doors to opportunities and the future.
Since 2011, employee giving has raised more than $195,000 in support of students and programs at the College. So far this academic year, employee giving contributions reached nearly $13,000. Now is the perfect time to review your current giving status and payroll deductions. Not only are your donations tax deductible, they are an investment in the people, programs, and ideas that strengthen our community.
“I give to the CWI Foundation because I believe investing in my fellow Southwestern Idahoans’ higher education is the best way to positively impact our community and the future”, said Justin Vance, Dean School of Arts and Humanities.
“College should be attainable for everyone,” added Stacy Hardy, Web Developer in Communications and Marketing. "Employee giving provides an easy way to give back while joining funds from other employees to create scholarship opportunities for our students.”
Contact the CWI Foundation at 208.562.3100 or foundation@cwi.edu to learn more about employee giving opportunities.
Open Enrollment Open Through May 14
Open enrollment for medical, dental, and flexible spending accounts (FSA) will be held April 26 through May 14, 2021, for all benefit-eligible College of Western Idaho (CWI) employees. The new plan year begins July 1, 2021.
Open enrollment is your chance to:
- Enroll or re-enroll in the FSA program for the 2022 fiscal year – FSA plans do not automatically renew year-to-year.
- Change your medical plan type (PPO, Traditional, High Deductible).
- Add dependents to dental care coverage.
- Switch premium deductions from post-tax to pre-tax or vice-versa.
- As a reminder, dependents can be added or removed from medical coverage at any point during the year.
Open enrollment forms:
- Forms will be available Monday, April 26, on the Human Resources Employee Resources site on myCWI.
- Forms can be signed electronically.
- Open enrollment forms are due Friday, May 14, at 5 p.m., and will be accepted via email or in-person at the Human Resources office located at the Nampa Campus Administration Building.
- Exceptions will not be made for those who miss the May 14 deadline.
Have a quick question about your benefits?
During the open enrollment period, Human Resources will be holding drop-in Q&A forums via Zoom for those with questions about open enrollment and/or CWI’s benefits.
Save the date!
Learn more about the benefits available to you by attending CWI's Virtual Benefit Fair, April 23 – May 13. At the virtual benefits fair you can access updated plan and rate information for the new plan year, view informative videos, attend webinars, review FAQs, and access open enrollment forms.
Contact Human Resources at HRBenefits@cwi.edu with questions.
