Bert's Alerts - November 7, 2014
In the Spotlight
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Patriot Range provided the setting for a moving picture of the Nampa Campus Academic Building on Thursday, Nov. 6, as the tribute returned for the second consecutive year. The display has grown to 300 flags this year and will stand day and night through Nov. 12.
News Highlights
CWI Honors Veterans with Observance Ceremony
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, College of Western Idaho (CWI) will honor veterans, members of the United States armed forces, and their families with an observance ceremony being hosted at CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building. The observance activity will commence at 1 p.m.
The ceremony is open to the public and will feature a student speaker, student choir, guest speaker, and refreshments. This year’s guest speaker is Scott Truitt, Founder and CEO of The Gratitude Campaign; a public awareness initiative aimed at encouraging and empowering civilians to express gratitude to those who serve.
In addition, the event will feature the CWI Patriot Range as a ceremony backdrop. The Patriot Range, originated by the CWI Veterans Association, is a powerful patriotic display of more than 300 American flags. Thanks to generous collaboration between this student organization, CWI Student Enrichment, and the Eagle Field of Honor, the Patriot Range will be on display at the Nampa Campus until Nov. 12 as part of this year’s tribute surrounding Veterans Day.
Free College Application Week Returns to College of Western Idaho
On Monday (Nov. 10) College of Western Idaho (CWI) kicked off its third-annual Free Application Week waiving the $25 application fee for admissions to CWI. CWI’s Free Application Week, which coincides with Idaho College Application Week, is intended to encourage first-generation and low-income students to take the important first step toward pursuing a college degree or certificate. The initiative has been extended to automatically waive the fee to anyone who submits an application to CWI through Nov. 21.
To date, more than 2,700 people have taken advantage of the free application to advance their education. This year CWI hopes to help even more students explore higher education options and benefits.
As part of Free Application Week, CWI will also host an Admissions Express event at the Nampa Campus Academic Building on Tuesday (Nov. 11) from 4:30-7:30 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, will provide additional opportunities to connect with advisors, discover college resources, take a campus tour, learn more about college programs, and meet other students.
CWI Visiting Artist Series Presents Free Concert
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is pleased to invite the community to experience the College of Idaho Langroise Trio in a free public concert presented by the CWI Visiting Artist Program. The renowned classical group will perform:
Thursday – November 13
7 p.m.
Nampa Campus Academic Building
Room 206
This marks the second free performance at CWI by the College of Idaho Langroise Trio. The group performed the first-ever Visiting Artist Program concert in April. This concert will feature the music of Haydn, Dotzaur, and Dvorak. The Trio will also host a “talk back” session with the audience and an intimate reception immediately following the performance. The event is made possible thanks to a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
"We are thrilled to have the Langroise Trio return to CWI,” says Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair, Brenda Fisher. “The opportunity to present this acclaimed group is tremendous for our students and the community. I believe our studio setting provides a unique and perfect way to experience chamber music.”
The CWI Visiting Artist Program features professional visual and performing artists of state, regional, and national acclaim who visit the College throughout the year for public performances, lectures, and workshops.
Fall 2014 Enrollment Reported
Last week, College of Western Idaho (CWI) submitted its Fall 2014 Student Enrollment Report to the State Board of Education. As predicted, based on preliminary data, CWI enrollment includes pockets of growth coupled with some anticipated declines.
Overall headcount (including dual credit) is 10,217 which is an increase of about 11 percent over last fall; however, removing dual credit enrollment actually reflects a decrease of close to 10 percent. As a part of the College’s planning and budgeting processes for this fiscal year, the administration anticipated credit enrollment to be down slightly based on a variety of factors including the improving state of the economy, regional and national trends on enrollment, and the Successful Start initiative introduced by CWI this year. Successful Start includes earlier deadlines for admission and registration, and every new student must complete an Orientation, Advising, and Registration (OAR) session to ensure students are prepared for the start of classes. These measures are critical to academic success and completion. Overall the Fall enrollment numbers generally align within the College’s targeted planning and budgeting parameters.
CWI has experienced an increase in apprenticeship program enrollment and high school students taking advantage of dual credit opportunities. Additionally, conversations with businesses in the area are indicating an increase in demand for customized training of current employees targeted skill development. These trends provide a strong outlook on the local economy.
The College will continue to monitor enrollment, retention, and program completion holistically to aid planning efforts for the future. CWI remains focused on helping Idaho reach its 60 percent goal, insuring student success, and developing collaborative efforts that benefit students and the community.
Two College of Western Idaho Trustee Seats Elected
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, two College of Western Idaho (CWI) Board of Trustee seats were elected by Ada and Canyon County voters. Current Board Chair, Stanley Bastian, was re-elected for seat one while Emily Walton was elected for seat two.
Bastian, a retired school administrator from Eagle, enters his third term serving as a CWI Board member. Walton is a nonprofit and campaign consultant from Boise who will be serving her first term as Trustee.
Bastian and Walton will be sworn in and the Board will conduct the election of officers at the next regular meeting. College of Western Idaho is governed by a volunteer five-member Board of Trustees who are elected at large from within Ada and Canyon Counties for staggered, four-year terms. Trustees derive their authority from and hold office in accordance to the state of Idaho Code.
CWI Completes Accreditation Visit and Review
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is on track to receive Initial Accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) in spring 2017. On Oct. 8-9, CWI welcomed representatives from the NWCCU to campus to conduct a Year Three Site Visit and Mid Cycle Review. The peer evaluators were Summer Kenesson—Executive Dean of Research, Planning and Student Success at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, Wash.—and Martin Heilstedt—Interim Dean of Instruction from Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, Wash.
The Year Three/Mid-Cycle Evaluation visit is intended to be a formative and collegial evaluation with the institution in conversation with the evaluators. The purpose is to help CWI determine if current processes demonstrating outcomes assessment will lead to a successful Year Seven Self Evaluation and Peer Evaluation.
While on campus, the evaluators focused on conversations with faculty and staff whose programs/units were identified in the Mid-Cycle Report. Overall, the evaluators were impressed with CWI’s efforts and commitment to a comprehensive self-evaluation process and noted that the College’s processes appear robust. Evaluators also provided several suggestions of things to focus on while preparing the Year Seven Self-Evaluation Report and visit. Those comments are reflected in their report to the Commission.
The reports that CWI submitted as well as the Mid-Cycle Evaluation Report compiled by the peer evaluators can be found on CWI’s website cwi.edu/info/accreditation-process.
The following milestones represent steps CWI has completed and what will be completed in the coming years.
- January 2012 – The NWCCU granted CWI Candidacy for Accreditation status at the associate degree level.
- January 2013 - NWCCU Commissioners approved CWI’s Year One Self Evaluation Report
and recommended continuing Candidacy Status.
- October 2014 - CWI hosted a Site Visit in October 2014.
- Peer Evaluators were: Summer Kenesson (Bates Technical College) and Martin Heilstedt (Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom).
- The Peer Evaluator report to NWCCU has been submitted and is posted on cwi.edu/info/accreditation-process.
- Fall 2016 – CWI will submit Year Seven Self Evaluation Report to NWCCU and host a site visit.
- Spring 2017 – The NWCCU will decide Initial Accreditation and implementation of Seven Year Accreditation Cycle.
- Fall 2017 – CWI will submit a Year One Self Evaluation Report to the NWCCU and host a site visit.
Marketing Templates Refreshed
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Marketing Department is happy to introduce a collection of new flyer templates for faculty and staff use. The templates are intended to provide the campus community an easy to use tool that can be used to promote activities and initiatives in a cost effective manner. As part of the process, the Marketing team met with representatives from across the College to provide input on the designs.
Changes to the new flyer templates include:
- Increased flexibility, with components that can be manipulated
- Call-out graphics that are more visual, but also customizable and interchangeable
- Different layout options with a new general landscape version
- A graphic toolkit, containing alternative graphics that can be added in as needed
The templates can be accessed on myCWI under College Resources>Communications & Marketing>Resources>Templates tab.
Additional templates will be created this spring that incorporate elements of the College’s new marketing campaign.
Tech Talk: GoPrint Software
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Information Technology (IT) Department is presenting a new series of Bert’s Alerts articles intended to share updates at CWI as well as relevant technology topics. This week IT would like to introduce new software intended to help optimize printing services for students.
As part of the College’s continued efforts to provide a great customer experience for students, IT will be installing GoPrint software in Open Labs, Tutoring Labs, and computer classrooms. The software will allow IT to gather data on print usage, peak use times, and printing distribution across labs. IT will neither monitor what students print, nor charge for printing.
Instructions will be made available to faculty about GoPrint, so they can answer student questions. Student will also have access to GoPrint instructions in all labs and computer classrooms.
Employees should direct any questions about this project to Mark Westcott at markwestcott@cwi.edu.
CWI Foundation Art Contest is Back
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation is proud to present its third-annual Holiday Art Contest, which is open to all students. This year’s theme is ‘What does education give you?’
Submissions will be accepted in the following formats:
- Drawing in pen, pencil, and/or markers only. Submission must be on an 8.5 x 11 inches piece of paper with a .05 inch border of white space. There is a template available on myCWI.
- Digital Photograph. Must be a high resolution with a minimum of 300dpi.
- Digital Rendering. Must be high resolution with a minimum of 300dpi.
There is no fee to enter the contest. Official entry forms are available on myCWI and in the Foundation office located in Suite 102 of the Nampa Campus Administration Building. Hard-copy drawings need to be submitted by Nov. 17 to the Foundation Office and digital copies can be submitted by email at foundation@cwi.edu.
Prizes will be awarded for first place ($125), second place ($100), and third place ($75). The Foundation may also incorporate first-place artwork into a holiday card that will be sent to supporters of the College.
Questions about the contest should be directed to the CWI Foundation at foundation@cwi.edu or Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu.
Halloween Contest Winners Announced
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Fun and Culture Committee (FCC) would like to thank everyone who participated in this year’s Halloween costume and decorating contest held on Friday, Oct. 31. The CWI Library was selected for the best decorations and overall participation for the second year in a row.
Here are the individual winners by group locations:
Group 1:
Amanda Tilley
Andrew Doxey
Oster Hernandez
Group 2:
Andrea Schumaker
Sam Stone
Vanessa Redmond
Group 3:
Daniel Lemus
Jessica Downing
Marissa Taylor
The winners will be notified where to obtain their prizes. Please check out all of the Halloween photos on the FCC team site on myCWI.
