Bert's Alerts - November 8, 2013
Weekly Spotlight
In honor of Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) would like to thank all of our community members that have served or are currently serving in the United States armed forces, including CWI employees and students. The College is inviting everyone to join in the hosted observances in recognition of all veterans, active duty military, and their families. Thank you for your sacrifices!
News Highlights
Bert's Alerts Survey
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Marketing and Advancement department is seeking feedback from employees on their experience using the new format for Bert’s Alerts, CWI’s employee newsletter. A short survey has been created to gather information to help improve the newsletter as well as enhance the College’s external newsletter, which will be moving to the new format in the next couple of weeks.
College of Western Idaho Honors Veterans With Observance Ceremonies
MEDIA ADVISORY - On Monday, Nov. 11, College of Western Idaho (CWI) will pay tribute to all veterans, members of the United States armed forces, and their families with observance ceremonies being hosted at two CWI campus locations.
The observance activities will commence at:
11 a.m. – CWI Ada County Center
1 p.m. – CWI Nampa Campus Academic Building
Both ceremonies are open to the public and will feature a guest speaker, honor guard, singing of the national anthem by the CWI Choir, remarks by CWI President Dr. Bert Glandon, 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 Nampa 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 200 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 from Nov. 6-13 as part of this year’s tribute surrounding Veterans Day.
Free College Application Week Nov. 11-15 at College of Western Idaho
Nampa, Idaho – On Monday (Nov. 11) College of Western Idaho (CWI) will kick off its second-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 application fee will automatically be waived to anyone who submits an application to CWI from Nov. 11 through Nov. 15.
Last year more than 1,100 people took 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 Micron Center for Professional Technical Education on Tuesday (Nov. 12) from 4:00-7:30 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, will provide additional opportunities to connect with advisors, discover college resources, and meet other students.
For more information on Free Application Week visit www.CollegeOfWhatIf.com.
Campus Forum Coming to Canyon County Center
College of Western Idaho (CWI) President’s Cabinet is hosting the fourth Fall Campus Forum on Monday, Nov. 11, at Canyon County Center. The Forum is open to all employees and will run from 2-3 p.m. in room 206. Nearly 100 employees have attended the CWI Fall Forums thus far – President’s Cabinet looks forward to engaging with even more employees next week. The fifth and final Fall Campus Forum will be held at CWI Eagle River on Monday, Nov. 18, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Waitlist Introduced for CWI Registration
This week, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) announced a new waitlist feature when registering for classes. Beginning with Spring 2014 registration, students can waitlist for most classes at CWI. This process will allow students interested in a section of a class that is full the ability to join a waitlist, providing an opportunity to register if and when a seat becomes available.
Benefits
- Students can waitlist for full classes - if seats become available, they are offered to waitlisted students on a first-come, first-served basis
- Students can manage their own waitlists on myCWI
- Instructors have more visibility to how many students are waitlisted for their courses
For more information about how the waitlist process works, please view the CWI Waitlist Policy and Waitlist FAQs online.
CWI Programs Participate in Outreach Event
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Dental Assisting and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) programs participated in a great outreach event, last Friday (Nov. 1), visiting Summerwind STEM Academy in Boise to speak with first through fifth grade children. The elementary school hosted the programs to help create awareness of healthcare careers, connect STEM studies to exciting career opportunities, and promote positive attitudes about work.
Five Dental Assisting students were joined by Adjunct Faculty, Wendy Smith, and PTA Director of Clinical Education/Instruction, Leah Wilsey. The CWI students taught the children proper brushing and flossing techniques. They also brought sugar samples to show how much sugar exists in various foods.
Wilsey educated the children on what a PTA does and why. Her demonstration included explaining how patients with a broken bone can build strength to alleviate pain. She brought crutches for the kids and a measuring tool to show them how to measure improvement.
CWI is scheduled to visit Summerwind again in the spring, as part of the school’s Information Technology day.
CWI Visiting Scientist Series Continues
The College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Visiting Scientist Series is off to a great start this fall with several guest lectures from faculty at Boise State University and the University of Idaho (UI) provided already. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the series continued as Dr. David Roon from UI spoke to a packed room at the CWI Library about his work with undergraduate students in the Ecuadorian Andes.
The Visiting Scientist Series is a great opportunity for students to explore advanced topics in their field, make connections to what they are currently studying, and preview what the future might hold when they transfer to a four-year institution. For faculty and staff, the series can also provide a break from work to simply explore an interesting topic and engage in a stimulating discussion.
The final two Visiting Scientist Series events of the fall will feature Elowyn Yager (Geomorphology) on Nov. 20 and Joseph Cloud (Germinal Stem Cells and WWAMI) on Dec. 11. Look for more details in upcoming Bert’s Alerts. All employees are invited to come to hear more about exciting research being conducted right here in Idaho and with the help of undergraduate students. Thank you to everyone who has continued to help promote and support the series. For more information on the Visiting Scientist Series, please email Steve Lysne at stevelysne@cwi.edu.
Business Office Holiday Notice
Please be advised that due to the campus closure for Thanksgiving, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Business Office will not process vendor checks on Friday, Nov. 29. Employee reimbursement checks will be processed that week for direct deposit on Friday. Normal processing will resume the week following Thanksgiving. Please submit any invoices due by Dec. 1 to Accounts Payable by Friday, Nov 15. All questions or concerns can be directed to Glen Harris at glenharris@cwi.edu or 208.562.3277.
CWI Foundation Announces Recipients of 2013 Mini Grants
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation is pleased to announce its Mini Grant recipients for 2013. Mini Grants were created by the CWI Foundation to encourage faculty and staff to develop, enhance, and improve the educational environment and learning opportunities at the College. The grants support projects that impact CWI students.
This year’s recipients include:
- Catherine Bailey from the English department to fund field trips for English 101 students to a reading in Boise of internationally renowned Dominican-American author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Junot Diaz.
- Michelle Fellows from the Psychology department in support of the Cultural Perspectives in Developmental Psychology project that will showcase students’ posters throughout CWI that communicate differences between two or more cultures of various issues in developmental psychology.
- Nikki Gorrell from the Anthropology department to facilitate a field trip to Bend, Ore. where anthropology students will explore the High Desert Museum and Chimps, Inc. The High Desert Museum offers compelling exhibits on Great Basin ecology and Northern Paiute aboriginal groups. Chimps, Inc. is a sanctuary that provides a healthy and active environment for chimpanzees that have been retired from testing facilities or turned in by former owners.
- Evelyn Grime of Business Partnerships/Workforce Development to purchase a Plumbing Apprentice Lab that will give students hands-on experience to reinforce plumbing theory.
- Irwin Horowitz from the Physics department to purchase a Solar Telescope. The telescope will enable students and the greater community to safely view activities on the sun, such as sun spots and prominences, in addition to studying a variety of phenomena associated with stars.
- Maia Kelley from the Mathematics department to create screencast lectures on iPads to be used as supplemental resources for math classes.
- Rhonna Krouse from the Exercise and Health Science department to acquire a Cardio Check PA Analyzer, which will provide full lipid profiles of all Health and Wellness students.
- Brian McClain from the Chemistry department in support of Mathematica software, which will help create interactive media files based on mathematical theories used in chemistry.
- Martha Timberlake from the Social and Human Relations department to facilitate a Social Human Relations symposium entitled Social Relations in a Digital Age.
- Randall Wagner from the Mathematics department to purchase a MobiView that will provide instructors full workspace and desktop control throughout the classroom to enhance teacher-student interactions.
Entrepreneurs Club Hosting Settlers of Catan Tournament
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Entrepreneurs club is excited to present the second Settlers of Catan Tournament at CWI. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Admission is $10 for pre-registration and $12 at the door. Entry fees can be paid by cash or check on-site.
The tournament will feature three rounds of play for all participants and light refreshments will be provided. The first-place winner will receive a full Settlers of Catan, Cities and Knights and Seafarers game set, including extensions – valued at $240.
Please visit www.studentenrichment.signupsheet.com to sign up. More information on Settlers of Catan can be found at www.downtownboardgames.com.
CWI Employees Seeking Fellow Musicians
Do you play a musical instrument that would be compatible with a concert-style band? A group of CWI employees are gauging interest in the possibility of forming a band of faculty and staff musicians. Participants do not need to be “good”—all they need is an instrument, a music stand, a willingness to practice, and lots of enthusiasm. Faculty Jeffrey Davis has volunteered to conduct and he thinks the group can borrow some scores to use. Rehearsals would likely be held for an hour on weeknights a couple of times per month. Anyone interested, please add your information to the online sign-up sheet. Please contact Anitra Townsend at anitratownsend@cwi.edu with any questions.
Results Announced for FCC Halloween Contests
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 contests. The CWI Library took home top honors for office space decorations, while the following winners were selected for best costumes at each of the grouped locations:
Canyon
Brad Riker
Mary Melkonian
Falacia Bledsoe
Ada
Josee Ward
Maribel Saucedo-Gonzalez
Daniel Lemus
Nampa
Morriah Marks (pictured above)
Kimberly Stephen
Cassie Smith
Photos from the Halloween contest are available to view on the Fun and Culture Committee Team Site.
Kopp Receives Staff of the Month Honor
Staycee Kopp has been named Staff of the Month for November. Staycee has been with CWI since 2012, serving as the Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs. She has recently taken on a large project to collect biographies and pictures from all full-time and adjunct faculty to add to the CWI online directory. Staycee's dedication and follow through with the project has been greatly appreciated. She continues to find ways to create a team environment in Academic Affairs.
Staycee previously worked at another local college as the Associate Dean for the School of Business before coming to CWI. She has a master’s of Business Administration from George Fox University and continues to increase her vast knowledge through studying leadership from mentors and attending the Global Leadership Summit each year.
Outside of work, Staycee says she loves to care for animals. She was a foster parent for the Idaho Humane Society for three years and brought stray puppies and kittens into her home to prepare them for adoption. She also has a passion for photography and has had her work displayed on covers of magazines and used in advertising. Staycee also enjoys spending time with her husband restoring 1969 Ford Mustangs.
Congratulations Staycee on receiving this great honor and thank you for your outstanding commitment to CWI.
