Bert's Alerts—Oct. 18, 2019
Spotlight
Kevin Miller talks with CWI Dual Credit Coordinator, Randi Smith, left, and Carol Crothers, Manager of the Math Solutions Center, during a live broadcast on KIDO radio Friday, Oct. 18, at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Miller also talked with Mark Browning, Vice President of College Relations; Luis Caloca, Director of Admissions and One Stop Student Services; Alex Beal, CTE Department Chair; Justin Vance, Dean of Arts and Humanities; and Becca Levi, a communications student during the show. Listen to the broadcast.
News Highlights
Special Board Meeting Highlights Facilities Planning
Executive Vice President of Operations, Craig Brown, led the Real Property Work Session during a special board meeting for College of Western Idaho, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center.
The presentation highlighted the growth of the College over the past decade, and Brown used a timeline to illustrate the acquisition of facilities to help meet the needs of students.
“You’ve got to understand the past before you can predict the future,” Brown said following the presentation. “We really need to understand where we’re going from an instructional point of view, everything we do is how we teach. Whether we’re using technology or building buildings, it’s about our methodologies and where they are today, and probably more importantly, where they’re going to go in the future.”
Brown underscored the importance of having flexible facilities. “If you can think about future space from the standpoint as a stage set, based upon a production, you roll things in and roll things out, based upon what we are doing now – I think that is the future of space.”
The Board will use the information from the presentation to help inform future decisions regarding capital projects.
Faculty of Distinction—September 2019
Suzanne Wees has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for September 2019. Wees, a full-time faculty member in the Professional Nursing program, began teaching at CWI in 2013 after returning to the Boise area from Tucson, Arizona.
Wees received her Associate of Science degree in Nursing from Boise State University in 1981. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Management, and Master of Science in Nursing Education from Grand Canyon University. She also holds a minor in Mandarin Chinese from Shanghai University and is currently completing a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Grand Canyon University. Her dissertation work centers on the care of the addicted healthcare professional and the cultural influences impacting recovery rates.
Wees moved to Shanghai, China, for several years to work on opioid addiction recovery programs. She was one of the first women invited to speak to inmates, physicians, and nurses inside several ‘heroin prisons’ in China. She has also spoken on addiction recovery at prisons in Malaysia and the Philippines.
To address the opioid epidemic here in Idaho, Wees founded, and is the Director of, the Idaho Neuroscience of Addiction Coalition (INAC). INAC is a group of healthcare professionals and community activists working to bring the latest research on the neuroscience of addiction to Idaho. The first INAC symposium was held at the Boise Centre in September and raised over $6,000 for scholarships for Idaho nurses who need addiction treatment/rehabilitation and education.
Suzanne believes in teaching CWI Nursing students the power of science combined with the power of compassionate patient care. She teaches courses in advanced medical/surgical nursing, mental health, simulation, and onsite clinical experiences.
In addition, the Board recognized Staff of the Month recipient, Alexis Malepeai-Rhodes, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, and Student Achievement Award recipient, Angelica Vasquez, a Criminal Justice student and Latinx Mentor.
College Conducts Mascot Survey
Do you want to be a part of history as a mascot for the College of Western Idaho (CWI) is selected? The College is conducting a survey to discover the most appealing qualities and characteristics desired in a mascot, and we would like to hear from you.
The survey only takes a few minutes and it is a great way to contribute your input as the selection process is completed.
Complete the survey today.
The deadline to submit your survey is Monday, Oct. 28. Please contact College Relations if you have any questions.
Muse: A Poetry Workshop
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Common Read Series presents “Muse: A Poetry Workshop” with guest facilitator, Amanda Ranth.
For centuries, artists have inspired each other across time and across medium. Sculptor inspired by concertos. Composers inspired by sonnets. Poets inspired by painters. This communication across boundaries weaves the fabric of our collective, creative endeavors. In this workshop, non-traditional writing prompts of local visual artists will be used. Rotating through pieces that resonate and draw inspiration, participants will have the opportunity to give and receive feedback in small groups. Excerpts from participants work can be offered to their muses in a final exhibit matching words with the piece that gave it life.
Ranth is an activist, poet, performer, and visual artist whose background is in the street theater and storytelling. She enjoys blurring the lines between poetry and music, performer and audience. Ranth is the author of several chapbooks including “Seeds and Sleepless Nights” and “Skinless Woman”. Her work has been showcased at Queer Gather of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico; One Flaming Arrow: Intertribal Art, Music and Film Festival in Portland, Oregon; and locally at MING Studios, StoryFort, and at the Boise Art Museum’s Tall Tales exhibit. An Idaho native, she currently resides in Nampa where she wanders the edges of wilderness with the Cooper’s hawks and swallow tails.
New and experienced writers are encouraged to attend the workshop Tuesday, Oct. 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
This event is made possible thanks to a grant from Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support from CWI’s Office of the Provost, School of Art and Humanities, Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Liberal Arts program.
Fire Service Technology Open House
Do you have a desire to serve your community and become a firefighter? Take the first step by visiting the Fire Service Technology program’s Open House on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the Nampa Fire Department Training Center.
Students, staff, faculty, and community partners are encouraged to visit and learn more about this new program. Watch as current students complete their Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), which involves students navigating eight stations.
“This open house is a great opportunity to give interested students a first-hand look at the current academy being taught through CWI at the Nampa Fire Department Training Center,” said Director of Fire Service Technology, Darrin Raskopf. “It's a great opportunity to see current students on their path to becoming firefighters in the Treasure Valley.”
CWI’s academy is taught by firefighters from local fire departments.
Staff will be available to answer questions about the program and application process. For more information, contact cwifireprogram@cwi.edu or call 208-562-2671.
2020 Connections Project Logo Contest
Make connections, educate others, and inspire innovation and creativity at the 2020 Connections Project – an annual event celebrating culture, collaboration, education, innovation, and achievement. The Connections Project committee is calling upon current CWI students to showcase their talents by designing a logo for next April’s event. Deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The winner will be notified by Nov. 15. The winning logo will be used for marketing efforts surrounding the event, and the designer will receive a $150 cash prize!
Submission instructions and a style guide are available on Blackboard in myCommons/Engage/Connections Project. Contact Karen Brown at 208.562.3121 or karenbrown@cwi.edu for more information.
2019 Halloween Costume Contest
Something is brewing! It is time to showcase your creative costuming on Thursday, Oct. 31, by participating in College of Western Idaho’s Culture and Employee Engagement Committee’s annual Halloween Costume Contest. Prizes will be awarded for best overall individual, overall group, and overall by building. Costumes must be worn at work to be eligible to win.
To enter, simply send photos of individual or group costumes to ceec@cwi.edu by end of day Nov. 1. Winners will be announced on Nov. 4.
