Bert's Alerts - Oct. 25, 2013
Weekly Spotlight
On Friday, Oct. 25, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Fun & Culture Committee sponsored Pinktober to encourage CWI employees to wear pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Seen here (left to right) is Heather Cerovski, Wyndi Halsey, Gwen Dawson, Maricela Davenport, and Morgan Baldwin from the CWI Human Resources department, showing off their support of the initiative.
News Highlights
CWI Student Moderates Political Debates
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Communication major, Matt Mudd, recently enjoyed a chance to serve the community while receiving valuable professional experience as he was selected to moderate the Nampa City Council and Mayoral candidate debates. Mudd served as moderator for the City Council event on Oct. 15 before leading the Mayoral debate on Oct. 22. Both events were hosted at the Nampa Public Safety Building.
“The experience was incredible,” Mudd says. “I am very into politics on a local and national level and have always wanted to be more involved beyond voting. It gave me a new perspective on the process, the candidates, and my own political involvement. It was definitely a great experience for my long term goals and I was honored to be selected to serve my community.”
Mudd was nominated to moderate the debates by Philosophy and Communications Department Chair, Michelle Bennett, who has worked with Mudd both as an instructor and through CWI Speech and Debate.
“When the Rotary Club asked for a student who would be capable and willing to moderate the city council and mayoral debates in Nampa I immediately thought of Matt Mudd,” Bennett says. “Mr. Mudd has proven to be a rational voice, a highly skilled communicator, and a student who is engaged in consideration of local issues.”
Mudd, who is set to graduate in the spring, is one of the Speech and Debate captains this year. Having been part of the past two Speech and Debate national championships at CWI, Mudd says his career goal now is to coach speech and debate while teaching history and government.
“After the debates many people of importance in this community approached me to tell me I had done a good job. What was most rewarding, however, was that most of them wanted to tell me how impressed they are with the school's Speech and Debate program. I am so proud of our team and its accomplishments, to hear that makes me very happy.”
Campus Forum Hosted in Nampa Monday
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will host its next employee Campus Forum on Monday, Oct. 28, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in Room 205 of the Nampa Campus Multipurpose Building. All employees are encouraged to attend one of the fall Forums. CWI’s President's Cabinet would like to thank the 32 employees who attended last week's session at the Micron Center for Professional Technical Education. Watch Bert's Alerts for reminders of upcoming Forums at Ada County Center, Canyon County Center, and CWI Eagle River.
Early Childhood Education Open House
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Early Childhood Education program would like to invite employees and students of the College to attend an Open House on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 2-4 p.m. The Open House will provide an opportunity to visit the program’s new location and preschool lab in the Nampa Campus Multipurpose Building, as well as meet faculty. Snacks will be provided.
Visiting Artist Series Returning to CWI
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Visiting Artist Series will return in November as the College welcomes sculptor and installation artist, Tom Hughes, to campus. The Visiting Artist Series, which is free and open to the public, will run Nov. 7-9 at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. The event will kick-off on Nov. 7 with a lecture and reception running from 6 -8 p.m. Hughes will also lead workshops from 1-5 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Nov. 9.
Anyone interested in attending the workshops need to RSVP Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair, Brenda Fisher, at brendafisher@cwi.edu by Nov. 6.
Winners Named in CWI Foundation Art Contest
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation has announced the winners of its second-annual Thanksgiving Art Contest. The contest, which is open to CWI students, called for submissions that embodied the theme What Does Education Give You? Submissions were judged by a committee that included members of the CWI Art department.
CWI Liberal Arts major, Amandalynn Sharbino, took home top honors with her submission titled An Opportunity to Grow. The committee chose Amandalynn’s submission because “The artist created a very compelling image with intellectual growth in mind. The viewer is invited to consider both a literal and figurative interpretation of the impact that knowledge has on an individual. The original approach to subject matter and rich symbolism make this work memorable.”
Along with receiving a $125 grand prize, Amanda’s drawing will be used to create a Thanksgiving card for the CWI Foundation to send out to community supporters.
The CWI Foundation would also like to recognize the other entries:
- Second-place: All Possibilities submitted by Ashley Tucker
- Third-place: Knowledge submitted by Dustin Wentworth
- Fourth-place: Expand Your Mind submitted by Brittany Bishop
Pinktober Takes Over CWI
On Friday, Oct. 25, employees from around the College of Western Idaho (CWI) wore pink to work in support of the CWI Fun & Culture Committee’s Pinktober event. Pinktober was intended to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
CWI Halloween Costume and Decorating Contest
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Fun & Culture Committee is inviting all CWI employees and departments to dress up and decorate office space on Thursday, Oct. 31, in celebration of Halloween. Prizes will be given for the top three costumes at each group of locations, while the location with the best overall decorations will be awarded a prize as well.
Locations will be grouped as follows:
Ada County:
- Ada County Center
- CWI Oak Park
- CWI at BSU
- CWI Horticulture
- CWI Eagle River
Canyon County:
- Canyon County Center
- Nampa Professional Truck Driving
- CWI Fruitland
- Virtual Campus
- Micron Center for PTE
Nampa Campus:
- Nampa Admin Building
- Aspen Classroom Building
- Nampa Academic Building
- Aspen Multi-Purpose Building
To submit contest entries for costumes or office decorations, please submit pictures to fcc@cwi.edu on Oct. 31. Winners will be announced in Bert’s Alerts, Nov. 8. More information on the CWI Fun and Culture Committee can be found on myCWI under Committees / Fun & Culture Committee.