Bert's Alerts - October 7, 2016
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome the community to campus on Saturday (Oct. 8) for an event celebrating Hispanic Heritage month. CWI’s inaugural Fiesta Cultural event will take place at the College’s Nampa Campus Academic Building. Fiesta Cultural will offer the community a chance to experience, engage, and learn about numerous cultures through music, dancing, games, art, and demonstrations. For more information read the full article.
News Highlights
CWI Concludes Accreditation Visit
This week (Oct. 5-7), College of Western Idaho (CWI) completed a significant milestone in its quest for independent accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). CWI hosted NWCCU representatives for a campus visit, serving as a follow up to submitting the College’s year seven self-evaluation report to the Commission.
The visit included meetings with the CWI Board of Trustees and College leadership, and campus forums. Thank you to everyone involved for making the visit successful.
The NWCCU will review the year seven report and findings from the committee’s site visit to determine whether or not to recommend CWI for accreditation. A decision on CWI’s independent accreditation status could be determined as early as January 2017.
For more information on CWI’s accreditation, including its memorandum of understanding with the College of Southern Idaho, please visit cwi.edu/info/accreditation.
Event at CWI Recognizes Community Policing
On Wednesday (Oct. 5), the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Office hosted a community policing event at College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Nampa Campus Academic Building. The event was designed to recognize the outstanding community policing efforts of the law enforcement agencies serving the communities within the Treasure Valley. Several efforts were highlighted during the event. Local, state, and federal agencies took part along with members of the public. Additionally, there was an open discussion of how to further build trust within the community.
The event was conducted as a part of National Community Policing Week, which runs Oct. 2-8.
Up-Close and Personal With Birds of Prey
CWI Impact - Birds of Prey
Chances are you have seen an osprey. The large birds live on every continent of the world—except for Antarctica—and spend most of their time fishing near lakes and rivers. Three students, and College of Western Idaho (CWI) Biology instructor Dusty Perkins, spent their summer break doing more than just watching the common birds of prey. They had the opportunity to get up-close and very personal with them—all in the name of science.
“Ospreys are considered an indicator species,” Perkins said. “They are valuable to the ecosystem and useful in helping humans understand how they use the land. Our goal is to provide data that land managers need so they can do their job. Fortunately for us, osprey are fairly tolerant of human activity.”
From the early morning hours to late into the afternoon, the team monitored more than 150 nests from south of Cascade in Valley County to north of McCall. The nests were checked one-by-one. The clock started the split second a nest sitter took flight. The team had 25 minutes to hoist a ladder, climb to its top, take the nestlings—of which there are typically two to three—out of the nest, and complete their exams. Each nestling was weighed, measured, checked from wing-to-wing and everywhere in between, and then photographed before being returned up the ladder and replaced safely in its nest. It is a quick, well-executed task.
Lizzie Meisman was in charge of nestling retrieval and return. Ty Styhl was responsible for the examinations with Perkins’ help. All of this was happening while a third student, Andrew Dorrell, scoured the ground searching for the remains of what osprey eat. Each student was responsible for collecting and analyzing his or her own data.
“I was overjoyed when I found out I was accepted for this program,” Meisman, a student at Humboldt State University in coastal northern California, said. “Working with Dusty has been a huge inspiration. I’ve found that I can do this work, I’m good at it, and I feel a lot more confident.”
Styhl, who is a CWI graduate and current University of Idaho student, has been working on this project for the past three years. He recognized a gap in the existing research and, through this process, is working to create a nestling aging guide as his project contribution.
“My true passion lies in education,” Styhl said. “I’m interested in protecting the resources we have in Idaho, and helping people understand why it’s important to protect those resources.”
At the end of their 10-week research experience, each student presented their work at the Idaho Conference for Undergraduate Research.
“These opportunities really give students the hands-on experience that gives them the shot in the arm to go out and really continue their academic and professional careers” Perkins said.
The Osprey Research Project is one of three grant-funded projects at CWI through the National Science Foundation and Idaho EPSCoR program. This is the first time the grant has been opened up to two-year colleges.
CWI Provides Alumnus Foundation for Wealth Management Career
Ryan Lewis is a prime example of how a student can take their education from College of Western Idaho (CWI) and turn it into a successful career. Ryan graduated from CWI’s Business program and transferred his degree to Utah State University to continue his education. He graduated at the end of the summer of 2016 with a 4.0 grade point average from Utah State in economics.
While achieving his degree, Ryan was accepted as an intern for Adams Wealth Advisors, a local wealth management firm in Logan, Utah. The company was impressed by his quantitative skills and ability to process and interpret data. Ryan works with the director of trading and research to help develop new investment strategies. This involves fundamental analysis, technical analysis, and review of many accounting reports.
Ryan takes what he has learned at both CWI and USU and applies it daily generating weekly year-to-date performance reports and highlighting economic conditions. He pays close attention to market and industry trends that may affect their portfolios, along with bull/bear indicators, commodity prices, and other significant economic trends.
Some of the specific projects he has worked on involve back-testing new trade algorithms on past scenarios to see if the strategies prove successful. These new algorithms will hopefully improve the current trade strategies on various risk levels. Ryan was also responsible for researching how to structure a hedge fund that the firm is planning to launch this year.
Ryan has applied his education to get a head start on his career, and wants to strengthen his capabilities by passing the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam. This exam qualifies him to financially advise clients and trade on their behalf. He is currently in the process of becoming a Chartered Market Technician. Ryan’s determination and skillset has won him a job offer as a research analyst with Adams after the completion of his internship. Ryan acts as a role model for those seeking a business degree from CWI and what they have the potential to achieve with it.
Week of Hispanic Heritage Events Scheduled at CWI
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is partnering with the Consulate of Mexico to present a series of speaking events, Oct. 10-14, in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Hispanic Heritage Week initiative is free and open to the public. Over five days, nine different presentations will be held at CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building. Guest speakers will include representatives from CWI, Boise State University, Utah State University, University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Labor, Global Network of Mexican Talent, and Sonya Rosario Productions.
For a complete list of times and topics, view the Hispanic Heritage Week flyer.
Visiting Artist Series Brings the Beat
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome local music educator and master percussionist, David Gluck, to campus this month for the next edition of CWI’s Visiting Artist Series. Gluck will be guiding participants through a world of percussion styles in a pair of workshops at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Workshops will be held:
Friday, Oct. 14 – 6 to 9 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 15 – 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The weekend will conclude with a concert by student participants and the David Gluck Band at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The event is free and open to the public.
The CWI Visiting Artist Series features both visual and performing artists. It is made possible thanks to a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information or to reserve a spot in the workshop, contact Jeff Davis at 208.562.3255 or jeffreydavis@cwi.edu by Oct. 12.
Renowned Forensic Science Expert to Speak at CWI
The public is invited to College of Western Idaho (CWI) for a special guest lecture by renowned forensic science expert Dr. Greg Hampikian, executive director of the Idaho Innocence Project. Dr. Hampikian will visit CWI on Wednesday (Oct. 19) for a presentation on the use of forensic DNA to exonerate innocent people on death row. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. in room 201E of CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Dr. Hampikian is a Biology and Criminal Justice professor at Boise State University. He has worked on more than a dozen exonerations throughout his career; both in the United States and internationally. Hampikian has been featured on several national television shows, including CBS’s 48 Hours.
CWI to Host “Art in Public Places” Discussion
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome an impressive panel of local artists, educators, and leaders to campus this month for a conversation on the social and economic impacts of public art. CWI will host “Art in Public Places: The Power of Art to Unite Communities” on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the College’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in Nampa. The event is free and open to the public.
The panel will include:
- Kathleen Keys, moderator (Department Chair, Department of Art at Boise State University)
- Karen Brown (Art History Faculty, CWI)
- Karen Bubb (Boise City Art and History Department)
- Alma Gomez (Artist)
- Antonia Wynn (Nampa Art Collective)
- Colby Ackers (Artist and Founder of Boise’s Freak Alley)
- Mark Baltes (Artist)
The Micron Center is home to CWI’s first public art display; a mural titled “Spirit of Collaboration” commissioned by Alma Gomez. The artwork was created with input from CWI students and faculty, and partially funded by the Idaho Humanities Council. CWI is developing its public art program with a goal of strengthening connections with the community and providing valuable learning experiences for students.
Immediately following the panel discussion, there will be a reception with a question and answer session and an opportunity for extended conversation. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information contact Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu or Karen Brown at karenbrown@cwi.edu.
New Student Planning System Now Available
Did you know that Spring 2017 registration starts Nov. 14? College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to introduce Student Planning, which is a new and improved way for students to plan and register for classes.
Here is how the new Student Planing system will be beneficial to students:
Planning
- Create an education plan so students know the exact semester they are eligible to graduate
- View days and times of when classes are offered
- Connect with advisor to make sure students are on the right track
- Check out current progress toward a declared or new major
Registering
- Search and filter class selection by availability, location, day, time, and instructor
- Register for Spring 2017 classes on Nov. 14
Questions?
- Tutorial videos are available on Blackboard or on the new Student Planning section, cwi.edu/studentplanning
- Workshops will be available too, for dates and times go online to cwi.edu/studentplanning
- Get an appointment with advisor by calling One Stop Student Services at 208.562.3000
CWI Organizing Rake Up Boise Team
The College of Western (CWI) Culture and Employee Engagement Committee (CEEC) is organizing a team of volunteers for the annual Rake Up Boise event. Rake Up Boise will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12, starting at 8:45 a.m. Anyone interested in joining the CWI employee team can email ceec@cwi.edu by Oct. 18 to sign-up. Information about this long-running community event is available at www.nwboise.org/rake-up-boise/.
