Bert's Alerts - September 4, 2015
In the Spotlight
On Wednesday (Sept. 9) College of Western Idaho (CWI) will celebrate its newest transfer partnership, VandaLink, which provides benefits unique to CWI students interested in continuing their education at the University of Idaho. Employees, students, and the community are invited to join the celebration at the Nampa Campus Academic Building from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Starting at 1 p.m., CWI President Bert Glandon and UI administrators will formally sign the agreement before hosting a dessert social. For more information view the VandaLink Celebration announcement.
News Highlights
CWI Closed Sept. 7 for Labor Day
On Monday, Sept. 7, College of Western Idaho (CWI) will not hold classes in observance of Labor Day. All campus buildings, offices, and services will also be closed. The College will resume its regular operating hours on Tuesday (Sept. 8).
Insight Sessions Provide Invaluable Input for Proposed Ada County Campus
In September, the public and College of Western Idaho (CWI) community took advantage of an opportunity to share input on the College's future; participating in a series of insight sessions for a proposed permanent CWI campus in Boise. As part of the due diligence process to purchase property located at the corner of Main Street and Whitewater Boulevard in Boise, CWI has contracted CTA Architects Engineers to develop a conceptual campus design. In an effort to gather community input CTA hosted four insight sessions this week, which saw approximately 300 people participate.
Two sessions for faculty, staff, and students were held on CWI’s campus Wednesday (Sept. 2). Around 200 people visited these sessions to provide input. On Tuesday (Sept. 1) and Thursday (Sept. 3) CTA hosted community sessions at Whittier Elementary School near the proposed site. Approximately 50 people attended each of these evening sessions.
“I am here because my husband and I wanted to make sure our voices were represented in this process,” Tia Chavarria, who lives in the neighborhood, shared Tuesday. “We want to make sure we are all working together. This is a beautiful thing. It’s going to educate and create awareness. We just want to see all of us working together.”
The sessions featured interactive displays, including a chance to rank picture examples of possible campus designs and a place to write in ways to integrate the campus into the community. Participants were also asked to identify where they live, work, play, and go to school on a map.
CTA reported attendees were engaged and provided invaluable feedback. The CTA team will next meet with various local, county, and state agencies and use the information gathered to develop multiple conceptual approaches for the property. A Community Vision Workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Whittier Elementary from 6:30-8:00 p.m. will be the next opportunity to provide feedback.
CWI Board Adopts New Governance Policies
At the July Board meeting, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Board of Trustees approved and adopted new Governance Policies which are available for review at cwi.edu/info/policies.
The new Governance Policies better define the role of the Board by outlining issues the Trustees will govern, as well as identifying College business the Board will not directly administer but will remain accountable for. Under the Governance Polies, the President will govern and be accountable for CWI operations through Administrative Policies and Procedures.
With this objective in mind, the Board developed Governance Policies that:
- are broad, over-arching, and carefully categorized policies;
- have long term perspective to accommodate future needs;
- and require Board approval for mission critical issues.
The result is the adoption of 16 Governance Policies with supporting Administrative Policies and Procedures delegated to the President. All employees are responsible for being aware of these policies, so please take time to review.
During the review, it was determined that the existing Employee Handbook was created to interpret existing Policy. Based on this finding, the Employee Handbook will be retired because it duplicates information in the Policy Manual. The Faculty Handbook will continue in its current format as it documents procedure specific to Faculty that is not provided elsewhere.
A college-wide initiative is underway to update the current Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual. The goal will be to align existing Administrative Policies and Procedures to the new Governance Policies, ensure all policies are current, and design an online interface to help make locating policies and procedures easier. Additional communications about this initiative and progress will be shared in the coming months.
Please contact Human Resources at 208.562.3287 with all questions related to Policies and Procedures.
Wishing Well Fund Applications Being Accepted
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation is happy to announce it is now accepting applications for the Wishing Well Fund. CWI Faculty and Staff can apply for the Wishing Well Fund, which was once called program mini grants, through Sept. 18. The newly-revamped fund supports small items and student learning opportunities that are not typically funded through department budgets. Essentially, it is intended for resources and activities that foster learning or support students but are not deemed necessary.
CWI faculty and staff are the driving force behind student success. Don’t miss out on this opportunity; submit an application now. More information about the Wishing Well and the short application can be found on myCWI under College Resources > Foundation & Alumni Resources > Wishing Well Fund. Please contact the CWI Foundation at foundation@cwi.edu or 208.562.3100 with any questions.
CWI Culinary Instructor Published in Industry Magazine
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) is celebrating one of its Culinary Arts program instructors, Nicole Holten Baird, who was recently published in a prominent industry publication. Holten Baird authored an article in the fall 2015 issue of Sizzle Magazine, a digital quarterly publication for students of cooking. The magazine is produced by the American Culinary Federation; the premier professional chefs’ organization in North America. Her article, which provides insight on culinary flavors of the Netherlands, can be found on page 44 of Sizzle Magazine.
Risk Management Update: Safety and Ethics
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Risk Management Department has announced the schedule of Safety Committee meetings for the 2015 Fall Semester. Following a successful test last spring, Safety Committee meetings will be held at a different campus location each month. to view the new schedule, visit myCWI under Risk Management/Safety Committee or click here. CWI employees are invited to attend as their schedule permits. Questions can be sent to riskmanagement@cwi.edu or discussed at a meeting.
Risk Management is also working to distribute posters and brochures regarding the CWI Ethics Hotline that will be available at each campus location. For more information on the CWI Ethics Hotline contact Risk Management at riskmanagement@cwi.edu or 208.562.3948.
Call for Volunteers for Fall Festivus Planning Group
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Culture and Employee Engagement Committee is seeking volunteers to help plan a festive employee event this fall. The new committee, which was created to consolidate several former employee engagement groups, is starting preparation to host the second-annual Fall Festivus event in October. The group could use three to four volunteers to help with creative brainstorming, planning, and execution of Fall Festivus. Last year’s event included a photo booth, food, a pie eating contest, pumpkin decorating/carving, and more.
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Nikki Houston at 208.562.2648 or nikkihouston@cwi.edu.
