CWI Compass Connect - February 3, 2016
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) invites employees, students, alumni, and the community to support CWI student scholarships by taking in a night of Idaho Steelheads hockey. On Friday, Feb. 12, the Steelheads will donate $5 from every $15 ticket sold to the CWI Foundation for scholarships. In addition, each ticket will include a free voucher for dinner - hot dog, chips, and a drink. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. at CenturyLink Arena for the Steelheads’ match-up with the Utah Grizzlies. For details on how to purchase tickets, visit cwi.edu/news/news-room/support-cwi-scholarships-idaho-steelheads-night.
News Highlights
CWI Paramedic Program Completes National Accreditation Process
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Paramedic program is celebrating the completion of a significant milestone that keeps the program on par with national standards. The Paramedic program, which is offered through CWI’s Workforce Development Division, learned in January it is approved for initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
On December 31, 2013, paramedic training programs in the United States were mandated to be accredited by the CAAHEP. The designation allows paramedic graduates to test for the National Paramedic Registry. For the past two years, CWI’s Paramedic program worked through the rigorous requirements, which culminated with a site visit in March of 2015.
“This accreditation means that we can continue to develop and teach the highest quality paramedics,” says Dexter Hunt, chair of CWI’s Paramedic program. “For graduates, it means that they were trained in a program that has the highest standards of academic compliance meeting the accepted National standards for paramedicine.”
The CWI Paramedic program can be completed in approximately one year and includes instruction, clinical rotations, and field internships. Instruction is done at the College’s Canyon County Center in Nampa. Enrollment is limited to 15 students. The program boasts an average employment rate over 85 percent.
CWI Speech and Debate Wins Big to Start Year
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Speech and Debate continued a strong start to the 2015-16 season with a first-place finish at Pacific University’s Scheller Invitational held in Forest Grove, Oregon, Jan. 29-31. The tournament, which consisted of 28 colleges and universities, served as the close of the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) season. CWI Speech and Debate was recognized as the top northwest two-year school in speech, debate, and overall sweepstakes points across all qualifying NFC tournaments.
Following the honor, CWI Coach Johnny Rowing said, “Northwest Forensics has a reputation as a strong region on the national stage. Winning this championship represents a significant achievement for our team.”
In addition to NFC season accolades, CWI Speech and Debate was recognized as the top Division III school at the tournament and brought home 29 individual awards across speech and debate events.
VFW Post Creates Scholarships at CWI
A newly-created partnership to help military veterans pay for school has been created at College of Western Idaho (CWI). Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1173 in Boise has awarded the CWI Foundation $2,000 for scholarships. The new fund, which is the first time the Post has donated scholarship money to any college in the Treasure Valley, is part of a new effort to support younger veterans—many of whom are returning home from battle.
“We have traditionally spent a lot of our time, efforts, and money supporting older veterans from the Vietnam and Korean War eras,” VFW Post 1173 Commander Rich Cesler said. “Our Quartermaster, who is also a Vietnam veteran, came up with the idea saying we need to do more to support our younger generation of veterans who are now coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Post members unanimously voted to award two $1,000 scholarships to second-year veteran students. Cesler says CWI was chosen as its first recipient because they wanted to maximize their donation in order to help veterans pay for as much of their educations as possible. Last fall, there were 523 degree seeking veterans enrolled at CWI.
“Veterans helping veterans—no one does that better,” Cesler said. “When we donate money, we rarely get to see how it works. With these scholarships, we will be able to see young veterans complete their education, walk down that aisle, and graduate.”
Post 1173 supports veterans through community service and partnerships. The organization, which increased its membership from 25 members two years ago to roughly 225 today, holds fundraising events—primarily with local community partners. Last year, the Post donated more than $33,000 back to the community.
“We have zero operating costs and no overhead, so literally every penny we raise goes back to our community in support,” Cesler said. “We hope to be able to increase our scholarship donation next year so we can help even more veterans.”
The CWI Foundation’s scholarship application period began Feb. 1. The public can donate to any CWI scholarship, including the VFW Post 1173 fund. Visit cwi.edu/giving-cwi to learn more.
For more information about CWI’s Veterans Services, please visit cwi.edu/veteran.
From Teacher to Student to Nationally Registered EMT
There is little doubt Dana Hoyer is capable of juggling multiple things. As if being the clinical coordinator for the Emergency Medical Services programs at College of Western Idaho (CWI) and the American Heart Association Training Center coordinator weren’t enough, Dana recently achieved one more accolade—this one as a student. She is now a nationally registered emergency medical technician.
Dana’s journey as a student started in the summer of 2013. After four years of teaching others how to save lives by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), she wanted to gain a deeper appreciation for what students were learning. CWI started offering EMT classes at night, and Dana was one of the first in line.
“The thought of becoming an EMT crossed my mind nearly 30 years ago,” Dana said. “My dad and uncle were both surgeons, so I always had an interest in the medical field. But I never did anything about it until I got here. I truly did it so I would know what students go through.”
For more than a year, Dana spent her day time hours working full-time at CWI. At night, she became a student. She finished her EMT studies in 2014 and successfully passed the written portion of her testing. She inadvertently let more than a year slip by without completing the practical portion of her exam, and she had to start prepping for that part all over again. At the end of January 2015, she—along with 30 other students—successfully passed national registry testing.
“There is no small commitment and it reflects the passion that Dana brings to the EMS and CPR programs,” Dexter Hunt, the Paramedic and EMS Programs Director at CWI, said. “She has always gone above and beyond (for our programs).”
“I truly have a deeper understanding when I hear what my coworkers and students are now saying,” Dana said. “Going through this has also started to change my way of thinking. I now think like an EMT, understand the lingo, and I truly want to jump in and help when needed.”
Dana says she absolutely loves her day job and has no plans to go anywhere or do anything else. The thought of continuing her studies to go on and become a paramedic are there, but they are way off in the distance. Her more immediate plans are to volunteer for a local fire department as an EMT.
Program and Career Expo Returns to CWI
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will host its second annual technical program and career expo on Feb. 10, welcoming future students, community members, and education partners to explore CWI’s professional-technical programs. The event is open to the public and will run from 5-7 p.m. in CWI’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in Nampa. Program labs will be open for tours, refreshments will be served, and faculty, advisors, and industry representatives will be on-site to help with:
- Hands-on activities
- Demonstrations by program faculty
- College Readiness Tips
Event Details
- Wednesday, Feb. 10
- 5-7 p.m.
- Nampa Campus Micron Center for Professional Technical Education
5725 E. Franklin Rd., Nampa – View Map
First CWI Scholars Day Set for February
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will host the inaugural Scholars Day event on Feb. 11, welcoming high-achieving Treasure Valley high school students to the CWI campus. The event will be hosted by the College’s Outreach team at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Attendees must be high school seniors with a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average.
At the event, students will learn about CWI’s emerging honors program, opportunities for Dual Credit students, and available scholarships. Lunch will be provided and raffle prizes awarded. Students will learn about the admissions process and join an optional tour of the Nampa Campus Academic Building, hosted by CWI Presidential Ambassadors and current students after the event.
Current club members from Beta Sigma Pi, the CWI chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, will be in attendance to greet attendees who are interested in becoming provisional chapter members. Provisional membership to the CWI Beta Sigma Pi provides access to resources and college mentors for the high school students.
CWI President, Dr. Bert Glandon, will also address the students. Dr. Glandon serves on the PTK National Advisory Board. He is one of thirty-four college presidents who provide input into the Society’s strategic plan, priorities, and direction.
“We are so excited to host this event for Treasure Valley students and share with them the scholarly opportunities available at CWI,” says Katie Price, CWI enrollment advisor and event organizer. “As a PTK member and recipient of the 2010 PTK New Century Scholars Award, I understand the importance of being involved with such a prestigious organization and the opportunities it can provide for community college students.”
Anyone interested in attending CWI’s 2016 Scholars Day event must register online. Registration is limited to the first 50 eligible students. Participants will be contacted two weeks prior to the event to confirm their selection. More information can be found on the CWI Enrollment Team’s Facebook page.
Welker Elected to International Committee
College of Western Idaho (CWI) faculty, Joe Welker, has been selected to serve on a committee with global influence. In the fall, Welker was elected to serve on the International Committee for Business-Industry Relations for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). According to its website, ACBSP is a leading specialized accreditation association for business education supporting, celebrating, and rewarding teaching excellence.
The committee Welker is serving on studies changes and trends in business practices and makes recommendations to member institutions concerning the improvement of business curriculum and to the Council regarding standards appropriate to ensuring improvement in business education. The Committee also promotes ACBSP as a major source of expertise in business education to its member institutions, assists member institutions in establishing advisory boards or councils, and acts as a clearinghouse for business and government internships for students and faculty of ACBSP member institutions.
Please join in congratulating and encouraging Joe in his election.
CWI Shines in Canyon County Publication
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is in the spotlight in Canyon County thanks to a large presence in an annual reporting publication. Canyon County Parks, Recreation, and Waterways recently released its 2015 edition of Forum, a printed publication that aims to highlight art; including poetry, photography, fine art, written works, and more. The features related to CWI include:
- Research led by CWI Faculty Dusty Perkins at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
- Insight into the Petroglyph Project at Celebration Park, written by CWI Student Kathy Guthrie
- Article on Ethnobotany, written by CWI Faculty Nikki Gorrell
- Article on Foraging, written by Gorrell and CWI Student Dave Draper
The 2015 edition of Forum will be available on the Canyon County Parks, Recreation, and Waterways website later this spring. Submissions for the next issue of Forum are currently being accepted. CWI employees and students interested in submitting works should contact Kathy Kershner at KKershner@canyonco.org.
