CWI Compass Connect - July 7, 2015

News Highlights

CWI Night at the Boise Hawks - Support Scholarships

Students have the chance to score big this summer with CWI night at the Boise Hawks on Thursday, July 9. Come out to the ballpark, enjoy some baseball fun, and help raise funds for College of Western Idaho (CWI) scholarships. For every ticket sold using the special offer code – CWI; $2 will be donated to support scholarships for CWI students. CWI Night tickets will be on the third-base side in the shade.

CWI Night at the Hawks is a great way to enjoy a Boise tradition, support students, and have some summertime fun. Arrive early and catch CWI President Bert Glandon throw out the first pitch. Also be sure to visit the CWI Upgrade U.0 booth before heading to the new Hawkstown Purple Porch patio.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Buy.asp?EventID=122369#.VYwwBflViko and use the special offer code – CWI. Tickets cost $12 and can also be purchased on game night at the stadium box office; remember to use the CWI promo code at the ticket window and wear your CWI gear to the game!

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Future Students Invited to Explore CWI

The College of Western Idaho (CWI) will host a special event perfect for anyone who has started the admission process at CWI or is just thinking about starting college. In just one day, future students will be able to explore all the opportunities CWI offers as well as complete the enrollment process—from applying to registering for classes. Anyone applying to CWI at the Explore CWI event will have the $25 application fee waived.

The Explore CWI event will take place July 15 (Wednesday) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at campus locations in Boise and Nampa. Extra assistance will be available to help future students complete the steps to become a college student at CWI this fall.

Attendees will be able to:

Explore CWI programs and services
Tour various locations, classrooms, and labs
Meet with advisors and faculty
Apply, be accepted, and register for Fall 2015
Apply for financial aid

No appointment is needed. Sessions will start throughout the day for future students to join as they walk in. This is a great opportunity for students to do everything in one day. Don’t miss this opportunity!

When:
Wednesday, July 15
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where:
Nampa Campus - Micron Center for Professional Technical Education
5725 E. Franklin Rd., Nampa – View Map

AND

Ada County Campus - Pintail Center,
Blackeagle Center , 1360 S. Eagle Flight Way, Boise – View Map

Recommended items to bring:

High school transcripts, or official GED transcript, or official college transcripts
ACT, or SAT, or Compass test scores
Photo identification

If these items are not available for the event, CWI encourages future students to come and advisors will help them through the process.

Apply for Financial Aid today.

Have questions? Contact the CWI Enrollment team at enrollment@cwi.edu.

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CWI Internetworking Student Places Second in Nation

College of Western Idaho (CWI) Internetworking student, Lisette Baer, secured a silver medal finish at the 51st-annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Louisville, Kentucky June 22-26. Baer was one of ten competitors representing CWI at the prestigious event, which hosted over 6,000 career and technical education students from around the country.

In addition to the runner-up title secured by Baer, fives students competing in the Quiz Bowl competition earned a Bronze award. The Quiz Bowl competition tests the team’s ability to quickly respond to questions covering areas of academic knowledge, professional development, and current events. CWI competitors included Adam Hayman, Cole Rogers, Marcus Sirounian, Tera Filan, and Andrew Doxey.

Another CWI participant, Lisa Webb, is also being celebrated for a number of achievements she enjoyed at nationals. Along with finishing seventh in the Prepared Speech competition, Webb also experienced a couple firsts for the state of Idaho. Webb was one of 74 participants honored at the conference with the President’s Volunteer Service Award; making her Idaho’s first recipient of the award through SkillsUSA. She also had the opportunity to represent the state as a member of the student voting delegation, which serves as governing body for affairs associated with the organization’s student constitution.

The most recent national awards for SkillsUSA add to the College’s reputation of quality education demonstrated through students qualifying and securing top national recognition for career and technical skills.

CWI Moves Forward with Nampa Campus Land Purchase

The College of Western Idaho Board of Trustees approved a motion to move forward with closing on the 32.5 acres on the north boundary of the Nampa Campus between the Academic Building and Cherry Lane. The decision was based on the completion of due diligence that included an appraisal of the land. The College anticipates closing within the next two weeks for a total cost of $815,000.

“This property will be a great addition to the Nampa Campus,” said Trustee Stan Bastian. “As we continue to develop our campus and serve more students, the land provides flexibility for future growth and connection with the North on Cherry Lane.”

The parcel of land will become part of the College’s Nampa Campus Master Plan designed to support growth through 2040. The College does not have any immediate development plans for the land, but long term the College anticipates adding a north entrance/exit point onto Cherry Lane as the campus is developed out.

CWI Calculates New Approach to Remedial Math Instruction

College of Western Idaho (CWI) has introduced a redesigned approach to college-preparatory math. Starting this fall, CWI will offer a new structure for remedial math instruction, which was created, in part, to address one of the key strategies from the State Board of Education’s Complete College Idaho plan. The new model replaces three courses from the previous delivery method with one course delivered in an emporium-style model.

Rather than utilizing traditional classroom delivery and same-pace instruction, the emporium model allows students to receive an individualized study plan that focuses on the mathematical concepts the student needs to master before entering college-level math courses. They will be required to attend two sessions each week in one of CWI’s new Math Solutions Centers (MSC), located in Nampa and Boise. The MSC will be staffed by faculty teams that provide one-on-one instruction and assistance during all hours of operation.

Over the past two semesters CWI served approximately 4,800 total students in college preparatory math. While the previous model saw 83 percent of college prep math students pass their courses in the 2013-14 academic year, 37 percent of students needed more than one semester to complete remedial coursework. The new model is designed to help students move through remedial math more quickly by focusing their efforts on concepts they have not yet mastered.

“The new model is designed to eliminate overlap between multiple courses,” says Susan Knights, director of CWI’s Math Solutions Center. “It will also position our students to complete the math remediation learning they need to be successful in college much more efficiently, saving them time and money.”

CWI’s new college prep math delivery is modeled after similar programs around the country that have reported high success rates.

CWI Dual Credit Reports Continued Growth, Success

The number of high school students earning college credits at College of Western Idaho (CWI) continues to rise, as enrollment from the 2014-15 academic year experienced an increase across the board. CWI saw a rise in Dual Credit enrollment as a whole, as well as participation in its program aimed specifically at alternative high schools.

The College saw its total enrollment count for Dual Credit grow to 3,920 students; up from 2,703 in 2013-14. Those students completed an astounding 18,621 credits which is a 33 percent increase from the previous year.

CWI has also seen continued growth in participation in its College Readiness Project, which focuses specifically on alternative high schools in the area. In 2014-15, CWI helped 449 students from 10 alternative schools enroll in Dual Credit. Those students completed 1,963 college credits with a 93 percent success rate.

The College Readiness Project has also experienced a great deal of success helping transition students to college. Of all College Readiness students in 2013-14, 33 percent enrolled in college this past year. One participating school, Canyon Springs High School, has seen even stronger numbers with 85 percent of its graduates this spring applying to CWI.

In addition to earning college credits through traditional classroom delivery, the College Readiness Project has also provided opportunities for students through a creative initiative. In 2014, CWI started helping alternative school students earn college credits by paying for them to take the Spanish Language CLEP exam. CLEP provides an opportunity to earn college credit through proficiency testing. This past year, 123 students took the CLEP exam and received 1,342 college credits thanks to the CWI initiative.

Instructor Leaves Legacy Through Learning

CWI Impact - Brendan Keating Tribute

Sometimes we take for granted the impact we make in someone’s life. College of Western Idaho (CWI) faculty and staff all have the opportunity to positively change students’ lives, but one instructor undoubtedly took that ability to another level. CWI Basic Skills instructor Brendan Keating touched every person he met in some way. When the community suddenly lost his touch in early May, Brendan’s family established a way for his legacy to continue at CWI.

Brendan primarily taught math to GED-seeking students at CWI's Canyon County Center. Coworkers, friends and students all say he had a true gift for inspiring them to succeed; personally and professionally.

“He could break down the most challenging concepts into elemental steps in a way that students who had previously struggled could readily understand.” – Valerie Stacey, CWI Basic Skilled Education Supervisor

“His impact on me was huge. He would always tell me; take your time, focus and believe in yourself. I use (his words) not only for math, I use them now for every class.” – Vinkas Hodge, GED Student

“His dedication to his students and coworkers was unparalleled. Many students told me they wouldn't have succeeded without Brendan's support.” – Scott Barron, CWI Tutoring Services Supervisor

Along with the ability to inspire people, Brendan was known to pay for GED testing for students who could not afford it. His family asked that donations in his memory be made to the CWI Foundation GED Testing Fund. The response has been remarkable. Donations so far will help at least 12 future students pay for their testing.

“I cannot put into words how much comfort I find in knowing that my brother was held in such high regard and impacted the lives of his students,” Kara Copeland, Brendan’s sister, said. “Brendan would be so touched by the show of support to a cause he cared so deeply about.”

To learn more about Brendan’s impact and help continue his legacy, click here.

#cwIupgrade Promotion Returns with More Prizes, Milestones

In June, College of Western Idaho (CWI) launched its second #cwIupgrade social media contest to celebrate personal milestones of current and future CWI students. The promotion encourages people to share photos of their higher education upgrade – like applying to CWI or registering for classes. On July 20, one grand prize winner will be drawn who will receive an ASUS Book Tablet.

Participants can enter by taking a photo depicting their CWI Upgrade, sharing the photo through Instagram or Twitter and including the #cwIupgrade hashtag in the caption. Each Monday leading up to the final drawing, there will be one entry randomly selected to receive a CWI Bookstore gift card, selfie stick, event tickets, and College gear.

For more information on rules and regulations for the promotion, as well as directions on how to enter, visit cwi.edu/rules.

STEM Conference Brings Educators to CWI

College of Western Idaho (CWI) welcomed over 150 educators to CWI’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education this week for the Treasure Valley I-STEM (TViSTEM) event. CWI is one of six hosts state-wide for these annual Idaho-STEM workshops. The conference ran Tuesday-Friday (June 23-26).

TViSTEM focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction for Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and is a partnership of educators, government agencies, organizations, and private companies working to improve STEM education in the state. I-STEM supporters include Idaho National Laboratory, universities, community colleges, the state Department of Education, Idaho State Board of Education, Hewlett Packard, Intermountain Gas, Micron, and Idaho Power.

The week-long event includes nine different strands that allow teachers to dive deep into STEM specific content through hands-on activities, experiments, and field trips. A few highlights included the session titled “Sparking a Passion”, where participants built hover crafts as well as designed and launched rockets experimenting with various methods to maximize distance and efficiency. Participants from the “Food Safety from Farm to Table” break-out analyzed the amount of bacteria in ground beef and learned the importance of ordering hamburger that is “cooked to temperature” as opposed to a steak, which can be ordered “medium rare”. Field trips included sites such as Micron, Langley Gulch, and the Simplot plant.

TViSTEM requires countless hours of planning and preparation and CWI teams do a significant amount of this work. Many thanks go out to President’s Cabinet, Business Office, Foundation, Security, Facilities, Information Technology, Audio/Visual, Education Department, and all the employees at the Micron Center for making it possible for this event to take place and to run so smoothly. Teachers work hard and make an impact on our future, and it is exciting to watch CWI be a part of thanking, encouraging, and training them to continue their work in integrating STEM into their educational models. Participants in the event noted; “It has been nice to be treated as a professional” and “[I] feel valued and important.”

For more information on the iSTEM initiative, visit www.sde.idaho.gov/site/istem.