CWI Compass Connect - May 1, 2019
Spotlight
Graduates, along with their families and friends, helped kick off the countdown to commencement at College of Western Idaho's annual Grad Fair Tuesday, April 23. Nearly 200 students had an opportunity to share their stories of success while enjoying giveaways, a photo booth, food, and family-friendly fun sponsored by ASCWI. Thank you to all who helped make the event so memorable!
Celebrating 10 Years!
Don't miss out on the 10-year celebration as we share stories of amazing students, talented faculty, and quality programs!
News Highlights
A World-Class Education
Hometown: Syracuse, New York
Major: Business
Graduation: 2011
“College of Western Idaho (CWI) empowered me with a world-class education from great professors,” said 2011 alumnus, Cody Phelps.
Growing up in upstate New York, Cody loved learning and knew from a young age he wanted to attend college.
“Higher education seemed commonplace to me. I had some really amazing mentors, and I was always challenged to make thoughtful decisions around what I wanted to do for a career.”
Presented with an opportunity to experience something new, he relocated to the Treasure Valley in 2009 after graduating from high school.
“I wanted to enroll in college right away. After researching schools, it was obvious CWI was the most cost-effective way to get my core classes completed before transferring to a four-year school.”
At CWI, attentive instructors, like John Nordstrom, empowered him to be successful early in his academic career.
“His teaching style really resonated with me. He took a vested interest in me as a student. To this day, we still meet regularly to catch up.”
With an associate degree in Business, Cody was prepared to continue his education. He went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2013 at Boise State University and attended graduate school in New York at Cornell University completing a master’s degree in Health Informatics in 2018.
“Because of CWI, I began my academic career in the best way imaginable. CWI helped get me where I am today."
Back in the Treasure Valley, Cody is now the Manager of Health Services Programs and Strategic Planning at PacificSource Health Plans in Boise.
LEADership Banquet Celebrates Students and Organizations
A row of eight crystal-clear awards greeted mighty College of Western Idaho (CWI) students, and guests, during the 2019 Student LEADership Recognition Banquet. Student Leadership Coordinator, Amber Eubanks, and David Michener, Student Engagement Director, hosted the banquet on April 17 at the Nampa Hampton Inn. The celebration kicked off with presentations from ASCWI presidential candidates, which included rapping by current ASCWI Vice President, Steele Sommer.
Students were recognized for their growth in leadership roles, as well as club and organizations creative engagement in campus life for the 2018-2019 academic year.
“I enjoy the creativity our students bring to their roles and how they continue to support one another,” said Eubanks. “I love it when students mix up traditional methods of delivery for their messaging and when it is well received by their peers.”
Student Organization of the Year
Advisor of the Year
- Ryan Randall, Advisor of MakerHub Club
Social Program of the Year
- Philosophy Club for their Shadow Club program
Community Service Program of the Year
- Student Nurses Association for their food drive for cystic fibrosis patients, adopt a family, and blood drives
Outstanding Officer/Representative of the Year
- Michelle (Misha) Keen, Medical Professional's Club
Quiet Influence Award
- Alex Ayad, History Club
Rising LEADership Award
- Brian Mitchell, Queers and Allies
Trailblazing LEADership Award
- Anne VanWassenhove, Anthropology Club
Congratulations to all our student leaders, clubs, organizations, and advisors for a job well done. Your efforts are noticed and appreciated. Thank you for making CWI a great place to be!
Golf Tournament Benefits Local Families
College of Western Idaho’s Law Enforcement program hosted their second-annual golf tournament Friday, April 19, at Centennial Golf Course. Law Enforcement student, Ashley Childers, took the lead in setting up the tournament. Students contacted sponsors, donors, and players to participate tripling the amount of teams who played and securing one major sponsor for the tournament. At last year’s inaugural event, the group raised nearly $2,500 for the Nampa Family Justice Center, a partnership of agencies dedicated to ending family violence and sexual assault. This year, the group raised $5,375 for the cause, more than doubling last year’s total!
I couldn’t be more proud of our students and our LE Program staff for their great work,” commented LeRoy Forsman, Senior Coordinator of the Law Enforcement Program. “I’m grateful to our community for stepping up to support battered and endangered families in our area. The staff from the Family Justice Center was just blown away by what was accomplished. We’re excited to begin preparation for next year’s tournament!”
Plumbing Apprenticeship Program Celebrates Graduates
Plumbing students who completed their four-year apprenticeship program at College of Western Idaho (CWI) gathered with friends and family to celebrate their accomplishments this past week at a dinner held in their honor. Cumulatively, the twenty-one graduating apprentices spent 576 total hours of classroom and lab education on their trade.
The evening, sponsored by the Treasure Valley Masters’ Plumbing Association (TVMPA) and participating local plumbing contractors, was hosted at Louie’s Restaurant in Meridian. Kenny Calkins, President of Cloverdale Plumbing and President of TVMPA , was on hand to congratulate the students and shake their hands for the hard work they put into the trade. TVMPA was additionally instrumental in gathering a completely outfitted tool bag donated by Ferguson’s, Silver Creek, Consolidated, and Robertson’s Plumbing Suppliers.
Allen Moore, co-owner of Meridian Plumbing and featured speaker, gave graduates perspective on the plumbing trade and inspiration on their careers going forward. He emphasized the importance of the plumbing profession and encouraged continued networking among the apprentices-soon-to-be-journeymen as they progress in their profession.
On behalf of the College, Plumbing Program Coordinator, Steve Bennett, and Plumbing Teacher, Ray Coon, presented each student with the Ferguson’s Tool bag, a year-four completion letter, and a program completion certificate honoring their hard work and content mastery of the Plumbing Apprenticeship program.
“We are extremely proud of the achievements of these plumbing apprentices and wish them success in their careers as plumbers in the Treasure Valley," commented Marc Swinney, Workforce Development’s Director of Business and Manufacturing programs. “They will go on to take their journeyman’s exam from the Idaho Department of Building Safety to become journeymen plumbers which includes a significant pay increase with their employers.”
Barnes Presents at National Technology and Science Conference
Dr. Yolonda Barnes, Assistant Professor at College of Western Idaho, recently returned from the National Technology and Social Science Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The national conference, put on by the National Social Science Association, had over 1,000 attendees and more than 200 individuals presenting research.
Barnes co-presented with Dr. Leslie Jernberg, Division Manager of Business and Technology from College of Eastern Idaho. The research focused on the “Effect of Articulated (tech prep) Credits on College Outcomes at a Stand-alone Technical College” in Idaho, a dissertation study by Jernberg, examining the effect of articulated tech prep credits on college outcomes for students who matriculate to a technical college within three-and-a-half years of high school graduation. The outcomes explored were retention, degree completion, time-to-degree, and technical skills assessment pass rates. In this study, tech prep students had higher retention, better rates of program completion, and shorter time-to-degree than their non-tech prep peers.
CWI English Instructor Featured in Award-Winning Documentary
On April 17, 2019, College of Western (CWI) English instructor, Liza Long, woke up to some exciting news: “A Dangerous Son,” a 2018 HBO documentary that included her family’s story, had won a Peabody Award for being one of the year’s “stories that matter.” In an Instagram post, the film’s Academy-award nominated director, Liz Garbus, credited reading Long’s 2012 essay about parenting a child with mental illness as the impetus for “A Dangerous Son.” The film, described as “a view into the myriad challenges parents face when raising children with mental health issues,” follows three families as parents try and often fail to connect with appropriate mental health services for their children.
Long, whose 2014 book, “The Price of Silence: A Mom’s Perspective on Mental Illness”, won a “Books for a Better Life” award, was featured as an expert in the film, alongside National Book Award winner, Andrew Solomon (The Noonday Demon, Far from the Tree); former Virginia state senator, Creigh Deeds; and former National Institute of Mental Health director, Thomas Insel. Long’s son, Eric Walton, is also featured in the film. Walton was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 13 and now attends Lewis Clark State College on a presidential scholarship, where he is studying social work.
“Eric is proof that treatment works,” Long said. “I know firsthand that children with mental illness don’t want to behave badly. They have brain differences.”
In the film, Long shares her belief that with the right resources and supports, children living with mental illness can have the same happy, productive lives that all parents want for their children, but those resources and supports are hard to come by. She says that some of the most important volunteer work she does is as a parent advocate presenting twice a year at Crisis Intervention Team training for law enforcement officers in Malheur County.
“It’s unfortunate that we as a society have chosen to criminalize an illness,” she said. “It’s not fair to our brave and hardworking law enforcement and corrections officers that they have become de facto mental health first responders.”
In her book, Long traces the multiple systems, from healthcare to schools to the criminal justice system, that parents whose children have mental illness must learn to navigate. Her 2016 doctoral dissertation focused on the leadership strengths and personality styles of parent and peer mental health advocates. She is proud of her son for his advocacy work.
“When I told him about my essay, he said, ‘Well, if this changes just one person’s mind about what it’s like to live with mental illness, it will be worth it,’” Long said. “This film gives us the chance to change quite a few minds—and more importantly, hearts.”
Undergraduate Research Highlights Raptor Conservation
College of Western Idaho (CWI) student, Zackery Szymczycha, and 2016 graduate, Leticia Camacho, presented their undergraduate research Monday, April 15, during the annual Undergraduate Research Conference at Boise State University. Szymczycha and Camacho collected, compiled, and analyzed raptor conservation data at The World Center for Birds of Prey as part of the The Peregrine Fund’s Global Raptor Impact Network (GRIN). Their research was part of Boise State’s Vertically Integrated Projects which provides students the opportunity to work under the mentorship of professional researchers while gaining invaluable hands-on experience.
“Internships like this are a tremendous opportunity for our students to apply scientific concepts they’ve learned in the class to real-world conservation issues,” commented Associate Professor of Biology, Dusty Perkins. “Students also develop critical science and communication skills while gaining experience of how collaborative research actually works.”
New Fire Service Technology Program
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to announce the arrival of a new Fire Service Technology program.
The Fire Service Technology program will prepare students for opportunities as a full-time or volunteer firefighter. The curriculum is based on National Fire Protection Association standards and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress requirements.
Staff from local fire departments, including the Nampa Fire Department, assisted in the development of curriculum and will also instruct in the program.
“This is a dream come true, not just for CWI, but for area fire departments,” said Nampa Fire Chief, Kirk Carpenter.
The program focuses on teaching students to analyze and solve problems in firefighting based on real-world situations and scenarios. Students will receive high-quality classroom instruction and participate in hands-on demonstrations, live burns, as well as a co-requisite physical fitness course designed specifically for firefighters.
“CWI’s program will provide a great chance for students to network with instructors, who work at fire departments across the Treasure Valley,” said Kevin Platts, CWI Director of Public Safety programs. “Instructors are going to go back and say ‘Hey, let's look at this student, I know how hard they work and I want them in my truck,’” he added.
Visit the Fire Service Technology program webpage to learn more.
Empowering Lives with Math
Years at CWI: 9
Department: Mathematics
Education: Master and BS of Architecture, University of Utah; MS Math Education, Boise State University; BS Mathematics, Brigham Young University
“College of Western Idaho (CWI) empowers students to gain knowledge and skills that will help them be successful at work and in their lives,” said Paul Belue, Assistant Professor of Mathematics.
After spending seven years working as a professional, Belue came to CWI in 2010 to do what he enjoyed most – teach. Initially hired as an adjunct instructor, he moved to a full-time position in January 2013.
“I didn't enjoy what I was doing in architecture, which was mainly sitting in front of a computer all day and drawing. I wanted to be learning more, working with people, and teaching.”
Belue teaches Mathematics at the College – a subject many students dread as they begin their college career.
“It is such a big part of our society and how it operates. By learning and understanding math, it can be used to richly enhance and better our lives.”
To support his students through the learning process, he breaks down concepts and provides them opportunities to learn from their mistakes.
“Paul is an exceptional math instructor,” said 2013 Liberal Arts graduate, Jessi Jensen. “He spent hours outside of class helping me understand math. He was so selfless. I got an A in math, and that had never happened in my entire life!”
Striving to inspire his students to want to learn math by explaining its relevancy to their work, family, and personal lives, Belue said he finds satisfaction in helping to prepare them for the future.
“Because of CWI, I have found meaningful work helping students learn and reach their goals.”
Biology Student Recognized for Stellar Research
Julie Wagner, a College of Western Idaho (CWI) student studying Biology, was awarded best student poster at the 61st annual Idaho Academy of Science and Engineering Symposium on April 13, 2019, for her work entitled “Enzymatic Analysis of Novel Giardia Intestinalis MTA Nucleosidase Inhibitors”. Wagner research was supported by the Idaho INBRE Program where she worked with Dr. Ken Cornell at Boise State University during the summer of 2018.
Wagner’s interest in research and molecular biology and biochemistry and her goal to become a researcher began as a participant in the College’s INBRE Summer Scholars program in 2017 with Dr. Suzanne Oppenheimer.
Following graduation from CWI this spring, Wagner plans to transfer to Boise State University where she will continue working in Dr. Cornell’s lab with support from the Southwestern Idaho Bridges to Baccalaureate program.
Congratulations, Julie, on your recent award, and best of luck as you continue your education and research. The CWI community is proud of you!
Honor Society Finishes on Top
Beta Sigma Pi, College of Western Idaho’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, represented the College at the 2019 PTK International Catalyst Conference April 4 – 6 in Orlando, Florida. As a Chapter, Beta Sigma Pi was honored to receive three outstanding awards!
- Distinguished College Project for outstanding work with suicide awareness
- Top 100 Chapter in the International system out of 1300 Chapters
- Distinguished Chapter moving them from top 100 to top 40 internationally
"Our officer team has worked incredibly hard and has shown dedication to being a face for CWI,” said PTK President, Elizabeth Carter. “We persevered, and we prevailed!"
Turning Passion into a Career
Hometown: Kuna, Idaho
Major: Liberal Arts
Graduation: 2013
“College of Western Idaho (CWI) empowered me to work hard for my dreams,” said 2013 Liberal Arts graduate, Jessi Jensen.
After experiencing a significant change in her life, Jessi chose to go back to school to support her desire and love for helping people.
“I was so worried I wouldn’t be successful in college. Terrified actually. I got divorced at the age of 30 and had three small children I needed to be able to provide for.”
As a student, Jessi had several opportunities to help others in the community including organizing a coat drive for kids in the Nampa School District and a giving tree to support kids in foster care. Although these were wonderful experiences, she said it was the instructors at CWI who changed her life.
"As I became acquainted with Jessi through courses she took with me and her involvement with Psychology Club, it was clear that she was both interested in and highly motivated to help people," recalled Psychology instructor, Martha Timberlake. "Her course work and life experience prompted her to explore various ways she could develop a career to match her interests and motivation, and I thought social work would be an excellent match."
"I fell in love with the profession," commented Jessi. "I don’t know if I would have found my passion if it wasn’t for her!"
After graduating from CWI in 2013, she continued her education at Boise State University completing a Master of Social Work degree in 2016. She is now a clinical social worker focused on working with children and adolescents who are at risk or have advanced needs.
“CWI helped me realize I am smart and capable. Because of CWI, I get to do what I love and get paid for it! I believe whole-heartedly in CWI. My dream is to someday return as an instructor.”
