CWI Compass Connect - May 16, 2017
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) celebrated the Class of 2017 graduates at Taco Bell Arena in Boise on Saturday, May 13. This year, CWI honored a record number of degree and certificate candidates, 1465 graduates. Of those honored, 490 were with honors, 354 received multiple degrees, and 131 of the graduates were veterans.
CWI is excited to congratulate the Class of 2017!
News Highlights
CWI Board of Trustees will hold eight Listening Sessions
During its regularly scheduled meeting in April, the CWI Board of Trustees agreed to hold a series of meetings designed to facilitate public input and discussion relative to the future plans for the college. Chairman, Mark Dunham, will lead the meetings which will take place between May 16 and June 1 from 6:30 to 8:00p.m. The dates and locations are as follows:
- Tuesday, May 16 - Riverside Hotel, Boise
- Wednesday, May 17 - CWI Nampa Campus Academic Building, 102E, Nampa
- Thursday, May 18 - Parma High School Commons, Parma
- Tuesday, May 23 - Middleton High School Auditorium, Middleton
- Wednesday, May 24 - Caldwell High School Auditorium, Caldwell
- Thursday, May 25 - Eagle High School Auditorium, Eagle
- Wednesday, May 31 - Meridian City Hall Council Chambers, Meridian
- Thursday, June 1 - Kuna High School Auditorium, Kuna
CWI staff and faculty are encouraged to attend. Those interested may also join the conversation online. For more information, visit CWIdifference.com.
SCORE Big Scholarship Receives Gift from Idaho Steelheads
CWI Night at the Idaho Steelheads resulted in an awesome gift! Group ticket sales, supported by the CWI community, raised $500! Over 100 hundred individuals filled the CWI section in support of the scholarship at the Idaho Steelheads game on March 30, 2017. Idaho Steelheads Senior Account Executive, Steven Anderson, and Community Relations Director, Brian McCormack, attended a recent CWI Foundation Board Meeting to present the funds.
Thank you all for your support of CWI Night and the SCORE Big Scholarship. Stay tuned for more information on CWI Night at the Boise Hawks, July 26, where another future CWI student will receive a scholarship during the game.
CWI Art Student Awarded Scholarship
College of Western Idaho (CWI) student, Eva Streicher, was awarded a $500 scholarship and membership by the Treasure Valley Artist Alliance (TVAA) on May 4.
Eva was nominated by CWI Art Instructor, Goran Fazil. Fazil shared, "She is an excellent student who is interested in pursuing her career as an artist and I think that she will be a great asset to TVAA." Eva had two works selected in the juried show which is currently on display at the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Celebrating Student Success
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has been sharing stories of success from several of this year’s graduates as we countdown to the 2017 commencement ceremony. The road traveled by students to arrive at CWI and the experiences along their education journey are all amazing and inspiring in their own way. The success stories of students at CWI are never ending, here are just a few stories from our awesome graduates:
Kimmer Jackson – Perfectly Happy Behind the Scenes
Grace Lovera – A Love for Learning
Tom Thompson – Online Student Makes a Difference
Shauna Lileks – Finding Her Passion
Kelsey Wilber – Connection, Involvement, and Opportunity
Michael Morrison – A Jump Start
Jennifer Paulus – Finding Happiness
Remington Grunewald – Discovering the Unexpected
Katherine Fleshman – Becoming a Published Author
La Vera Hutchinson – Chasing a Dream to Find What Matters Most
Each of these stories offer a glimpse into the diversity of individuals and life that exists at CWI, and are only a few of the thousands of amazing success stories of CWI students.
These and other stories can be found on the CWI website in the News Room, and on program and club pages. Check out the discussion and excitement that is following these students through the multiple CWI social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Criminal Justice Club Partnered with Nampa Police
During the week of May 1, the Criminal Justice Club partnered with the Nampa Police Department (NPD) to put on a mock interview panel. Two students bravely volunteered to be interviewed and then the individuals on the panel debriefed the interviews with the group. This is a great opportunity for our students to get an insight into the interview process for criminal justice careers. Thanks NPD!
Members of Psi Beta Present at Conference
During the weekend of April 29-30, Maribel Carrillo, Robyn Richardson, and Justin Spiwak, members of Psi Beta, the honor society for students interested in psychology, had the opportunity to present their research at the Idaho Psychological Conference in McCall, Idaho. The students won first place in the poster session for their work entitled “A Gritty Exploration: Factors Influencing Student Success.” Not only did these students represent Psi Beta well, they were the only students from a community college at the conference.
Outstanding Business Students of the Year
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is proud to announce the annual winners of the Pearson Outstanding Business student of the year: Kory Knight, Debora Golling, Clarke Burton, and Jasmine Coonrod. The students are being recognized for their academic achievements and activities in and out of the classroom.
STUDENT BIOS
Kory Knight
Knight is a General Business major at CWI and currently holds a 3.91 GPA. He grew up in rural Meridian before moving to Boise where he graduated from Capital High School. Knight has held various leadership roles in small group settings where he says he enjoys stepping up and providing direction. The ability to take on responsibility when needed proved to be a tremendous asset in his role as a Teaching Assistant in the Business Department. Knight proctored exams, stood in for instructors during VITA sessions, and patiently worked with fellow students to pass along his knowledge.
Debora Golling
Golling has dedicated her career to the field of accounting for the past 30 years working in various fields within the industry. Her skills in accounting have provided opportunities for her to work for a nursing home, as an office manager for a screen printing and embroidery company, as a customer service representative for AT&T, and, most recently, for Powderhaus Brewing as an Administrative Bookkeeper. Golling came to CWI in her 50s after deciding to go back to school and earn a degree to back up her knowledge and experience. Following graduation, she plans to transfer to Northwest Nazarene University to obtain a double bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business.
Clarke Burton
Burton grew up calling Idaho his home. Idaho cultivated his love for outdoor adventure in its mountainous playground. Burton plans to attend Northwest Nazarene University to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration. He hopes to be a CPA and create a stable foundation for future business and entrepreneurial endeavors. He currently serves as the Worship and Creative Director for his church, enjoys escaping to the mountains, and loves doing school work.
Jasmine Coonrod
Coonrod decided at 28 she wanted to earn a college degree. As a mother she felt she had a huge responsibility to ensure her son had an opportunity to succeed in life. Throughout her childhood, Coonrod had to reestablish herself every few years in a new school and with new friends. Moving taught her determination to accomplish tasks, to have a genuine interest in those around her, and to not get too attached to places and things. She credits these skills to her academic success during the past two years at CWI as they have helped her learn to work with different companies in Boise. She loves how Boise companies band together to provide community outreach programs for kids and hopes to continue working with these companies for the betterment of the community.
Students were nominated for the award by Business faculty and internship advisors. Applications were reviewed by a faculty committee and winners were selected based on eligibility requirements, grade point average, and other honors, contributions, and achievements. Those selected receive a scholarship, a personalized certificate and medal, and have their name added to an annual plaque.
For more information regarding the CWI Business Student of the Year award, contact Joe Welker at joewelker@cwi.edu.
CWI Assessment & Testing Granted NCTA Certification
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Assessment & Testing has been granted National College Testing Association (NCTA) certification. The NCTA certification recognizes the CWI Assessment & Testing locations are evaluated to meet the standards and guidelines for the center and personnel.
Certification delivers students and industry access to a nationally recognized testing center that adheres to best practices, provides testing for distance learning students and organizations, and ensures alignment with other collegiate testing centers.
NCTA Mission:
NCTA is dedicated to the promotion of professionalism and quality in the administration of testing services and programs, including issues relating to test administration, test development, test scoring and assessment. The objectives of the organization are to enhance professional testing practices, offer opportunities for professional development, encourage professional support activities, and advance collaborative efforts among testing professionals, testing companies, and other policy-making agencies.
Business of Art Symposium Success
College of Western Idaho (CWI) welcomed a collection of visual and performing arts professionals to campus on Friday, April 14, for an afternoon of expert insight into the world of art and business. The event, presented by the CWI Business and Art departments featured keynote speaker, Drew Lorona, Co-Director of the Treefort Music Festival. Twenty-two local artists, entrepreneurs, and arts educators came together to present a variety of panel discussions on “Organizing and Exhibiting Art”, “Marketing Yourself”, “The World of Non-Profit Arts Organizations”, and “The Business of Art”. Over 200 people attended, as students were given an opportunity to learn more about the challenges and rewards of being a practicing artist and gained some invaluable advice about how to get started in an art career.
We are hoping this is the first of many collaborations between the arts and business departments and look forward to our next event.
Education Instructors Present at Conference
College of Western Idaho (CWI) Education Department instructors Carol Billing, Scott Straub, and Molly Wolk presented at the Federal Programs Conference in Boise, Idaho, on April 6 and 7. In addition, CWI education students volunteered to assist with the conference.
The Federal Programs Conference, formerly known as the Title I Conference, partners with the Special Education Department in Idaho to provide a well-rounded training opportunity for all aspects of federal programs in schools and districts.
In attendance were superintendents, principals, teachers, and other educators from Idaho and around the country. Keynote speakers included: Charlotte Danielson, MK Asante, Luis Cruz, and Diane Staehr Fenner.
Billing, Straub, and Wolk presented two workshops called "20 Ways To Connect With Students and Parents." Nearly 100 educators attended the two sessions.
"The response from the workshop participants was much greater than anticipated. Many principals and superintendents were very excited to take what they learned from these workshops back to their own districts to assist with teacher training and development. Teachers were also thrilled with the ideas that we shared. Carol, Molly, and myself are currently discussing additional training workshops that we can provide to local Idaho schools.”
Scott Straub, Assistant Professor
Treasure Valley Adjunct Conference
College of Western Idaho, Boise State University and Northwest Nazarene University are partnering to present the Treasure Valley Adjunct Conference (TVAC), took place on the campus of Boise State University on May 15, 2017. TVAC was developed to build a sense of community among adjunct faculty, recognize the scholarship and innovative teaching practices that this unique group of individuals bring to our students as well as engage in conversations around how to best support adjunct faculty. The conference, which runs from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. will feature breakout sessions from faculty throughout the valley including three distinguished CWI adjunct faculty. Math faculty, Lance Curtis, will present on “Flipping Boring into Fun: How the Flipped Classroom Model Can Engage Students in Statistics”; Business faculty, Stephanie Barham, on “Smartphones in the Classroom”; and Life Science faculty, Gary Heller, on “Using a Course as a Bridge to Mentoring Students”. Michal Yadlin will present the “Plenary Session on Adjunct Life: A Delicate Juggling Act”. Additionally, the conference leaders will offer a session for university leaders and stakeholders.
For more information and to register please visit: https://tvac2017.eventbrite.com.
May Faculty of Distinction – Michael Robinson
Michael Robinson is the College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for May. Michael earned a B.S. in history from South Dakota State University, and an M.A. in Philosophy from University of North Texas. He has taught philosophy since 1990 and has worked as an international consultant for Houghton Mifflin Publishing.
Michael was nominated by a colleague for his service in mentoring faculty teaching Ethics designated courses, his ability to present both sides of a controversial issue without bias, work serving on committees at CWI and as a judge at the National Speech and Debate Tournament, and his consistent positive rapport with students.
In his spare time, Michael likes to hike, rock climb, and golf. His goals include hiking all over New Zealand and developing and building the A.A. Philosophy degree program at CWI. Please congratulate Michael on being selected as May’s Faculty of Distinction!
