CWI Compass Connect - May 5, 2015
In the Spotlight
For the second consecutive year, College of Western Idaho (CWI) helped take a stand against child abuse with over 35 CWI students, faculty, and staff teaming up to support the Kiss 103.5 Live for 175 event. Team CWI joined Treasure Valley residents to ride stationary bikes that powered a radio remote at the Village in Meridian for 175 hours. CWI rode eight stationary bikes from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, April 23. Thank you to everyone who joined in the fight and showed tremendous support for this great cause.
News Highlights
College of Western Idaho to Celebrate Graduates on May 9
On Saturday, May 9, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) will celebrate its 2015 class of graduates in a commencement ceremony hosted at Taco Bell Arena in Boise. The ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will recognize degree and certificate graduates, as well as GED completers.
For the second consecutive year, CWI will honor a record number of degree and certificate candidates as well as the most ever graduates with honors. Some of the highlights of this year’s commencement include:
- 1170 Degree and Certificate Candidates
- 328 Graduates with Honors
- 199 Graduates with Multiple Degrees
- 132 Veteran Graduates
- Average Graduate GPA 3.21
- Youngest Graduate - 17 Years Old
- Oldest Graduate - 62 Years Old
For more commencement details visit cwi.edu/graduation. Family and friends of graduates that cannot attend in person can watch a live stream of the event at cwi.edu. Community members are also encouraged to share messages with graduates using #cwigraduation on Twitter and Instagram. Messages will be streamed on screens for graduates to see while preparing for the ceremony.
Idaho Gives: Help Send President Glandon Back-to-School
In May, the community will come together for Idaho Gives and CWI needs you to join the cause. The annual event—which starts at midnight on Thursday, May 7—is 24 hours of extraordinary, online, nonprofit giving.
The CWI Foundation is participating for the first time this year and hopes the event will help make a difference at CWI. On this day, every donation received will go towards the student scholarship fund.
To help increase donations, CWI President Bert Glandon is throwing his cap and gown to the wind and has agreed to go back to school for a day. Each time the Foundation reaches a donation level—either through dollars raised or the number of donors who contribute—President Glandon will visit a CWI class and become a student. Does he have what it takes to troubleshoot a Wi-Fi connection? Draw blood? Dissect something? Or maybe even roll up his sleeves and work on a car? Support the CWI Foundation through Idaho Gives and find out.
To support higher education, help make college more affordable for students, and give back to the community, go online to Idaho Gives and make a donation. Don’t forget to share the opportunity with family and friends who want to support the CWI Foundation and help send President Glandon back to school.
College of Western Idaho and IDeal Announce Innovative Scholarship Program
The College of Western Idaho and IDeal—Idaho 529 College Savings Program announced Thursday that they have teamed up to launch an innovative scholarship program. This program is the first of its kind in Idaho. The scholarship, called “CWIDeal Boost,” will provide matching funds provided by the College of Western Idaho to qualifying students who make tuition and fee payments to CWI directly from an IDeal 529 College Savings Account—up to $500 per semester or $1,500 per year.
“By providing these matching funds, we hope to inspire students to plan and save for college. If you’re willing to invest in yourself, we’ll invest in you, too,” said Kevin Jensen, Dean of Enrollment and Student Services. “We want families in Southwest Idaho to know that affordable, high quality higher education is within reach and, as your community college, CWI is committed to helping students find ways to pay for a great college education while avoiding unnecessary student loan debt.”
To qualify, students must meet certain financial and enrollment criteria and apply for federal financial aid. Specific program details can be found at cwi.edu/ideal. The CWIdeal Boost scholarship program has $70,000 in available funds for the 2015-2016 school year and funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis to students who qualify. One semester of tuition at College of Western Idaho costs $1,632 for in-district students and $2,132 for out-of-district students.
IDeal is Idaho’s state-sponsored 529 college savings plan, which is a tax-advantaged investment plan that allows families to plan and save ahead for the cost of college.1 Unlike traditional savings accounts, money in an IDeal account is invested, meaning it has a greater chance to grow through compounding, and when funds are withdrawn they are not taxed if used on qualifying expenses like tuition, fees, and books.2
Christine Stoll, IDeal Executive Director, said, “Our hope is that the students who learn about and use IDeal because of this program will see the power of a 529 plan, and will open accounts for their children and perhaps grandchildren, creating a college-going expectation for succeeding generations.”
CWI President Bert Glandon encouraged Idaho’s other colleges and universities to create similar programs for their students. “Given our state goal to increase the percentage of adults who obtain a postsecondary degree or certificate, we believe programs that promote saving and going on to college are critical. Collectively, we can send the message that higher education is obtainable, and it’s a smart investment for the future.”
Footnotes:
1 Contributions to the IDeal - Idaho College Savings Program are deductible from Idaho state income tax, subject to recapture in certain circumstances, such as a non-qualified withdrawal or a rollover to another state's qualified tuition program in the year of the rollover and the prior tax year.
2 Earnings on non-qualified withdrawals are subject to federal income tax and may be subject to a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.
College of Western Idaho Announces Purchase of 10 Acres in Boise
On Wednesday, (April 22), College of Western Idaho (CWI) Board of Trustees approved entering into an agreement to purchase approximately 10 acres of land at 3150 W. Main St. which is located at the intersection of Main and Whitewater Park Blvd. adjacent to the Boise River. The site which was previously the home of the Bob Rice Ford car dealership is planned for future development of programs to support the educational needs of the surrounding communities.
Since its first class offering in January 2009, College of Western Idaho’s enrollment has skyrocketed. This fall 10,217 credit students and an additional 10,480 non-credit program students enrolled across the College’s campuses in Nampa and Boise, community locations, and online. This record enrollment included more than 7,000 students attending classes at various leased Ada County locations including the current Ada County Campus at Overland and Maple Grove in Boise.
CWI is forming a steering committee and will look to engage the community and surrounding neighbors as part of the planning discussions scheduled later this year. The intent is that the new site will enable the College to move from existing leased locations and expand the programs offered including, general academic transfer programs, business, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and expand its workforce and technical education programs.
“We are excited to find a location that supports our student community as well as the businesses seeking a trained and well educated workforce,” said Mary Niland, board president. “From the beginning, CWI has made a promise to our community to offer affordable access to higher education and training. We are keeping that promise through investment in our young people and the future of the western Idaho region.”
College locations in Ada and Canyon County have consisted of leased, shared, and a few owned buildings that have provided short-term solutions in meeting the current educational demand of western Idaho. To help address the growing needs of the community and space shortage, CWI has leased buildings to provide needed classroom and services space ; however, even with this unsatisfactory, stop-gap solution, students still face challenges scheduling classes and accessing support services without traveling around the valley. Additionally, the cost for leasing space continues to increase and with the improving economy, costs are going higher, which does not support a long term and stable campus environment for students attending CWI.
“This land will ensure that we continue to meet the growing demand for education in Idaho,” said CWI President Bert Glandon. “Completion of degree or certificate credentials is critical to narrowing the skills gap that many of our state’s employers are facing. Higher education is the key to a strong economy; and as your community college, we intend to continue to work closely with employers to ensure they have a locally skilled workforce to hire.”
“CWI’s involvement in this site will bring an extraordinary and transformative energy to downtown’s West End,” said Boise Mayor David H. Bieter. “Thousands of students, faculty and staff members will be coming into downtown daily. They will be living, working, dining, shopping and recreating -- spurring a new round-the-clock vibrancy that will help knit together our expanding vision of downtown’s footprint and its long-term potential. The opportunities are breath-taking and are an exciting validation of the more than $20 million of public and private investments in parks, streets and other services and amenities in the West End in recent years.”
“We are pleased to know that the land which was home to our family’s business for so many years, will now provide a legacy dedicated to the educational success of people in our community,” said Fred Rice, son of Bob Rice.
CWI is filling an important role in helping Idaho residents’ access higher education and has already built a reputation for bridging educational gaps through its strong partnerships with Idaho’s high schools, universities and the growing business community.
Basalt Launch and Reading Set for May 8
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) student-run literary magazine, Basalt, is hosting a launch party for the unveiling of its third issue. The celebration event will feature students reading original fiction, nonfiction, and poetry published in this year’s magazine.
The free public event will take place:
Friday, May 8
7:00-8:30 p.m.
The Cabin
801 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise
Light refreshments will be served and copies of Basalt's third issue will be available for purchase.
CWI Marketing Students Create Advertising for Local Product Launch
This spring, students in College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Marketing Management program had an incredible opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom in support of launching a local product. The project was completed as part of a collaborative effort between the professional-technical program and Washington Federal, Inc. to create advertising for the bank’s new Agri-Business product.
CWI’s Principles of Promotion class spent the semester researching the corporation’s brand and services to create a print and radio advertisement promoting the bank’s new line. On Wednesday (April 22) six groups of students presented their campaign ideas. Local radio personality Robin Scott, with Townesquare Media, volunteered her time and talent to read the proposed radio spots, as well as provide expert insight on successful campaigns. Several Washington Federal executives attended the presentations, including Vice President of Relationship Management, Reid Wiggins, Tom Van Hemelryck, Rob Carroll, and Elaire Bachman. Wiggins, who is a member of the Marketing Management program’s Technical Advisory Committee, played a significant role in making the project a reality.
Following the presentations, Wiggins shared “CWI and the Marketing program do such a nice job connecting academics to the professional world. We all left impressed with the quality and thought that went into the presentations.”
Wiggins also says he plans to share the concepts with Washington Federal’s corporate marketing team in hopes they can help guide a future campaign for the Agri-Business product.
“This is a prime example of the miraculous heights students can achieve if someone simply believes in them,” adds Marketing Management Program Chair, Rob Walker. “[Washington Federal’s] participation helped validate the efforts we are making in the Marketing Management program in delivering quality education in our community, regardless of a student's background. Education is enhanced when community-based organizations join forces to create real world opportunities for students.”
CWI Volunteer Tax Program Concludes Successful Year
College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program once again this spring, providing CWI students an opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience while giving back to the community. More than 10 CWI students and graduates took part in the volunteer program hosted at CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building and Ada County Campus Pintail Center. This year volunteers helped prepare just under 200 individual income tax returns over three months. The service provided a savings of more than $48,000, based on average return rate calculated by the Internal Revenue Service.
The program was led by Assistant Professor of Accounting, Joe Welker, and Instructor of Business and Information Technology, Michel Boldt. Student participants included Lisa Farnam, Bryan Smith, Christopher Henderson, Wade Aldridge, Marcie Pyorie, Crystal Hammer, Sarin Jensen, and Syd Dietrich.
CWI Celebrates Three Business Students of the Year
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is proud to announce three winners of the fourth-annual Pearson's CWI Business Student(s) of the Year Award. Kimi Clifford, Yadira Morales, and Ryan Lewis have been recognized for their accomplishments in and out of the classroom.
Clifford, who was born and raised in Idaho, is finishing her associate degree in Business-General this semester. The Middleton High School graduate will complete her degree at CWI with a 3.8 cumulative grade point average (GPA). She is transferring to Northwest Nazarene University (NNU), starting this summer, and plans to study accounting and business.
Morales was born in Mexico and moved to the United States when she was 11 years old. She says she has fallen in love with Idaho and its people. Morales has maintained a 3.922 cumulative GPA at CWI and plans to transfer to NNU this summer to pursue an Accounting and Business degree. She says she has learned so much at CWI and hopes to learn more at NNU.
Lewis, a Meridian High School graduate, was born in Ogden, Utah and moved to Meridian when he was five years old. Following high school he served a two-year mission in Nashville, Tennessee before enrolling at CWI. Lewis has managed to maintain a 3.83 cumulative GPA at CWI and plans to transfer to Utah State to study Economics.
Dental Assisting Supports Service Learning Program Again
For the third consecutive year, students from College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Dental Assisting program participated in an educational outreach event that helps promote oral health to 500 students at Koelsch Elementary School in Boise. This year the opportunity included a new collaboration as CWI teamed up with the Skyview Dental Assisting program to provide the same experience for students from Columbia, Nampa, and Skyview High Schools.
The event included presentations and hands-on demonstrations. The dental assisting students collaborated on a brief presentation, which involved volunteers from each elementary class, to demonstrate what a visit to a dental office entails. They also explained the roles of the dentist and dental assistant.
Students from Koelsch then visited a display that explained and measured how much sugar is contained in different foods. As part of the display, CWI Dental Assisting students presented results from a very effective experiment that was done in their public health course this year. In the experiment, a set of teeth was immersed in an energy drink while another set was submerged in Mountain Dew for intervals of one week, two weeks, and three weeks. The damage done to the teeth was recorded. The study proved to be a highly effective teaching aid for the display at Koelsch, helping explain the sugar content and acids in common foods and drinks.
The event concluded with students breaking into small groups for hands-on experience with brushing and flossing. Each Koelsch student was given a toothbrush, floss, tongue scraper, toothbrush timer, and toothpaste, which were donated by Saint Alphonsus.
Monica Satake, assistant professor in the CWI Dental Assisting program, says the event was highly successful and that several Koelsch students even expressed interest in becoming a dentist one day.
Plumbing Apprentice Program Celebrates Graduates
On April 8, seven students in the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Plumbing Apprentice program were recognized for completing the four-year program offered through CWI Workforce Development. For completing the apprentice program each student was presented with a brand new toolbox and tools, which were supplied by the Treasure Valley Master Plumber’s Association and Ferguson’s Plumbing Supply. By passing CWI’s Plumbing Apprentice program and completing 8,000 hours of on the job training, these graduates are now able to sit for the State of Idaho’s journeyman plumber’s exam.
Course work in the CWI Plumbing program includes a comprehensive study of plumbing theory, National and State of Idaho plumbing codes, mathematics specific to the plumbing trade, installation and repair procedures, water conditioning, job site and personal safety, business practices and ethics, and more. The schooling mandated by the State of Idaho consists of approximately 672 hours of study over the course of a four-year period. While attending evening classes, CWI students also work full time for various plumbing companies in the valley.
Congratulations to all of the students celebrating completion of CWI’s Plumbing Apprentice program. CWI wishes them good luck taking the journeyman’s exam.
CWI Dual Credit Instructors Support High School Competition
A pair of instructors connected to College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Dual Credit program recently helped bring a regional education competition to Nampa High School. The Ten80 U.S. Army STEM competition—which showcases knowledge in physics, chemistry, and math—allows students a chance to compete designing and racing RC cars. Chris Anderson, who teaches CWI Dual Credit courses in chemistry at Nampa High School, facilitated the entire event. Anderson also asked Dual Credit mentor and CWI Faculty, Jim Kusterer, to serve as a judge for the competition. A team of students from Nampa High School won the event and received a trophy along with $2,000 that will assist them in their attendance at the national finals held next month in Houston, Texas.
May Faculty Honor Bestowed on Bennett
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is happy to announce Steve Bennett has been named CWI’s Faculty of Distinction for May.
Bennett is the program coordinator for the Plumbing Apprentice program offered through CWI’s Workforce Development division. He has proved to be a valuable member of the College, almost single-handedly redesigning the four-year program to meet the most current industry needs. The program is now vastly deeper and more effective than ever before and keeps students on track in what can be a very difficult and demanding field to persist in. His changes improved attention as well as retention, helping ensure students are well prepared upon completion.
Bennett has embraced new learning tactics and opportunities with completely rebuilt online portions of the program; utilizing more material that saves students money while giving them a more effective learning environment.
Colleagues say Bennett is a joy to work with because he is humble; welcoming criticism and new ideas. He actively seeks out opinions from a variety of sources on new and better ways to teach something.
Please join in congratulating Steve. He is a truly special part of what is being accomplished at CWI.
Grapes Gets April Staff of the Month
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has announced CWI’s April Staff of the Month award has been given to Samantha Grapes.
Grapes joined CWI in January 2010 and currently serves as coordinator of curriculum management in the Registrar’s Office. She started as a specialist in the Scheduling department of the Registrar, before moving to Curriculum Management. She had served as an advisor in this role and was recently promoted to Coordinator.
CWI’s Core Value of “Innovating for the 21st Century” certainly applies to Grapes. Her nomination commended her for on-going collaboration with Academic Affairs staff, program chairs, curriculum committee, and working to accommodate significant general education changes in the new catalog. Despite taking on such a big task, she also managed to remain on top of details and work out a variety of unexpected challenges that have arisen throughout the year.
Grapes obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in English from Brigham Young University-Idaho. She has taken courses at CWI and is planning to start working on a master’s degree soon.
She married her husband, who is British, three and a half years ago. They recently moved into a new house that they built. The couple has four cats. Grapes says “the biggest perk of marrying a foreigner is the excuse to travel overseas. This August we will be traveling to France for two weeks to celebrate his father’s birthday.”
Please join in congratulating Samantha. Thank you for your commitment and continued dedication to CWI and its faculty, staff, and students.
