CWI Compass Connect - Nov. 22, 2019
Spotlight
College of Western Idaho celebrated a fantastic night of fundraising for students during the Opening Doors Benefit Event, hosted on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at JUMP in downtown Boise. The evening included program demonstrations by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Studio Art, Fire Service Technology, and Law Enforcement, so visitors could experience some of the exciting opportunities at the College.
News Highlights
CWI Launches Local Needs Assessment
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) has launched work on a comprehensive local needs assessment in compliance with the 2018 Perkins V federal legislation, and the College is looking for community input. Once completed, the assessment will provide a clear view of labor needs in our ten-county service region. The assessment will additionally offer insight into opportunities to provide needed training to the local labor market and emerging industries. Results from the needs assessment will inform annual Perkins V applications and CWI institutional strategies to address the current and future needs of the local communities and businesses that make up Region 3 and the State of Idaho.
The College has retained MGT Consulting Group, a national higher education consulting and research firm, to assist with the process — you may be contacted by either MGT or CWI. Please engage and respond to their invitations to provide input and feedback which will be critical in remapping the direction of CWI's Career and Technical Education programs.
Two forums will be held in December for the community to provide input:
Thursday, Dec. 5
1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Nampa Campus Micron Education Center
Room 1701 A/B
Friday, Dec. 6
8 to 11 a.m.
Nampa Campus Aspen Classroom Building
Room 104
You can also participate by completing a web-based survey.
Campus Visitors Observe Rare Mercury Transit
Under a clear sky, College of Western Idaho faculty Dr. Irwin Horowitz and Dr. Ehab Marji, adjusted a powerful telescope at the Nampa Campus Academic Building to view the transit of Mercury across the face of the sun on Monday, Nov. 11.
“This was my third Mercury transit, and I always find it fascinating to observe the motion of a solar system object, because most of the time objects in the sky appear quite static,” said Horowitz. “When Mercury transits the sun, we are able to see the planet move across the disk of the sun for a few hours.”
The next time this celestial event will take place is in 2032. Horowitz and Marji discussed the historic event with visitors – many people were surprised at how tiny Mercury looked as it passed the sun.
STEM Out! Inspires Students
As the marble rolls down a wooden track, students visiting the Secondary Education station of the STEM Out! event, eagerly watch as it winds its way along the rollercoaster looking creation – a cheer erupts as the marble reaches the finish line.
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) STEM Out into Career and Technical Education (CTE) event was a success on Saturday, Nov. 2, with 57 students from 7-8th grades visiting the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center (NMEC).
Students explored six stations encompassing CTE careers in education, health, information technology, public safety, trades, manufacturing, and transportation. The students were impressed with the variety of opportunities at CWI, one stated, “This College is focused on helping people get jobs. It's got a lot of hands-on experiences, and it's only two years.”
CWI's Center for New Directions, the Provost, College deans, CTE faculty, Enrollment and Student Services, and Presidential Ambassadors made the day possible with Perkins funding, collaboratively managing the sign-in, morning welcome, hallway monitoring, breakfast, and checkout.
“This was a wonderful chance for students to learn more about CTE programs at the College,” said Annette Grove, Coordinator of the Center for New Directions. “Presidential Ambassadors and staff acted as group leaders safely and enthusiastically leading students around NMEC during the event. Group leaders offered a leadership building approach to the day of career exploration, discussing future careers among their group’s participants.”
Spring 2020 Registration
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to announce registration dates for the Spring 2020 semester.
Continuing Students
Priority registration at CWI for the Spring 2020 semester began Monday, Nov. 11. Priority registration allows continuing students a chance to enroll in classes ahead of others in order to stay on track to graduate.
- Continuing students are required to meet with their Student Success Advisor prior to registering.
- Once advising is completed, students can register online anytime on or after their assigned registration time.
- Continuing students, who enrolled and attended classes any semester since fall 2017, are eligible.
- Assigned registration times are based on cumulative credits earned.
- Students can check myCWI and CWI email for their assigned time.
- Dual Credit students are not eligible for priority registration.
New and Returning Students
Open Registration for all students, including new and returning, begins Monday, Nov. 18 at 8 a.m.
- New students must complete Student Online Advising and Registration (SOAR) and attend New Student Orientation prior to registering for their classes.
Visit us online to learn more about applying to CWI, orientation, registering for classes, and for One Stop Student Services hours and locations.
School Supply Drive
Help families in need by donating unused school supplies. The Education department at College of Western Idaho, in partnership with the University of Idaho is collecting backpacks, markers, notebooks, calculators, pencils, and other necessary school supplies to help the City Light Home for Women and Children in Boise. In addition, a portion of the school supplies will be donated to middle school classrooms.
Donation boxes are located at two locations:
- Nampa Campus Multipurpose Building Library
- Ada County Campus Pintail Center, Room 1102 – the Adjunct Offices
The school supply drive will run through Tuesday, Dec. 3. For those who would like to participate, please contact Scott Straub at scottstraub@cwi.edu.
The Bridges Program is in its Third Year and Students are Crushing It!
Former College of Western Idaho students are making a big difference; changing the world and their careers through the Southwestern Idaho Bridges to Baccalaureate Program (or just B2B!). Our students are building knowledge through research, and sharing this knowledge with other scientists around the country. From College Park, Maryland to Ashland, Oregon – coast to coast – B2B Fellows have presented at numerous scientific symposia, won awards, and conducted outreach to motivate others in following a research career path.
“We just couldn’t be more proud of the students from CWI, they’ve come to Boise State ready to hit the ground running and have exceeded our expectations for undergraduate scholars," said Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk, Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of Clinical/Translation Research at Boise State University.
The B2B program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored effort to fuel the biomedical research pipeline beginning with 2 and 4-year colleges and universities. The B2B program does this by specifically recruiting underrepresented students from community colleges and encourages their transfer to a partnering four-year school by way of authentic research experiences in biomedical research laboratories. Participating students enter the program while at CWI, are mentored, and are placed in paid positions in research labs during their “bridge” summer and their first academic year at Boise State. They will engage in a variety of professional development opportunities such as social networking and responsible conduct of research training. Students will meet regularly with faculty advisors and laboratory team members and attend one or more conferences at the end of the program to present their specific contribution to the team’s research. The B2B program is an excellent opportunity for students that might not typically follow a biomedical research career path to experience what it would be like to be a researcher and advance knowledge in a rapidly changing, exciting, and highly technical field. For more information on the program or to see if you qualify, please write to Dr. Steve Lysne: stevelysne@cwi.edu.
If you’d like to make a difference or explore a career in research, the B2B program is now accepting applications for our fourth cohort of B2B student researchers. If you’re planning on transferring to Boise State for the fall of 2021 then now is the time to apply. For more information see the B2B program.
B2B QUICK FACTS -
- B2B is a 5 year, $1.5M grant to BSU & CWI from NIH
- B2B Fellows will be compensated during their Bridge summer AND during their junior year
- B2B is designed to increase participation by underrepresented students
- B2B expects to help students transition to a biomedical research career path via
- Advising and Mentoring
- Academic Preparation
- Authentic Research Experiences
- Opportunities for Networking
- Financial Support
Franklin Road Closure
The City of Nampa is closing Franklin Road between Idaho Center Boulevard and Star Road from Friday, Nov. 22 to Friday, Dec. 6, for utility-related improvements to the Amazon fulfillment center.
College of Western Idaho's Nampa Campus Micron Education Center, on Franklin Road, will have access via N. Idaho Center Boulevard (see attached map).
If you have questions please call Tiffany McCree, with the City of Nampa at (208) 465-2221 or email projects@cityofnampa.us.
CWI Snow Information and Tips
With winter weather upon us, College of Western Idaho (CWI) crews are working to keep campus locations safe and clear of ice and snow. Please keep in mind, winter conditions can be dangerous and require everyone's attention to prevent slipping and falling. We are all responsible for exercising good judgment when walking on icy or slippery conditions. No matter how well snow and ice is removed from parking lots and sidewalks, it is important to be prepared and continually aware of slippery surfaces. Parking space may be limited in some areas due to snow piles from plowing.
Keep the following safety tips in mind:
- Wear shoes or boots that provide traction on snow and ice. Neoprene and non-slip rubber are best. Avoid shoes with smooth soles and heels.
- Walk S-L-O-W-L-Y. Plan extra time so you are not rushing.
- Be careful when you shift your weight. When stepping off a curb or getting into a car, be careful since shifting your weight may cause an imbalance and result in a fall.
- Avoid taking shortcuts. Shortcuts are a good idea if you are in a hurry, but may be a bad idea if there is snow and ice on the ground. A shortcut path may be treacherous because it is likely to be located where snow and ice removal is not possible.
- Walk like a penguin. Point your feet out slightly and shuffle. Spreading your feet out slightly improves your stability. Bend slightly and walk flat-footed with your center of gravity directly over your feet as much as possible. Keep your hands out of your pockets and extend your arms out to your sides to maintain balance.
- Plan ahead. While walking on snow or ice on sidewalks or in parking lots, walk cautiously. Look to see where your feet will move next to anticipate ice or an uneven surface. Occasionally scan from left to right to ensure you are not in the way of vehicles or other hazards.
- Look up. Be careful about what you walk under. Injuries also can result from falling snow/ice as it blows, melts, or breaks away from awnings, buildings, etc.
- Use your eyes and ears. While seeing the environment is important, you also want to be sure you can hear approaching traffic and other noises. Avoid listening to music or engaging in conversation that may prevent you from hearing oncoming traffic or snow removal equipment.
- When you arrive at your indoor destination, remove as much snow and water from your feet as you can to prevent water buildup on the floors.
- Enter a building carefully. When you get to your destination such as school, work, shopping center, etc., be sure to look at the floor as you enter the building. The floor may be wet with melted snow and ice.
- When using stairs, always use handrails.
- Anticipate ice. Be wary of thin sheets of ice that may appear as wet pavement (black ice). Often ice will appear in the morning, in shady spots or where the sun shines during the day and melted snow refreezes at night.
To report icy conditions on campus or if you have questions, please call Facilities Planning and Management at 208.562.3545 or facilities@cwi.edu.
