CWI Compass Connect - Oct. 29, 2019
Spotlight
Kevin Miller talks with CWI Dual Credit Coordinator, Randi Smith, left, and Carol Crothers, Manager of the Math Solutions Center, during a live broadcast on KIDO radio Friday, Oct. 18, at the Nampa Campus Academic Building. Miller also talked with Mark Browning, Vice President of College Relations; Luis Caloca, Director of Admissions and One Stop Student Services; Alex Beal, CTE Department Chair; Justin Vance, Dean of Arts and Humanities; and Becca Levi, a communications student during the show. Listen to the broadcast.
News Highlights
Service-Learning Project Brings Opportunity and Perspective
For two semesters, a small group of students have been working with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections (IDJC) on a service-learning project through their Psychology and Social Work classes at College of Western Idaho (CWI). Volunteering with IDJC as a CWI Service Learning Student is a great opportunity to learn about different career opportunities. Students were also able to participate in a guided tour of the Juvenile Correction Center in Nampa.
“The service-learning experience with IDJC was amazing,” said Diana Alfaro, a CWI student majoring in Liberal Arts. “My favorite part was going out to the Juvenile Correction Center facility on a tour. While there, we had the opportunity to learn about the operations of each department within the facility.
As part of this project, the students contributed to Youth Speaks, a newsletter published by the Youth Committee within the Idaho Juvenile Justice Commission, for juveniles in the correction centers, on probation, or in county detention centers. The newsletter addresses topics such as bullying, drug abuse, as well as personal, motivational stories and humor.
“We individually select a topic then write an article that will be relevant and bring a smile to a juvenile in custody,” Alfaro said.
Articles were edited and approved by the Youth Committee and a small group of staff within IDJC. The newsletters were then printed and distributed to youth at the IDJC facilities and detention centers throughout Idaho during the 2019 statewide Youth Survey Tour.
CWI and College of Idaho Launch Yote Track
College of Western Idaho (CWI) and The College of Idaho are pleased to announce their partnership, Yote Track, created to provide CWI students a smooth transfer process to The College of Idaho. The new agreement allows CWI students access to benefits provided by The College of Idaho and ensures an efficient transition while the students complete their two-year associate degree.
Yote Track includes automatic admission for CWI students with a 3.0 grade point average or higher, priority registration for their first semester, access to the state-of-the-art Cruzen-Murray Library on The College of Idaho campus, and other benefits prior to and during the transfer process.
“It’s really crucial students in the state of Idaho and elsewhere do their very best to finish out a full four-year educational experience,” said College of Idaho Vice President of Academic Affairs, David Douglass. “To that end, we’ve initiated this relationship.”
Douglass noted during a news conference announcing Yote Track on the CWI campus that this type of partnership to seamlessly transition from a two-year community college to a four-year liberal arts school provides students affordability, access, and vocational discernment.
College of Western Idaho President, Bert Glandon, began working on an articulation agreement with College of Idaho co-presidents, Doug Brigham and Jim Everett, nearly 18 months ago and says he is pleased with the opportunity Yote Track provides CWI graduates.
“It is really an advanced opportunity for students to have the kind of experience and opportunity to go on to a premiere, four-year liberal arts college that really has student success invested in them from day one,” Glandon said. “We’re very proud, and we’re honored, and we’re privileged to be able to say we are a partner with The College of Idaho.”
College of Idaho co-president, Doug Brigham, credits Glandon with moving the process forward to the benefit of both schools.
“Bert had this tremendous, can-do, let’s make it happen attitude, and that was so refreshing to us,” said Brigham. “I think a lot of the outcomes today with Yote Track are because of that can-do attitude on both sides.”
As students work to finish an associate degree at the College of Western Idaho, the Yote Track will allow students to take advantage of several benefits, including:
- Automatic admission to The College of Idaho upon successful completion of an associate of arts or associate of science degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA
- Scholarship opportunities
- Dedicated College of Idaho transfer enrollment counselor to facilitate the application and admission process
- Free admission to select Yote athletic events
- 15-percent discount at the College Store
- Coordinated academic advising between CWI and The College of Idaho
- Mentorship opportunities
- Priority registration during transfer term
- Access to College of Idaho’s Cruzen-Murray Library
Learn more about Yote Track and additional transfer opportunities at CWI by visiting cwi.edu/transfer.
Settlers of Catan Tournament—Nov. 2
Join the Business and Entrepreneurship Club for an afternoon of fun, light refreshments, and prizes at their next Settlers of Catan Tournament Saturday, Nov. 2.
The tournament, held at the Nampa Campus Academic Building from 1 – 6 p.m., will feature three rounds of play for all participants. Prizes for the tournament, sponsored by Phoenix Fire Games, will be awarded to the first and second-place winners. Admission is $10 for pre-registration and $12 at the door, paid by cash or check on-site.
Contact Shelly Moore at shellymoore@cwi.edu to learn more.
Special Board Meeting Highlights Facilities Planning
Executive Vice President of Operations, Craig Brown, led the Real Property Work Session during a special board meeting for College of Western Idaho, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center.
The presentation highlighted the growth of the College over the past decade, and Brown used a timeline to illustrate the acquisition of facilities to help meet the needs of students.
“You’ve got to understand the past before you can predict the future,” Brown said following the presentation. “We really need to understand where we’re going from an instructional point of view, everything we do is how we teach. Whether we’re using technology or building buildings, it’s about our methodologies and where they are today, and probably more importantly, where they’re going to go in the future.”
Brown underscored the importance of having flexible facilities. “If you can think about future space from the standpoint as a stage set, based upon a production, you roll things in and roll things out, based upon what we are doing now – I think that is the future of space.”
The Board will use the information from the presentation to help inform future decisions regarding capital projects.
Faculty of Distinction—September 2019
Suzanne Wees has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for September 2019. Wees, a full-time faculty member in the Professional Nursing program, began teaching at CWI in 2013 after returning to the Boise area from Tucson, Arizona.
Wees received her Associate of Science degree in Nursing from Boise State University in 1981. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Management, and Master of Science in Nursing Education from Grand Canyon University. She also holds a minor in Mandarin Chinese from Shanghai University and is currently completing a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Grand Canyon University. Her dissertation work centers on the care of the addicted healthcare professional and the cultural influences impacting recovery rates.
Wees moved to Shanghai, China, for several years to work on opioid addiction recovery programs. She was one of the first women invited to speak to inmates, physicians, and nurses inside several ‘heroin prisons’ in China. She has also spoken on addiction recovery at prisons in Malaysia and the Philippines.
To address the opioid epidemic here in Idaho, Wees founded, and is the Director of, the Idaho Neuroscience of Addiction Coalition (INAC). INAC is a group of healthcare professionals and community activists working to bring the latest research on the neuroscience of addiction to Idaho. The first INAC symposium was held at the Boise Centre in September and raised over $6,000 for scholarships for Idaho nurses who need addiction treatment/rehabilitation and education.
Suzanne believes in teaching CWI Nursing students the power of science combined with the power of compassionate patient care. She teaches courses in advanced medical/surgical nursing, mental health, simulation, and onsite clinical experiences.
In addition, the Board recognized Staff of the Month recipient, Alexis Malepeai-Rhodes, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, and Student Achievement Award recipient, Angelica Vasquez, a Criminal Justice student and Latinx Mentor.
2020 Connections Project Logo Contest
Make connections, educate others, and inspire innovation and creativity at the 2020 Connections Project – an annual event celebrating culture, collaboration, education, innovation, and achievement. The Connections Project committee is calling upon current CWI students to showcase their talents by designing a logo for next April’s event. Deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The winner will be notified by Nov. 15. The winning logo will be used for marketing efforts surrounding the event, and the designer will receive a $150 cash prize!
Submission instructions and a style guide are available on Blackboard in myCommons/Engage/Connections Project. Contact Karen Brown at 208.562.3121 or karenbrown@cwi.edu for more information.
