CWI Compass Connect - September 7, 2016
In the Spotlight
On Tuesday, Sept. 6, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of placing a general obligation bond on the November 2016 ballot. Seen here is Boise Mayor Dave Bieter speaking at a press conference where the decision was announced. For more information, please read the full story below. You can also visit cwi.edu/bond for details about the bond measure and voting.
News Highlights
College of Western Idaho Trustees Vote to Pursue Bond Measure in November
At a special board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Board of Trustees voted in favor of placing a $180 million general obligation bond on the November 2016 ballot. The bond would fund campus development in Boise and Nampa to expand program offerings and serve more students.
The bond would impact Ada and Canyon county taxpayers based on property assessed value. The bond would cost taxpayers an estimated $22.31 per $100,000 of taxable value each year for 25 years. The College of Western Idaho Bond Measure will be on the November 8, 2016 ballot in both Ada and Canyon County.
CWI has grown from 1,200 students in its first semester in 2009 to serving more than 20,000 students a year with projections for continued growth in the years ahead. This is the first time Ada and Canyon County voters have been approached for a bond since the College was founded.
“College of Western Idaho’s impact on the Treasure Valley since its inception is tremendous,” said Board Chair Mary Niland. “As we look to the future of the Valley, we understand the need for affordable, innovative, industry-driven higher education is going to continue to grow. We are committed to strategically positioning CWI to ensure it not only supports the community now, but well into the future.”
The Board has identified several major development projects that are needed to support CWI’s current student population while also positioning the College to meet projected growth and demand. The list of proposed projects include:
Nampa Campus
Health Science & Central Services Buildings
- State-of-industry health career training in support of high demand jobs including:
- Nursing
- Medical & Surgical Technicians
- Emergency Response Professionals
- Centralized infrastructure facility serving all current and future campus buildings
- Campus site infrastructure including utilities, roadways and campus commons that will save the College money and prepare for future campus growth.
- Designed to provide flexibility for future campus growth through sustainability and high efficiency systems
Student Success Center & Career Technical Facilities:
- Student Success Center will serve as central hub for supporting students, staff and the community. Services and resources, including:
- Library Learning Commons
- Registration and financial advising
- Career advisement and transferability
- Clubs and Organizations Center
- Community Meeting Space
- Career Technical Facilities will centralize and expand program support for high demand agriculture, horticulture and truck driving career ready programs
Ada County Campus in Boise
-
New urban campus supporting Boise metro students, businesses and community
- Initial phase of Boise campus to include high-demand programs such as two-year associate degrees that transfer and career technical programs including Information Technology, Management and Business Support Services
- Designed with strong flexibility for training labs, dynamic classrooms and meeting spaces
- House programs already offered in Boise serving more than 7,000 students with anticipated growth
CWI’s Trustees have been in ongoing discussions about the best way to address challenges associated with the College’s explosive enrollment growth since opening its doors in 2009.
“College of Western Idaho is at an exciting and critical point in its history,” said CWI President Dr. Bert Glandon. “As we plan for the future, we must continue building a sustainable infrastructure and prepare for anticipated growth in demand for new programs and more offerings. CWI is positioned to expand its role as a catalyst for education and the economy in the Treasure Valley for years to come.”
Connecting Students to Community Through Books
A vital program to help people learn the basic skills they need to work, live, and connect with the community has received a much-needed financial boost. US Bancorp Foundation and two, local Walmart stores selected the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation to receive grants that support CWI’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Book Project.
Learning in Action
Four days a week, the sounds of people who speak several different languages fill the halls at CWI’s Ada County Campus Mallard Building. In one classroom, students are learning how to break down job descriptions and applications so they can apply for jobs.
“Can anyone tell me what a ‘people person’ is,” Janelle Gilson, a basic skills instructor, asks her class.
In another class, students are challenging their skills by filling out crossword puzzles using common words they have learned and will regularly use. Down the hall in another classroom, an instructor is using her own driver’s license to show her class how the information is used in real-world settings.
Students who demonstrate they are determined to learn the English language are given a book they can take home to study; reinforcing what they learn in class. That’s where the ESL Book Project enters the picture. The grant pays for bilingual picture dictionaries in more than 30 different languages.
The books effectively help students:
- Participate in job interviews
- Access community services and resources
- Ask questions
- Get directions
- Engage in their children’s schools
- Grocery shop
- Prepare for further education or training
- Independently function in American society
Supportive Community Partners
“We are all about diversity,” Daren Lannigan, the assistant manager at Walmart Store #4180 in Nampa, said. “We work with a lot of non-native language speakers at our store, so this initiative makes perfect sense for us to support in our community.”
The Walmart Community Grants Team at Store #4180 in Nampa contributed $1,500 for the project. Walmart Store #2508 in Boise awarded $250, and US Bancorp Foundation contributed $4,035. The combined funding will help purchase roughly 230 books.
ESL classes at CWI are offered free of charge and at six different levels. For more information, click here or call 208.562.2571.
Response to Life-Changing Call Leads to CWI
For as long as Jayme Thomas can remember, she knew she wanted to work in medicine. The kind of kid who would flip through anatomy books for fun, she grew up wanting to be a doctor.
“I used to watch all of the E.R. and doctor-related shows on TV,” she said. “I’m the first one in my family to show an interest in the field. Everyone thought I’d grow out of it, but I never did.”
Jayme’s family moved to Twin Falls from southern California during her sophomore year in high school. Her dad, who worked for Ford Motor Company, transferred there for his job. A few days after graduating in 2011, Jayme decided she was going back to California. She got a job at Disneyland as a lifeguard, and studied biology at Cal State-Fullerton. Things were right on track. Then one day, Jayme received a life-altering phone call. Her father was diagnosed with a brain tumor and needed extensive surgery.
“One instance changed my entire life when my dad got sick,” she said. “My parents always encouraged me to go to college. They told me they would pay for it. But after my dad got sick, that all changed. I had to become realistic about what I could afford.”
Jayme moved back to Idaho to help her mom take care of her dad. The entire family moved to Nampa so he could be closer to his doctors, and she went to work full time. After her goal of becoming a doctor took a drastic turn, she ended up choosing the next best affordable thing.
“I chose the Emergency Medical Technician program at CWI,” she said. “I knew what I wanted to do in life, so I just needed to make it happen. I chose CWI because it is reasonably priced, has a good reputation, and it is conveniently located.”
Once Jayme made the decision to enroll, she had to wait to get in. She was finally able to start in January. A few weeks short of completing the program in May, she received word she was selected for the College’s Workforce Development Board-Designated EMT Scholarship—something she forgot she had applied for last October.
“I was excited to receive it because it was such a hardship for me to go to school,” she said.
Jayme’s dream of working in the medical field has finally come true. She is now nationally certified, and working as an EMT in Pennsylvania. Her ultimate goal is to work for Life Flight or a water tactical rescue team.
Scholarship opportunities are available to help cover some or all of the costs associated with classes offered through CWI’s Workforce Development. Call 208.562.2700 for more information.
CWI Business Grad Applies Education to Local Company
Casey Lewis is a recent graduate from College of Western Idaho's (CWI) Business Program. During the last few years, classes such as accounting, calculus, and statistics have made Casey realize the impact that mathematics has on making business decisions. He plans to build on this foundational knowledge by earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Boise State University. With the two separate degrees, Casey will have a calculated approach to his future business decisions.
Currently, Casey is working for a local paving company. With at least a decade under his belt, Casey has been involved in a variety of aspects of the company. While attending a business statistics class taught by Damaris Wight, he realized there may be better ways to create bidding estimates than they were currently using. Using the applicability of regression and correlation, he redesigned the way the company provided bids to customers.
Mr. Lewis modified a simple input form in Excel for the bidder to enter square footage and other pertinent information that provides more accurate bidding options. This equation is supported by prior year’s data and respectfully accounts for the different aspects that drive prices including square footage, employee hours, and materials. Casey recalculated the equation for each 5,000 sq. foot increment minimizing room for error. Furthermore, he incorporated different percentages of profitability giving the bidder three different options to ensure he will win the bid over other companies.
This new design has been fully implemented recently so there is no data yet to prove the equation successful. However, Casey has been sampling with regression on one salesman and within the last two months the salesman’s accepted bids have already raised by 15 percent. The company has now given Casey the position of statistically analyzing the different departments of the company to hopefully better their profitability company-wide.
Casey is thankful for the knowledge and support he received from the Business faculty at CWI, and is excited to see results by the end of the year.
CWI Launches New Look News and Blogs
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is proud to present a new look for the delivery of its online news and blogs. The CWI Marketing department recently launched a News and Blogs web page with featured stories, better search capabilities, and more visibility to blogs from CWI faculty, staff, and students. CWI News and Blogs content will continue to also populate related program, club, and department pages throughout the website.
Additional features include:
- blogs categorized by topic;
- more visibility for students and community members to sign-up for CWI’s Compass Connect e-newsletter;
- a listing of popular news and blogs;
- and more.
Questions about CWI’s news or blogs should be directed to communications@cwi.edu.
CWI’s Dickinson Engages in Sociology at National Level
Charles Dickinson, associate professor of Sociology at College of Western Idaho (CWI), recently returned from the 111th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA) in Seattle, Washington. The national conference had over 5,000 attendees and contained more than 500 individual sessions as part of the program. The conference provided a great opportunity for Dickinson to network with community college and university faculty from around the nation, attend more than a dozen sessions, and deepen his involvement at the ASA.
Dickinson, who served as Session Organizer, managed sessions within the Section on Teaching and Learning. He reviewed over twenty paper submissions, selected the ones to be included, and presided over one of the sessions. The papers included topics such as inter-disciplinary teaching, evaluating mentoring programs, and engaged learning models.
In addition, Dickinson met with the ASA Task Force on Community College Faculty in Sociology, which he has served on for the past four years. They conducted a national survey using a probability sample of sociology instructors at community colleges. A sample of that sort had never been drawn before; it included both full-time and part-time faculty. The task force is concluding their work this year, the final report will be presented to the ASA along with recommendations to support sociology faculty at community colleges throughout the United States.
