CWI News — Aug. 19, 2022

As President Gordon Jones stepped up to the podium to deliver his first College of Western of Idaho (CWI) Fall 2022 Address Wednesday, Aug 17, he shared several themes with faculty, staff, and leadership for the upcoming academic year.  A major theme carried throughout his speech; provide students with relevant skills to gain a competitive advantage for the workplace, as well as provide work-based learning experiences through collaboration with CWI’s employer partners.

How to get there starts with CWI faculty and staff.

“I have a deep passion for working with colleagues who want to transform lives,” Jones said. “I love being in the ‘people transformation’ industry. I love joining people as they look to transform lives that far out exceeds any paycheck.”

The College gathered for the Fall 2022 College Address at the Galaxy Event Center in Meridian. Wednesday’s event marked CWI’s first in-person Fall College Address since 2019, where Jones shared, he “feels excitement” when he thinks about CWI’s future and all the different areas of interest a student can pursue at the College.

With how much CWI has grown in the last 13 years, Jones has a belief the College will continue to reach new students with different backgrounds who have goals they want to achieve.

“We are sitting right at the center of where the future is when it comes to our focus,” Jones said.

Jones echoed statements heard just moments before from the Fall 2022 Address’ guest speaker, Dr. Kevin Fleming.

Fleming is the vice president of Planning and Development at Norco College in Southern California. He shared with CWI faculty and staff his presentation, Redefining the Goal: The True Path to Career Readiness in the 21^st Century. He discussed his passion to ensure higher education positions all students with the tools and resources to succeed in the labor market. 

Helping students succeed is what Jones said brought him into education and to CWI in the first place.

Jones invited staff, faculty and leadership to reflect on “their why for CWI.” He wants people to ask themselves what brought them here, what is their role serving students, and how they are connected to the institution.

“My Why for CWI comes down to this; I am passionate about how public higher education has a commitment to the communities they serve to deliver affordable high-quality education that leads to empowerment,” Jones said.

As times continue to change, Jones would like to see CWI, staff, faculty, and leadership transform too. He challenged CWI to adapt to help meet new demand and any challenges that may appear.

“I believe we're going to be entering an era where we're going to have to compete,” Jones said. “We really have to try to tell people why we're distinctive why we should be their choice.”

To be people’s choice, Jones said CWI’s relationships throughout the Treasure Valley and in Idaho is a way the College can be set apart from other institutions. He tasked faculty and staff to think and incorporate new distinctive ideas CWI can continue to be the go-to source to meet students’ needs.

Jones feels strongly, he states, “Our culture and posture allows us to approach and meet the individuals we serve uniquely and arguably better than others are able to.”

Before Jones finished his first address, he shared CWI’s new Strategic Plan for FY24.

CWI Board of Trustees recently approved the College’s vision and updated its mission.

“The vision is what mission fulfillment looks like,” Jones said.

The Three-Year Strategic Plan focuses on four goals; student success, affordable and accessible education, advance the local and global workforce, and inclusive culture. A more thorough presentation will be shared across campus this fall, which will include objectives, indicators of achievement, and targets.

"I want to be an advocate for this institution and relentlessly focused on helping us walk a journey together towards excellence, continued adaption, and service to the community," Jones said. "I hope you know you have that in my intention and hopefully you feel that as a leader that is my commitment to you. I know it's going to be a shared journey."

Watch: Fall 2022 College Address

Are you new to College of Western Idaho (CWI)? A returning student in need of some gear? Maybe you want to pass a little mighty CWI pride on to a family member or friend? Well, look no further than the CWI Bookstore!

With Fall 2022 semester right around the corner, staff have stocked the Bookstore with tons of new merchandise and apparel, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, tumblers, and more.

Keep an eye out on some sales when you’re in there — get 20% off one item of clothing or a gift item when you spend 40% or more on rental textbooks. There’s also a current sale of 10% off any drinkware.

More styles and sale items can be found online on the Bookstore’s website.

Shopping inside the store? CWI Bookstore is now offering reusable tote bags for $2.50. The black, CWI-branded cloth bag is an effort to help the environment by moving away from plastic bags.

“We recycle and reuse as many boxes and packing materials as possible,” said Bookstore Course Materials Manager, Stephanie Walker. “Having a reusable shopping bag will help reduce a considerable amount of waste coming from the Bookstore.”

Currently, the Bookstore allows students to use their financial aid to purchase anything from the store, including gift items, clothing, school supplies, and textbooks. In order to charge a financial aid account a student must have a photo ID.

Students may charge purchases to financial aid until Sept. 2.

The CWI Bookstore is located at the Nampa Campus Micron Education Center.

Bookstore hours:

• Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Saturday:  10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Sunday:  Closed

For more information, please contact CWI Bookstore at 208.562.2402 or bookstore@cwi.edu.

Congratulations to Michael Robinson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, who has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of the Year. Named Faculty of Distinction for April 2022, Robinson is recognized for the care he demonstrates to his students and their success.

“I am honored to win Faculty of the Year and grateful to work in a department with outstanding faculty and an awesome department chair, Liza Long,” said Robinson. “During my 13 years at CWI, I have been privileged to work with faculty who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of our students. My colleagues sustain my enthusiasm for teaching, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the CWI experience.”

Watch: Michael Robinson — 2022 Faculty of the Year

Congratulations to Josee Ward, Assistant Director for Student Advising and Success, who has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Staff of the Year. Named Staff of the Month for November 2021, Ward is recognized for her ‘one student at a time’ approach to advising over the past 12 years.

“Being awarded Staff of the Year was such a wonderful surprise,” said Ward. “Being at CWI for almost 13 years now, I have seen much growth, change, and excitement in both CWI and myself. I couldn’t be more thankful to be part of an amazing place helping students reach their goals! Thank you to all of those that have believed in me and championed me along the way. In addition, I am honored to have such amazing coworkers and teammates; you are what makes CWI have a culture of caring!”

Watch: Ward Named 2022 Staff of the Year

As students head back to campus, those familiar with College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Nampa Campus Micron Education Center (NMEC) may need to take a second look at the building’s map.

NMEC houses resources such as Testing Services, the CWI Bookstore, One Stop Student Services, the Writing Center, and more. Although the layout of the building remains the same, Facilities Planning and Management is in the process of updating room numbers and room signage throughout the building as part of the College’s rebranding process. For example, classroom 1701 A/B has now been updated to room 139 A/B.

Director of Planning and Construction, Aaron Whitman, believes the new system will make it easier for students, staff, and faculty to find their way around the building.

Room number changes have been updated on wayfinding and evacuation maps, as well as the College's scheduling system, 25 Live, and the Help Desk. Maps are available at the security desk on the first floor of NMEC to help those in need.

For additional questions or concerns, please reach out to Facilities Planning and Management at 208.562.3545 or facilities@cwi.edu.