CWI News – August 18, 2023

Cascade School District Science Teacher, Andrea Meyer, is passionate about helping her students reach success. As the district’s only Science Teacher, she teaches all the junior high and high school students in Cascade and is always in search of new opportunities to support them. 

For a while, Meyer’s dream was to provide college-level classes to her students, but limited resources at her rural school district had made that challenging. 

“Because of how small our district and tight the budget is, every five to six years, I get the chance to review the curriculum and determine was outdated or needs to be replaced,” Meyer said. “While the district is very supportive of our students and teachers, you have to be mindful of what you ask for.” 

In 2022, the district’s Superintendent approached Meyer with new ideas about how to support students around Cascade, including the idea of partnering with College of Western Idaho (CWI) to teach dual credit classes.  

CWI’s Dual Credit program gives students the opportunity to receive both high school and college credits for pre-approved classes, which are transferable to Idaho colleges and universities and many other institutions outside of the state. Dual credit classes cost $75 per credit, and high school students may engage in the classes on campus or online at CWI or at their high school. 

To gauge student interest, Meyer held discussions with her students eligible for the classes, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. She realized this was a pursuit that she and the school needed to embark on. 

The next step was for Meyer to meet with CWI Dual Credit Executive Director, Stephen Crumrine, to begin preparing for the classes. Crumrine asked if Meyer had the resources needed to teach the class, which she had to admit the school lacked. However, through the partnership, CWI provided new equipment such as microscopes and updated textbooks for Meyer and her students. 

The Dual Credit program also provided Cascade School District with aid from faculty at the College, Adjunct Faculty of Biology, Stephen Michas and Adjunct Faculty of Chemistry, Carole Cox, to help with course content for the dual credit Biology and Chemistry classes and support for Meyer. Both faculty members stay in constant communication with Meyer throughout the school year to make sure she and the class have the resources they need to be successful. 

“I am so grateful CWI is able to provide the equipment and support it has for Andrea,” Michas said. “Science is the same thing as teaching critical thinking because it teaches students to make informed decisions. We need science. Without Andrea Meyer, there would be an enormous deficit in the students of Cascade’s education.” 

Meyer remarks how beneficial the new resources have been to the students. Students have shown more engagement and interest in their science classes due to the practical learning environment. The partnership has positively impacted the students' performances, leading to some of Meyer’s science classes scoring well above the state average. 

“I love that I hear more often that science has become one of my students’ favorite classes,” Meyer said. “A student at the end of class the first time they used the microscope asked me if he could come in at lunchtime to look at more microscope samples. I see more of my students interested and thriving in science. That makes me proud, and I am so thankful to CWI for providing these resources for us.” 

For those interested in learning more about CWI Dual Credit programs and the opportunities available around Idaho high schools, please visit Dual Credit’s web page or contact Stephen Crumrine at stephencrumrine@cwi.edu.

Congratulations to English Department Chair and Professor, Joy Palmer, who has been named College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) 2023 Faculty of the Year! Named Faculty of Distinction for May 2023, Palmer is recognized for her commitment to students by helping them grow and encouraging their talents to achieve success in and out of the classroom.

"Frankly, it feels amazing to be Faculty of the Year. We have phenomenal faculty at CWI, and to be recognized by people I admire so much and who inspire me daily is honestly quite humbling. I feel a profound sense of pride about what we've collectively achieved over nearly 15 years, building a college and programs that serve our community and empower our students. Having my small part recognized this way is truly the honor of my career."

As the College transitions from “Go Bold” to “Let’s Get Started” messaging, employees can now update their email signature. 

Instructions to update email signatures in Outlook Desktop Client and Outlook 365 Web Client are all available on myCWI. You will also find general update instructions below.

Signature options include:

• New recruitment campaign graphics
• Institutional graphics

Thank you for integrating the brand into your digital communications by updating your email signature. In addition to supporting the brand, using the branded signature is important for several reasons: 

• Ensures emails are safe and valid, especially to your regular contacts
• Bad actors (faceless bad guys) usually don’t include your branded signature when spoofing email addresses, allowing your contacts to more easily recognize the email did not come from you
• Reduces overall likelihood of your email being mistaken as spam

General steps to update your employee signature:

1. In Outlook, select the File tab and click Options.
2. Select Mail in the Options menu, and click the Signatures button.
3. From the E-mail Signature tab, copy the sample branded signature block from the Word Email Signature template into the Edit signature section and insert your information. For users on Outlook 365 Web Client, images can be added to your signature by clicking the Insert Picture Inline icon under the Settings>Mail>Compose and reply> Email signature section. Be sure to save the desired image file from myCWI first so you can select it. 
4. Customize the info without changing the styling.
5. You may also create a hyperlink for the image:  https://cwi.edu/start
6. Remember to select this new file as your default signature.

NOTE: To ensure proper formatting, please copy text directly from one of the Word Email Signature templates on myCWI vs attempting to match your current email signature to the new colors and styling.

If you need assistance in updating your signature, feel free to contact Communications and Marketing at 208.562.2222 or communications@cwi.edu.