CWI News—Dec. 3, 2021
In the Spotlight
CWI celebrated and honored Native American Heritage Month on campus this week. The celebration included a performance by Lightning Creek, a Native American award-winning drum group from the Nez Perce Nation; guest speaker, Daniel Spaulding, a Nez Perce tribal member, KIYE Radio Coordinator, and Host of The Conversation podcast; and story teller, organizer, and social change advocate, Tia Simpson, as the keynote speaker.
News Highlights
Bank of America Helps Break Barriers for Multicultural Nursing Students
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Multicultural Nursing Assistant program is honored to be a Bank of America grant recipient for 2021.
Bank of America has worked with nonprofit partners and other leaders across public and private sectors in the Treasure Valley for years to help drive economic mobility for vulnerable populations. This work has included donating funds to assist CWI in the creation of a Multicultural Nursing Assistant program. The program, started in 2011, is designed to facilitate viable career pathways in healthcare professions leading to employment for students whose primary language is not English. Over the past decade, the program has helped provide critical healthcare workforce training and employment to more than 100 students.
“CWI is playing an important role in breaking down barriers for immigrant and refugee students in Idaho,” said Kurt Walsdorf, President of Bank of America Idaho. “CWI’s innovative Multicultural Nursing Assistant courses will prepare English Language Learners for a career in healthcare – helping them achieve their own career and economic success, while also providing invaluable medical support during a time of great need in the community.”
“Some students in the Multicultural Nursing Assistant program come to the United States with years of experience as doctors, nurses, radiologists, and healthcare administrators,” said Adult Education Supervisor, Trevi Hardy. “This program is often a first step in those students’ ability to reclaim their careers and to serve our community as healthcare workers. Other students are just starting out, and this program is a first step in their professional or academic journey. In either case, the Bank of America gift reduces barriers to participation in this critical career pathway, and our community benefits from this linguistically skilled, culturally diverse, and extraordinarily dedicated talent pool.”
Innocent is currently a student in the program. Innocent came to the United States in March of this year as a Congolese refugee from Rwanda.
“I have a bachelor’s degree in the field of nursing,” he said. “As I am struggling to be a licensed nurse here in the United States, I have decided to start as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). When my degree is accepted here, I can continue my career as a nurse. Through the Multicultural Nursing Assistant program, I hope to obtain my professional license in the healthcare field as well as gain knowledge to help me work as a CNA in Idaho and across the United States.”
Through Bank of America’s partnership and $70,000 gift to CWI, the College can provide greater access to Multicultural Nursing Assistant students, like Innocent, through the help of scholarships. The grant is aligned to the bank’s broader efforts to help advance racial equality and economic opportunity through a $1.25 billion commitment over five years focused on health, jobs and reskilling, affordable housing, and small business.
To learn more about CWI’s Multicultural Nursing Assistant program, visit the Adult Education page on the CWI website or contact Trevi Hardy at trevihardy@cwi.edu. The next cohort of classes begins in February.
2021 Emerging Scholars
The Emerging Scholars Committee is pleased to announce College of Western Idaho’s 2021 Emerging Scholars. Nominated by faculty, students were selected based on their commitment to learning, perseverance, innovative thinking, leadership, and professionalism in and outside of the classroom. Each Emerging Scholar was awarded a $1,000 scholarship to use to further their academic excellence.
“Receiving this scholarship means so much to me as a struggling student,” said 2021 Emerging Scholar, Ray Gullickson. “I support myself completely, meaning I have a full-time job along with my coursework. I appreciate Janel Holt so much for nominating me and believing in me as a student and as a person. A huge thank you to her for taking personal interest in me when there are so many other she could have invested in.”
2021 Emerging Scholars
- John Barber
- Jessica Belcher
- Jessica Buchanan
- José Munoz Castro
- Wyatt Demirelli
- Kari Ebbers
- Jubilee Estes
- Maddie Gentry
- Ray Gullickson
- Kai Heistand
- Albert Hernandez
- Madison Higgins
- Holly Joyner
- Nadine Kiza
- Owen Gonzalez Martinez
- Rhyan Maynard
- Emily Mills
- Gabrielle Pape
- Damien Perez
- Steven Shaklee
- Fait Destiny Simon
- Cristina Snyder
- Cody Summers
- Monica Webster
Faculty are encouraged to begin nominating students for the 2022 Emerging Scholar awards. Nominations are open now through April 11, 2022. Visit Emerging Scholars online, or contact Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu to learn more.
CWI Partners with Local Fire Department to Elevate Opportunities for Students
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Fire Service Technology program and its students have received tremendous support and dedication from the different fire departments in the surrounding Treasure Valley. This support includes that of the Caldwell Fire Department who has graciously allowed CWI Fire Service Technology students to utilize the department’s facilities, personnel, and equipment to enhance their education and training.
Multiple graduates from CWI’s Fire Service Technology academy program now have the privilege of working alongside many of the same people who were teaching them during their training as full-time firefighters for Caldwell Fire Department. In addition to hiring CWI’s students, Caldwell Fire has created opportunities within their Fire Prevention Division where students can gain valuable experience while exploring different careers within the fire service industry.
“For years, fire departments across the Treasure Valley have sought a solution for basic firefighting training to assist us in identifying quality, entry-level candidates,” said Caldwell Fire Deputy Chief, Steve Donahue. “CWI’s program has been a great solution. Students who finish the program are certified and possess the appropriate knowledge, skills, abilities, and physical stamina to perform as firefighters. We are finding CWI students provide us with a diverse, well-trained pool of candidates who have proven to be very capable and skilled at their craft. Unfortunately for us, the rest of the departments are now starting to discover the advantages of CWI’s program.”
Kevin Hargan, a recent graduate of the program, began working for Caldwell Fire this past June.
“The program prepared me for coming online and working full time,” he said. “I had been testing for a few years and had missed out on some opportunities because I didn’t have some of the minimum qualifications as far as certifications went. I looked into the program at CWI and saw it as an opportunity to gain those certifications, more experience, as well as an opportunity to build relationships with the instructors. It was a great way to get good references and a foot inside the door.”
“Our work with Caldwell Fire Department is just one example of the great industry partnerships the College has within the community,” said CWI Fire Service Program Manager, Darrin Raskopf. “We look forward to many more of our graduates filling their ranks!”
The Fire Service Technology program application period for the next academy runs Jan. 3 – March 9, 2022. Visit the Fire Service Technology page online, or call 208.562.2671 to learn more.
13th-Annual Giving Tree
Help bring holiday cheer to children in the Treasure Valley by participating in College of Western Idaho’s 13th-annual Giving Tree. This year, the College’s Psychology Club, Psi Beta, Veteran’s Association, Criminal Justice Department, and Social Work Club are partnering with CASA of Southwest Idaho, an independent non-profit organization representing the best interests of children in foster care.
Unwrapped gifts will be collected now through Dec. 9 at trees located near the security desks at the following campus locations:
- Ada County Campus Pintail Center (APIN)
- Canyon County Center (CYNC)
- Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB)
- Nampa Campus Aspen Classroom Building (NASP)
Contact Heather Schoenherr at heatherschoenherr@cwi.edu with questions or to learn more.
myCWI Upgrade
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will be upgrading and rebranding myCWI on Dec. 3, 4, and 5. The updated platform will make accessing myCWI easier, more secure, and more mobile friendly.
During the upgrade, the Employee Toolkit will be unavailable through myCWI. General use of applications like Blackboard, Colleague, Email, and the Employee Toolkit can be accessed directly using the links below.
- Blackboard – blackboard.cwi.edu
- Email – mail.cwi.edu
- Employee Toolkit – selfservice.cwi.edu
- Colleague Production – uiprod.cwi.edu
- Business Objects – busobj01/BOE/BI
What can you expect to see once the upgrade takes place?
- An updated look and feel based on CWI’s new branding guidelines.
- Changes to the location of the main navigation from across the top to down the left side.
- The current My Toolkit menu structure will be replaced with a single button that takes you to your Employee Toolkit. From there, you can navigate to items like your Time Entry, Earning Statements, and Projects Accounting.
- For those who assist students, please be aware changes have been made to the Student Home page. The links below have been moved to the following locations:
- Student Account information and Workforce Development Registration has moved to ‘Registration & Payment Info’, just below the new My Toolkit button.
- Enrollment Verification and Order Official Transcripts has moved to ‘Important Links’, just below the new My Toolkit button.
- Employees and Students will now be able to access Blackboard, My Toolkit, and Email from the header of any page within myCWI.
Crunch Week – Fall 2021
Monday, Dec. 6, is the beginning of “Crunch Week” at College of Western Idaho, otherwise known as the week before finals! The Student Affairs team has organized a week full of events designed to help students, faculty, and staff relax, have some fun, and celebrate the end of another semester.
Mindfulness Room
Dec. 6 – 9
All day
Nampa Campus Academic Building, Room 122
Yoga hosted by 2C Yoga in Nampa
Dec. 8
11 a.m. to noon
Nampa Campus Academic Building, Room 122
Dec. 9
11 a.m. – noon
Ada County Campus Pintail Center, Room 1302
Drag Queen Bingo
Dec. 9
5 p.m.
Nampa Campus Academic Building, Room 122
Contact Harrison Watts at harrisonwatts@cwi.edu or 208.562.3452 with questions or to learn more.
Finish Fall in Fashion and Sprint into Spring Semester
As College of Western Idaho (CWI) prepares to wrap up Fall 2021 semester, we look forward to continuing to serve students this spring. Go BOLD with classes to fit your life, programs that make a difference, and support every step of the way.
Important Dates
Fall 2021 Semester
- Dec. 13-18 – Finals Week
- Dec. 18 – Last Day, Fall 2021 Semester
- Dec. 24-27 – Winter Break (Offices Closed)
- Dec. 24 – Fall 2021 Grades Available on myCWI
Spring 2022 Semester
- Dec. 18 – Financial Aid Priority Deadline
- Dec. 31 – New Year’s Day Observed (Offices Closed)
- Jan. 8 – Admission Deadline
- Jan. 14 – Registration Deadline, Tuition and Fees Due
- Jan. 18 – Spring 2022 Classes Begin
Get Started Today!
Complete your application, register for classes, and apply for financial aid.
- Applications and necessary documentation must be received prior to the admission deadline in order to be accepted for spring semester.
- All new, degree-seeking students must complete New Student Orientation prior to registering for classes which is available online once a student has been accepted to CWI.
Contact One Stop Student Services with questions or to learn more.
Taylor Named Faculty of Distinction for October 2021
Congratulations to Troy Taylor, College of Western Idaho’s Faculty of Distinction for October 2021. Taylor is a Cybersecurity instructor and has been with the College for two years.
“I teach because I love sharing knowledge and preparing the next generation for success,” Taylor said. “I enjoy helping students learn, find their path, and prepare themselves for successful technology careers.”
Prior to CWI, Taylor spent 30 years working in information technology and cybersecurity working for several startups as well as starting and selling his own company. A master falconer on the side, he also spent several years studying wildlife.
“My interest in raptors led me to pursue a master’s degree just for me and just for fun in Wildlife Education and Birds of Prey. While I will likely not use it for a career, it as an area I had a love for and wanted to do a deep dive into. I came to realize my aptitude for teaching as I spent time educating the public about these amazing birds at various schools and nature centers in the valley.”
“When I started at CWI, I knew little to nothing about IT,” said Taylor’s student, Braden Johnson. “He made his courses feel welcoming and always put myself and others in a position to succeed. I appreciate how he took the time to answer my questions and meet up outside of class to go over material always reassuring me I was doing the right things and that I will have a place in IT as I continue on with my education.”
Taylor was born and raised in Washington but has lived in Idaho for over 30 years. Him and his wife, who he says is the secret to his success, have been married for 22 years and are now empty nesters.
Shop Amazon, Help Students!
Did you know when you shop on Amazon, you can also help College of Western Idaho (CWI) students? Through AmazonSmile, 0.5% of your eligible Amazon purchases will be donated to student scholarships at CWI at no cost to you!
Contact the CWI Foundation at foundation@cwi.edu to learn more or with questions.
December COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
Free, mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be available at College of Western Idaho (CWI), in partnership with Terry Reilly Health Services, during the month of December. The clinics are open to students, employees, and members of the community.
Thursday, Dec. 2
Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB)
Room 122
9 a.m. to noon
Thursday, Dec. 9 (cancelled)
Ada County Campus Pintail Center (APIN)
Common Area
9 a.m. to noon
Clinics will feature the following COVID-19 vaccinations:
Pfizer
- First and second doses for ages 5 and up
- Boosters for anyone 18 and over
Moderna
- First and second doses for anyone 18 and over
- Boosters for anyone 18 and over
Those interested in receiving a vaccination can register on-site and should plan to stay 15 minutes after the vaccination for observation. CWI employees wishing to participate in the clinics are asked to communicate with their manager for pre-approved release time.
According to guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccines are effective at helping protect against severe disease and death from variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, including the Delta variant. To learn more about COVID-19 and the vaccine, visit the CDC site.
Contact CWI Dean of Students, Chad Trisler, at chadtrisler@cwi.edu with questions or to learn more.
Don’t Get Locked Out!
In May, College of Western Idaho announced the rollout of new ID cards for all students and employees. On-campus building access will expire for employees who have not updated their ID card on Dec. 31, 2021.
Steps to update your card, including how to schedule an appointment with One Stop Student Services to do so, can be accessed through the link below.
Course Section Report Moves to Power BI
College of Western Idaho’s Course Section Report (CSR) is moving to a Power BI report. The Registrar’s Office, along with Institutional Effectiveness and Instruction, have been working on moving this report to the new platform for the past several months.
The new report can be readily accessed and will have more current data than the current CSR emailed each business day during registration periods. Deans, department chairs, faculty, and staff with a business need will be able to review the report information which can also be viewed on the network at I:\CWI\Course Section Report (CSR) in an unformatted Excel version.
Please contact Pedro Arredondo with any questions or access training materials at pedroarredondo@cwi.edu.